on?â
âHeâs another performer,â explained Charlie. âLike the magicians who live here. And just like any performer, he has to practice every single day.â
âBut why do you practice down here?â asked Tyler.
âBecause the ceilingâs high enough,â said Mr. Thursday.
âSo we were hearing you practice through the vents,â said Tyler. âThe vents next to this wall must go right up to the ninth floor. So, who is this Mister Ken guy?â
âMister Ken?â Mr. Thursday said. âWhoâs that?â
Charlie smiled. âHe wasnât saying Mister Ken,â he said. âWe just thought he was. I finally figured it out when I realized what all three objects had in common.â
âWhat do you mean?â Tyler asked.
Charlie explained, âI was thinking, âWhat would someone use rings, spoons, and bowling pins for?â Then I thought, âOf course! Juggling!â Then I realized that what we were hearing was Mr. Thursday rehearsing his act.â
âWhat does that have to do with Mister Ken?â Tyler asked.
Charlie smiled again. âThere is no Mister Ken,â he said.
âOkay, I really donât get it,â Tyler said.
Charlie said, âWhenever he dropped a spoon or ring or pin, he would say to himself, âMissed again, missed again.â Thatâs what we were hearing. We just thought he was saying Mister Ken, but he was giving himself a hard time for screwing up while practicing.â
Thursday blushed above his beard. âItâs a bad habit of mine,â he said.
âIt just sounded like âMister Ken,ââ said Charlie.
âI have to practice every day, otherwise I get rusty,â said Thursday. âI would have asked to use these things, but it was supposed to be a surprise.â
âA surprise for what?â asked Tyler.
âFor the magic show,â said Mr. Thursday. âOf course.â
âWait a second,â Tyler said. âWhat magic show? I havenât heard about any magic show.â
âA magic show like the ones the Abracadabra had in the old days,â said Thursday. His voice was full of excitement. âAnd you havenât heard about it because itâs a surprise,â he added. âThe magicians here are all organizing it.â
âWow!â said Tyler. âMom will be so excited about all this. Sheâll love it!â
âDo me a favor,â Thursday said. âKeep it a surprise, for now. There are going to be a few shows coming up. The big one will take us a while to prepare.â
âGot it,â Tyler said. Charlie nodded.
Thursday rubbed at his beard. âUh, you donât mind if I keep practicing, then, do you?â he asked.
âWhat? Oh, no, knock yourself out,â said Tyler. âBut it would be better if you used your own stuff, since itâs here. Can you help me take these bowling pins back upstairs?â
âNo problem,â said Thursday.
* * *
Later, after Charlie, Tyler, and Mr. Thursday had returned the missing objects to their rightful places, Charlie stood in the lobby next to the front doors. It was still raining outside.
He stared at the tall painting of the former Abracadabra, the hotelâs founder. He was studying the magicianâs eyes.
Tyler walked up to him. âHey, you might want this,â he said. He handed Charlie an umbrella. âPeople always forget theirs when they leave the hotel, so we have lots of extra ones lying around.â
âThanks,â said Charlie.
âNo problem,â said Tyler. âWell, so it wasnât a ghost after all. And Mom wonât deduct my money now to pay for the missing stuff.â
âGreat,â said Charlie.
âWell, see you at school,â said Tyler. He started to walk away. But then he stopped, turned, and added, âBut remember, donât talk to me in the halls.â
Charlie
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