Free Ten Thumb Sam by Rachel Muller

her off. “Good job, both of you. Now it’s our turn. As Sam said, we don’t have much time, so we’d better get moving.”
    Mr. Pigatto nodded. “You heard the lady. We’ve got our orders—let’s move out!”
    While the performers got organized into their assigned teams, Sam and Harriet returned to the Stringbini bus. Sam felt a shiver of anticipation run up his spine as he took his place at the kitchen table. The bus had been converted into a command center. Using borrowed cell phones, the two cousins were set to collect and pass on any information they received.

    â€œMr. Pigatto just phoned in,” Sam informed his cousin a few hours later. “He said the first school show they did went well.”
    â€œGood,” said Harriet. “Your mother called too. They handed out over a hundred flyers at their elementary school.”
    â€œAre they on their way to join up with the others?”
    â€œThey’re already halfway there,” said Harriet.
    Harriet and Sam had arranged for everyone to meet for a mini-parade in a busy part of the city at lunch-time. At the stroke of twelve, the Fritzi sisters started the parade on their stallions. As they made their way down the street, the other performers handed out flyers advertising the Triple Top’s eight performances that weekend.
    When the parade was over, the performers split up into smaller groups again and made their way to the next schools on their lists. When school was out at three o’clock, the groups performed wherever they could find an audience—on street corners, in parks, even in parking lots.
    â€œEverything’s going well,” Harriet reported to Sam between incoming calls late that afternoon. “Your parents’ group has handed out all their flyers.”
    â€œListen to this!” said Sam. “Mr. Pigatto has just been invited to do an interview on one of the local radio stations tomorrow morning!”
    â€œYes!” said Harriet, pumping her fists in the air. “I don’t remember if I told you—my dad called the local newspapers like we asked.”
    â€œAnd?”
    â€œAnd they promised to send photographers to the parade and to one or two of the school performances.” Harriet grinned. “My dad thinks we have a good chance of making tomorrow’s front page.”
    â€œI can’t believe it,” Sam said, shaking his head in amazement. “Our plan is actually working.”

    The performers continued their publicity campaign on Thursday, returning to the circus grounds at four o’clock that afternoon. They checked in with Sam and Harriet before they hurried off to eat and prepare for the first show of the weekend.
    â€œWell?” said Max as he climbed onto the Stringbini bus. “How did it go today?”
    Sam let out his breath. “Good—I think.”
    â€œWe couldn’t have done any better with stage one of the plan,” said Harriet. “I guess we’ll have towait and see what happens in stage two.”
    â€œGood to hear,” said Max. He ran the back of his hand across his forehead. “Phew. I’m beat already, and the weekend’s just starting. Sure hope all this is worth it.”
    â€œMe too,” Sam said under his breath when his father was gone again.

Chapter Seventeen
    Sam and Harriet went over their checklist one final time, half an hour before Thursday evening’s show was scheduled to start.
    â€œThe air-conditioning is working?” asked Sam.
    â€œCheck,” said Harriet.
    â€œCotton candy’s been tested?”
    â€œCheck,” said Harriet. “And the caramel corn, the snow cones and the hot dogs.”
    â€œKetchup, mustard and relish too?” asked Sam.
    â€œCheck, check and check.”
    â€œThe guards are all in place?”
    â€œCheck,” said Harriet. “Right now we’ve got my brothers, the Fritzi sisters, Tina Zuccato and