Stage Fright on a Summer Night (3 page)

As they started across, Jack was amazed. The bridge was so noisy and smelly! Wagon wheels rumbled like thunder over the cobblestones. Pots clinked in carts. Horses neighed. Shopkeepers shouted.

“Good pies!”

“Hot peas!”

“New pins!”

“Shoes! Soap! Salt!”

A shopkeeper caught Jack's eye. “What lack you, boy?” he shouted.

“Nothing, thank you,” said Jack, and kept walking.

“Watch out!” a cart driver yelled.

Jack grabbed Annie's hand. He pulled her out of the way. The cart rolled past them over the narrow roadway.

“Look!” said Annie. She pointed to a bear in a wooden cage in the back of the cart. The bear had matted brown fur. His head was down.

As the cart rumbled on, Jack shook his head. “What next?” he said.

“Them,”
said Annie, looking up.

She pointed at huge black birds sitting hunched at the edges of the rooftops. The birds sat still as they stared down at all the
carts and animals and people crossing London Bridge. Jack shivered and moved quickly past the gaze of the giant silent birds.

Finally he and Annie came to the end of the bridge. They stepped onto the riverbank. There they stopped and looked around.

“I wonder where those big kids went,” said Annie.

Jack studied the crowd heading down the road that led from. the bridge. There was no sign of the group of ragged boys.

Jack took out their research book. He found the picture of London Bridge. He read aloud:

“The Bear Garden?” said Annie. “That sounds good. Where's that?”

Jack found a map of the south bank. He pointed to a circle that was labeled
BEAR GARDEN
.

“Here,” he said. He looked up. “And … 
there
!” He pointed to a dark, round building in the distance.

“Great!” said Annie. “I want to see the garden filled with bears.”

“Let's read—” started Jack.

“Let's
look
!” said Annie. She headed toward the Bear Garden.

Jack put away their book and followed her. As they got closer, they heard loud shouting and laughter coming from inside the round building.

Annie stopped.

“Wait,” she said. “I'm getting a bad feeling about the Bear Garden. Maybe we
should
read more about it.”

Jack opened their book again. He read aloud:

“Bears fight with dogs? Yuck!” said Annie. “I couldn't stand to watch that!”

“Me neither,” said Jack. “Forget that place.” He started to walk away.

“Hey, Jack! Look over there!” said Annie. She pointed to a cart nearby. “That's the bear that passed us on the bridge!”

Annie and Jack ran over to the cart. In the back of it was a cage. In the cage was a big brown bear.

The bear was slumped over, his head still down. The sign on the cart said
DAN THE DANCING BEAR
.

“Dan?” Annie asked. “Are you going to fight?”

The lonely-looking bear raised his huge
head and looked at Annie. His dark eyes were sad. He let out a low moan.

“I understand,” Annie said. “You don't want to fight. You're asking me to take you away.” Annie reached for the door of the bear's cage.

“Away with you!” someone shouted angrily. “That's my bear!”

Jack and Annie whirled around. The cart driver was charging toward them.

“He's mine! I'm selling him!” the man shouted.

“Come on, Annie. Let's go,” said Jack. He pulled her into the crowd walking down the road.

“But I have to save Dan!” said Annie, looking over her shoulder. “That guy wants to sell him to the bear fights!”

“I know,” said Jack. “But we can't just steal him. That guy is his owner.”

Jack looked around. He needed to get Annie's mind off the bear. He saw the group of older kids from the bridge. They were walking toward a round white building.

“Hey, look, the kids from the bridge!” he said. “Let's see where they're going.”

“What about Dan?” said Annie.

“We can figure that out later,” said Jack. “Let's follow those kids now.”

He steered Annie toward the white building. When they got closer, Jack read the sign out front:

Great!
thought Jack. Annie loved plays. She loved acting in them at school.

A man stood at the door of the theater. He was holding a box.

“A penny to stand! A penny to stand!” he shouted.

The older kids dropped coins into the box and went inside.

“Wow, the play costs only a penny!” said Jack. “That's cheap!”

“But we don't have any pennies,” said Annie. “Besides, I want to go back and free the bear.”

Jack sighed.

“What will you do with him if you free him, Annie?” he asked.

“I'll figure something out,” she said.

“Well, figure it out when the owner's not standing there,” Jack said. “Right now, let's learn something about this
play
.”

He quickly pulled out their research book. He found a picture of the Globe Theater. He wanted Annie to forget about the bear, so he read with lots of feeling:

“Neat, huh?” said Jack.

Annie sighed.

Jack kept reading in a loud, dramatic voice:

“Boy!” someone shouted.

Jack looked up.

A man hurried over to Jack and Annie. He was long-legged, with a trim beard and twinkly eyes.

“I could hear you from across the way,” the man said. “You read very well!”

Jack smiled shyly.

“No, you are simply brilliant!” the man said. “And I am in
great
need of a boy who is a brilliant reader!”

“Why do you need a boy who's a brilliant reader?” Annie asked the man.

“Because I have just lost two fairies!” he said. He pointed at Jack. “You can read both!”

And you are nuts,
thought Jack. “Well, bye, see you around,” he said. He nudged Annie to move along.

“Wait, wait,” she said. She turned to the man. “What do you mean, my brother can read both fairies? Read them where?”

“Two boy actors didn't show up today to
play fairies,” said the man. “But your brother reads with such expression! He can save us all!”

Jack stared. Was this guy saying what he thought he was saying?

“You mean you want Jack to be in your play?” said Annie.

“Indeed!” said the man. “There are three thousand people here today, waiting to see the play I have written! We cannot disappoint them, can we?”

“Three thousand?” said Jack.

“Yes!” said the man. “And one of them is the most important person in the world!”

“No. No way. I can't do that,” said Jack. He had never liked being onstage. He always got stage fright.

“Wait, wait, Jack,” said Annie. She turned to the man. “You need
two
fairies, right?”

“Yes,” said the man.

“Well … ” Annie tilted her head. Her voice went up. “I can read, too.”

“Yes! Let Annie do it,” said Jack. “She's a great reader. She can be
both
fairies!”

“Ah, but of course Annie cannot go onstage,” the man said kindly.

“Why not?” asked Annie.

The man raised his eyebrows. “Surely you know it's against the law for girls to go on the stage,” he said. “Boys must play all the girls' parts.”

“But that's not fair!” said Annie.

“Indeed, 'tis not. But we cannot change the law now,” said the man. He turned to Jack. “So, Jack? Will you join our players?”

“No thanks,” said Jack. He tried to walk off, but Annie grabbed his arm.

“Wait, I think I know what Jack wants,” she said to the man. “He will only be in your play if I can be in it, too.”

“No, that's not what I want, Annie,” Jack said under his breath.

“But, Jack, it would be so much fun,” she whispered. “And there's nothing to be afraid of. You get to read your part. You don't have to memorize it.”

Jack could tell that Annie really,
really
wanted to be in the play. And it was definitely a way to keep her mind off the bear.

“Uh, okay,” he said, sighing. He looked at the man. “I'll be in your play—if Annie can be in it, too.”

The man looked at Annie. She smiled eagerly at him.

The man smiled back.

“Why not?” he said. “But Annie will have to pretend to be a boy. She can tuck up her hair, and we'll call her Andy.”

“Yay, thanks!” said Annie with a grin.

A trumpet blasted inside the theater.

“Hark, the play begins!” the man said. He took Jack and Annie by the hand.

“My name is Will, by the way,” he said. “Come along, Jack and Andy! Be as swift as shadows!”