Mr. Whittaker walked over to a computer table. Beth and Patrick watched as he typed some things on a keyboard. He turned some dials. He pushed a lot of buttons.
“Is it all right?” Patrick asked.
“Yes. You’ll be able to go on an adventure,”
Mr. Whittaker said. “Maybe I’ll find out why it works for you but not for me.”
“Can we go back in time?” Patrick asked.
He was excited.
“How would you like to visit a Viking ship?” Mr. Whittaker asked.
Patrick and Beth thought for a moment. Patrick didn’t know much about Viking ships. Beth knew a little about Viking explorers, but that was all.
“The Vikings had swords, right?” Patrick asked.
“They sure did,” Mr. Whittaker said. He turned to Beth. “Is visiting a Viking ship okay with you, Beth?”
Beth didn’t care about swords. But being on a Viking ship sounded great.
“Sure,” she said. “I’ve always wanted to see the ocean.”
“Let’s go!” Patrick said.
“Not so fast,” Mr. Whittaker said. “You have to be dressed for Viking times.”
Patrick looked at his blue jeans and dinosaur T-shirt. He looked at Beth’s bright pink shorts and top.
“Oh,” Patrick said. “The Vikings would probably notice we didn’t fit in.”
“And you might get cold and wet,” Mr. Whittaker said.
Mr. Whittaker walked over to the workshop wall. He opened two large sliding doors. Beyond them was another room. It was filled with rack after rack of costumes.
Mr. Whittaker chose an armful of clothes. He gave them to Beth. He gave another armful to Patrick. “You can use the changing rooms,” Mr. Whittaker said.
The cousins went to two small rooms the size of closets. They changed into the costumes. Beth came out first.
She was wearing a long white dress. On top was a long green tunic. Two brooches were pinned at the shoulders. The tunic was neatly tied with a leather belt. Her animal-skin boots came up to her knees.
“I feel like I’m in a fairy tale,” Beth said. “It’s fun to dress up.”
“Take this, too,” Mr. Whittaker said. He gave Beth a small cloth sack. She opened it up and looked inside.
The sack was full of chess pieces. They were carved out of wood. Some of the pieces were white wood. The rest were painted red.
Beth tied the sack to her belt.
“Why do I need a chess set?” she asked.
Mr. Whittaker answered with a you’ll-find-out smile.
Patrick came out of his changing room. He was also dressed in a costume. He wore a simple white shirt with a vest over it. The vest was made of tan leather. His dark pants were tucked inside his boots.
“You look like a real Viking,” Mr. Whittaker said. “But you need one more thing.”
Mr. Whittaker handed Patrick a fuzzy bundle. It was a cape.
The cape was made from grizzly bear fur. It was silver with brown flecks. The cape looked thick and warm. Patrick put it on.
“Thank you,” Patrick said. “I’m ready now. I can’t wait to meet a sword-fighting Viking!”