The Magic Meadow by Alexander Key

around so you can take him ahead of Charlie. Charlie’s so weak; I don’t want him to be over there all alone. The girls will follow Charlie, and I’ll go last.”
    She lifted a laundry bag from the floor and placed it in the crook of his right arm. Then she went over and quietly wakened Diz Dobie, and tucked a rolled-up blanket under the brown boy’s left arm. “All set!” she whispered.
    Brick reached out and firmly grasped the other boy’s hand. “Close your eyes and concentrate on the dandelion place,” he ordered. “And hang on tight!”
    This time he deliberately chose the sloping hillside where he had found himself the first time. Maybe he could have taken Diz to the second spot, down by the spring, for it would save steps later when they went to the house; but at this late hour, with so many trips ahead, he was afraid to risk it. He didn’t even consider trying to reach the house. The first spot was the place everyone had visualized—in fact, it had turned out to be exactly the way they’d imagined it—and he was sure by now that the clearer you could see a destination in your mind, the less time and effort it would take to get there. If you were too tired, you just couldn’t reach it at all.
    It was a great relief, suddenly, to feel the hot afternoon sun on his face. He opened his eyes and sat up, and saw Diz Dobie staring about in speechless wonder. Hurriedly he moved the bag and blanket they had brought, and had the brown boy crawl well to one side in order to be out of the way when he returned with Charlie Pill.
    â€œI’ll land in the same spot,” he said. “And Charlie will be where you were. But when I bring Princess and Lily Rose, they’ll be on my right. So watch it.”
    He had no idea what would happen if someone or something chanced to get in his way at the final moment. Maybe it would result in no more than a bad jolting, but he surely wasn’t going to risk it if he could help it. After all, you just can’t jam two solids into the same space at the same time.
    Getting back to Ward Nine, alone and unburdened, was much easier than it had been to leave it. He had barely touched his bed when he heard Nurse Jackson whisper, “Fifteen minutes by the clock. If you can just keep that up, maybe we can make it in time.…”
    There was no mistaking the urgency in her voice. He had no idea what was troubling her, but he knew every minute must be important. She had Charlie Pill all ready for him, and the next laundry bag was thrust into his arm on the instant. “Get going!” she said tensely.
    He did his best to speed it up, but the second trip took much longer than the first. It was a quarter to four when he returned. As he reached for the small hand to his right, Nurse Jackson thrust the third laundry bag upon him. “I’ve switched the girls,” she told him quickly, giving the clock an anxious glance. “I don’t want Princess waiting out in that sun till I get there. She’s had far too much of it already.”
    He didn’t waste time telling her that the sun had vanished under a great black cloud. He closed his eyes, told Lily Rose to concentrate, and strained to get the two of them away from Belleview.
    It was much harder this time. And they were in for a bad shock when they reached the meadow, for they were greeted by thunder and the sudden fierce slash of rain. It was icy, driving rain, and they were immediately soaked. Lily Rose cried out in fright, and he scrambled to help Diz Dobie open up the blankets so the others could huddle together under them.
    He was dripping wet and chilled through when he finally landed back in his bed. The hands of the clock showed it was almost five.
    â€œIt’s storming over there!” he burst out to Nurse Jackson. “You’d better come next and get the gang up to that house. They—they’re in an awful spot