voices were true as bells and therewas something almost unearthly about the sound as it drifted over the near empty auditorium, which when it was full would hold almost two thousand people. Georgia got a tingly feeling down her spine as she imagined what it would be like to stand in this very spot on stage in a couple of weeks’ time and sing the same song with the theatre full to the rafters. It was strange to think that they would all be looking at her and the others. It made her feel very small.
Tom was feeling very small too. His solo line was coming up. He cleared his throat. Abbie peeled off and the chorus began again.
“So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen , goodbye.” Tom took a step forward, opened his mouth and let out an almighty scream. He hopped around in agony. He had stepped on a drawing pin. The pianist stopped playing. Abbie rushed over to help him.
“You poor thing,” she cried, rubbing the bottom of his foot where there was a pinprick of blood.
“It’s all right, it doesn’t really hurt, it was just the shock,” said Tom, aware that everyone was looking at him.
“He could have been really hurt,” said Jon, ordering the stage to be swept. “I can’t afford to lose anyone from Alps or we’ll have to substitute children from the other teams and they’re already missing kids due to illness.”
“If he’d been wearing his shoes it wouldn’t have happened,” said Josie tartly, and at that moment Lacey from wardrobe walked on to the stage, waving Tom’s shoes.
“Where did you find them?” asked Tom.
“On your dressing-room table where you’d left them, silly boy,” said Lacey, ruffling his hair with a smile. Tom looked puzzled, but Jon was already nodding at the pianist.
“We’ve wasted enough time. From the top, please, everyone.” The song began again. But Tom felt completely rattled. He knew that he had brought his shoes down. Or had he? He was beginning to doubt it himself. He tried to concentrate but he couldn’t, and when it came to his line, “I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye,” he was badly off key. Nobody said anything and they continued on, but he saw Jon and Josie exchange a glance and felt his confidence crumble even further.
Things didn’t improve for Tom the nextday. The children had all been called down on to the stage from their dressing rooms. Joshua had gone on ahead, but when Tom had come to leave the dressing room he found he couldn’t get out. The door was stuck. It wouldn’t budge however hard he tried. It was as if somebody had locked it from the outside. But he’d never seen a key in the door.
He banged for a while, but nobody heard because they were all down on the stage or in the Green Room, the backstage area where the actors could relax. He tried ringing Georgia and Josie but their mobiles were switched off. He put his head out of the window and shouted for help, but there was nobody about in the small passageway that separated the Duke’s from the theatre next door.
The others had all assembled on stage ready to begin.
“Where’s our Kurt?” asked Jon James impatiently.
“He said he was just coming,” said Joshua.
“Well, he’s late again. That boy’s turning into a liability.” He turned to Josie. “These kids are a bit of a nightmare. I’ve got one off with laryngitis in Lakes team, a Marta with a twistedankle in Meadows and Lakes’s Gretl seems to be sickening for something too. Go and see where he’s got to, love.”
“I’ll go,” said Katie, and before anyone could say anything she had rushed off stage.
Josie didn’t mind – it saved her legs the climb upstairs. Katie appeared a few minutes later with a red-faced Tom in tow who apologised profusely. “I’m so sorry everyone. I got locked in.”
The others looked at Katie for an explanation but she just pulled a face and gave an exaggerated shrug. “I turned the handle, and the door opened easily,” she said.
The others had all looked at Tom curiously
Tom was feeling very small too. His solo line was coming up. He cleared his throat. Abbie peeled off and the chorus began again.
“So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen , goodbye.” Tom took a step forward, opened his mouth and let out an almighty scream. He hopped around in agony. He had stepped on a drawing pin. The pianist stopped playing. Abbie rushed over to help him.
“You poor thing,” she cried, rubbing the bottom of his foot where there was a pinprick of blood.
“It’s all right, it doesn’t really hurt, it was just the shock,” said Tom, aware that everyone was looking at him.
“He could have been really hurt,” said Jon, ordering the stage to be swept. “I can’t afford to lose anyone from Alps or we’ll have to substitute children from the other teams and they’re already missing kids due to illness.”
“If he’d been wearing his shoes it wouldn’t have happened,” said Josie tartly, and at that moment Lacey from wardrobe walked on to the stage, waving Tom’s shoes.
“Where did you find them?” asked Tom.
“On your dressing-room table where you’d left them, silly boy,” said Lacey, ruffling his hair with a smile. Tom looked puzzled, but Jon was already nodding at the pianist.
“We’ve wasted enough time. From the top, please, everyone.” The song began again. But Tom felt completely rattled. He knew that he had brought his shoes down. Or had he? He was beginning to doubt it himself. He tried to concentrate but he couldn’t, and when it came to his line, “I leave and heave a sigh and say goodbye,” he was badly off key. Nobody said anything and they continued on, but he saw Jon and Josie exchange a glance and felt his confidence crumble even further.
Things didn’t improve for Tom the nextday. The children had all been called down on to the stage from their dressing rooms. Joshua had gone on ahead, but when Tom had come to leave the dressing room he found he couldn’t get out. The door was stuck. It wouldn’t budge however hard he tried. It was as if somebody had locked it from the outside. But he’d never seen a key in the door.
He banged for a while, but nobody heard because they were all down on the stage or in the Green Room, the backstage area where the actors could relax. He tried ringing Georgia and Josie but their mobiles were switched off. He put his head out of the window and shouted for help, but there was nobody about in the small passageway that separated the Duke’s from the theatre next door.
The others had all assembled on stage ready to begin.
“Where’s our Kurt?” asked Jon James impatiently.
“He said he was just coming,” said Joshua.
“Well, he’s late again. That boy’s turning into a liability.” He turned to Josie. “These kids are a bit of a nightmare. I’ve got one off with laryngitis in Lakes team, a Marta with a twistedankle in Meadows and Lakes’s Gretl seems to be sickening for something too. Go and see where he’s got to, love.”
“I’ll go,” said Katie, and before anyone could say anything she had rushed off stage.
Josie didn’t mind – it saved her legs the climb upstairs. Katie appeared a few minutes later with a red-faced Tom in tow who apologised profusely. “I’m so sorry everyone. I got locked in.”
The others looked at Katie for an explanation but she just pulled a face and gave an exaggerated shrug. “I turned the handle, and the door opened easily,” she said.
The others had all looked at Tom curiously
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