ago,â said Brittany.
I could do it. I could be Eda. I could put on the costume and carry the big clipboard and do my impersonation. Instead of just doing it in front of a few people, I could do it in front of everyone.
I could see the scene in my mind. Me walking into the lodge dressed as Eda, so sure of myself. Delivering lines and getting laughs. What would that be like?
But then, all of a sudden, my stomach muscles felt like a clenched fist. Was I ready for this? What if I got up there and felt like regurgitating instead of saying my lines?
âIâm the director, and the director never plays a part,â I told them all. As soon as I said that, my stomach muscles relaxed.
Melissa glanced at me and gave me a little smile. I could tell she didnât want to stand up in front of everyone either.
âThatâs not true,â said Kelly. âLots of directors make appearances in their movies. Like Hitchcock. He showed up in all his movies.â
âWell, Iâm not going to!â I insisted, slightly yelling. âI just donât want to, okay? I planned everything, so if I donât want a part, you canât make me!â
Reb held her hands up. âChill! Weâre not going to force you to do it. Give me that piece of aluminum foil, and Iâll be Eda.â
I did feel better, knowing I wasnât going to have to get up in front of everyone.
Once we had everything planned out, we went back down to the lodge. One by one, each cabin performed their fractured fairy tale. Cabin 3âs version of Snow White was actually pretty good, even if Whitney did overact. Everyone in Cabin 4 acted bored doing Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Theyâd probably put about five minutes of preparation into it.
When it was our cabinâs turn, just seeing all my cabinmates up there in front of everyone made me nervous for them. My heart pounded so loud I could hardly hear some of the lines, and I had to keep my hands folded in my lap because they were trembling.
I had no idea why watching everyone else mademe so uptight, but it did. Maybe because the skit was mostly my idea.
But it was incredible. When Reb walked in with her costume, carrying that oversize âclipboard,â the whole lodge went insane, and the audience laughed for practically five whole minutes. Everyone remembered their lines, we got tons and tons of laughs, and at the end, the applause almost made me deaf. The counselors especially loved our skit.
âI wish Eda could have seen that,â said Libby Sheppard. She smiled at all of Cabin 1âs actors.
It was definitely a movie moment. And I was really okay with the fact that no one realized Iâd been the one whoâd planned the whole thing. The main thing was that weâd done a great skit. I should be happy about that.
When evening program ended, we got in the good-night circle and sang âTaps,â then had graham crackers and milk before going back to the cabin to get ready for bed.
As Molly was climbing up to her top bunk, she stopped and looked at me. âYou shouldâve been Eda. Reb got lots of laughs, but she made Eda sound like a little old lady. Your impersonation was much better.â
As soon as Molly said that, I felt a sad, heavy lump in my stomach. I knew she was right. I couldâve done abetter job.
But at least Reb had the guts to get up in front of everyone. She didnât sit in the audience with her hands folded, trying to keep them from shaking.
âThanks, but I had enough fun just planning it,â I said. My voice actually sounded slightly convincing.
Everyone was changing and getting ready for bed. Tis was asking us all where Kelly, Reb, and Jennifer were because they werenât in the cabin, but then they showed up, looking like theyâd been up to something.
I crawled into my bottom bunk and pulled the covers up around me. I couldnât stop thinking about how the whole skit had gone.
Iâd