Tip-Top Tappin' Mom! (5 page)

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Authors: Nancy Krulik

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Chapter 9
Tap. Shuffle. Stomp.
That was pretty much all Katie heard for the next few days as her mom practiced for her big audition. It was kind of annoying, but Katie had to admit that her mom was becoming a really good dancer.
“You’re definitely going to be picked to be in the front at the Tap-Off,” Katie told her mom as the two of them walked into the studio on Saturday for the audition.
“I hope so,” Mrs. Carew replied. “I’ve been practicing really hard. I think I have the whole routine memorized.”
Katie was sure her mom had the routine memorized. After seeing it over and over again,
Katie
practically knew the whole thing by heart.
“I’m so glad you came with me today,” Katie’s mom continued. “It will help me a lot to see you sitting there.”
Katie tried to smile. She was glad she could be there to support her mom. But part of her also really wished she didn’t have to see—or hear—any more tap dancing.
Katie followed her mother into a large dance studio. “You can sit over there,” Katie’s mom said, pointing to a row of chairs. “I’m going to warm up.”
Katie sat down in one of the chairs and watched the dancers stretch their arms and legs. But after a few minutes, Katie got a little squirmy. She got up to walk around a bit.
Actually, Miss Ricky’s School of Dance was kind of a neat place. There were lots of studios. But everyone was in the big studio where the auditions were being held.
Katie wandered into one of the smaller studios. It was empty. She looked at herself in the mirror. She pointed her toe. Then she tapped her foot and twirled around. It was hard
not
to dance in a room like this. But Katie was glad no one was there to see her. She was definitely not as good a dancer as her mom was.
Just then, Katie felt a cool breeze blowing on the back of her neck. That was weird. There were no windows in the studio. And the fan wasn’t turned on.
Where was the breeze coming from?
The breeze turned into a wind and began blowing colder and harder until it was like a wild tornado.
A tornado that was spinning only around Katie.
Oh, no! This wasn’t an ordinary wind. It was the magic wind. And boy, was it blowing. The wind was so fierce, Katie was afraid it might blow her all the way to the continent of Asia or even Antarctica! Katie shut her eyes tight and tried not to cry.
And then it stopped. Just like that. The magic wind was gone.
So was Katie Kazoo. She’d been turned into someone else. One, two, switcheroo!
The question was, who?
Katie stood there a minute with her eyes shut. All around her, she heard the tap-tap-tapping of dancers in tap shoes.
That was weird. A moment ago, she was alone in the little studio. The magic wind had blown her back into the big studio. As she opened her eyes, Katie saw lots of dancers all around her. The only one she didn’t see was her mom.
At least not at first. But as she turned around, Katie spotted her mom’s reflection in the mirror. Mrs. Carew seemed to be standing in the middle of the room with a confused look on her face.
Katie tried to smile in her mom’s direction to make her feel more confident.
Her mom gave Katie the same exact smile.
Katie waved at her mom in the mirror.
Her mom waved to Katie at the exact same time.
Katie looked down at her feet. She was wearing tap shoes!
Tap . . . tap . . . shuffle
. Katie moved her feet back and forth.
Tap . . . tap . . . shuffle
. The mom in the mirror moved her feet back and forth.
Uh-oh!
That could only mean one thing. Katie had turned into her mom—right before the big audition! Katie had to get out of there.
Right away
. She turned and started to run out of the studio. The heels on her tap shoes went
clickety clack, clickety clack
as she ran.
But it was too late.
“Okay, dancers,” Miss Ricky announced. “It’s time to start the auditions. First on our list is Wendy Carew.”
Katie gulped. This was soooo not good!
Chapter 10
Katie wanted to run and hide somewhere until the magic wind came to turn her back into a fourth-grade girl. But she knew she couldn’t do that. Not now. Her mother had been practicing all week for this audition. Katie had to at least
try
and help her out.
So Katie took her place in the middle of the dance floor. She stood tall as Miss Ricky put the CD in the player. And then the music started. Katie knew the song right away. It was an old tune called “That’s Entertainment.” Her mom had played it over and over as she practiced.
“Toe. Heel. Ball change,” Katie whispered to herself as she moved her feet the way she’d seen her mother do it. “Hop. Toe. Stomp.”
Katie smiled. She was really getting the feel of it. And so far, the routine was going okay. She even thought she saw Miss Ricky smile back at her.
Ball change. Heel. Toe. Spin.
Katie began to spin around the way she’d seen her mother twirl in the kitchen. She tapped her toes a little faster as she turned, keeping in time with the music.
Heel. Toe. Spin.
Whoa.
Suddenly Katie started to feel dizzy. She stopped spinning. But the room didn’t. Everything seemed to be turning around and around, even though Katie was standing still.
Katie tried to keep dancing. She moved across the dance floor tapping her feet. But the room kept spinning.
Whoops!
Katie tripped over her right foot. She fell right on her rear end.
At first, no one said anything. Then a few of the dancers began to giggle—quietly, like they were trying not to hurt Katie’s feelings.
But Katie heard them. And her feelings
were
hurt. She was really embarrassed.
“Are you okay, Wendy?” Miss Ricky asked her.
Wendy!
Katie had almost forgotten that she wasn’t Katie anymore. She was her mom. That made things even worse.
Tears began streaming down Katie’s face. She had to get out of that awful dance studio right away!
“I’m fine.” Katie sobbed as she ran out of the room.
A moment later, Katie was sitting all by herself on the floor of one of the empty studios.
“I sure made a mess of things this time,” Katie whispered sadly to herself.
Just then, Katie felt a cool breeze blowing on the back of her neck. And before she even had a chance to look for an open window or a fan, the breeze grew into a strong wind. A second later, it was a tornado that was blowing just around Katie.
The magic wind had returned!
The wind began to spin faster and faster. It whirled around Katie so powerfully, she was sure it would blow her away.
And then it stopped. Just like that. Katie Kazoo was back!
So was her mom. And boy, did she look confused.
“How did I get into this room?” Katie’s mom asked.
“You came in here after I . . . I mean after you . . .” Katie began. She wasn’t really sure what to say.
Mrs. Carew rubbed her rear end. “I’m really sore,” she complained. “I feel like I fell on my . . .” She stopped for a minute. “I
did
fall, didn’t I?”
Katie nodded.
“Wow,” Mrs. Carew continued. “I kind of remember getting dizzy out there after my spin, but it’s all sort of fuzzy.”
“You started out really great,” Katie assured her.
“That audition was a disaster,” Mrs. Carew told Katie. She frowned sadly. “I think maybe it’s time for me to find a new hobby.”
Now Katie felt really awful. “You can’t stop dancing,” she told her mom.
Mrs. Carew smiled at Katie. “I know you wanted me to have fun with my gift,” she said. “And I did. But I’m just not a very good dancer anymore.”
“Yes, you are,” Katie told her. “I just started to spin too fast.”
“You what?” her mom asked.
Oops
. “I mean
you
were just spinning fast,” Katie corrected herself. “That’s why you got dizzy.”

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