Starla sat down between the two armchairs Seth and Kendra were lounging in and looked up at her grandfather. He'd called them in a few moments earlier. "Yes?"
"The day after tomorrow is June twenty-first," Grandpa said. Ah, thought Starla. "Do either of you know the significance of that date?"
Kendra and Seth glanced at each other before Seth said, "Your birthday?"
"The summer solstice," Grandpa corrected. "The longest day of the year. The night before is a holiday of riotous abandon for the whimsical creatures of Fablehaven. Four nights a year, the boundaries that define where different entities can venture dissolve. These nights of revelry are essential to maintaining the segregation that normally prevails here. On Midsummer Eve, the only limits to where any creature can roam and work mischief are the walls of this house. Unless invited, they cannot enter."
"Midsummer Eve is tomorrow night?" Seth said.
"I did not want to leave you time to fret over it. As long as you obey my instructions, the night will pass without incident. It will be loud, but you will be safe."
"What other days do they run wild?" Kendra asked nervously.
"The winter solstice and the two equinoxes. Midsummer Eve tends to be the rowdiest of them all," Grandpa said.
"Can we watch out the windows?" Seth asked eagerly.
"No!" Starla and Grandpa chourused, Starla sounding alarmed and Grandpa's tone stern.
"You would not enjoy what you saw," Grandpa said. "On festival nights, nightmares take shape and patrol the yard. Ancient entities of supreme evil patrol the darkness in search of prey. You will be in bed at sundown. You will wear earplugs. And you will not arise until sunrise despels the horrors of the night."
"Even I don't look out the window," Starla said sharply to Seth. She shivered.
"Should we sleep in your room?" Kendra asked.
"The attic playroom is the safest place in the house. Extra protections have been placed on it as a sanctuary for children. Even if, by some misfortune, unsavory creatures entered the house, your room would remain secure. Starla will be joining you this time, which will add to the defenses."
"Has anything ever gotten into the house?" Seth said.
"Nothing unwanted has breached these homestead walls," Grandpa assured them. "Still, we can never be too careful. Tomorrow you will help prepare some defenses to afford us an extra layer of protection. Because of the recent uproar with the fairies-" he glanced at Starla, and she knew he would hide Shiara's warning from her cousins "-I fear this could be a particularly chaotic Midsummer Eve."
--------------
Starla followed Seth and Dale through the woods to the garden, where Hugo was supposed to be harvesting alfalfa. Seth was peppering Dale with questions about Midsummer Eve, but to Starla's relief, he refused to answer them.
Finally Dale said, "Smart people learn from their mistakes, Seth. But the real sharp ones learn from the mistakes of others. Don't pout; you're about to see something impressive. And it won't even give you nightmares."
"What?" Seth asked. Starla smiled.
"See where the road goes over the rise?"
"Yeah...."
"The surprise is on the far side."
"You're sure?"
"We put him there," Starla interjected.
"So it's not another fairy," Seth said with relief.
"What's the matter with fairies?" Dale said, raising an eyebrow.
"I've already seen about a billion of them, and also, they turned me into a walrus," said Seth.
"He's not a fairy," Starla smiled. "You'll like him."
"Technically," Dale said dryly, "'he' is an 'it.'"
"Technically, I will be mad if you call him an 'it,' and technically, he is male."
Dale laughed. "Where'd you learn to back-talk like that?"
"Seth," Starla smirked. ("Hey!") "He argues like an immature lawyer."
By this time, they were on top of the hill, and Seth didn't protest. He was staring at the hulking dirt golem. Hugo was swinging his two huge scythes back and forth like a pendulum, chopping the alfalfa.
"What is it?" Seth asked with awe.
"Our golem, Hugo," Starla smiled. "Come see." She walked down the hill, followed by Dale and his wagon-sized wheelbarrow. Seth jogged down after them.
"What's a golem?" Seth asked when they reached the bottom.
"Watch," said Dale. He nodded to Starla.
"Hugo, halt!" Starla said to the golem. He stopped midswing. "Hugo, come."
Hugo turned and marched toward them, shaking the ground. He stopped beside them, casting a huge shadow over Starla, Dale, and Seth.
"He's made of dirt?" Seth asked.
"As well as clay and stone," Starla agreed.
"He was granted the semblance of life by a powerful enchantor," Dale said. "Hugo was donated to the preserve a couple hundred years ago."
"How tall is he?"
"Over nine feet when he stands up straight," Starla replied. "Mostly he slouches closer to eight."
Seth gawked at Hugo for a moment. Then he said, "Can he talk?"
"No. He tries to sing, though," Dale replied. "Hugo, sing us a song!"
Starla covered her ears as Hugo let out a series of gravelly roars, each a different length. The golem cocked his head back and forth to a nonexistent beat.
"Hugo, stop singing," Dale chuckled. Instantly the golem silenced.
"He isn't very good," Seth noted.
"About as musical as a landslide," Dale agreed.
"He can learn," Starla retorted, lowering her hands.
"Does it embarrass him?" Seth asked, grinning at Starla.
"He doesn't think like we do," Dale responded. "Doesn't get happy or sad or angry or bored. Starla does that for him. Hugo just obeys commands."
"Can I tell him to do stuff?" Seth asked.
"If I order him to obey you. Otherwise he just listens to me, Lena, Starla, and your grandparents."
"What else can he do?"
"He understands a lot," said Starla. "He performs all sorts of manual labor. It would take a really talented team to match all the work he does here. Hugo never sleeps. If you leave him with a list of chores, he'll labor through the night."
"I want to tell him to do something," said Seth.
"Hugo, put down the scythes," Dale ordered.
Hugo obeyed.
"Hugo, this is Seth," said Starla. "You will obey Seth's next command."
"Now?" asked Seth.
"Say his name first, so he knows you're adressing him," Dale advised.
"Hugo," said Seth, "do a cartwheel."
The golem held out his palms and shrugged.
"He doesn't know what you mean," Starla told Seth. "Hugo, I'm going to show you a cartwheel." She raised her hands above her head and rolled to the left.
"That was the best cartwheel I've ever seen!" Seth exclaimed.
"Thanks," said Starla.
"Hugo will obey Seth's next command," Dale chuckled.
"Hugo, do a cartwheel," Seth ordered.
The golem performed a near-perfect cartwheel, copying Starla's.
"He learns fast!"
"Anything physical, leastaways." Dale grinned. "I'm sick of walking. What do you say we let Hugo take us to our next stop?"
"Really?"
"If you'd rather walk we can always-"
Seth interrupted with a grin. "No way!"
-------------
Hugo set them down at the greenhouse, and Dale rushed in to get Kendra and Lena. Seth helped Starla drag the huge wheelbarrow up to the greenhouse.
Kendra appeared in the doorway and let out a little shriek when she saw Hugo. "What is it?"
"He's Hugo!" Seth grinned. "He's a robot made of dirt! He can run really fast when you tell him to. Dale let me give him orders and he obeyed everything I said! See? He's waiting for instructions."
The golem was very still now, almost like a crude statue.
"The proper term is 'golem,'" Starla explained. "He was created out of dirt, stone, and rock, then enchanted to life. He does most of the heavy labor around here."
"He's going to load the pumpkins," Kendra guessed as Lena appeared behind her.
"And rolling them to the house in his cart," Lena agreed.
Seth excited the greenhouse with a grin nearly as large as the gigantic pumpkin he was holding. "Can I show Kendra a command?"
Starla sighed as Dale said, "Sure. Hugo, obey the next command from Seth."
Seth staggered up to the golem with the huge pumpkin and set it down in front of the golem. "Hugo, take this pumpkin and throw it as far as you can into the woods."
The golem sprang to life and grabbed the pumpkin with one hand. Then he twisted and uncoiled with the force of a charging bull, hurling the pumpkin into the sky. It disappeared into the distance; they didn't even see it fall.
"Did you see that?" Seth yelled, as Starla rolled her eyes. "He's better than a water balloon launcher!"
"Regular catapult," Dale murmured, looking awed.
"Very impressive," Lena said dryly, making Starla and Kendra laugh. "Forgive me if I hope to put a few of our pumpkins to a more practical use. You boys come help us cut the rest of our harvest so we can get them loaded."
"Can't Hugo do a few more tricks?" Seth begged. "He knows cartwheels."
"Tomorrow," Starla promised. "We need to finish our preparations for Midsummer Eve."