Stage Fright on a Summer Night

said to the bear’s owner. “Trying to sell an old tame bear to the fights. Well, I’ve been planning to write a play with a part for a bear. So take this money for him and be gone.”
    Will handed some gold coins to the bear’s owner.
    The man’s eyes grew wide. He laughed.
    â€œYou can have him!” the man said. And he took off.
    â€œThank
you,
and good riddance!” calledWill. Then he turned to Puck. “Take our new player to the stables. Tell the actors they needn’t be afraid of him. He’s tamer than most of them.”
    â€œCome this way,” Puck said. He put his arm around the bear and gently led him out from the trees. “You’ll love the stage, old man.”
    â€œBye, Puck! Bye, Dan!” said Annie.
    Puck smiled and waved. The bear stared for a moment at Jack and Annie. He had a grateful look in his eyes. Then he lumbered off with Puck.
    â€œThanks, Will, for helping Dan,” said Annie. “And for helping us.”
    â€œThank you both for helping
me,
” said Will. “You saved the day.”
    â€œThe
night,
you mean,” said Jack.
    â€œIndeed, the night,” said Will. “Oh, here isyour bag. You forgot it.” He gave Jack his leather bag. Then he held up their two scrolls with their lines on them.
    â€œAnd you can take these,” said Will. He handed them to Jack, and Jack put them in his bag.
    â€œWhere are you off to now?” said Will.
    â€œThe other side of London Bridge,” said Annie.
    â€œAh, I can take you there in my boat,” said Will. “Follow me.”
    Will led them along a dusty path toward the river. The last rays of the sun slanted through the trees. Soon they came to a small rowboat docked on the Thames.
    â€œClimb in,” said Will.
    Jack, Annie, and Will climbed in. Will untied the boat from the dock. Then he began rowing across the river.
    The water reflected the purple and pink in the sky. Only a few white swans now glided over the shimmering ripples. The river smelled as bad as before, but Jack didn’t mind now. He had grown used to it.
    Jack pulled out his notebook and pencil.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” Will asked.
    â€œI wanted to write some of my memories in my notebook,” said Jack.
    â€œAh, and I’ll note you both in
my
book of memory,” said Will.
    Jack smiled.
    â€œI have a question, Will,” said Annie. “Why does Queen Elizabeth have black teeth?”
    â€œToo much sugar,” said Will.
    â€œI hope it doesn’t make her feel bad—looking that way, I mean,” said Annie.
    â€œOh, no, she’s not the least hurt,” said Will. “The queen has no idea how she looks. She hasn’t peeked in a good mirror for twenty years.”
    â€œIs that true?” said Annie.
    â€œÂ â€™Tis,” said Will. “The queen pretends to be young and beautiful. Just as
you
pretended to be a boy, and the bear pretended to be an actor. You see, all the world’s a stage.”
    Jack liked that idea. He wrote in his notebook:

    Jack looked up at London Bridge as they passed by. The shops on the bridge were closed now. The theater crowd was thinning out.
    The scary black birds were no longer onthe rooftops. They had swooped down and were picking at the garbage left on the cobblestones.
    The show was over.
    By the time they came to the riverbank, night was falling. It was much cooler. Will tied up his rowboat and climbed ashore with Jack and Annie.

    â€œThanks a lot,” Jack said to Will. “We can go the rest of the way by ourselves.”
    â€œWhere do you live?” said Will.
    â€œIn Frog Creek,” said Annie.
    â€œWhat path do you take?” asked Will.
    â€œYou’ll never believe this,” said Annie. “We climb up the rope ladder to a tree house in that tree over there. And we open a book—”
    â€œThen we make a wish,” said Jack, “and we go to the place in the book.”
    Will smiled.
    â€œThy life’s a miracle, isn’t it?” he said.
    â€œYes!” said Annie. Jack nodded. He liked the way Will looked at things.
    â€œI have an idea,” said Will. “Why don’t you both stay here instead? You can live and act at the Globe Theater. I’ll ask the queen to exclude you from the law about girls going onstage, Annie—because of your great talent. And I will teach you both to write plays.”
    â€œReally?” said