Out of My Dreams

Miss Gertie takes Melody, Sky, and Mrs. V to the park and shows them the pelicans swimming in the lake. She teaches Melody that all swans and dolphins in England belong to the queen. Melody wonders if the birds can fly from the US to the UK.

Miss Gertie takes everyone to her favorite fish-and-chips shop. Mrs. V mashes up the fish for Melody, who greatly enjoys the meal—even the mushy peas. Miss Gertie tells them about the time when she was in a play with Laurence Olivier and they all went to meet the queen. She also recalls talking about dancing with the queen. Melody thinks back to a moment when she did wheelchair dancing at camp and wishes that she could do it again.

Melody wants to do more tourist activities than they can fit into a single day. They head to the London Eye to take advantage of the clear weather. They can see all the way to Windsor Castle. Melody calls Noah because he loves amusement parks and rides. He asks if she wants to go to Cedar Point Park with him over Labor Day weekend. Melody accepts the challenge. Sky flirts with a boy that they encounter along the way, but when Sky states that she is here with Melody, the boy grows uncomfortable and returns to his family. Melody writes him off as a “turd boy.” Melody, Gertie, Sky, and Mrs. V list all their favorite characters from books set in London.

Back at the hotel, Melody finds a pink meringue on her pillow. She falls asleep immediately.

The next morning, Miss Gertie’s family wants to meet for breakfast. Sky’s brother, Oliver, unexpectedly has the morning off from his job at the Globe and decides to join them. He gets everyone free tickets to Romeo and Juliet that afternoon. In the meantime, Sky and Melody set off to see some museums without the adults, while Miss Gertie and Mrs. V go to breakfast with Miss Gertie’s relatives.

Melody and Sky experience the bustling streets of London together and hail a cab themselves. While Sky runs back into the hotel to get her phone, Teddy, the friendly cab driver, gets Melody settled in the cab. A grumpy police officer bangs on the cab and demands that they move. He does not acknowledge Melody at all. Teddy agrees to circle the block while they wait for Sky. Melody sees more novel sights, including a famous bookstore that she hopes to visit. It takes forever to circle the block due to the traffic and road closures. Teddy asks about Miss Gertie and reveals that he was a great fan of her when the two of them attended university together. Melody calls Sky who, in her worry, had told the police that Melody was being kidnapped. When the return, the police converge on the taxi, and Sky and Melody have to explain everything. Later, Teddy offers to drive them to the play at the Globe.

Sky and Melody meet up with Oliver, who tells Sky that their parents have called; everything is very chaotic in Afghanistan. Melody can tell that Sky misses her parents. Sky insists that one day she’ll travel the world and make a difference, too.

Melody is amazed by all the relics in the British Museum from around the world. Melody imagines all the ancient people coming back to life, and Oliver thinks that would make a good premise for a book. When he takes them to see the Rosetta Stone, Melody realizes that the Rosetta Stone is somewhat like Elvira because it also translates messages. Oliver tells Melody that he is glad Sky has found a new friend.

As Melody marvels at all the different suits of armor in the Wallace Collection, she wonders what it would feel like to wear a suit of armor. She calculates that the armor weighs as much as her sister, Penny. Melody can’t believe that the armor was made without power tools. Oliver rushes them along because they have to get back to the hotel in time to go see the play. Even so, Melody insists on stopping in the gift shop.

Melody and Sky play-fight while wearing souvenir helmets and shields. When the store clerk approaches them, they assume that they are about to get in trouble, but the clerk appreciates how much fun they are having and gives them the souvenirs for free. When Oliver tries to pull the helmet off Melody’s head, it gets stuck, and she starts to panic. Fortunately, after Sky rubs a little lavender lotion on Melody’s chin, the helmet comes off.

Melody and Sky rush to get ready for the play, and right on cue, Teddy arrives to pick them up. He bows when he sees Miss Gertie. Melody conspires to get Miss Gertie and Teddy talking and introduces them. Teddy admits that he remembers Miss Gertie from university and saw her perform in many plays. As Oliver tells Melody about the history of the Globe, she feels elated, as if she is living in a dream.