17 “The Show Must Go On”

Chapter 17 "The Show Must Go On" "The show must go on" (expression) An old phrase in show business that declares that no matter what troubles or obstacles exist, the show must be performed for the waiting audience Each trick was better than the last. Jessie couldn't believe how good Evan was. He started with some sleight-of-hand tricks—making a coin disappear from his hand and then making it reappear behind Jessie's ear. And even though Jessie knew exactly how the trick was done, it still fooled her. Evan was that good. After that, he did his TnR, where he cut a rope into four pieces and made them come together into one piece. Then he did his Cups and Balls routine, placing a red rubber ball underneath one of three

cups and making it appear under a different one. Next he made three balls appear, and then all three disappeared! The audience applauded wildly, even though they had to stand because the ground was wet. There had to be at least fifty people watching the show. Almost half of the kids from 4-O had shown up, and there were lots of littler kids from the neighborhood and school. Jessie spotted a whole group of fifth-graders. And there were even a few sixth-graders. Sixth-graders! Jessie took a bow after each trick. Evan may have been the magician, but she was the one responsible for setting up the props, and so far, she hadn't made one mistake. Twice Evan had whispered to her, "Good job!" and she knew she was as good an assistant as he had hoped for. Next Evan began his card tricks. He started with Out of This World, then Finding Four Aces, then Order from Chaos, and finally the Mixed-Up Kings, which was still Jessie's favorite. For each one, she

set up the deck of cards just the way it needed to be done, and each trick worked perfectly. It's true what Evan had said: the assistant was the most important part of the show. Well, maybe he hadn't said exactly that, but something close. It was toward the end of the last card trick that Jessie started to feel a little flippy-floppy in her stomach. She had made a promise to Evan, and he was counting on her. Her dad had broken his promise to Evan, and Jessie was determined not to be like her dad. But would she be able to do it? Or would she ruin the whole show? "And now, ladies and gentlemen," Evan said in his booming stage voice, "for my second-to-last trick, I will make a rabbit appear in this empty box!" Jessie carefully placed the rabbit box on the prop table, just as Evan had taught her, so that the front of the box faced directly out to the audience. She had already hidden Peter Rabbit inside the box behind the secret wooden panel. As she put the box on the table, she felt a pang of sadness. Peter Rabbit was

made of soft material, but his fur wasn't silky or warm like Professor Hoffmann's. Evan did a great job building up the crowd's excitement. First he knocked loudly on all four sides of the box. Then he lifted the tablecloth on the prop table to show that there was nothing underneath. Then he opened the lid of the box and waved his hand around inside to show that the box was indeed empty. "And now, I will simply place this scarf over the box and lightly tap it once with my magic wand"— Evan tapped the box and then whisked away the scarf—"and there is the rabbit!" The stuffed toy Peter Rabbit was in the box, lying on its side, still wearing its blue coat and holding a carrot. Jessie reached into the box and held up the rabbit for everyone to see. "Hey! That's not a real rabbit!" shouted Scott Spencer from the audience. "It's a toy!" called out one of the younger kids from the neighborhood.

"Well, he still made it appear out of thin air!" shouted Jessie, annoyed that the audience wasn't applauding. It was a good trick! "Where's Professor Hoffmann?" asked Megan. Everyone in 4-O knew that Evan and Jessie had a real rabbit named Professor Hoffmann. "He's on vacation!" said Jessie. "You should all applaud now." The audience applauded, but they weren't particularly enthusiastic. They had expected to see a real rabbit, and all they got was a toy. That was when Jessie realized that the final trick had to be the best of the show. Everything depended on her. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, for my grand finale, I will... make my very own assistant... disappear!" "Yeah, right!" shouted Scott Spencer. "Are you going to use a toy again?" "Quiet!" yelled Jessie. Her dad had been right. You needed to be prepared for hecklers. Being

onstage wasn't as easy as it seemed. Evan and Jessie carried the Indian basket out onto the stage, placing it directly in front of the small rug that covered the hole in the porch. Jessie could feel her heart start to speed up. Her chest felt tight, and it was hard to draw in a deep breath. "You see before you an ordinary basket—four sides, a top, and a bottom." "Is there a toy rabbit inside?" called out Scott Spencer. "Be quiet, Scott," said Megan, and several people in the audience added, "Yeah, be quiet." Evan stared at Scott. "Why don't you come onstage and look for yourself? If you dare." Everyone in the audience turned to look at Scott, who looked as though he didn't quite know what to do. Evan stood casually on the stage, as if he didn't have a care in the world, but Jessie was nervous. If Scott came up and discovered the fake bottom, the trick would be ruined. "Huh! Why would I be afraid to go up there?" said