10 Proscenium Arch

Chapter 10 Proscenium Arch proscenium arch (n) the arch in a theater that separates the stage from the audience; it is often where the curtains hang The rabbit seemed to be okay—although Evan couldn't help thinking that if Jessie hadn't said the word rabbit to their dad, the poor animal would have roasted alive in the hot trunk. Jessie promptly named him Professor Hoffmann. He had snow-white fur, with streaks of gray, and a serious face, which made him look like a professor. The inside of his short, upright ears was the color of bubblegum. When Jessie and Evan ran to the back porch to tell their dad that the rabbit was okay, he looked at them strangely. "Of course it's okay. Why wouldn't it be? Why do you two always worry about everything? Your mother, too! It's like you want bad

things to happen." Sometimes bad things do happen, Evan thought, but he didn't say it out loud. He didn't want to sound as if he wasn't tough, like his dad, who had been to war and seen really horrible things. Their dad hadn't bought any of the things you need to keep a rabbit, so Evan and Jessie did the best they could with what they had in the house. They lined a clean, large cardboard box with shredded newspaper and filled Evan's old Scooby-Doo cereal bowl with water. Jessie wanted to decorate the box, but Evan said decorations wouldn't be safe. Professor Hoffmann might eat them. For the next two days Evan worked intensely with Professor Hoffmann and Jessie to perfect the appearing-rabbit trick. At first Professor Hoffmann didn't like going into the wooden box at all. He would kick his legs and paw the air with his forelimbs, as if he were trying to swim up and out of the box. "He's remembering when he was stuck in the

trunk," said Jessie, trying to calm Professor Hoffmann by feeding him some lettuce. She still wouldn't touch or hold him, but she liked giving him food. "Don't feed him. He's supposed to be working," said Evan, trying once again to get the rabbit to sit still. After a few minutes they noticed that he had pooped. Jessie ran screaming from the room, but Evan just cleaned it up with a paper towel, and after that Professor Hoffmann didn't mind sitting in the rabbit box anymore. On Wednesday, Jessie showed Evan the latest edition of The 4-O Forum, and Evan had to admit it was terrific. The front-page article was all about the magic show, and it explained that this was a show with a real live rabbit and an actual stage. The stage was almost finished being built. Their dad had bought enough two-by-fours to build a proscenium arch, and he'd also bought yards of red velvet, which they

draped over the top of the arch to form curtains. Evan couldn't help wondering where his dad got so much money. And if he had that much money, why didn't he send more of it to them? The 4-O Forum Special Magic Issue All the News That's Fit to Print Now You See It! By Jessie Treski This coming Monday, Memorial Day, should be renamed Magic Day, because that is the day that a magic show is coming to town. Prepare to be mystified by the Amazing Magician Evan and his Spectacular Assistant Jessie as they dazzle you with their illusions.

They will do card tricks, rope tricks, and sleight of hand. Amazing Magician Evan will make a live rabbit appear out of nowhere. The rabbit's name is Professor Hoffmann. How does he do it? No one knows! But one thing is for sure: You won't want to miss this Mystifying and Magnificent Medley of Magic! Buy your tickets now! "I'm going to pass them out tomorrow," said Jessie as Evan handed back the newspaper. "Are you sure Mrs. Overton will let you?" asked Evan. Mrs. Overton had not allowed Jessie to hand

out her Valentine's Day issue of The 4-O Forum. Too much love stuff. "Maybe she won't because we're charging money for the show. It's like advertising." "She won't mind. Besides, it's not just about the magic show. I've got an interview with Mr. Franks, and a word puzzle, and a huge article on the weather station data and the storm. See? The whole back page. Did you know they named it? It's called Tropical Storm Annabelle." "Hmm." Evan didn't care much about the weather. He just hoped someone would come to the magic show. He had almost perfected the appearing-rabbit trick. It would be lousy if no one came to see it. In fact, he could use an audience right now. "You want to see me do the trick?" "Yes!" shouted Jessie, immediately jumping onto the bed. "Can I watch, too?" Evan turned to see his dad, who'd been gone for the last hour, in the doorway. When had he gotten