Laura said,
waving her arms around dramatically. "We have some acts to make you
quiver."
"Laura," Mr. Levine interrupted, "I'm not
sure I understand what you're doing with your arms."
Laura let out a huge sigh. "Well," she said pointedly
in Beth's direction, "I don't have my magic wand! If I had it, you'd
understand what I was doing with my arms because I'd be waving it."
"But Laura," Mr. Levine said, "you won't be
using your wand during this scene. You'll use it in the Wizard of Oz skit."
Laura's face fell. "I can't use it while we're stirring
the caldron?"
"No, definitely not," Mr. Levine said.
"Well," Laura said angrily, "I most likely
won't be using it at all, anyway! It hasn't turned up . . . yet! " She
directed the last word at Beth.
"I don't have it, Laura," Beth hissed. "I
never . . ." She broke off, unable to utter another word as a grinning
head rolled out from under the backstage curtain and came to rest by her feet.
"A head!" shrieked Dekeisha.
"It's only one of Chet Miller's heads that he uses in
his juggling act," said Beth, finding her voice again.
"I know that," said Dekeisha. "But it's still
a head, and why did it roll out here? Someone's trying to scare us."
"What's going on?" Mr. Levine called out, getting
up from his seat in the front row.
"It's the curse! " Molly shouted from the
left side of the stage. "Those heads were sitting on a table backstage.
Chet put them there after he rehearsed his act."
"That doesn't mean it was the curse," Beth argued.
"Oh, yeah?" challenged Molly. "Well, nobody's
been backstage for at least fifteen minutes. I would have seen them from where
I was standing in the wings. Explain that!"
Beth looked uneasily at the head lying on the stage. It was
only a ball, of course, painted to look like a real head.
"But why would a head roll across the stage?"
Laura whispered, her eyes big and round. "Unless it's some kind of omen."
"I'm outta here!" Molly shouted. She raced down
the side steps of the stage, grabbed her backpack out of a front-row seat, and
flew toward the door without so much as another look behind.
"Don't be silly," said Chet, picking up the head
and bouncing it up and down with one hand.
Mr. Levine looked edgy as he called, "I want to talk to
you all for a minute. You, too, Molly."
Molly turned around and slowly trudged back. Beth glanced at
Laura, who was seating herself on the stage floor. She didn't look as
frightened as she had a few moments before. Beth studied Laura's face. Could
she be responsible for the mirror's breaking and for the head's rolling across
the stage? Had she been faking being afraid? A thought came to Beth in a flash.
Laura could have hidden her own wand so she could blame Beth. And maybe she
could even have figured out a way to make the head fall off the table and roll
onto the stage without actually being back there. Maybe Tammy Lucero or one of
the other members of The Fantastic Foursome had sneaked backstage without Molly's
seeing her and done it. Was it possible that Laura was so hungry for the
limelight that she'd sabotage the whole show and blame Beth?
In a few minutes, all the kids surrounded Mr. Levine.
For the first time, Beth saw worry lines crease the drama
teacher's face. Did he really believe in the curse of Macbeth ?
"I've been doing some research on the Macbeth superstition," he said.
"Do you believe the curse is working on us?" Chet
Miller asked, his eyes wide.
The director cleared his throat and shifted his weight
nervously over the other foot.
"Well," he said, forcing a laugh, "I don't
really believe in it myself, but if it will make you feel better, there were
things listed in the book we can do to protect ourselves from the curse and
bring good luck instead. Of course, they're superstitions, too."
"What? What?" Molly's voice bubbled up from the
crowd. The other kids stepped aside as she gently pushed her way to the front. "I
don't want any other bad things to happen," she said. "What can we
do?"
Mr.
waving her arms around dramatically. "We have some acts to make you
quiver."
"Laura," Mr. Levine interrupted, "I'm not
sure I understand what you're doing with your arms."
Laura let out a huge sigh. "Well," she said pointedly
in Beth's direction, "I don't have my magic wand! If I had it, you'd
understand what I was doing with my arms because I'd be waving it."
"But Laura," Mr. Levine said, "you won't be
using your wand during this scene. You'll use it in the Wizard of Oz skit."
Laura's face fell. "I can't use it while we're stirring
the caldron?"
"No, definitely not," Mr. Levine said.
"Well," Laura said angrily, "I most likely
won't be using it at all, anyway! It hasn't turned up . . . yet! " She
directed the last word at Beth.
"I don't have it, Laura," Beth hissed. "I
never . . ." She broke off, unable to utter another word as a grinning
head rolled out from under the backstage curtain and came to rest by her feet.
"A head!" shrieked Dekeisha.
"It's only one of Chet Miller's heads that he uses in
his juggling act," said Beth, finding her voice again.
"I know that," said Dekeisha. "But it's still
a head, and why did it roll out here? Someone's trying to scare us."
"What's going on?" Mr. Levine called out, getting
up from his seat in the front row.
"It's the curse! " Molly shouted from the
left side of the stage. "Those heads were sitting on a table backstage.
Chet put them there after he rehearsed his act."
"That doesn't mean it was the curse," Beth argued.
"Oh, yeah?" challenged Molly. "Well, nobody's
been backstage for at least fifteen minutes. I would have seen them from where
I was standing in the wings. Explain that!"
Beth looked uneasily at the head lying on the stage. It was
only a ball, of course, painted to look like a real head.
"But why would a head roll across the stage?"
Laura whispered, her eyes big and round. "Unless it's some kind of omen."
"I'm outta here!" Molly shouted. She raced down
the side steps of the stage, grabbed her backpack out of a front-row seat, and
flew toward the door without so much as another look behind.
"Don't be silly," said Chet, picking up the head
and bouncing it up and down with one hand.
Mr. Levine looked edgy as he called, "I want to talk to
you all for a minute. You, too, Molly."
Molly turned around and slowly trudged back. Beth glanced at
Laura, who was seating herself on the stage floor. She didn't look as
frightened as she had a few moments before. Beth studied Laura's face. Could
she be responsible for the mirror's breaking and for the head's rolling across
the stage? Had she been faking being afraid? A thought came to Beth in a flash.
Laura could have hidden her own wand so she could blame Beth. And maybe she
could even have figured out a way to make the head fall off the table and roll
onto the stage without actually being back there. Maybe Tammy Lucero or one of
the other members of The Fantastic Foursome had sneaked backstage without Molly's
seeing her and done it. Was it possible that Laura was so hungry for the
limelight that she'd sabotage the whole show and blame Beth?
In a few minutes, all the kids surrounded Mr. Levine.
For the first time, Beth saw worry lines crease the drama
teacher's face. Did he really believe in the curse of Macbeth ?
"I've been doing some research on the Macbeth superstition," he said.
"Do you believe the curse is working on us?" Chet
Miller asked, his eyes wide.
The director cleared his throat and shifted his weight
nervously over the other foot.
"Well," he said, forcing a laugh, "I don't
really believe in it myself, but if it will make you feel better, there were
things listed in the book we can do to protect ourselves from the curse and
bring good luck instead. Of course, they're superstitions, too."
"What? What?" Molly's voice bubbled up from the
crowd. The other kids stepped aside as she gently pushed her way to the front. "I
don't want any other bad things to happen," she said. "What can we
do?"
Mr.
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