Chapter 13

Chapter 13 THE SHON MUST GO ON. DONT LET IT GO ON WITHOUT YOU! Po wanted to get back to the Minecraft as soon as possible. They all wanted that. But accidentally or not, Theo had done quite a bit of damage to the computers' central power strip. Harper promised to go directly to Doc with the problem. But even if Doc was able to fix it immediately, Po feared it would be days before they had time to return to the dungeon. He was right about that. The next few days were packed with preparation for The Phantasm of the Cafetorium.

By the afternoon of the show, Po had helped out with just about every part of the play. He'd finished painting sets with Jodi and making the Phantasm's cardboard gondola with Harper. (The finished product looked just like a Minecraft boat brought to life!) He'd also made sure that Morgan was ready for his acting debut. Ash had started calling Po her "unofficial assistant." It was a title Po embraced with pride. For one thing, it got him a little closer to the stage. For another, Po learned a lot by floating from one group to another. In the end, his "role" was to not have a role, and that suited him just fine.

In the last minutes before the curtain would go up, Ash gathered the cast and crew backstage. "I'm amazed at what we've accomplished," she told them. "We've built an entire world. And now we're going to dazzle the rest of the school with the story of the Phantasm." She smiled. "I'm about to make my final report to Ms. Minerva. I'll be so happy to tell her we've had no glitches, no unexpected complications—no problems at all." "Uh, Ash?" said Jodi as if on cue. "We've got a big problem." Ash gripped her clipboard so tightly that her

knuckles went white. "What is it?" she asked. "It's this guy," Jodi answered, pointing at Morgan. "What, Morgan?" said Po. "No way! He knows his lines, I'm sure of it." "Oh, he knows his lines," Jodi said, rolling her eyes. "But he's lost his voice." Morgan smiled sheepishly and shrugged as he moved his mouth. Only a faint whisper came out. "Sorry…." "We're doomed!" cried a student on the tech crew. "It's the curse of the Phantasm!" cried another. "Nobody panic!" said Ash, and she held out her

hands to calm them. "We…definitely have a plan B." She cast her eyes all around, clearly trying to form a plan B on the spot. Her wild eyes landed on Po. "It's Po!" she said. "Po is our plan B!" "Uh, I am?" said Po. "You know Morgan's dialogue," said Ash. "But who will run the lights?" Harper asked. "We're doomed!" said a student. Po had a flash of inspiration. "Doc can run the lights," he said. "Doc?" echoed Ash. "Isn't she banned from backstage?" "Yeah, she is," said Po. "But Doc knows how the equipment works, and she can follow directions. And look…" Po held up his script, marked up with all his notes. "Directions. They're all written down." "It seems like a good idea to me," said Jodi.

"All right." Ash nodded. "I say yes. Harper, find Doc and bring her here. Jodi, let Ms. Minerva know about the change of plan. Morgan, get some soup! And, Po…?" "Yeah?" said Po. "Better get into costume," she said. "Baker Gunther, Monster Hunter, is due on stage in ten minutes!"