Rod wiped sweat off his brow with a shaking hand and said, “I’m good, I’m good. But I think I’ll go stand over there.”
When we returned our attention to Earl, the madness was on him again, and he rushed at us. “Rod, now would be a good time to help us,” I said desperately. “You know, a little protective magic? That is, if you can draw your attention away from the brooch.”
Before Earl reached me, he jerked and flinched as Granny’s cane connected with his back. “Snap out of it, son,” she said. “Honestly, I’ve never seen such a weak-minded group of people in my life, and that includes the biddies at the beauty shop back home who believe everything they see on the Internet and then forward it to everyone.”
Earl hung his head and said sheepishly, “Sorry, Granny.” Then he slunk back into the crowd, keeping his distance from the stone.
All the while, the fairies and elves kept singing as they danced in circles around us, which added an odd contrast to the events. I waited for Lyle and the others to go on the attack, but instead they, too, joined the chorus. “Let’s get out of here,” I muttered to Owen, who resumed his protective position on my right side as we headed toward Fifth Avenue.
I worried that the procession of singers and dancers following me would attract even more unwanted attention. This was about as far as I could get from stealthily sneaking through the park. I felt like I was in an old musical, where suddenly everyone in town joins in the song-and-dance routine, knowing the words and the dance steps, even though they’re total strangers. Only, I didn’t feel like dancing, and I didn’t have the energy to sing.
I turned out to be right about drawing attention, but it wasn’t the kind of attention I’d expected. The park’s true wildlife was emerging from its hiding places. Birds flew overhead, and small furry things came out of the bushes and hedges. I didn’t want to think about what kinds of things lived in the city park, but I doubted they were all cute and cuddly.
“I feel like I’m in some demented Disney movie,” I said to Owen. “If they start making little outfits and singing to me, I may join Sylvester in la-la land.”
“They must sense the raw power of the Eye and be drawn to it instinctively,” he said.
“Then we have definitely got to destroy this thing. If it’s doing this on its own, without anyone directing it, then what could it do if someone actually tried to use it to gain power?”