The Hat Boy

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Rosie and kirsten sat in the school library, bored. How had they gotten themselves into this?

"Girls? Girls!" Ms. Ellings' scratchy voice called from the biography section. "Are you being lazy again?"

"No, Ms. Ellings," Rosie replied, quickly shutting the costume design book she'd been flipping through.

"Well, what are you doing? You should be in the Ls by now! Why are you still in the Cs?" the librarian asked, coming over to them.

"Well, um …" Kirsten closed the book about women's hats and bonnets she'd been skimming.

"These books were all out of order, Ms. Ellings!" Rosie said quickly.

"Yes, it really was horrible! We were going through the As and Bs and then we started finding Ys and Zs!" Kirsten exclaimed.

"Oh, no!" Ms. Ellings gasped. Just then, the phone rang. Ms. Ellings hurried to her desk.

Kirsten and Rosie had to come in this rainy Saturday afternoon as punishment. On Thursday they had run through the library, late for English, and knocked over a stand of books about the 1920s. Ms. Ellings demanded they come in and help her organize her books on Saturday to make up for the trouble they'd caused.

"Girls! I'm terribly sorry, but I have to leave early!" Ms. Ellings said, hanging up the phone.

"My brother just flew in from out West, and he's arrived much earlier than I expected. I have to pick him up from the airport."

"Can I use the phone to call my mom?" asked Kirsten. "She was going to pick us up in two hours."

"Yes, of course. But I really do need to leave--can you find your way out?"

"Sure. Bye!"

Ms. Ellings left the library as Kirsten started dialing her mom.

"Ugh," Kirsten said, "it's not working."

"Oh, you have to dial a certain number first, but I don't remember what it is. I used the school phone like, once, in fifth grade."

"I've never used it," said Kirsten. "I always sneak calls on my cell. But I didn't bring it because I didn't want to risk anything with Ms. Ellings."

"Great," Rosie said. "We're stuck here for two hours."

They wandered through the hallways, randomly checking doors to classrooms and closets. They were all locked--except one leading to the auditorium costume room. They sat down to rest among the costumes.

"Do you remember those rumors we used to hear when we were younger--all those strange things that happened in the plays and stuff?" Rosie said, looking around at the racks of clothes. "I'm getting goose bumps just looking at all these costumes!"

"I remember those stories! Like the girl who disappeared in the dressing room right before she went on stage as Dolly in Hello, Dolly! Or the guy who played the scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz and then vanished in the middle of singing 'If I Only Had a Brain'! I think the older kids were just trying to scare us." Kirsten looked around the room. "We shouldn't just sit here. We should explore."

"Yeah, I have to get those legends out of my head." Rosie jumped up and walked around the room, looking at all the dresses and suits and various accessories. "I wonder what's in here.…" Rosie reached up and pulled down a big box from a shelf. She opened it and found it stuffed full of hats. "Ooh, Kirsten, look at these!" She put on a big floppy sun hat and suddenly she felt like she was spinning, and things started to blur. "Kirsten? Kirsten!"

Rosie opened her eyes to find herself outside in a sunny countryside. "Where am I? Kirsten, are you--" Rosie closed her mouth and opened it again. Did she just speak in a Southern accent? She looked around and saw cotton fields all around her and barns in the distance.

"Rosie!" someone cried in a strong Southern drawl. Rosie whirled to see Kirsten standing a few feet away wearing a large straw hat with a big red flower in it. "Wow, did you hear my voice?"

"Mine's like that, too. How did y'all get here?"

"I came over to look at the box of hats, and you put yours on and simply disappeared. So of course I grabbed a similar one and put it on, and here I am."

"This is so weird!" Rosie said, noticing their old-fashioned gingham dresses and big white aprons. "Did we go back in time?"

"Oh my goodness, maybe those old stories are true!" Kirsten said. At that moment, a gust of wind swept off Rosie's hat and she was gone. "I'm all alone again!" Kirsten said, annoyed. She threw off her hat, and in a moment, she was back with Rosie at school.

"That was so strange!" Rosie said, looking down at the box of hats. "Let's see if these other hats do something. But we should always wear the same types of hats, so we go to the same place."

"OK." Kirsten picked out a silver cloche and Rosie picked a gold one.

Rosie and Kirsten found themselves in a stuffy, smoky room crowded with dancing people. The two of them were dancing to the loud, old-fashioned music, too, even though they didn't know the dance step at all. They wore silky, fringy dresses and lots of necklaces that jumped up and down as they danced. They managed to stop and get out of the crowd.

"This looks just like the pictures from that display we knocked down," Rosie whispered to Kirsten as they sat down at a small table. "That must mean we're in the roaring twenties, right?"

"Hey! You kids can't be in here! How'd you get in, huh?" A large man with slicked-back hair loomed over them.

"Oh, sorry! We were just leaving!" Rosie said quickly. They stood up, looking for a way out of the room, but the man stopped them.

"Not so fast. I don't want you spilling to your mothers about this place."

"Quick, Rosie. The hats!" Kirsten said, pulling hers off.

Instantly, they were back in the costume room. "That was exciting!" said Kirsten, sitting down against the box.

"I know! What other hats are there? Oooh, let's wear these!" Rosie picked out a white hat, covered in lace and ribbons. Kirsten picked one in black and off they went…

They arrived on a cobblestone street with buildings all around. A carriage stood in front of them with a short, skinny driver and a tall, dark horse.

"Miss Rosie! Miss Kirsten! You'll be late for your appointment!" the driver said.

"Um, all right, we're coming," said Rosie, and laughed when she heard that her accent was English, like the driver's.

Rosie and Kirsten stepped into the carriage, which rushed through the streets. They admired the gorgeous gowns they wore, the spotless white gloves, and the elegant shoes. Then they realized where they were heading--Buckingham Palace!

"Are we meeting the queen?" Rosie asked.

"Of course. Did you forget the appointment to have tea with her?" the driver asked as the carriage arrived at the palace gate.

"No, of course not."

The driver helped Rosie and Kirsten out of the carriage, then stepped back into his seat and grabbed the reins. "Shall I return in an hour or so?"

"Yes, thank you," Kirsten answered, and she and Rosie waved goodbye. The two of them turned toward the entrance, where a tall man in uniform ushered them in. As they walked through an elaborately-furnished hall, Kirsten and Rosie were struck by the grandeur of everything around them. "Can you believe it? We're about to meet the Queen of England! This is like a dream!" Kirsten whispered.

"I hope I don't make any mistakes--can you imagine the embarrassment?" Rosie said, trying to remember all the etiquette her parents had taught her.

They entered a high-ceilinged room with tall windows and walls lined with elegant portraits. Right in front of them was the queen herself, sitting on a chaise wearing a beautiful azure-colored gown and several strands of pearls around her neck. A table in front of her was piled with miniature cakes, cookies and tea in fine china.

Rosie and Kirsten stared at the scene for a full minute before realizing they must look silly. The queen looked at them expectantly, as did the various servants around the room.

Rosie nudged Kirsten. "Maybe we should curtsy," Kirsten suggested as quietly as she could, and the two of them gave their best curtsies, taking care to keep their hats on.

"Good afternoon, ladies," the queen said, and gestured to the chairs. "Please do sit down."

"Good afternoon, your Majesty," the girls said nervously, and each sat down. A maid came over and poured the hot tea without spilling a drop. Then she asked the girls for their hats and gloves. Rosie and Kirsten exchanged worried looks. They knew what would happen if they took off their hats, but they really wanted to stay--how could they pass up tea with the queen?

Slowly, Rosie pulled off her gloves, and Kirsten did the same, handing them to the maid. "Would you mind if I keep my hat on? I'm having a bit of a bad hair-" Kirsten stopped abruptly when she saw the look of horror pass across the queen's freshly-powdered face. She hurriedly took off the hat and arrived instantly back at the school. Several seconds later, Rosie was back as well.

"How annoying!" Rosie said, carefully placing her hat in the box. "I really wanted to stay!"

"Me, too." Kirsten looked at her watch. "Oh my gosh--it's been over two hours. My mom will be here by now. Do you want to come back tomorrow? We could tell our moms we have to help again with the library!"

"Yes!" Rosie pushed the hat box back onto the shelf and hurried out of the costume room. "I'm sure we'll figure out a way to keep our hats on next time!"

By Isabel Bird, New Moon, Nov/Dec2006