My name is Annette, but everyone calls me Annie.

From as young as I can remember, my father would drive me to my grandfather's home on his way to work. Wearing his red jacket, Grandfather would be waiting by the driveway to greet us. We would both wave to my father as he drove away. When I was very young, Grandfather would pick me up and carry me into his home. After I didn't need to be carried, he would just take my hand as we went up the walkway.

Breakfast was the start of each of our days together.

Grandfather always talked during breakfast. He talked with his cat, Holly, his dog, Austin, and me. The cat and dog never talked, except for a "meow" and a "woof" every now and then.

I have forgotten many of those breakfasts. Many of them were simply cereal and milk. Sometimes we had pancakes and maple syrup. As I got older, we would sometimes have eggs and bacon. On toast, we always had butter and strawberry jam.

I tried to talk as much as Grandfather did. He was always very interested in my thoughts, but more than once he had said, "Don't talk with your mouth full. I want to hear you, but I don't need to see how good your teeth are working." I would close my mouth, and Grandfather would smile.

Grandfather would always say, "This isn't much of a breakfast. Your grandmother could do a hundred times better." I never knew my grandmother, but her picture was on the piano. The piano was in the side room off the hallway to the kitchen.

"I like your breakfasts, Grandfather," I always said, at least after I could talk properly.

"You're just being nice," Grandfather would say with a smile. "Now eat up before Holly finds out you're not paying attention. She's had her milk this morning, but she just might be interested in a little more."

Grandfather always had honey and lemon in his morning tea. "It's good to wake up with a cup of hot tea," he always said. When I was old enough, I would have a cup of tea too. The sweet honey and the tart lemon were a good combination. Just like Grandfather, I was always careful to blow on it a little before taking a sip when it was first poured.

After breakfast, Grandfather and I would clean up the breakfast dishes. Grandfather usually did most of the work. We would then go sit in the living room on the big couch, and Grandfather would tell me a story. He sometimes read from a book, but mostly he just told a story. Many of them were about "The Four Brothers." These were Grandfather's special adventure stories, but I don't remember all of them. I think that Grandmother was in many of them. Perhaps someday I'll write down the ones I remember, but I best be getting on with this adventure first.

If the weather was nice, we would go outside in the backyard after breakfast. Grandfather had a bench swing that we sat in while he told his stories. The stories always began with "Once upon a time, there were four brothers" and then the adventure would unfold. Austin would always lie down in the grass near the swing. I think he liked the stories too. Holly would wander around the yard. She would come back every now and then to rub against our legs. I don't think she was interested in the stories.

Later in the day, there was lunch and then perhaps a nap on the big couch in the living room. Sometimes, instead of a nap, Grandfather would tell me about colors, numbers, and letters. Then he might wander into talking about the earth, plants, and animals, or maybe air, wind, and sky. As I grew older, he talked about atoms, elements, and molecules. He also talked about equations, formulas, and logic. This may seem like very dull stuff, but with Grandfather, everything was always an adventure.

"Electrons are busy little things," he would say. "They are attracted to protons and love flying in circles around them and their sleepy brothers, the neutrons."

Grandfather seemed to know everything about everything. To him, red was not just something one can see with one's eyes. Red was just as much a number as it was a particle from the sun, and yet it was still a wonderful mystery.

Some afternoons we would go down the small hill to the pond on the other side of Grandfather's home. He had a small paddleboat there that we used to sail around the pond. It had pedals like a bicycle that turned the paddle. We would go all around the pond until our legs got tired. The dock where he kept the boat was called Pirate's Cove. Grandfather really had a vivid imagination.

Other afternoons we went down the winding stairs to Grandfather's little workshop in the basement. It had many shelves full of clear containers packed with stuff. He always had something on the workbench that was half together or half apart. I'm not sure which. He had a tall chair for me to sit on so that I could see what he was working on.

"What are you making, Grandfather?" I would always ask.

"Oh, nothing really, Annie," he would say. "I like to see how things work. I'm just tinkering."

He would look closely at his project. He would change something with a screwdriver. Then he would tighten something else with a pair of pliers. "Now where did I put that other part?" he would ask himself.

"What part are you looking for, Grandfather?" I would ask.

"The blue box with the red wires," he would answer as much to himself as to me. He would turn to the shelves and look at the containers, scanning each one. I would look at the containers too. "There it is," one of us would say. Then Grandfather would reach up to the container and bring it down to his workbench. The shelves were so tall that even Grandfather had to stand on a small ladder to reach the top shelf. Each container had lots of things in it. He would carefully take pieces out until he got down to the part he wanted. He always made some changes as he attached the part.

After a while, Grandfather would say, "I guess I'll have to finish this tomorrow. Your father will be here soon. It's time to get you out of this dusty old basement." I don't remember him ever finishing one of his projects, but he certainly enjoyed them. I had no idea what these projects were for or what they would do. Sometimes they blinked and buzzed, sometimes they sparked and spun, and sometimes they did nothing. Whatever they did or did not do, Grandfather always seemed happy with the progress.

When it was time for Father to pick me up, we were usually sitting outside on the bench on the front porch. Holly would always be sunning herself on the porch rail. She would purr when Father arrived. Austin would always greet Father by circling around his legs.

"Hi, Austin," Father would say as he rubbed Austin's side. "Hi, Annie. Hi, Father. How was Annie today?"

"Annie's been a very good girl," Grandfather said. "She's always very patient with her old grandfather."

That was how most of my days with Grandfather were until one day, when I was ten years old and Father was not there to pick me up, the telephone rang, and Grandfather and I went into the hallway to answer it. Grandfather's telephone was a very old sort that no one else uses today.

"Hello," Grandfather said and waited for a response. "Hello, Joe." Grandfather listened. "Yes. Okay." Grandfather handed me the telephone. "It's your father."

I took the telephone and said, "Hello, Father."

"Annie, I need to be away for tonight," Father said. "I'm working on a big project. I need you to stay with your grandfather tonight. I'll pick you up tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, Father," I said.

"You be a good girl," Father ordered.

"I will," I said.

"Goodbye, Annie," Father said. "Let me speak to your grandfather again."

"Goodbye, Father," I said, handing the telephone back to Grandfather.

"Annie will be fine," Grandfather said into the telephone. "I'll take care of her. Good luck and have fun."

We went back into the kitchen, and Grandfather hung up the telephone. "We'll have a nice supper," he said. "Perhaps we'll play a game afterwards. Then we'll get your bed ready. I thought we might have to do this some time."

Grandfather headed over to the stove. "How about potatoes and sausage for supper?"

"Sounds good," I said, following him.

Grandfather pulled two pots from a cabinet and put them on the stove. "Annie, can you get some green beans from the garden?" Grandfather asked. "Green beans would be a good addition to round out our supper. There's a basket on the counter that you can put them in. Just get a dozen or so long ones."

Grandfather got a sack of potatoes from the pantry. "Annie, can you get two carrots as well?" he asked.

"Okay," I said and took the basket from the counter. I headed out the back door to Grandfather's garden in the backyard.

The beans were in a row in the middle of the garden with the carrots in the next row. I pulled out one carrot, but the next one was stubborn. I grabbed the stalk with both hands and pulled. The carrot finally came out, but I landed on my bottom in the bean plants.

"Don't you be sitting on me, little girl," said a deep voice from behind me. I turned to look and saw a frog under a bean plant. At first, I thought it was a red frog, and then I realized it was wearing a red vest. "What are you staring at, little girl?" it asked.

"It's a frog, a talking frog!" I exclaimed.

"I am not a frog. As you can plainly see, I am a toad," it stated.

"But you can talk!" I said.

"Of course, I can talk," the toad said. "Can't everyone? You can talk, and I do not find that so amazing."

"I'm a girl," I said. "Of course, I can talk."

"So can I," the toad said.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I'm a guardian angel," the toad said, standing on his hind legs like a person and showing a sword that hung at his side.

"Oh my!" I said when I saw the sword.

"Don't be shocked, little girl," the toad said. "Guardian angels are most common."

"But—but you have a sword!" I said.

"And a pistol in my vest pocket too," the toad added.

"What for?" I asked.

"For your grandfather's protection," the toad said.

"Why?" I asked.

"Everyone can use a little extra protection every now and then," the toad said.

"From what?" I asked.

"There is evil in the world," the toad stated.

"What evil?" I asked. "Grandfather is a very kind and gentle man. He has no enemies."

"There is evil and good," the toad stated absolutely, "and sometimes just plain stupidity. Your grandfather is one of the good ones, so he has enemies—the evil ones."

"Who are they?" I asked.

"You are a young girl without the experience of knowing evil," the toad said. "You are surrounded by good people who protect you, so you have not yet seen the evil."

I did not know what to think about this announcement. "I want to protect my grandfather too," I said earnestly. "Who are you?"

"I am Isaac Franklin Scott, a guardian angel and Protector of Good," the toad announced, "but you may call me Ike."

"Hello, Ike," I said. "I am Annette Susan Baker, but you can call me Annie."

"It is an honor to meet you, Annette Susan Baker," Ike said in a very formal fashion. "Annie, may I have the honor of protecting you as well?"

"Yes," I said, hesitating a little. "I expect that I also need all the protection I can get. I do not know evil."

"I certainly will protect you as well," Ike said, "but you must now finish your work out here. Your grandfather will soon be wondering what has taken you so long."

I picked myself up and started gathering beans. When I finished, I looked for Ike under the plant where he had been, but he was not there. From another part of the garden, I heard his voice. "It would be best if you did not mention our meeting to your grandfather."

"Why?" I asked.

But there was no answer.

I returned to the kitchen with the carrots and beans. Grandfather had peeled all the potatoes, and they were already in a pot of water on the stove. Grandfather said, "I was beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost under a bean plant."

I was still wondering about Ike, but I responded, "I'm a little too big to be lost under a small plant like that, Grandfather."

"Yes, you are," Grandfather said, looking directly at me, "but sillier things have happened."

I didn't know what to say. It was as if he knew about my conversation with Ike in the garden. Had I really been talking with a toad? Or did I just hit my head and imagine it? Perhaps I have some of Grandfather's imagination.

Yes and no were the answers. I probably do have some of Grandfather's imagination, but there was a talking toad in Grandfather's garden.

"Wash your hands, Annie," Grandfather said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Grandfather kept a small step stool in the kitchen for me so that I could stand on it and reach things. I'm not very tall, but I am the right height for my age. I moved the step stool over to the sink and washed my hands.

Grandfather washed and cut the carrots, then added them to the potatoes. "I'm making the carrots small, so they'll cook faster. Are you getting hungry?"

"Yes, I think I am," I said. I washed the beans and put them into the second pot to steam them.

It was a nice supper: boiled potatoes with carrots sprinkled with herbs from Grandfather's garden, sausage, and steamed green beans. Grandfather and I were both unusually quiet during supper. While I was working on my last potato, Grandfather asked, "Did you meet Ike in the garden? He spends a lot of time there, keeping the garden free of bugs. I think it also gives him a good view of the house."

I was so startled that I almost swallowed that last potato without chewing it. I looked at Grandfather, chewed that potato, and swallowed. "You know about Ike? He told me I shouldn't say anything about him."

"That's okay," Grandfather said. "He has good intentions. He's been around for quite some time."

Now I was really confused and said, "He said he was your guardian angel and that you needed protection from evil."

"Annie, we all need protection from evil."

"Have you spoken to Ike?" I asked.

"No, I have not," Grandfather said. "Holly told me all about him."

"Holly?" I questioned.

"Yes," Grandfather said. "She found him in the garden a few years ago and had a long talk with him."

"Holly doesn't talk," I said.

"She used to talk to you all the time when you were very young," Grandfather stated flatly. "Lately, she just hasn't talked much. I think she didn't want to startle you. Holly will talk to you if you listen properly."

"I guess I'd better turn my ears on," I said as I looked down at Holly, who was rubbing against my right leg.

"Don't worry, Annie," Holly said in a sweet voice. "We will have plenty of time to talk."

Grandfather washed the supper dishes, and I dried them. As he handed me the last pot, he asked, "Annie, what game shall we play?"

"Poker?" I said as a question and an answer.

"Ah yes," Grandfather said, "a game of mathematics and strategy with a dash of luck and a side of exaggeration." That was Grandfather's way of saying bluffing. "A good choice. There is a jar of pennies on the piano. Can you get them and count out fifty for each of us while I put away the dishes?"

I went into the side room and got the jar of pennies. I stopped for a moment to look at Grandmother's picture on the piano. She was beautiful. I wondered if I would look like her someday.

Back in the kitchen, I started counting out the pennies. "Grandfather," I asked, "where is Grandmother?"

"She is away," he said without turning from putting away the dishes.

"She's been away a very long time. When will she be back?" I asked.

"I don't know for sure," Grandfather sighed, "but she will be back someday."

Grandfather put away the last dish and got a deck of cards from a drawer. "I'll deal first," he said, "but make sure you cut the cards. Five card draw?"

"Okay," I agreed.

Grandfather shuffled the deck and set them in front of me. I cut them about in the middle, and Grandfather dealt out the cards, first one to me, then one to himself and so on until we each had five cards face down. We picked up our cards and arranged them.

"Bet or check?" Grandfather asked.

"I'll bet three pennies," I said.

"I'll see your three," Grandfather said. "Cards?"

"I'll take three cards," I said as I discarded the three cards that I did not want.

Grandfather dealt me three cards. "I'll take three as well," he said and took three cards from the top of the deck.

"I'll bet three again," I said.

Grandfather studied his cards and said, "This is the first hand. I'll call your three. What do you have?"

"Two pair. Queens and sixes," I said. It was a pretty good hand.

"I guess my pair of kings doesn't stand up to that," Grandfather said. He put his cards on the deck, and I collected the coins.

I shuffled and dealt the next hand. We played many hands, and by the time we both started yawning, Grandfather was down to only a few pennies. He had won a few hands, but he should have folded on most of the rest. "You are a much better poker player than I am," Grandfather said. "I'm down to my last few pennies. It must be bedtime. If I yawn again, I'll fall asleep right here."

I put the pennies back in the jar, and Grandfather put away the deck of cards. "Go brush your teeth and I'll put your pajamas on the bed in the guestroom," he said. "You'll be sleeping there tonight."

With clean teeth, I found blue pajamas laid out on the bed. I put on the pajamas while Grandfather brushed his teeth. The pajama top was a little big, but the bottoms had a drawstring that I could tie to keep them up. There was also a pink bathrobe on the bed. I tried it on. It hung almost down to the floor, and I could wrap it around myself twice. I wondered if it was Grandmother's robe. I took it off and hung it on the end of the bed. I crawled under the covers and snuggled up so that only my head was showing.

Grandfather came out of the bathroom in his pajamas and robe. "Goodnight, Annie," he said and kissed me on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Grandfather," I said.

Grandfather went into his bedroom and closed the door. I was soon dreaming of playing poker with a talking toad and winning every hand with a royal flush. Holly was giving advice to the toad about which cards to keep. A carrot joined the game and folded with a full house. A bean plant sneezed and blew off all its leaves. The sneeze was so loud that I woke up.

It was still night. The room was dark except for the faint glow of a small nightlight. I closed my eyes and tried to remember my dream, but it came back only in bits and flashes. I was suddenly very thirsty. I got out of bed, put on the robe, and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water.

I stood on the step stool and took a glass down from a cabinet. I moved the step stool over to the sink and stepped up on it. As I was filling the glass with water, I saw a light out the kitchen window. It was down by the pond. The light was moving slowly up and down. I could not see much, but there seemed to be a large dark shape on the pond.

As I watched the light, I began to see the shape of a man on the dock.

It was Grandfather!

I could see his red jacket and the side of his face. What was he doing out there at this time of night? I dashed back to the guestroom to put on my shoes. I wanted to see what was going on. Maybe there were pirates on the pond after all.

I went out the back door and down the hill. When I got closer, I could hear voices. I stood behind a tree near the pond and listened.

"Nicholas, we must have you in this battle. This may be the final blow that is needed to free the land and restore freedom," someone said.

"Captain Bartholomew, I cannot go," Grandfather said. "I must stay here and take care of my granddaughter."

"You must come and bring your machines," the first voice said. "At least, you must set them up so that others can use them. But it would be best if you could join us in this battle."

The light I had seen out the kitchen window was attached to the side of a sailing ship. The ship was much too large to be sailing on Grandfather's small pond. Grandfather and I had paddled around that pond many times. There was no place for such a ship to be hidden.

On the ship were a number of creatures. Grandfather appeared to be talking to a bear wearing a three-cornered hat and a fancy blue coat. A short man, a tall man, and a deer stood just behind the bear. Up in the riggings, I could see a few squirrels and birds.

Grandfather stood on the dock. Austin and Holly stood beside him.

"I will send the machines," Grandfather said. "I will come and put them together. But I must return before daylight. Austin and Holly will protect my granddaughter this night."

"This is good, Nicholas," said the bear. Then turning to the men behind him, he said, "Come, men, help Nicholas fetch his machines."

A gangplank was lowered to the dock. The bear and the two men were joined by ten other men I had not seen in the dark. They came down the gangplank and followed Grandfather up to the house. Half the men were short with beards and wearing helmets. The others were tall with clean faces and long flowing white hair.

As they got near the house, the earth around the basement moved away, and I could see a doorway into the basement. I had never seen this door from inside the basement. If it was in the basement where it appeared to be from the outside, it would have been blocked by the shelves in Grandfather's little workshop.

Grandfather opened the door and went in. A light came on inside the basement. I could see the outline of each man as he entered the doorway and disappeared into the basement. The last shapes through the doorway were of Austin and Holly.

I thought that the machines the bear had been talking about must be the projects that Grandfather always tinkered with. So they must have some purpose after all.

"Annie, you should be in bed," said a deep voice from the grass near my feet.

I nearly jumped out of my robe. Looking down, I saw Ike.

"Annie, you should be in bed," Ike said, "not spying on your grandfather."

"I'm...I'm not spying," I said. "I'm just investigating...and protecting Grandfather. I saw that light from the kitchen window."

"Perhaps you are investigating," Ike said, "but you are still hiding behind a tree. And you do not know enough about evil to protect your grandfather."

"How am I to find out if I don't learn more about it?" I asked.

"True, true," Ike said. "A valid question. But perhaps these are things you should not know yet."

"Why not? Besides, I may know more than you think," I hinted. I really didn't know very much about what was going on, but I was betting that Ike couldn't know that. Bluffing sometimes works. "Grandfather and I have talked about many, many things," I added.

We both turned to look at the house as we heard the sound of the men returning. Each man was carrying a box in his arms or a sack over his shoulder. Grandfather was the last one out. The bear and Grandfather walked side by side down to the ship. They were talking, but too softly for me to hear any words. When they were halfway to the ship, the earth moved back into place and covered the doorway.

Each man walked up the gangplank with his package and disappeared into the darkness of the ship. The bear and Grandfather were the last ones to board the ship. The gangplank was raised.

"Okay," Ike said, "we will both protect your grandfather. Quiet as you can, get into the paddleboat. We must follow that ship if we are to protect your grandfather."

We snuck over to the dock, and I got in the paddleboat. Ike untied the mooring rope and jumped into the boat. The ship began to pull away from the dock. Ike held the rope in his mouth and jumped up to the back of the ship. He stuck to the side of the ship and tied the rope to one of the deck rails.

Ike slid down the rope back into the paddleboat. "We'll let them pull us along," he whispered. "We won't make any noise, and they won't see us, unless they look directly down from the stern."