something unusual was happening, but he went right on, just as he had been rehearsed to do.
"Chickadee tidbit, chickadee tidbit..."
Abbie's heart nearly burst with pride in him and in herself, too. He was her father and he was singing a solo on television at last, and now the whole world would know how wonderful he was, and she had done it!
"Good girl!" breathed Barnaby in her ear, as he realized what her wish had been. Fredericka got the idea only a second later and clutched Abbie's arm. Susan and John, not being musical, needed to be explained to.
As for the studio audience, first it gave a gasp of surprise. Then a wave of delighted laughter swept through it, followed by a burst of applause that grew and grew and kept right on till the end of the program. When the child actors pranced on for their little closing bit, not one word they said could be heard.
And even when the show was over, the audience didn't seem to want to stop clapping.
"That little fellow sang right out!" said the man behind Abbie. "He took his part good!"
"He was better than the star, if you ask me," said the woman next to him.
As for Abbie, she could hold herself back no longer. She left her seat and ran right up the steps onto the stage, and the other four were not far behind her.
Her father stood in the center of the stage, surrounded by the director and the star and what looked like a hundred other people, all talking at once and waving their arms and undoubtedly congratulating him on his success.
And as Abbie looked at his nice puzzled, modest face, she forgot to be proud of what she'd done and just thought what a wonderful father she had, and not too short at all.
And she ran straight toward him.
6. Being Thwarted
Abbie ran straight toward her father. Then she stopped.
The director and the star and all the other people weren't congratulating him. They were angry.
"You sang in the wrong place!" the director was shouting. "You spoiled the whole show!"
"I didn't," said Abbie's father stoutly. "I sang just the way we rehearsed it. Something must have gone wrong with the microphone."
"The nerve of him!" cried another man, who must be the engineer. "Trying to put the blame on me! My microphones are perfect!"
"I'm ruined!" cried the great rock 'n' roll star. "I'll sue the station and the network and you worst of all! You've ruined my career!" He shook his fist in Abbie's father's face. "You'll hear from my lawyers in the morning." And he flounced away.
The five children looked at each other. And while Barnaby did not say "I told you so," Abbie could tell what he was thinking and she knew that he was right. She had thwarted the magic and gone too far, and it had turned.
"I don't think the audience noticed anything," their father was saying now. "They seemed to applaud a lot. I think maybe they liked it."
"Who cares if they liked it or not?" cried the director at screamlike pitch. "
They
don't matter! You're fired and you'll never work on this program again!"
"Daddy!" Abbie couldn't help crying in tones of utter remorse at these words.
And because when magic goes wrong, it often all goes wrong at once, suddenly she and Barnaby and Fredericka and Susan and John were invisible no longer, and her father and the director and all the others looked at them and saw them.
"
You
!" cried the director, making as if to tear his hair, only he had little to tear, being bald for the most part. He turned on Abbie's father again. "Are those
your
kids? This is the last straw! You smuggle your kids in here and ruin the rehearsal, and then you sing in the wrong place and spoil the show! I'll see that you never work on
any
television network again!"
He went storming off into the wings, and his followers followed him. And now most of the other singers and actors crowded round Abbie's father and patted him on the back and asked him sympathetically what had happened.
"I don't know," he said miserably. "I swear I wasn't wrong, but I guess I must have
"Chickadee tidbit, chickadee tidbit..."
Abbie's heart nearly burst with pride in him and in herself, too. He was her father and he was singing a solo on television at last, and now the whole world would know how wonderful he was, and she had done it!
"Good girl!" breathed Barnaby in her ear, as he realized what her wish had been. Fredericka got the idea only a second later and clutched Abbie's arm. Susan and John, not being musical, needed to be explained to.
As for the studio audience, first it gave a gasp of surprise. Then a wave of delighted laughter swept through it, followed by a burst of applause that grew and grew and kept right on till the end of the program. When the child actors pranced on for their little closing bit, not one word they said could be heard.
And even when the show was over, the audience didn't seem to want to stop clapping.
"That little fellow sang right out!" said the man behind Abbie. "He took his part good!"
"He was better than the star, if you ask me," said the woman next to him.
As for Abbie, she could hold herself back no longer. She left her seat and ran right up the steps onto the stage, and the other four were not far behind her.
Her father stood in the center of the stage, surrounded by the director and the star and what looked like a hundred other people, all talking at once and waving their arms and undoubtedly congratulating him on his success.
And as Abbie looked at his nice puzzled, modest face, she forgot to be proud of what she'd done and just thought what a wonderful father she had, and not too short at all.
And she ran straight toward him.
6. Being Thwarted
Abbie ran straight toward her father. Then she stopped.
The director and the star and all the other people weren't congratulating him. They were angry.
"You sang in the wrong place!" the director was shouting. "You spoiled the whole show!"
"I didn't," said Abbie's father stoutly. "I sang just the way we rehearsed it. Something must have gone wrong with the microphone."
"The nerve of him!" cried another man, who must be the engineer. "Trying to put the blame on me! My microphones are perfect!"
"I'm ruined!" cried the great rock 'n' roll star. "I'll sue the station and the network and you worst of all! You've ruined my career!" He shook his fist in Abbie's father's face. "You'll hear from my lawyers in the morning." And he flounced away.
The five children looked at each other. And while Barnaby did not say "I told you so," Abbie could tell what he was thinking and she knew that he was right. She had thwarted the magic and gone too far, and it had turned.
"I don't think the audience noticed anything," their father was saying now. "They seemed to applaud a lot. I think maybe they liked it."
"Who cares if they liked it or not?" cried the director at screamlike pitch. "
They
don't matter! You're fired and you'll never work on this program again!"
"Daddy!" Abbie couldn't help crying in tones of utter remorse at these words.
And because when magic goes wrong, it often all goes wrong at once, suddenly she and Barnaby and Fredericka and Susan and John were invisible no longer, and her father and the director and all the others looked at them and saw them.
"
You
!" cried the director, making as if to tear his hair, only he had little to tear, being bald for the most part. He turned on Abbie's father again. "Are those
your
kids? This is the last straw! You smuggle your kids in here and ruin the rehearsal, and then you sing in the wrong place and spoil the show! I'll see that you never work on
any
television network again!"
He went storming off into the wings, and his followers followed him. And now most of the other singers and actors crowded round Abbie's father and patted him on the back and asked him sympathetically what had happened.
"I don't know," he said miserably. "I swear I wasn't wrong, but I guess I must have
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