2 Opening Day

2 OPENING DAY A spring breeze blew into the tree house. The sky was cloudy. "Hey, baseball uniforms!" said Annie. Their clothes had magically changed. They were wearing baseball shoes, long socks, and baggy gray pants. Jack's backpack had turned into a leather bag. "Look at that!" said Annie. She pointed at the word batboy stitched on the front of their jerseys.

"Oh. So we're going to be great batboys," said Jack with a frown, "not great players." "Don't worry," said Annie. "I'm sure Morgan thinks that being great batboys will help us become great players." "But you can't be a batboy," said Jack, "and there was no such thing as a batgirl back then." "Don't worry," said Annie. "If we wear these caps, everyone will see what we're pretending to be. Remember?" "Oh, right…," said Jack. Annie and Jack picked up their caps and put them on. "Wow!" Annie said with a big grin. "Yeah…WOW!" said Jack. He felt a surge of excitement and confidence. "I feel like I know everything about baseball now!" "Me too!" said Annie. "I can't wait to get to Ebbets Field!" said Jack. "Let's go!" He shoved the baseball book

into his backpack. Then he led the way down the rope ladder. Jack and Annie stepped onto the ground. They'd landed in a small grove of trees. Nearby were stone benches and a fountain. Children were playing on the grass and walkways. "Looks like a city park," said Jack. "Let's ask directions," said Annie. As they headed toward the kids, a gust of wind blew through the park. "Watch out!" said Jack, grabbing his cap. Annie held on to her cap, too. "We can't lose these!" she said. "No kidding!" said Jack. They passed a man playing guitar and singing in Spanish. They passed some girls playing jacks. They passed a group of noisy kids shooting marbles. "Hey, two batboys!" one of the kids shouted.

The others looked up and waved at Jack and Annie. Annie smiled at Jack. "See? They think I'm a boy," she said. "The magic's working." "Cool," Jack said with a grin. "You look the same to me, though." "And you look the same to me," said Annie. "Maybe we always look like our true selves to each other." Annie turned back to the kids playing marbles. "Excuse me, how do we get to Ebbets Field?" she called. "That way!" shouted one of the bigger kids. He pointed across the park. "When you

get to the street, it's just a few blocks east." "You'd better hurry!" yelled a small girl. "The game starts at two-thirty!" "What time is it now?" Jack called. One of the boys looked at his watch. "It's one-thirty!" he shouted. "Oh, man, we're late!" said Jack. "We should've been there at one o'clock to start our chores! Run!" "Fast!" said Annie. She and Jack held on to their caps and they began running across the windy park. "Batboys! Batboys! Wait for us!" someone shouted. Jack and Annie looked back. The two smallest kids from the marbles game were scrambling after them. Jack thought the boy and girl looked about six years old. "Sorry! We have to hurry!" Jack yelled. "But we can help you!" the girl said. "We

know a shortcut!" "You do?" said Annie. "Yes!" said the boy. "We go to Ebbets Field a lot! This way!" The small kids turned and started down a dirt path. Annie and Jack ran after them. "What are your names?" the girl called. "Jack and—Andy!" Annie yelled back. "What's yours?" "I'm Olive!" said the girl. "This is my twin brother, Otis!" "Twins? Cool!" said Annie. "It's a big day for baseball!" said Otis. "That's what we hear," said Jack. "I wish we could be batboys like you!" said Otis. "We know all the rules!" said Olive.