41 - Bad Hare Day (9 page)

The rabbit hopped out of the chair, crossed the dressing room, and sat on the
couch next to the dummy.

“Here’s what happened,” he began. “I was at the height of my fame. I was the
most brilliant magician in the world. I made appearances on all the top TV shows. I had millions of fans. Dopey little kids like you looked
up to me.”

“Hey!” I protested. “Stop calling us dopey.”

Amaz-O ignored me. He continued, “My tricks were the most amazing anyone had
ever seen. And Frank was jealous. He was a sorcerer, working alone in a
basement. He could cast amazing spells—but he was kind of ugly, with a
high-pitched voice. People didn’t take him seriously.

“He wanted to be famous like me, but he wasn’t. So he turned me into a
rabbit. Very funny, right? Ha ha. Turn the magician into a rabbit. Yuk, yuk,
yuk.”

Foz and I exchanged baffled glances. Amaz-O was turning out to be a little
weird.

“I’m not powerful enough to reverse Frank’s spell,”
Amaz-O went on. “I’m a
magician, not a sorcerer. But I refused to let him stop me. So I built that
mechanical dummy over there. I made him look just like me. And I kept on doing
my shows, just as before.”

“So you control the puppet?” Foz asked. “You make it look as if he’s the
magician, performing all the tricks?”

“I just said that, didn’t I?” Amaz-O snapped. “Are you hard-of-hearing, kid?”

“You’re really rude, you know that, Amaz-O?” I said. I was getting sick of
his put-downs. “You’re the rudest person—or rabbit, or whatever—I ever met
in my life!”

Amaz-O’s long ears drooped. “Hey—I’m sorry,” he said. “Being a rabbit gets
on my nerves. But also, I can’t let people get too close—you know? I don’t
want anyone to find out my secret. It could ruin me.”

Ginny squirmed in my arms again. I’d nearly forgotten all about her. I
realized I’d better hurry up and ask Amaz-O to help me change her back.

“We’re in terrible trouble, Amaz-O,” I said, holding Ginny toward him. “This
is my sister, Ginny. She ate some of the carrot that was in your magic kit—”

“So you confess, do you? You stole my magic kit!”

“I—I only borrowed it,” I stammered. “I brought it back—see? I’m sorry.”

“I’ll bet you are,” Amaz-O snapped.

“Can you help us, Amaz-O?” I pleaded. “Please, can you help me turn Ginny
back into a girl?”

Amaz-O studied Ginny with his beady rabbit eyes. I held my breath waiting for
his answer.

He settled deeper into the couch and shook his head. “Sorry,” he said.
“There’s nothing I can do for her.”

“Noooo!” I moaned, sinking into a chair. “You were my last chance. I’m
doomed!”

“You didn’t let me finish,” Amaz-O said. “There’s nothing I can do for her—because the magic will wear off by itself.”

“Yo! All right!” Foz exclaimed happily. He shot both fists into the air.

“But when?” I asked. “My parents are coming home soon.”

“How many bites of the carrot did she eat?” Amaz-O asked.

“Two,” I replied.

“How long ago?”

“About an hour ago,” I answered.

“Okay,” Amaz-O said. “She should turn back into a girl in half an hour. Do
you feel better now?”

I nodded and sighed with relief. That was a close one, I thought. But
everything is going to be okay.

“Hey—” Foz said, jumping up. “We’d better hurry up and take Ginny home—before she turns back into a girl. We don’t have enough bikes to go around!”

I pushed Ginny into his arms. “Take her home, Foz,” I said. “I’ll be there in
a few minutes.” I wanted to talk to Amaz-O a little longer.

Clutching Ginny in his arms, Foz hurried out of the dressing room. “Don’t
stay too long,” he called over his shoulder. “I don’t want to be alone with
Ginny when she turns back into a girl. I have a feeling she’s going to be in the
mood to karate-chop somebody!”

In reply, Ginny beat her hind legs against his chest.

“I’m right behind you,” I promised. Foz disappeared down the dark hallway.

“Listen, Amaz-O,” I said. “I’m really sorry I stole your magic bag. I know it
was a terrible thing to do.”

“Shove this stupid dummy aside and sit down on the couch,” Amaz-O said. I
moved the dummy and sat down next to Amaz-O.

“You really love magic, don’t you?” he said.

My heart started pounding. This was the heart-to-heart magician talk I’d been
hoping to have with Amaz-O all along!

“It’s my dream to be a magician,” I told him. “A great magician like you. I’d
do anything. Anything!”

“Well, you were great in the show the other night,” Amaz-O said. “You disappeared very well, kid.”

“Thanks.”

Amaz-O sat quietly for a moment. He seemed to be thinking.

“Say, kid—” he said at last. “How would you like to join the act? I’m
getting really tired of working with that big wooden dummy over there.”

“Me?” Now my heart was really racing. “You want me to join the act?” I got so
excited I jumped off the couch. Then I quickly sat down again. “Do you mean it,
Amaz-O? Do you think I could?”

Amaz-O hopped over to the dressing room door. He kicked it shut.

“Why don’t we give you a try….”

And that’s how I joined Amaz-O’s act. I was so excited about being a
magician, I said yes without even thinking about it. I guess I should’ve asked a
few questions first.

Don’t get me wrong. I love being on stage in front of clapping, cheering
audiences.

But I don’t like hiding inside the black top hat. And I hate it when the
Amaz-O dummy pulls me up too hard by the ears. That really hurts.

I also hate it when they forget to clean my cage. Sometimes they forget about
it for days!

I guess I made a little mistake. See, when Amaz-O said he was tired of
working with the big dummy, I thought he wanted me to take the dummy’s place.

I didn’t realize he wanted to retire—and have me take
his
place!

I’m not complaining. Amaz-O gives me plenty of juicy lettuce and all the
carrots I can eat. I even have a stage name of my own now. At last. It may not be my first choice, but it’s still a professional name—“Fluffy.”

The best part is, I’m on stage every night in a real magic act! My dream—my
all-time dream!

How many kids—er—I mean, rabbits—can say their all-time dream came true
at age twelve?

I’m really lucky—don’t you agree?

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