20 Day at the Museum

Chapter 20 DAY AT THE MUSEUM The twins walked through the metal detector, looking all around for anything suspicious. The security guard peered into Coke's backpack for a moment, looked at Coke, rolled her eyes, and waved him through. She had seen people try to bring drugs, alcohol, explosives, and even live animals into the museum. Now this kid had a can of Silly String, a roll of duct tape, and little bars of soap. Nothing surprised her anymore. There was no other line, no tickets to be picked up, no admission. The Museum of American History, like all the Smithsonian museums, is free. Coke and Pep rushed inside. Pep checked the clock on her cell phone. It was 1:46. In fourteen minutes something was going to happen. The question was … what?

"I hope Mya and Bones show up," Coke said. "They'll be here," Pep assured him. "They promised to have our backs." "Look!" Coke shouted, pointing straight ahead. On the opposite side of the museum, nearly filling the wall, was a sculpture made of hundreds of shiny silver panels arranged in the shape of a waving flag. Below it were these words: THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER The Flag that Inspired the National Anthem "This way," Coke said, marching toward it. The entrance to the Star-Spangled Banner room was below the silver sculpture, on the right. The twins went through the doorway, not knowing what might be around the corner. When we think of the Star-Spangled Banner, we think of the song ("Oh say, can you see…"). But the Star-Spangled Banner is a banner. It's the flag of the United States. Coke and Pep walked hesitantly into a darkened hallway with paintings on the wall and plaques

describing how Francis Scott Key, on a boat a few miles from Baltimore harbor, watched ("by the dawn's early light") the British bombarding Baltimore's Fort McHenry on September 13, 1814. The attack lasted twenty-five hours, and explosions illuminated ("the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air") a huge American flag, which inspired Key to write the lyrics to his famous song. The twins turned the corner, into an even darker room. Aside from a dim line of guide lights on the floor, the only thing they could see in the room was the flag. The real one. The Star-Spangled Banner that had inspired Francis Scott Key. It was kept in near darkness, to prevent it from fading. "Wow," Coke whispered. "This is the real deal." It was the largest flag either of them had ever seen—thirty by thirty-four feet—and eight more feet of the right side was missing because souvenir hunters had cut off pieces over the years. One of the fifteen stars had been snipped out too. Now the flag was under glass, laid out on a tilted floor, with the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the wall

behind it in white, glowing letters. "Do you think somebody is supposed to meet us in here?" Pep asked. "I can't see anybody." "I can barely see my hand in front of my face," Coke replied. "Let's get out of here," Pep said. "It's scary." But Coke did see one other thing in the dark room—a piece of paper on the floor in front of the display case. He stooped down to pick it up. The twins rushed out the opposite side of the dark room so they could read it… "Greensboro lunch counter!" Pep shouted. They dashed out of the Star-Spangled Banner exhibit and looked to the right. Down the hall was a sculpture of George Washington wrapped in a cloth and holding one hand up in the air. They looked down the hall to the left to see…

A lunch counter! "This way!" Coke said, and they ran over there. It was a pretty ordinary-looking lunch counter, with two pink and two green stools. But history was made at that lunch counter. It was at a Woolworth's store in Greensboro, North Carolina. Back in 1960, only white people were allowed to eat in the store. But on February 1 of that year, four black college students sat down and asked to be served. When they were told to leave, they refused. They came back the next day too, with more students from the university. Word got around, and soon black students in fifty-four cities were holding "sit-ins" at segregated

lunch counters all over the country. That drew media attention, and within six months Woolworth's and other stores had opened their lunch counters to anyone who wanted to eat there. It would be another four years until the Civil Rights Act was passed, ending segregation in public accommodations and employment. The twins looked all over for a clue telling them what they were supposed to do or who they were supposed to see at the lunch counter. A few tourists with cameras were milling around, but they seemed harmless. Nothing really captured the twins' attention until Coke spotted another note. This one was taped to the bottom of the glass in front of the lunch counter. He peeled it off and read it. WBUAOHYY "John Bull!" Pep yelled. "The train!" They ran over to a little booth nearby with a short gray-haired lady sitting behind it. A sign next to the booth said ASK ME. "Where's John Bull?" Pep asked breathlessly.