The Show Must Go On

Maya peered through her glasses at the crooked cardboard arches. In one hour, her class would perform a play about explorers searching for treasure in sea caves. But the scenery looked ready to fall over.

“Our parents are bringing the audience,” Maya said. “We can’t let the arches collapse!”

Her friend Eli inspected the supplies. “We have tape, string, and a box of patches from the costume crew. We can use the patches to hold the cardboard together.”

While Eli worked, Maya checked the other props. There were painted clams, paper arrows, and a treasure chest filled with shiny wrappers from peppermint mints. A painted map showed the explorers’ route from their ranches to the coast. Two old couches, borrowed from the community center, would become the explorers’ boat. The actors had even made engine noises to pretend the boat had two powerful engines.

Behind the curtain, students in colorful dresses practiced their lines. Others adjusted their costumes as the story’s enemies: two imaginary armies of sea monsters. The youngest performers, who played the monsters’ babies, kept waving at everyone.

Then a gust through the open door knocked the arches flat. Maya stared at the bent cardboard. “We made too many mistakes,” she whispered.

Eli picked up a piece of string. “Maybe we just need a different plan.”