Hattie in the Spotlight

  chapter 1

  Hattie Hides from the Spotlight

  Sophie closed her eyes and stretched out on her raft.

  The springtime sun was warm on her face. Her friends Hattie and Owen swam nearby, talking and laughing. The water lapped gently at the sides of the raft. All was peaceful on Forget-Me-Not Lake until—

  Splash! Owen and Hattie splashed her from the water.

  “Ah!” Sophie sat up and opened her eyes. She used her oar to splash Owen and Hattie back. “Water fight!”

  Hattie ducked under the water. Like most frogs, she was an excellent swimmer. She resurfaced on the other side of the raft. Hattie splashed Sophie from that side. Owen splashed Sophie from the other.

  “No fair!” Sophie called out. “Two against one!”

  Owen used his long snake tail to splash Hattie. She dove underwater again.

  “Where did she go?” Owen said.

  He and Sophie scanned the water’s surface.

  Sophie heard a rustle in the reeds behind her. She whirled around, expecting to find Hattie. “Ah-ha!”

  Instead, Sophie was staring down at two young ducks.

  “Wah!” one of them quacked in surprise.

  “Sorry!” the other duck said. “We weren’t trying to spy on you. It just… looked like fun.”

  Sophie laughed. “That’s okay!”

  “Want to play?” Owen asked the ducks.

  “Sure!” the first duck said eagerly. Her eyes focused on something over Sophie’s shoulder. “But are you sure your friend doesn’t mind?”

  “Huh?” said Sophie. She turned around.

  Behind some rocks, Sophie could make out a green nose and one eye. It peeked out at them through flower-rimmed eyeglasses.

  “So that’s where Hattie went!” Sophie cried. She leaned close to the ducks and whispered, “She’s a little shy. But only at first.” Then Sophie had an idea.

  Sophie organized them in a game of leapfrog—Hattie’s favorite. The more they played, the farther Hattie came out into the open.

  “Hattie!” Sophie called out. “We could use one more to make our leapfrog line longer!”

  Hattie hesitated for a moment. Then she smiled and leaped over to join in. Before long, Hattie was laughing loudest of all.

  * * *

  “They were nice,” Hattie said later about the ducks.

  She and Sophie and Owen were on the path back to Pine Needle Grove. Close to town, they came around a bend. Sophie could make out the brand-new roof of Oak Hollow Theater up ahead in the distance.

  “Have either of you been inside the theater?” Owen asked.

  Hattie shook her head.

  “Not since they reopened,” Sophie said.

  Ever since they could remember, Oak Hollow Theater had been a rustic outdoor theater: log benches arranged on a slope in front of a simple stage.

  But recently it had been redone. The Pine Needle Grove Arts Council had hired a great architect for the project—Sophie’s dad, George Mouse! A huge group of volunteers had raised the new roof and decorated the inside.

  Sophie had seen the plans on her dad’s drafting table. But not the real thing. “Should we take a peek?” Sophie asked. Owen and Hattie nodded.

  As they pushed open the front doors, Sophie could not believe her eyes.

  chapter 2

  A Surprise from Mrs. Wise

  Instead of benches, now there were real seats for everyone. With seat cushions. And armrests.

  There was a brand-new balcony.

  The stage had a plush red curtain that opened and closed.

  Sophie pointed up at the ceiling. “Look!” she cried. It was painted a midnight blue with tiny gold stars. “It’s just like a night sky!”

  “And with a roof, no shows will be rained out,” Owen said.

  “It’s so beautiful,” Hattie said, marveling at the theater. “I can’t wait to see a play here. I wonder when the first show will be.”

  On their way out the door, Hattie found her answer.

  Coming Soon!

  Fun Town: The Musical

  Presented by

  Pine Needle Grove Arts Council

  That night, the Mouse family sat down to a dinner of potato pie.

  “Dad, the new theater is amazing!” Sophie raved.

  Her little brother, Winston, pouted. “I haven’t seen it,” he complained.

  Sophie described the inside. Then she told them about the poster she had seen. “Can we get tickets to see Fun Town?” she asked.

  Mrs. Mouse nodded. “Yes! I heard about that,” she replied. “Mrs. Wise is the director.”

  Sophie and her brother, Winston, looked at each other in surprise. Mrs. Wise was their teacher at Silverlake Elementary.

  “I don’t know if you know this,” Mrs. Mouse continued. “But Mrs. Wise is an excellent musician. Before she was a teacher, she conducted a large choir.”

  Mr. Mouse passed around the chive biscuits. “I believe she also plays the flute quite well.”

  * * *

  At school the next morning, Sophie slid into her seat. At the front of the classroom, Mrs. Wise had her back turned. She was writing on the board.

  Sophie gazed out the window. Mrs. Wise… an excellent musician? Sophie daydreamed a scene of Mrs. Wise at home. She was playing a difficult classical piece on her flute. It was almost as if Mrs. Wise had a different life outside school!

  “Class!” Mrs. Wise’s voice rang out. The students quieted down. “Before morning math, I have an announcement.”

  Sophie snapped out of her daydream. She saw what Mrs. Wise had written on the board.

  Oh! Sophie sat up straight. She wanted to hear this.

  “Coming soon to the new Oak Hollow Theater,” Mrs. Wise said, “is a wonderful play called Fun Town.”

  Sophie looked over at Hattie and Owen. They nodded knowingly at one another.

  “As the play director,” Mrs. Wise went on, “I would like to invite you all to audition to be in it!”

  Wait. What? thought Sophie. Be in it?

  “It’s about the mayor of a town that used to be a wonderful place to live, but has fallen on hard times,” Mrs. Wise explained. “Lots of animals have been leaving. So the mayor has to find a way to attract visitors—and convince the animals who are there to stay.”

  Mrs. Wise said she was looking for actors of all ages. She held up a sign-up sheet for auditions. Then she smiled.

  “Maybe the next star of the stage is… you,” Mrs. Wise said.

  chapter 3

  Sophie Says the Wrong Line

  The playground was abuzz about the play. All through morning recess, Piper the hummingbird flitted from classmate to classmate.

  “Are you going to audition?” she asked Sophie.

  Sophie thought it over. “I don’t know,” she replied. “Mostly I want to go see it!”

  Piper turned to Owen. “You?”

  Owen shook his head no. “I’m not great at memorizing lines,” Owen explained.

  “Hattie?” Piper said. “Are you interested?”

  Hattie opened her mouth as if to speak. But she seemed unsure of what to say.

  “Oh, Hattie hates the spotlight,” Sophie told Piper. “She wouldn’t want to audition.”

  Sophie looked at Hattie and smiled. She expected Hattie to smile back in agreement.

  Instead Hattie’s cheeks blushed a bright red. She looked down at the ground.

  Then Hattie turned and slowly walked away.

  Sophie felt a knot tighten in her stomach. Hattie was upset. And Sophie was pretty sure it was her fault. She hurried after her friend.

  Hattie walked to the edge of the playground. She sat down under some ferns.

  Sophie sat next to her. r />
  “Did I say something wrong?” Sophie asked.

  Hattie picked a leaf up off the ground. She twirled it in her fingers. “It’s just… I had an idea,” said Hattie. “I guess it was a bad idea.”

  Hattie kept her eyes locked on the leaf in her hand.

  “What was it?” Sophie asked gently.

  Hattie shrugged. She took a deep breath.

  “I was thinking about auditioning,” Hattie said. “For the play. Maybe.” She looked up at Sophie now. “But you’re right. It doesn’t seem like me, does it?”

  Sophie put a hand on Hattie’s shoulder.

  “Oh, Hattie, I’m so sorry,” Sophie said. “When you didn’t answer Piper right away, I thought it was your way of saying no. But I shouldn’t have answered for you. I think you would be great in the play. You should audition. You really should!”

  Hattie frowned. “I don’t even know what I’d have to do,” she said uncertainly. “I’ve never auditioned before. For anything!”

  Sophie’s whiskers twitched. “Well, let’s go ask Mrs. Wise!” she suggested. “She’ll tell you.”

  Sophie stood up. Hattie hesitated.

  “If you want, I’ll help you get ready for your audition!” Sophie promised. “I could help you learn lines or song lyrics. Like an audition coach!”

  A slow smile spread across Hattie’s face. “Okay,” Hattie said, getting up. “Let’s go.”

  “Hooray!” Sophie cheered. This was going to be even better than trying out herself.

  chapter 4

  Hattie's Hidden Talents

  “I’m very pleased you’re auditioning, Hattie,” Mrs. Wise said.

  She wrote Hattie’s name on the sign-up sheet. It was official! Auditions were in five days. Hattie would need to learn one of the songs from the play. And she needed to memorize a few lines from a scene of her choice. Hattie even got a copy of the script!

  After school, Sophie and Owen followed her all the way home, reading over her shoulder.

  Sophie scanned the list of roles.

  “Oooh. Franny, the mayor’s daughter!” Sophie read out loud. “It says she has lots of spirit and lots of opinions. That sounds like a good part!”

  “Or Sarah?” Owen read out. “Editor of the school newspaper.”

  There were parts that were clearly for grown-ups, like Ma Ferris and Old Mister Stevens. But there were many young-sounding parts, too.

  “Which role would you want to play?” Sophie asked Hattie.

  “I don’t know,” said Hattie. “There are a lot of characters.” She flipped through a few more pages. She came to a song page. The melody was written out in musical notation. “Hmm, I wonder how this song goes.”

  They had arrived at Hattie’s house. When they got inside, Hattie took the page over to her mom’s piano. She set it on the music stand and began to plunk at the keys.

  Owen rushed over. “You can read music?” he said in surprise.

  Hattie nodded.

  Sophie knew Hattie took piano lessons. But she’d never heard Hattie play!

  Then Hattie cleared her throat and began to sing the words. She sang quietly at first.

  “Welcome, welcome to our town.

  “Come right in and sit right down.…”

  Hattie’s voice slid easily from one note to the next. With each line she got a little more confident. Her voice grew louder.

  “We want our town to make you smile.

  “So you’ll decide to stay a whiiiiiiiiile!”

  The last note was long and high. As Hattie held it, it became a powerful, dramatic croak.

  When she stopped, Sophie and Owen clapped enthusiastically.

  “Hattie!” cried Sophie. “Your voice! It’s amazing!”

  Hattie’s eyes went wide. “It is?” she said.

  “Yes!” Owen replied. “Why don’t you sing more often?”

  Hattie beamed. “I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t think anyone wanted to hear it.”

  Sophie put an arm around Hattie’s shoulders. “Folks are going to want to hear it,” she assured her.

  Owen nodded in agreement. “Hattie, I hope you are ready to be in the spotlight.”

  chapter 5

  Team Hattie!

  As Hattie’s audition coach, one of Sophie’s tasks was to make sure she rehearsed every day.

  The next day, Tuesday, they read through some lines. Sophie read the part of the mayor. Hattie was Franny, his daughter. Owen was the audience.

  “Very convincing!” Owen said. “I really believed it. Hattie, you’re good at pretending to be rude.”

  “Aw. Thanks, Owen!” Hattie replied.

  On Wednesday, they went over a funny scene. Hattie practiced speaking loudly and clearly. “If they can’t hear you, they won’t get the joke,” Sophie pointed out.

  And on Thursday and Friday, they focused on music. Hattie had to choose a song to sing at the audition. She liked “Good Morning, Main Street.” It was the first musical number of the show—fast, catchy, and high-energy. They worked on a few easy moves Hattie could do to the music.

  “This feels a little silly,” said Hattie as she did jazz hands. “How does it look?”

  “It looks like you’re having fun!” Owen replied.

  “Are you having fun?” Sophie asked her.

  Hattie couldn’t help smiling. “I am,” she said. “I really am!”

  Sophie gave a thumbs up. “Then I think you’re ready!”

  * * *

  Saturday was the big day. Sophie had promised Hattie that she would meet her at the theater before her audition.

  But Sophie was running late! She hurried along the path to Oak Hollow Theater.

  When she got there, the front doors were closed. A few animals with scripts milled around outside. It looked like they were waiting for their audition times.

  Hattie was nowhere to be seen.

  Sophie walked up to the theater doors. She stood on tiptoe and peeked in through the window.

  There was Hattie—onstage!

  Sophie was too late to wish her luck. But she looked like she didn’t need it!

  Hattie was standing in the spotlight. She was singing. She was smiling. She was doing jazz hands!

  Sophie stepped away from the door. She sat down on a rock to wait. Then she jumped up again. She paced back and forth. She just couldn’t wait to talk to Hattie and hear how it went.

  The theater doors opened.

  Sophie jumped. “Hattie!”

  But it wasn’t Hattie. It was Mr. Handy from Handy’s Hardware, and a rabbit Sophie didn’t know.

  They walked off, deep in conversation.

  “We’ve seen some great auditions today,” the rabbit was saying.

  Sophie’s ears pricked up. Maybe they were talking about Hattie.

  “Yes, indeed,” replied Mr. Handy. “But the play won’t be anything if we don’t have a good set.”

  A set? thought Sophie. Like scenery and backdrops? Like designing and painting? These were two of Sophie’s favorite activities. She wanted to hear more.

  But just then, the doors opened again. Out stepped Hattie. She looked triumphant.

  Before Sophie could ask, Hattie gave her the report.

  “I don’t know how well I did,” Hattie said. “But I did it!”

  chapter 6

  The List

  That night, Sophie lay awake in bed. She imagined her bedroom ceiling was a blank canvas. On it, she pretend-painted backdrops for the stage of Fun Town.

  One was a storefront. Another was a school. Maybe there could also be a library—and a bakery! The backdrop of Town Hall could have real wooden steps in front of it.

  Sophie was eager to get back to the theater on Sunday morning. The cast list was going to be posted on the door. She wanted to be there when Hattie found out which part she got.

  Because Sophie was sure she’d gotten a part.

  The three friends had agreed to meet in town after breakfast. When Sophie got there, Hattie looked ner
vous.

  “Don’t worry,” Sophie told her. “I have a good feeling about this.”

  Together they headed off to the theater.

  Sophie walked briskly. Owen kept up. But Hattie kept falling behind. She was walking so slowly! Twice Sophie and Owen stopped to wait for her.

  “Don’t you want to find out?” Sophie asked her.

  Hattie kicked at a pebble. “I’m not sure,” she replied glumly.

  A group of animals was crowded around the theater entrance. They were squinting to read a paper tacked to the door.

  Sophie and Owen held back. “You go ahead,” Sophie told Hattie. “We’ll be right here.”

  Hattie stepped slowly forward. Patiently, she inched her way to the front of the crowd.

  Sophie watched Hattie as she scanned the cast list. Starting at the top, her finger moved down, down, down the paper. Surely, any second now, Hattie would find her name.

  Wouldn’t she?

  Hattie was still reading. She was almost at the bottom of the list. For the first time, Sophie felt a pang of doubt. What if—?

  Then Hattie’s finger stopped moving. She turned to look at Sophie and Owen. Her face lit up with a brilliant smile. She came rushing over to her friends.

  “Franny!” Hattie cried gleefully. “I’m going to be Franny, the mayor’s daughter!”

  The three friends jumped up and down, clinging to one another. “That’s a big part!” Sophie exclaimed.

  Owen cheered. “Congratulations, Hattie!”