Chapter Seven (part 3)

Jennifer looked down at the new-moon stone in her hand. "Didn't the sprite tell you anything about the new-moon stones?" she asked uncertainly.

"He told me a bit but you know how he is," said Moffat and he put a finger to his lips. "Shh! Don't tell!"

"It's a secret," finished Jennifer and she laughed.

"But he did tell me this: the time of the new-moon doesn't last very long. There's only enough time to find just one stone."

"What does the new-moon look like anyway?"

"It's hard to say. Usually you can't even see it at all. Here, I'll show you," said Moffat and he got out of bed. He took the lamp from the bedside table and placed it on the penguin's head. "Pretend he's the sun, okay?"

"Okay," said Jennifer. "But he looks kind of funny."

"He can't help that, that's the way he is. Now this is the moon," said Moffat and he lifted the raccoon up high overhead and hopped around to the other side of the bed.

"Be careful," said Jennifer and she giggled. "Don't put him up on your head or you'll squoosh the lizard."

"I wouldn't do that. He's a raccoon not a hat."

"I thought he was the moon!"

"He is," said Moffat. "Right now he's the full moon. This is where the moon is when it's full."

"Is the penguin still the sun?" asked Jennifer.

"Of course he is, what do you think? Do you see the way the lamp on his head shines all over the raccoon's fur?"

Jennifer nodded. The raccoon blinked. The penguin just stood there and stared. Moffat smiled.

"That's the way the moon was when it was full about fourteen days ago," he said. You could see it quite easily, it was there in the sky all by itself. But it as moved since then, close your eyes, I'll show you!"

Jennifer closed her eyes while Moffat hopped back around the bed to the other side' again, still carrying the raccoon over his head.

"It's the new moon now," he told her. "And that's the time when the moon is in the same place in the sky as the sun. That's why I've got the raccoon over here. Okay. Turn around, but don't open your eyes till I tell you."

Jennifer turned around on the bed, her eyes still shut. "All right," she said. "I'm ready?"

"So am I!" cried Moffat. "So look!"

Jennifer opened her eyes and looked.

'Well, what do you see?" asked Moffat.

"I can't see anything," said Jennifer. "The light's shining right in my eyes and it's much too bright."

"Precisely!" said Moffat and he turned off the light on the penguin's head. Jennifer saw that he had been holding the raccoon right under the lamp and a little in front. "Couldn't see the raccoon at all could you? Well, the new-moon works exactly the same way. On the day of the new-moon, the sun and the moon are right next to each other in the sky. But the sun shines so brightly its light hides the moon."

Moffat tossed the raccoon onto the bed and sighed.

"Good thing the moon does it all by itself, it's hard enough work just lugging a raccoon!" he said, then he sat down on the bed and rubbed his injured leg gingerly.

"I think I now see how the moon can be there even though we can't see it," said Jennifer. "It's kind of like the secret of the new-moon stones. It's only a secret if you don't really know. But if I can't actually see the new-moon, how will I be able to see the new- moon stones?"

"I don't know," admitted Moffat. "But even though you can't see the new-moon you can sometimes feel it. So maybe you can feel the new-moon stones too. Maybe there is some way to see the new-moon if you get to the place, where the new-moon stones appear."

The penguin reached out and bumped Jennifer's arm.

"He wants to show you his egg," explained Moffat.

Slowly and solemnly the penguin lifted his foot until Jennifer found she could see something round and white. Moffat leaned over and whispered.

"Actually, it's not an egg at all," he told her. "It's the cue ball from the snooker table. But don't let him know that you know, okay? He likes to pretend and it gives him some reason for just standing around, which is more than you can say for the rest of us."