“That is an awful lot,” said Mommy. “I am not sure about that.”
“Please?” I asked. “It will be fun. And Andrew will be fine. I will take good care of him.”
“I am sure you will,” said Mommy.
Mommy and Seth talked it over. Finally they said we could both try out because the rehearsals would be for only two weeks.
“Yippee!” I said.
“Yippee!” said Andrew.
I got my permission slip and handed it to Mommy and Seth. My little brother and I were going to be in a Christmas play!
Questions and Answers
Andrew had lots of questions about being in a play. But I did not mind. Answering questions is one of the things big sisters do best.
“How will I know what to say in the play?” asked Andrew.
“You will have a script. The words are written down,” I replied. “All you have to do is memorize — I mean, remember — your words.”
“But what if I forget them? Can I make them up?”
“No, you have to say the words that are written down. That is what rehearsals are for. You say your part over and over again. Then you do not forget it,” I said.
“What else?” asked Andrew.
“You will have to wear a costume and makeup.”
“No way! Makeup is for girls!”
“Not in a play. In a play it is for everyone. Boys and girls, kids and grown-ups,” I said.
“Yucky,” said Andrew.
“It is not yucky. You need makeup on stage. That is because there are special lights. Makeup looks good under lights. It will make you look like a real and true actor.”
“Okay!” said Andrew. “I want to be an actor!”
(I was glad I had been in the movie even if my part was just a teensy-weensy one. I had learned a lot about acting and now I could be a very helpful big sister.)
“I will tell you what the play is about,” I said. “I think that will help you before the tryouts.”
I did not know the whole story. I had tried to watch the movie on TV once when I was home sick, but I kept falling asleep and missing parts. I was sure I knew enough to tell Andrew the main story, though.
“It is about a man named Ebenezer Scrooge. He is stingy and cranky and has no Christmas spirit,” I said.
“I do not want to be him!” said Andrew.
“You cannot be Scrooge, because he is a grown-up. Anyway, three ghosts come to visit him. They are the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come.”
“I am scared of ghosts!”
“These are not scary Halloween ghosts,” I said. “They are special Christmas ghosts.”
“Okay.”
“The ghosts show Scrooge what Christmas is like when he is a meanie-mo,” I said. “This makes him so unhappy that he decides to change his ways and be nice.”
“I like that story,” said Andrew. “But who will I be?”
I had to think for a minute.
“I know!” I said. “Bob Cratchit works for Scrooge. He has a lot of children. You could be one of his sons. I could be one of his daughters. We could be a brother-and-sister team, just like in real life.
“But remember, Andrew, there are not enough parts for everyone who wants to be in the play. Do not be too sad if you are not picked,” I said.
“I want to be picked,” replied Andrew. “I want to be in the play.”
“Well, do not worry about it now,” I said. “Just do your best on Friday. We will find out then if you will be in the play.”
The Audition
Friday came fast. The auditorium at the community center was filled.
“We can sit over here,” said Hannie.
She and Nancy headed for seats in the middle of the third row.
“I cannot sit there. Andrew needs to sit at the end of a row in case he has to go to the bathroom,” I said.
Andrew and I found seats at the end of the seventh row instead. There were lots of big kids in the auditorium. I needed to watch over my little brother.
Soon a woman walked onstage and asked for our attention.
“Welcome, everyone. Thank you for coming,” she said. “My name is Blanche Donovan. I am the director of the play.”
“Psst. What is a director?” asked Andrew.
“The person who tells you what to do onstage,” I whispered back. “Be quiet and listen.”
“I am sure most of you know the story of A Christmas Carol,” said Ms. Donovan. “But I will tell you a little about it, just in case.”
There was a lot I had forgotten. For example, I had forgotten to tell Andrew about Marley. He was another ghost, the very first to visit Scrooge. He had been Scrooge’s partner when he was alive. He told Scrooge he should listen to the ghosts who were going to visit him and be sure to change his ways.
I had forgotten about Scrooge’s nephew too. He was a kind man who came to wish Scrooge a merry Christmas and invite him to dinner. But mean old Scrooge said, “Bah! Humbug!” And he sent his nephew away.
And I had forgotten all about Bob Cratchit’s son, Tiny Tim. He was about Andrew’s age. He was a good boy who was very sick. He was so weak he had to walk with a crutch.
It was an excellent story.
“I will pass around scripts,” said Ms. Donovan. “Please look them over. Then I will call each of you to the stage to read.”
When Andrew looked at the script, his eyes filled with tears.
“I cannot read this! It is too hard,” he said.
I had helped Andrew learn to read. But he could read only books for little kids.
“Do not worry,” I said. “I will go onstage with you and tell you the lines. Then you can repeat them.”
That made Andrew feel better.
I looked at the script. Ms. Donovan had marked the lines we might want to read. I found a part that did not look too easy. If I did a good job with a hard part, I was sure the director would pick me to be in the play.
Ms. Donovan called kids to the stage one at a time. A few kids messed up their lines or got scared and stopped in the middle. But most of the kids did very well. I was extra proud of Hannie and Nancy. They did not make one mistake.
“Next!” called Ms. Donovan.
“That is me!” I said to Andrew. “When I come back, I am sure I will have a starring role!”
I ran to the front of the auditorium.
“Please tell me your name and which part you will read,” said Ms. Donovan.
“My name is Karen Brewer,” I said in my loudest voice. “I will read the part of Fran, Scrooge’s little sister.”
“That is a challenging part,” said Ms. Donovan. “Okay. You may begin as soon as you are ready. Good luck.”
I gave the thumbs-up sign to Hannie and Nancy. I waved to Andrew. Then I took a deep breath and began to read.
“Father is so much kinder than he used to be that home’s like Heb … I mean Heaven!”
Oops. I made a mistake. But I kept reading.
“He spoke so gently to me one deep … I mean dear … um, day … I mean night!”
Once I started making mistakes, I could not stop!
“I can do better,” I said. “Can I just start over?”
“That will be all,” said Ms. Donovan. “Thank you.”
Boo and bullfrogs. I had not read very well. But maybe I would still get a good part for being brave.
Good Grief!
“You may return to your seat now,” said Ms. Donovan.
I was still standing on the stage. It was Andrew’s turn to read.
“My little brother is next,” I said. “I have to help him with his lines.”
“That is very thoughtful of you,” said Ms. Donovan. “But I think it is better if I help him. If your brother is going to be in the play, he and I will need to work together.”
“He may be afraid to read without me,” I said. “He may need his big sister.”
“All right. We can ask him,” said Ms. Donovan. She c
alled Andrew to the stage.
“Do you want me to stay and help you?” I asked.
“No, thank you. I am fine,” said Andrew.
My little brother surprised me again. He did not look one bit nervous.
I returned to my seat to watch Andrew read the part of Tiny Tim. He was great. I could see Ms. Donovan whispering the lines. Andrew repeated them loud and clear. He even sang a song. (He could not learn a new tune very fast, though, so he sang the song to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”) The song was about a lost child traveling in the snow.
When Andrew finished, everyone in the room started to clap.
“Thank you, Andrew Brewer!” said Ms. Donovan. “That was very good indeed.”
Andrew came running back to his seat.
“I did a good job, right? It was fun!” he said.
“You did a very good job,” I told him. “I am sure you will be in the play. Maybe we will get to be a brother-and-sister team after all.”
It took a long time for everyone to try out. Finally Ms. Donovan was ready to announce the parts.
“One of the most important roles in the play is that of Tiny Tim,” she said. “I think you will all agree with me that the part belongs to Andrew Brewer. Congratulations, Andrew.”
Andrew jumped up from his seat.
“Hooray!” he said.
I was gigundoly proud of my little brother.
“Congratulations, Andrew!” I said. I gave him a hug.
Ms. Donovan announced who would be playing the rest of the Cratchit children. I did not hear my name.
Then she announced who would be playing the Christmas carolers. I knew a lot of the names. Ricky was chosen. So were Hannie and Nancy. But I did not hear my name.
I tried to think of the parts that were left. I had to be in the play. I just had to. Maybe Ms. Donovan skipped my name by mistake. I sat up tall in my seat to remind her I was there.
“We will need two children to be the ragamuffins hiding under the robe of the Ghost of Christmas Present,” said Ms. Donovan. “These are not speaking parts, but they are still very important.”
“Ugh. I would not want to be a ragamuffin,” I whispered to Andrew. “Ragamuffins are dirty children.”
I had spoken too soon.
“These are the last two parts in our play,” said Ms. Donovan. “They go to Pamela Harding and Karen Brewer. Pamela, you will be the girl called Want. Karen, you will be the boy called Ignorance.”
I slumped down in my chair. It was bad enough being a ragamuffin. It was worse being a ragamuffin with Pamela. But a boy called Ignorance? Good grief!
Coach Karen
On Saturday the Three Musketeers had lunch at Nancy’s house. Nancy’s mother made us tuna-salad sandwiches with potato chips and chocolate milk. It was a very good lunch, but I could not enjoy it. I was down in the dumps.
“You two are lucky,” I said. “You get to be carolers together.”
“It is no big deal,” said Hannie. “The three of us can still go to rehearsals together.”
“There are lots of carolers,” said Nancy. “I wish I had a better part.”
“Your part is better than mine,” I said.
My friends were trying their best to cheer me up. I was jealous that they would get to be together onstage. Worse than that, I was a little jealous of my own brother.
“Andrew got the best role in the play. And I did not even help him get it,” I said.
“Of course you did,” said Nancy. “You told him everything about being in a play. And you sat next to him at the audition so he would not be scared. You helped a lot.”
“Maybe, but now he will not need me anymore,” I replied. “The director will work with Andrew now.”
“He will need an acting coach too,” said Hannie. “The director cannot work with him at home. That is your job.”
I perked up.
“You are right,” I said. “Andrew will need a good acting coach like me. Thank you!”
My tuna-salad sandwich suddenly tasted better. I had another Important Job to do. Andrew needed me after all.
As soon as I got home, I started studying Andrew’s lines. I needed to know them really well if I was going to help him.
Andrew was out shopping with Mommy, so I had plenty of time to learn his lines. He did not come back until late in the afternoon.
“Hi, Andrew!” I said. “Meet your new acting coach — me! Are you ready to learn your lines?”
“I have already started learning them,” replied Andrew. “Mommy helped me this morning.”
“She did? That was going to be my job,” I said.
“I did not know. I am sorry,” replied Andrew.
“That is okay. Tell me the lines you learned. I will teach you the rest,” I said.
Andrew recited his lines. They were all the lines I knew, plus a couple more. He said them very well.
Maybe I could help Andrew with something else. After dinner, I thought of a new Important Job. Andrew was going to have to walk with a crutch. I would teach him how.
I found an umbrella in the coat closet and took it to my room. I tried walking around using the umbrella to hold me up. It was not easy. The umbrella slipped twice and I almost fell. I had to be careful or I would end up needing a real crutch!
It was hard work, but I finally got the hang of it. I knocked on Andrew’s door.
“Come in,” he said.
A picture book of A Christmas Carol was open on his bed. He had brought it home from the library.
“I think you will need some help learning to walk with a crutch,” I said. “I have practiced and am ready to be your walking coach.”
“Thank you,” said Andrew. “But Seth already taught me. Mommy took me to his shop at lunchtime. Seth is going to make me a crutch just the right size to use in the show.”
“I am glad for you. Good night,” I said.
I closed the door a little harder than I was supposed to. I felt worse than ever. I was not a star. I was not a coach. I did not feel like much of anything.
Fired!
At school on Monday, Ms. Colman asked how the audition went. I did not want to talk about it. I kept pretending I was Natalie, and bent down to pull up my socks a lot. (Once we bent down at the same time and almost knocked heads.)
After school Nancy’s mother drove Hannie and Nancy and me to the community center. When we got there, I looked for Andrew.
I did not see him at first. That is because he was surrounded by a group of big kids. I ran to him to make sure he was all right.
“Hi, Karen!” he said. “I am showing my friends how I walk with my crutch.”
Friends? I looked at the circle of kids. Andrew had made a lot of new friends. He was walking around with a big grin on his face.
“You are doing really well,” I said. “Come on. You can stay with Hannie and Nancy and me till the rehearsal starts.”
“No, thank you. I am having fun,” said Andrew.
I was about to tell him he could have fun with me and my friends. But a boy in the group called out, “Hey, Andrew, do you want to sing some Christmas carols with us?”
“I know ‘Jingle Bells’!” said Andrew.
“Good,” said a girl. “We will start with that and teach you some more.”
I watched my little brother disappear into the circle again. Then I heard his voice singing, “Jingle bells! Jingle bells!”
Andrew was Mr. Popularity. Maybe he did not need me at the rehearsal.
Hannie and Nancy were waving to me. At least they still wanted to be my friends.
“Hi!” I said. “What do you want to do till the rehearsal starts?”
They each linked an arm in one of mine and pulled me toward the circle. They were already singing, “Jingle all the way!”
I was not in the mood for caroling. I was glad when Ms. Donovan interrupted.
“Attention, everyone. We are going to begin our rehearsal now,” she said. “Cratchit family members, please
come up front. Andrew, I would like you right next to me.”
Andrew used his crutch to walk to Ms. Donovan.
“Good for you!” she said. “You have been practicing.”
“My stepfather taught me how,” said Andrew. “And he made this crutch just for me!”
Mommy had taught him his lines. The kids were teaching him Christmas carols.
What was I doing? I was the big sister. I was supposed to be helping my little brother.
Boo and bullfrogs! I think I was fired.
A Mystery Gift
Mommy drove Andrew and me home from the community center. Andrew was excited about his first rehearsal. He was singing a song he had learned.
“Sleigh bells ring! Are you listenin’? In the rain, snow is … is …”
“You are doing a very good job singing ‘Winter Wonderland,’ ” said Mommy. “But I think the word is lane, not rain. And the snow is glistenin’.”
“Oh, right,” said Andrew.
Mommy was excited too. When Andrew finished singing, she told us about her day. She had gone to a silver shop to buy supplies for her new job.
“Karen, what about you?” she asked. “You are very quiet.”
“I am okay,” I replied.
But I was not. I was sad. It is sad to lose an Important Job like being a big sister. I had some thinking to do.
By the time I got home, I was finished moping. I was ready for action. After a snack, I went to my room. Maybe I was not important to Andrew anymore, but I knew someone else who needed me.
“Hello, Emily!” I said to my rat. “This is Karen, your new, improved pet owner, talking.”
I have always been a good pet owner to Emily. But now that I was not so busy being a big sister to Andrew, I had time to do an extra-good job with Emily.
“It looks like your cage could use some cleaning today,” I said. “I know I cleaned it on Saturday, but I think you have dropped some crumbs since then.”
I cleaned Emily’s cage better than ever. While I cleaned, I sang some of the Christmas carols Andrew had been singing in the car. I decided it was time for Emily to start getting into the Christmas spirit.