Chapter 1 What was that Michael pointed at the laurel hedge with his yellow plastic bat Kate squinted into the shadows under the large shiny evergreen leaves I don’t see any thing she told her younger brother Maybe it was a cat Do cats have wings Okay maybe it was a bird Kate said Do birds have fur Michael asked And ears Kate grinned Nope It must be one of those shy Italian monsters then she teased There’s a warning about them in Mom’s guidebook Really Michael asked If it has fur and feathers it’s probably a grif fin Kate continued We saw a carving of one in Florence remember Griffins have the head and
Kristin Wolden Nitz wings of a bird and the body of a lion But don’t worry They’re only dangerous if you get too close Really he said again Kate hesitated Her little brother who had just turned seven believed practically every story she told him And he kept on believing them long after she told him they weren’t true No not really Kate finally said Forget about whatever’s slinking around in the bushes and keep your eye on the ball okay Try a prac tice swing first Keep it smooth and level Michael bit his lip in concentration His bat sliced through the air Good Here comes the pitch Kate said Two seconds later Michael chopped at the ball as if he’d forgotten everything she’d ever taught him Strike two he called cheerfully He dropped the bat and chased after the hollow white ball It rolled up against their makeshift backstop a six-foot-wide block of stone with a statue of a dragon perched on top The carving’s eyes bulged Half of its left wing was missing Kate shook her head No wonder Michael was seeing things that weren’t there The moss-covered statues cypress trees vineyards and olive groves of Tuscany Italy didn’t seem to fit with batting 2
SAVING THE GRIFFIN practice The owner of the estate Signora De Checchi had told Kate and Michael how the sculptures had been placed in odd corners and around bends in the paths hundreds of years ago to scare unsuspecting guests Kate found the strangely shaped creatures more silly than frightening After all she was in sixth grade The Wiffle ball hit Kate in the shin as Michael tossed it back to her She picked it up Ready she asked Yeah Michael said but his eyes drifted back to the laurel hedge If you don’t pay attention this is your last pitch Kate warned Keep your eye on the ball Don’t point your feet toward me Point them at the plate She drew her arm back and then swung it forward The ball spun off her fingertips This time Michael was ready and his bat con nected He dropped it and took off for first base Kate dashed after the ball which rolled under the laurel hedge a few feet from third base Maybe she could tag Michael out as he headed for home Throwing herself onto her hands and knees she peered under the branches She found herself nose to beak with a small creature It had tufted ears tawny fur and downy feathers 3
