Hurry Up, Houdini!

by Mary Pope Osborne

  “Been there!” Jack said.

  “Done that,” added Annie.

  A boy in a fur parka rolled by on a unicycle. “Tickets for a submarine ride!” he yelled to Jack and Annie. “Departing soon for the North Pole!”

  “Been there!” said Annie.

  “Done that,” said Jack.

  “Kansas Cyclone!” a girl shouted from the entrance of a large tent. “Come inside and be blown away!”

  “Been there. Done that, too,” said Jack.

  Annie laughed.

  As soon as he finished his ice cream cone, Jack wiped his hands and opened their booklet. “Okay. Now we have to get serious,” he said. “I wonder where Surf Avenue is.”

  “Hey, I see something we haven’t done before,” said Annie. “Look!”

  Annie pointed to a boat filled with screaming passengers splashing down a tall, watery slide. The boat crashed into a lake and shot under an arched bridge. The riders shrieked as they bounced up into the air. Then the boat glided across the lake to a landing.

  “Shoot-the-Chutes!” a man yelled from a ticket booth. “Only one dime! Jump aboard!”

  “Wow, that looks like so much fun! Let’s do it. My treat,” said Annie. Before Jack could say anything, she dashed to the booth.

  Jack quickly followed her. “No, Annie,” he said. “I want to get our tickets for the Houdini show now.”

  But Annie had already pulled out a bunch of pennies and was paying for two tickets.

  “I said I didn’t—” Jack said.

  “Oh, please!” Annie said, handing Jack his ticket. “We have plenty of time. One little ride won’t hurt us.”

  Jack sighed. “But I—” he started.

  “Come on, come on,” Annie said. “We’ll get Houdini tickets right after this, I promise. This will just take an extra five minutes, that’s all.”

  “Okay, you win,” said Jack. “Let’s go.”

  Jack followed Annie to a boat. The last passengers were climbing out, talking and laughing. Others were waiting to climb in—four giggling teenage girls and a short man and woman who both wore large hats. The woman’s hat was piled high with fake roses and bananas.

  “The kids ride up front!” the boatman said.

  Jack and Annie stepped into the boat, and the teenagers and the couple in the hats took seats behind them. The boatman sat in the back. Soon cables began pulling the boat up a ramp that led to the top of the slide.

  “Whoa,” Jack breathed as the boat climbed higher and higher. The amusement park shimmered below. Hundreds of flags flapped from turrets and towers.

  What keeps the boat from tumbling off its tracks? Jack wondered. “There’re no seat belts here,” he grumbled to Annie, “or safety bars, or anything. How do people keep from falling out of this thing?”

  “I don’t know,” said Annie, sighing. “But could you just try to have fun? It’s a normal, everyday ride.”

  “Yeah, well, we don’t really have time for a normal, everyday ride,” said Jack. “We should have gotten our tickets for the Houdini show already.”

  “You don’t have to be so grouchy,” said Annie.

  “I’m not grouchy,” Jack said grouchily. “But why do we always do what you want to do?”

  Before Annie could answer, the boat swiveled on a turnaround at the top of the ramp. Then it jerked forward and barreled down the slide toward the lake!

  “AHHHHHH!” Jack yelled.

  The boat splashed into the lake and shot under the arched bridge. Then it bounced into the air, splashing water everywhere. Jack closed his eyes and ducked his head. All the teenagers screamed. For a moment the boat seemed to fly! Then it landed back on the lake and steadied itself.

  Jack opened his eyes and looked around.

  Annie was laughing with the other passengers as the boat glided peacefully across the water. Everyone seemed to be having fun. But Jack’s heart was thumping and his stomach felt queasy.

  The boatman docked the boat and helped everyone onto the landing. The passengers scattered in different directions.

  “Okay! Time to go to the theater!” said Annie.

  “Wait, I need to sit for a minute,” said Jack.

  “I thought you were desperate to get our tickets,” said Annie.

  “In a minute,” said Jack. He pointed to a terrace that bordered the lake. “How about we sit over there?”

  “Sure,” Annie said. “Are you okay?”

  “I will be,” said Jack. “Come on.”

  Jack and Annie climbed a couple of steps to the terrace and sat at the end of a crowded bench. All around them, people in costumes were hawking tickets to different rides.

  “Step this way, ladies and gentlemen! Enter the Dragon’s Gorge! Greatest roller coaster in the country!” shouted a man wearing a dragon head.

  “Over here! The Buzzard’s Roost!” called a boy in a bird outfit. “Greatest train ride on earth!”

  “Come to the Babbling Brook!” yelled a girl dressed as a mermaid. “Greatest water ride in the U.S. of A.!”

  “Funny. Sounds like everything in Coney Island is the greatest,” said Jack.

  “So?” said Annie.

  “That means nothing’s really the greatest,” said Jack, “because everything’s the same!”

  “Ha!” A woman sitting on the bench laughed.

  Jack realized they were sitting next to the short couple from the Shoot-the-Chutes ride. Their big hats almost completely hid their faces.

  “Did you hear that, Harry?” the woman said to the man. “This boy’s a genius!”

  “Ain’t that the truth, Bess?” Harry said.

  “Don’t say ain’t, dear. Say isn’t,” Bess said kindly.

  Harry smiled at Jack and Annie. “Isn’t that the truth?” he said. “See, my Bess is always looking after me.”

  Jack and Annie smiled politely.

  “Is this your first time in Coney Island, kiddos?” asked Harry.

  “It is,” said Annie. “Yours, too?”

  “Oh, no!” said Bess. “No, no, no. We first met here at Coney Island fifteen years ago. We got married three weeks later!”

  “Congratulations,” said Annie.

  “It was a long time ago,” said Bess. “But I’m more crazy about him than ever. And he writes me a love note every day, rain or shine.”

  “That’s so sweet,” said Annie.

  “Are you kiddos having a good time here?” asked Harry.

  “I am,” said Annie.

  “Good,” said Bess. Then she turned to her husband. “Time’s running out, dreamboat,” she said. “We’d better move on.”

  “Can we get ice cream cones now?” Harry asked.

  “No! You know the routine—ice cream always comes after the show!” Bess said. “If we want to take the Trip to the Moon, we gotta go now.”

  Harry looked at Jack and Annie. “She’s always wanted to send me to the moon,” he said.

  Jack and Annie laughed.

  “You kiddos want to join us?” Harry asked.

  “I’m sorry, we can’t,” said Jack. “We have to do something else. Hey, do you know where Henderson’s Music Hall is?”

  “Sure. Why do you want to know?” Bess asked.

  “We’re going to see the Great Houdini,” said Jack.

  “Ah! What a coincidence!” said Bess. “We’re going there, too, after our Trip to the Moon. I adore that man—the Great Houdini! I wouldn’t miss watching that dreamboat for anything in this world.”

  Harry cleared his throat. “Sweetheart, they want directions,” he said.

  “Oh, yes!” said Bess. “So, walk the main road there to the arches, and then exit the park.” She pointed to giant gold-colored arches in the distance. “Then turn right and head down Surf Avenue. When you see a big red building, stop. That’s it.”

  “Cool,” said Jack. “Thanks.”

  “So long, kiddos. Maybe we’ll see you later at the Great Houdini show,” said Harry.

  “And when you watch the s
how, remember,” said Bess, “even though everything can’t be the greatest, sometimes what folks call great really is great.”

  Harry laughed. He tipped his straw hat to Jack and Annie, and he and Bess walked away.

  “I liked them,” said Annie.

  “Me too,” said Jack. He stood up. Talking with the cheerful couple had made him feel better. “Okay! Let’s go get our tickets! Finally!”

  Jack and Annie stepped down from the terrace and walked up the broad avenue toward the arches. At the arches, they passed ticket sellers sitting in red chariots. “Hurry back to Luna Park!” one shouted.

  “We will, don’t worry!” said Annie.

  Jack and Annie left Luna Park and stepped onto Surf Avenue. “Bess said to go right,” said Jack.

  As Jack and Annie started up the crowded sidewalk, they passed horses and buggies and old-timey cars. The warm summer night was filled with the sounds of hooves clomping and horns honking: Ah-OO-ga! Ah-OO-ga!

  “There it is!” said Jack. He pointed to a large red building with green trim. A big sign over the awning read HENDERSON’S.

  A huge crowd of people had lined up on the sidewalk in front of the theater. “Oh, man, look at that line!” said Jack. “This is why I wanted to be here early!”

  Jack and Annie ran to the end of the line, where some teenagers were joking and pushing each other around.

  “Is this the line to buy tickets?” asked Annie.

  “Nah, this is for folks who got theirs already. Like us!” said a tough-looking kid. “So scram!”

  “Forget it,” said Jack. He pulled Annie along. “We have to find the box office.”

  At the front of the theater was a chalkboard that read:

  Jack hurried to a window beside the chalkboard. He was surprised there was no line. “Excuse me!” he said, trying to get the attention of the ticket seller. She was talking to a man inside the office.

  “You’re not listening to me, Mrs. Crenshaw!” the man shouted. “It is the end of the world! I tell you, they’ll destroy the theater!”

  “Excuse me!” Jack said again, in a louder voice. “We’d like to buy two—”

  “They’ll start a riot! They’ll tear the seats apart!” the man shouted. “Mercy! Mercy, my heart!” He clutched his chest and nearly collapsed.

  “Should we get help?” Annie asked.

  Mrs. Crenshaw looked down at Annie and shook her head. “No, dear. Mr. Dewey will be fine,” she said. She rolled her eyes.

  “Yes! Get help! Get help, please!” Mr. Dewey croaked, wiping his brow with a handkerchief. “Find me a new opening act!”

  “A what?” said Annie.

  “The Bambini Brothers ran off!” said Mr. Dewey. “I caught them red-handed! Stealing from the box office!”

  “That sounds terrible,” said Annie.

  “You have no idea, missy!” cried Mr. Dewey. “They were the opening act for the Great Houdini!” He wiped his sweaty face again. “The hooligans in the crowd will go crazy if the curtain’s late! I should have gone into the shoe business instead of show business!”

  Jack felt sorry for the man, but he really didn’t care about the Bambini Brothers. He just wanted tickets for the Great Houdini. “Uh … excuse me,” he said to Mrs. Crenshaw. “We’d like to buy two tickets for the big show—the one with the Great Houdini.”

  “Sorry, kids, didn’t you read that?” Mrs. Crenshaw said. She pointed to a sign in the window. The sign read: SOLD OUT.

  “Oh, no, we didn’t see that,” said Annie.

  “You’re … sold out?” said Jack.

  “Yes!” yelled Mr. Dewey. “We sold out an hour ago! S-O-L-D O-U-T! So it’s a full house with no opening act! Go away now, please! We got problems! Big problems!” And with that, Mr. Dewey slammed the box office window shut.

  “Sold out,” Jack said to Annie, “an hour ago.”

  “I know. You were right. I was wrong,” Annie said quickly. “We should have come earlier.”

  Jack just stared at her.

  “I’m sorry,” said Annie, making a face. “Really.” She looked around. “So, do you think anyone in line would sell us their tickets?”

  “Not in a million years,” said Jack. “I can’t believe this. How can we meet Houdini now? And learn his secret of greatness?”

  “We’ll figure something out,” said Annie. “We always do. Don’t worry. Let’s think.…” She pulled on her braids and bit her lip as she stared at the window of the box office.

  Jack couldn’t get over his frustration. “I—I just can’t believe it,” he said. “Maybe this is the secret of greatness: Don’t listen to your sister! Buy your tickets ahead of time!” He held up his hand and wiggled his finger. “Afraid the Ring of Truth isn’t glowing,” he said. “Too bad.”

  “Wait a minute!” said Annie. “Doesn’t this remind you of the time we went to Shakespeare’s theater in London and the two actors didn’t show up for the play?”

  “I don’t want to talk about our other missions now,” Jack said. He pulled out their booklet and turned the pages, hoping to find more information about Houdini.

  “But don’t you remember how Shakespeare put you and me in the play instead?” said Annie.

  Jack ignored her. “I don’t see anything else in here about Houdini … just this one show,” he said, scanning each page.

  “It was so cool! And we had a great time. Do you want to give it a try?” said Annie. “Do you?”

  Jack closed the booklet. “Do I what?” he asked.

  “Do you want to use Merlin’s magic mist and make a wish to be great stage magicians?” said Annie.

  “Stage magicians?” said Jack.

  “Yes! You and me! We go onstage in place of the Bambini Brothers!” said Annie.

  “What? Are you out of your mind?” said Jack.

  “Think about it! It’s a great plan! That way, we can meet Houdini backstage! We’ll be fellow performers!” said Annie. “Plus we’ll be helping out Mr. Dewey and his theater! And, not to mention, it would be incredibly fun!”

  “That plan’s ridiculous,” said Jack. “No one’s going to let us go onstage and do a magic show.”

  “You are so wrong. I’ll bet I can make it happen,” said Annie. “Watch.”

  “Wait!” said Jack.

  But Annie dashed to the box office window and tapped on the glass. When Mrs. Crenshaw opened the window, Annie leaned forward and spoke in a hushed voice.

  “What are you saying to her?” Jack called.

  Mrs. Crenshaw immediately closed the window and left the box office.

  “Annie, what did you say?” asked Jack.

  The theater door swung open. “Inside! Quick!” Mrs. Crenshaw said to Annie.

  “Wait! Where are you going?” Jack started to follow Annie into the theater, but the door closed behind her and locked.

  Jack went back to the box office and looked through the window. Annie was talking enthusiastically to Mrs. Crenshaw and Mr. Dewey. Jack couldn’t hear a word she was saying.

  Jack tapped on the window and shook his head, but Annie ignored him. As she kept talking, Mr. Dewey’s expressions changed from frowning to squinting to smiling to laughing, until suddenly he shouted, “Yes!”

  No! thought Jack.

  With a big grin, Annie shot her fist into the air. The next thing Jack knew, she was racing out of the theater door. “I did it! I did it! We have a show to do!” she cried. “He said yes!”

  “But I didn’t say yes!” said Jack.

  “Don’t worry! I fixed everything—for us and Mr. Dewey!” said Annie.

  “What did you tell him?” said Jack.

  Before Annie could answer, Mr. Dewey rushed out of the theater. “Hurry, kids!” he shouted.

  “Come on!” Annie grabbed Jack’s hand and pulled him toward the door.

  Mr. Dewey pushed Jack and Annie into the theater and locked the door behind them. “George!” he called to an usher. “Quick, change the sign! Erase the Bambinis! Write ‘Jolly
Jack and the Amazing Annie’ instead!”

  Jolly Jack? thought Jack.

  “This way!” Mr. Dewey hustled Jack and Annie through the theater lobby and into a large auditorium. The auditorium had rows and rows of floor seats, as well as box seats and a balcony. Electric lights cast a peach-colored glow over a stage framed by a red curtain.

  “Is that where we’ll perform?” Annie asked.

  “No way! No way!” Jack whispered to her.

  “Yes! That very stage!” boomed Mr. Dewey.

  In the orchestra pit, a violinist was making squeaky sounds, a drummer was setting up his cymbals, and a trumpet player was practicing on his horn.

  “Do they play tonight?” said Annie.

  “For the Houdini show,” said Mr. Dewey. “But if you like, I’m sure they can accompany your routine, too.”

  “Yes! I like!” said Annie. She turned to Jack. “Did you hear that? We get music!”

  “Annie, I didn’t agree to do this,” Jack said under his breath. He was fuming.

  “Come along to your dressing room,” said Mr. Dewey.

  Jack didn’t move. But Annie skipped down the aisle after Mr. Dewey.

  “I didn’t agree, Annie!” Jack yelled from the back of the auditorium. The clashing cymbals drowned out his voice. “Annie, come back!” he yelled louder.

  But Annie followed Mr. Dewey through a door to the backstage area.

  “Darn her!” said Jack, and he hurried down the aisle. He slipped through the door marked BACKSTAGE and stepped into an empty hallway.

  “Where did she go?” Jack muttered. He heard voices. He walked down the hall to the backstage area, where he found Mr. Dewey talking to a bald man with a clipboard.

  “There he is!” said Annie, pointing at Jack.

  “Meet Jolly Jack!” Mr. Dewey said to the bald man. “Other half of the famous brother-and-sister team Jolly Jack and the Amazing Annie!”

  “These little kids are filling in for the Bambinis tonight?” the bald man asked.

  “We’re not so little,” said Annie, “and we’ve been stage magicians for years.”

  “Excuse me. My sister’s made a mistake. We can’t do this,” said Jack. “We … we don’t have our costumes. We don’t have anything!”