these old hags."
Laura ruffled up her unbraided hair, allowing several
strands to fall across her face and across her eyes. Then she read from the
script:
"Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
"The show today will make you shiver,
We have some acts to make you quiver.
So if you join us now, you'll see,
A Halloween treat—it's even free.
"The first act now we have for you,
Is from Snow White —we tell you true.
So sit back here and watch the show,
We've practiced well, we'll have you know.
"The bad witch is at her mirror fine,
It talks to her—you'll hear the lines.
So now we say, 'Let's start the show,'
Raise the curtain—now we must go."
Mr. Levine nodded when Laura had finished. "Okay, thank
you, Laura."
Beth scooted out of her seat and hurried toward the stage.
Behind her she heard Katie say, "That was acting? All she did was mess up
her hair, and she even used her normal voice."
Beth had to agree, but she didn't have time to think about
that now. Bounding onto the stage, she took a moment to ready herself,
concentrating on her character, her body, her voice. Then she began.
"Double, double, toil and trouble"—it was the
old-hag voice she had perfected in the privacy of her own bedroom—"Fire
burn and caldron bubble."
A murmur ran through the auditorium. Beth glanced out at the
faces before her. They were smiling and listening intently. Her heart soared.
They were with her.
"Cool it with a baboon's blood, then the charm is firm
and good."
Beth knew she was doing a good job. She spoke the lines
slowly, deliberately, knowing what they meant, knowing how to emphasize the
important words. She spoke as if she were really a witch, an ugly, ancient
witch, standing over a boiling pot of steamy brew, casting a spooky Halloween
spell.
"The show today—"
Suddenly from backstage came a thunderous crash, followed by
a bloodcurdling scream.
CHAPTER 2
The noise was so startling that Beth jumped, dropping her
script, and shrieked, "What was that?" An instant later Laura McCall
came streaking out of the backstage wings, her face white with fright. She
stopped at the edge of the stage and stared down wide-eyed at Mr. Levine,
gasping for breath. "It fell! The mirror! I was just walking past it, and
it almost hit me!"
Mr. Levine jumped up. "Are you all right?" he
cried. When she nodded, he went on in a calmer voice, "Take it easy,
Laura. Just settle down and tell us what happened."
Laura looked as if she were going to cry. "I . . . I .
. ."
"I'll check it out," shouted Molly McHugh, who apparently
had not left after signing up for the stage crew after all, but had been
standing at the back of the auditorium watching the tryouts. She raced down the
aisle, up the stage steps past Beth, and disappeared behind the curtain.
After a moment, her head popped out of the curtain at the
center. "Mr. L, we have a slight problem," she said gravely.
"What's that?" asked Mr. Levine.
"There was a large mirror back here," she said. "It
fell off a shelf, I guess, and shattered into a zillion pieces."
Mr. Levine shook his head. "I brought that mirror from
home for the Snow White skit. You all stay here," he instructed the
students in the auditorium. "If there's a lot of broken glass, I don't
want anyone injured."
"How could that happen?" asked Dekeisha. She had
gotten up from her seat and was leaning against the edge of the stage in
preparation for reading next. "A mirror just fell off the shelf ? "
Beth gave Laura a suspicious look.
"I didn't touch it. I swear!" Laura shouted,
glaring back at Beth. "It just fell by itself."
Sure, it did, Beth thought sarcastically, but she didn't say
it.
The students all started talking at once, suggesting reasons
for the mirror's falling.
Mr. Levine returned and held up his hands for silence. "I
don't know how this happened," he said. "I'm just glad Laura wasn't
standing underneath the mirror when it
Laura ruffled up her unbraided hair, allowing several
strands to fall across her face and across her eyes. Then she read from the
script:
"Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and caldron bubble.
Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.
"The show today will make you shiver,
We have some acts to make you quiver.
So if you join us now, you'll see,
A Halloween treat—it's even free.
"The first act now we have for you,
Is from Snow White —we tell you true.
So sit back here and watch the show,
We've practiced well, we'll have you know.
"The bad witch is at her mirror fine,
It talks to her—you'll hear the lines.
So now we say, 'Let's start the show,'
Raise the curtain—now we must go."
Mr. Levine nodded when Laura had finished. "Okay, thank
you, Laura."
Beth scooted out of her seat and hurried toward the stage.
Behind her she heard Katie say, "That was acting? All she did was mess up
her hair, and she even used her normal voice."
Beth had to agree, but she didn't have time to think about
that now. Bounding onto the stage, she took a moment to ready herself,
concentrating on her character, her body, her voice. Then she began.
"Double, double, toil and trouble"—it was the
old-hag voice she had perfected in the privacy of her own bedroom—"Fire
burn and caldron bubble."
A murmur ran through the auditorium. Beth glanced out at the
faces before her. They were smiling and listening intently. Her heart soared.
They were with her.
"Cool it with a baboon's blood, then the charm is firm
and good."
Beth knew she was doing a good job. She spoke the lines
slowly, deliberately, knowing what they meant, knowing how to emphasize the
important words. She spoke as if she were really a witch, an ugly, ancient
witch, standing over a boiling pot of steamy brew, casting a spooky Halloween
spell.
"The show today—"
Suddenly from backstage came a thunderous crash, followed by
a bloodcurdling scream.
CHAPTER 2
The noise was so startling that Beth jumped, dropping her
script, and shrieked, "What was that?" An instant later Laura McCall
came streaking out of the backstage wings, her face white with fright. She
stopped at the edge of the stage and stared down wide-eyed at Mr. Levine,
gasping for breath. "It fell! The mirror! I was just walking past it, and
it almost hit me!"
Mr. Levine jumped up. "Are you all right?" he
cried. When she nodded, he went on in a calmer voice, "Take it easy,
Laura. Just settle down and tell us what happened."
Laura looked as if she were going to cry. "I . . . I .
. ."
"I'll check it out," shouted Molly McHugh, who apparently
had not left after signing up for the stage crew after all, but had been
standing at the back of the auditorium watching the tryouts. She raced down the
aisle, up the stage steps past Beth, and disappeared behind the curtain.
After a moment, her head popped out of the curtain at the
center. "Mr. L, we have a slight problem," she said gravely.
"What's that?" asked Mr. Levine.
"There was a large mirror back here," she said. "It
fell off a shelf, I guess, and shattered into a zillion pieces."
Mr. Levine shook his head. "I brought that mirror from
home for the Snow White skit. You all stay here," he instructed the
students in the auditorium. "If there's a lot of broken glass, I don't
want anyone injured."
"How could that happen?" asked Dekeisha. She had
gotten up from her seat and was leaning against the edge of the stage in
preparation for reading next. "A mirror just fell off the shelf ? "
Beth gave Laura a suspicious look.
"I didn't touch it. I swear!" Laura shouted,
glaring back at Beth. "It just fell by itself."
Sure, it did, Beth thought sarcastically, but she didn't say
it.
The students all started talking at once, suggesting reasons
for the mirror's falling.
Mr. Levine returned and held up his hands for silence. "I
don't know how this happened," he said. "I'm just glad Laura wasn't
standing underneath the mirror when it
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