After that, the wonders came thick and fast. The towers of Notre Dame, the Hôtel de Ville, and the Louvre. It felt like being on a film set, but it wasn’t. This was real life, and they were actually, really, really here.

Grandad chugged them into the harbor in the middle of Paris, and Marty did his best to slow the pumpkin down so it wouldn’t knock against the harbor too hard. Marty jumped out and tied the pumpkin to a metal hoop embedded into the harbor wall. Grandad switched off the engine, and Gracie stood up straight. He couldn’t believe it. They couldn’t believe it. They looked at one another. Speechless. They were in Paris.

THIRTY

PARIS WAS EVERYTHING Marty thought it would be. It was colorful. And fast. It was noisy and full of the most delicious smells he’d ever smelled in his life, and the people looked different, so smart and chic.

The Louvre was a wonder. A pyramidy glassy thing that poked through the ground. And the things that were in there! Artwork and drawings, statues and jewels. Marty spent the whole two hours walking around in gobsmacked silence. Gracie loved the beautiful statues, their bodies stuck in stone across all time. Graceful. Moving but stock-still. She wondered how anyone could make something so cold look so warm and alive. She would stand in front of them and try to make the same shapes with her body. Grandad spent his time, thumbs tucked into his vest pockets, shaking his head in wonder. Marty had seen pictures of these things in school. He had even found a book about art in the house, but to see them in real life was more than he could ever have imagined.

They had lunch in a café on a square. Baguettes with lemonade. Grandad had some more coffee, which made him bounce with energy. It was late in the afternoon by now, and the crowds of eager tourists had started to dissipate. They had ice cream by a fountain that had stone cherubs flying all around it, and then they sat together as a street artist drew them on a big piece of paper. Gracie and Grandad and Marty all grinning, on the biggest adventure of their lives.

It was late by the time they made their way to the Eiffel Tower, but that made it even more beautiful as it was all lit up with mellow, sparkly lights. Marty gasped when he saw it closer up. It was fantastic. Huge! Beautiful. Grandad decided to take the elevator while Gracie and Marty decided to walk.

“You okay?” Gracie asked him. Marty nodded. He didn’t actually have the words to explain how he felt.

“Let’s go, then…,” said Gracie, smiling, and they started their climb.