Stage Fright on a Summer Night (6 page)
Read Stage Fright on a Summer Night Online
Authors: Mary Pope Osborne
“Really?” said Jack and Annie together.
Jack couldn't imagine anything more fun. Then he thought of his parents back in Frog Creek.
“But our mom and dadâ” he said.
“We would really miss them,” said Annie.
Will smiled.
“I understand,” he said. “And I would miss
you
if I were
them
.” He put his hand over his heart. “So, good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow.”
“Yes, 'tis,” said Annie, nodding.
“Farewell!” said Will. He waved.
Jack and Annie waved back. Then Will turned on his heels and headed back to his rowboat.
Jack and Annie walked to the rope ladder and climbed up to the tree house. When they got inside, they looked out the window.
Will was rowing back across the Thames River. A single white swan glided across the ripples beside his boat. A silver moon was rising in the sky.
At that moment, Jack
did
feel sweet
sorrow. He wanted to stay in merry olde England just a little longer.
“Wait, Will!” he shouted.
But Annie picked up the Pennsylvania book.
“I wish we could go home,” she said.
The wind started to blow.
The tree house started to spin.
It spun faster and faster.
Then everything was still.
Absolutely still.
Jack opened his eyes.
They were wearing their own clothes again. A lightning bug blinked inside the growing darkness of the tree house.
Annie picked up Morgan's note. She repeated the rhyme:
To find a special magic,
You must step into the light
And without wand, spell, or charm,
Turn daytime into night.
“We found the special magic,” said Annie. “Theater magic!”
“Yep,” said Jack.
He opened his backpack. He and Annie took out the two scrolls Will had given them. When they unrolled them, Jack saw that Will had written something. He read aloud:
“William
Shakespeare
?” said Annie. “I've heard that name before.”
“Me too,” said Jack.
He took out their research book. He looked up
Shakespeare
in the index. He turned to a page and read aloud:
William Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616. He wrote thirty-seven plays and many sonnets and other poems. Many people think he was the greatest writer who ever lived.
“The greatest?” said Annie. “
Our
Will?”
“Oh, man,” whispered Jack. He stared in amazement at William Shakespeare's autograph.
“Hey, we can leave our scrolls with Morgan's note,” said Annie. “It'll prove to her we found a special magic.”
They put their two scrolls next to the note on the floor. Then they climbed down the rope ladder.
When they started walking through the woods, a breeze blew, shaking the tree leaves. Shadows shifted. Birds called from hidden places.
“Remember the enchanted woods?” Annie said in a hushed voice. “The fairy queen and the fairy king?”
Jack smiled and nodded.
“And Puck, the merry wanderer of the night?” said Annie. “And Will,
our
Will.”
Jack nodded again.
“I had a great time,” said Annie. “Didn't you?”
Jack sighed.
“Yes,” he said. Then he took a deep breath and spoke very clearly and with feeling:
“I have had a most rare vision.
I have had a dream â¦Â .”
YOU
!
William Shakespeare
did
write a play that included a small part for a bear. That play is called
The Winter's Tale
.
Queen Elizabeth's teeth
were
black from eating too much sugar (as were the teeth of many other people from that time). One of the queen's ladies-in-waiting wrote that the queen was not given a clear mirror to look at herself for the last twenty years of her life.
There is no historical evidence that Queen Elizabeth I ever visited the Globe Theater. It is believed, though, that she liked Shakespeare's plays very much and that
A Midsummer Night's Dream
was performed at her palace for her and her court.
Today, the place where theaters sell tickets is called a “box office.” That's because in Shakespeare's time, people dropped their admission money into a
box
held at the door.
The reason actors' parts are now called “roles” is because in Shakespeare's time, actors were given scrolls, or
rolls
of paper, with only their own lines written on them.
For over 400 years, people have been quoting lines written by Shakespeare. Some of the lines quoted in this book are:
“I'll note you in my book of memory.”âfrom
Henry the Sixth
“All the world's a stage.”âfrom
As You Like It
“Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow.”âfrom
Romeo and Juliet
“Thy life's a miracle.”âfrom
King Lear
“I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream past the wit of man to say what dream it was.”âfrom
A Midsummer Night's Dream
It is believed that William Shakespeare invented over 2,000 words and expressions, many of which we still use. Some of Shakespeare's words in this story are:
| blushing | hush |
| bump | lonely |
| downstairs | long-legged |
| excitement | shooting star |
| for goodness' sakes | sorry sight |
| forward | swift as a shadow |
| gloomy | tut, tut |
| good riddance | upstairs |
| howled |
Here's a special preview of
Magic Tree House #26:
Good Morning, Gorillas
Available now!
Excerpt copyright © 2002 by Mary Pope Osborne.
Published by Random House Children's Books,
a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Tap-tap-tap.
Jack sat up in bed. Rain tapped against his window. His clock said 5
A.M.
It was still dark outside.
Annie peeked into his room.
“Are you awake?” she whispered.
“Yep,” said Jack.
“Ready to find some special magic?” she asked.
“Maybe we should wait,” said Jack. “It's so dark and rainy.”
“
No
waiting,” said Annie. “I'll get an umbrella. You bring a flashlight. Meet you downstairs.”
“Okay, okay,” said Jack.
He jumped out of bed. He pulled on his clothes and put on a jacket. Then he grabbed his backpack and flashlight.
Jack slipped downstairs and out the front door. Annie stood on the porch in jeans and a T-shirt. The air was chilly and breezy.
“Don't you need a sweater or something?” said Jack.
“I'm okay,” she said. “Let's go.”
Annie raised the umbrella. Jack turned on the flashlight. They followed a circle of rainy light down their street into the woods.
They headed through the Frog Creek woods. The flashlight lit up the treesâthe wet leaves and dark branches. Then it shined on a dangling rope ladder.
Jack raised the flashlight beam.
“There it is,” he said.
A circle of light lit the magic tree house.
“Morgan's not there,” said Annie. “I can tell.”
“Maybe she left us a message,” said Jack.
Jack grabbed the rope ladder and started up. Annie put the umbrella down and followed. When they climbed inside, Jack shined the flashlight around the tree house.
Morgan le Fay wasn't there. But the scrolls from their trip to old England were.
“Here's proof we found a special magic yesterday,” she said.
“Yeah,” said Jack, smiling. “
Theater
magic.” He had great memories of acting in a play by their friend William Shakespeare.
“Did Morgan leave us a new secret rhyme?” asked Jack.
He shined the flashlight on a book lying under the window. A piece of paper was sticking out of the book.
“Yes!” said Annie. She picked up the book and pulled out the paper.
Jack shined his light on the paper while Annie read aloud:
Dear Annie and Jack,
Good luck on your second journey to find a special magic. This secret rhyme will guide you:
To find a special kind of magic
in worlds so far apart,
speak a special language,
talk with your hands and heart.
     Â
Thank you,
         Â
Morgan
“What kind of language does she mean?” Jack asked.
“I guess we'll find out,” said Annie. “Where are we going?”
Jack shined the flashlight on the cover of the book. It showed huge trees partly hidden by mist. The title was:
AN AFRICAN RAIN FOREST
“
Rain
forest?” said Jack. “Good thing we brought our umbrella and flashlight. Remember the rain in the
Amazon
rain forest? Remember how dark it was under the treetops?”
“Yeah,” said Annie. “Remember the spiders and scary ants?”
“Well â¦Â ,” Jack said, “not all rain forests have the same bugs.”
“Remember the river snakes?” said Annie. “And the crocodiles?”
“Well â¦Â ,” said Jack, “not all rain forests have big rivers. There are different kinds of rain forests, you know.”
“Right,” said Annie. She pointed to the cover of the book. “I wish we could go there.”
The wind started to blow.
“Oh, remember the jaguar?” said Annie. “And the vampire bats?”
“Wait!” said Jack.
But it was too late. The wind was blowing harder. The tree house started to spin.
