“Amanda! Let’s go!” yelled Claire Amanda’s older sister. “The doors are closing!”
      “Coming.” Replied Amanda she turned to her friends on the bus and said. “Bye see you tomorrow!”
Amanda hopped off the bus and ran to catch up with her sister just as the bus doors were closing. It was 3:30 pm like normal when the bus was dropping off Amanda and her older sister Claire after school.
While walking five blocks home when twelve year old, hazel eyed, five foot, two inches, curly short brown hair Amanda said, “I want to be an actress for the rest of my life like Mama!”
Claire 15 year old, blue eyes, five foot, seven inch, long dirty blond hair, and always listening to her iPod said, “ Ok, whatever!”
      “ You know I’m trying out for the play A Midsummer’s Night Dream written by William Shakespeare. Weren’t you in that when you were little?” asked Amanda.
      “ Ya whatever,” said Claire rudely replying.
When Claire and Amanda got home after being dropped of by the bus Amanda asked her mom if she could have her old acting dresses and Amanda’s mom said yes. While Amanda was digging through the big box of clothes she saw a purple satin gold trim dress! Amanda instantly put it on and asked her sister Claire if she would help her work on her lines for her audition and
      Claire said. “No I am busy! Ask Mama or someone else.”
      “Please help me I am all dressed up!” Begged Amanda.
      “No, leave me; alone I don’t care about you! You’re so bothersome! Now leave me alone you Big Baby!” Yelled Claire.
      “You’re so mean! I hate you!” yelled and cried Amanda.
      “ By the way you will never be a good actress like mama and me!” snared Claire
So Amanda slammed the door so loud that it woke up her baby sister Emily from her nap. Mom rushed up stairs.
“ Is everyone ok?” asked Mom.
      “ Ya, we’re all fine mama.” said Amanda.
      “What happened?” Mom asked Claire.
      “Wait why do you always ask Claire what happened first and not me?” yelled Amanda
      “Ok Amanda your getting all fired up and I don’t need that right now, go to your room and ill be there in one minuet to ask your side of the story. Now go.” Demanded Mom.
      Amanda ran to her room and threw herself on her bed and cried and said, “ all I wanted was someone to help me work on my audition. I hate it here I wish I could go back in time and see grandma Karen she would help me in anyway because she is the only one in the whole wide world that really loved me!”
Amanda lay on her bed when all of a sudden she blacked out! When she finally woke up she did not know where she was!

* * *
      
      Amanda sat up and looked around, she was in a field of tall grass! In the far, far, far distance she could see a town but there was no tall buildings and she could see smoke stacks.  Amanda looked down and she was not wearing the purple satin, gold trim dress. Instead she was wearing a tan long dress with an off white aprons with red trim and over her shoulder she had a looked like a potato sack.
She whispered to her self, “Where did my dress go and why is this potato sack bag so heavy?”
In that potato sack she had a small loaf of bread, three apples, what looked like eight little coin, and her script for her audition for A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Now Amanda thought why was that in there?
      “Where in the world am I!” Amanda whispered.
      “Elizabethan England year 1599” said a voice behind her.
      “Oh my word! Don’t sneak up on people like that! You scared me!” yield Amanda!
      “Sorry I’m William,” Said Mr. William with long brown wavy hair, very tall, and his face was kind and inviting. “And your name is?” 
      “Hi I’m Amanda, Amanda Jackson” Amanda said shaking his hand.
      “It is nice to meet thou.” Said Mr. William
      “Where are you from?” asked Mr. William
      Amanda replied crying “NOT from around here!”
      “Oh don’t cry miss Amanda thou can come with me to my play rehearsal if you like. Its in the Globe theater, that’s in the town over yonder” said William
      “Ok! You know I’m going to be an actress!” said Amanda proudly.
      “Ha, don’t joke with me miss Amanda! Girls are not actors!” laughed Mr. William
After that Mr. Shakespeare and Amanda set off for the Globe Theater far off in the distance in Elizabethan England
After a one-hour walk Amanda and Mr. William got to the edge of town. When you walk into the town you could see the little ditch along the side of the road of dung, urine, and rainwater.
      “What is that horrid smell?” asked Amanda “is it coming from that ditch thing Mr. William?”
“Yes it is. Don’t thou havest that where thoust from?” Questioned Mr. William
      “Well not really.” Amanda said. “We have pipes under the ground.”
After walking through the hot, smelling, muddy, and crowded streets Amanda and Mr. William arrived at the Globe Theater. Amanda walked up to the out side and felt the wall it was rough. One the top for a roof was like straw. Walking into the theater Amanda noticed that there was no roof!
Amanda asked Mr. William, “why is there no roof on the Theater?”
      “Well because that’s how the actors on stage can be seen. Its like a lantern but much better.”Explainded Mr. William.
      “Oh that would make sense but, what if it rains? Would end every one get wet?” Asked Amanda
      “NO,” Said Mr. William; “there is a balcony over the stage. There is also a trap door under that balcony called Heaven and a bottom one called…
      “Hell,” Interrupted Amanda, “sorry I just learned all about William Shakespeare and all about acting and things like that. Do you know Who William Shakespeare is?”
      “Well I know him very well. I’m William Shakespeare. Just wandering how did thoust learn about me?” Said Mr. Shakespeare.
      “Oh well before my dad died he would come home from work and teach me something new each day.” Said Amanda.
“Follow me Miss Amanda,” said Mr. Shakespeare. “Thoust may sit in this stool next to me and we will have lunch at noon and a break.”
      “Ok,” Said Amanda. “Do you think that you could help me with my lines for a play I’m trying out for?”
      “Ha, ok I’ll help thou for half an hour,” Chuckled Mr. Shakespeare.
      “Thank you,” Smiled Amanda.
      Amanda sat on the bench next to Mr. Shakespeare and watched. After a while Amanda got bored. So she asked if she could go to the costume room. Mr. Shakespeare said yes. So Amanda quietly climbed up the stage and walked along the edge so she would not disturb the men practicing. When Amanda got to the side curtain she could see the costume room. She quietly walked over to the room and opened the door. She was amazed.
      “Oh my word! This is a lot of costumes!” exclaimed Amanda.
The room was the size of her living room. On all walls there were shelves for the pants and a shelves for the shirts and there was a big wardrobe like boxes on one wall. Amanda slowly walked over to the wooden box she very slowly reached out her hand and opened it. Amanda was stunted there it was the purple satin gold trim dress! She had just gotten into when William Shakespeare walked in.
“Oh my, Thoust looks beautiful.” Kindly said William Shakespeare.
      “I’m so sorry I did not know you were there. I was just taken by this dress like I have seen it before.” Hesitated Amanda.
      “ That is all right. Are thoust ready? Thou can wear that dress.” Said William
      “ Thank you and yes I’m ready.” Replied Amanda.
      “Sorry for me asking but what play are you doing?” asked William Shakespeare.
      “ Oh, plays called… um well have you written anything called A Midsummer’s Night Dream?  Amanda, nervous to ask.
      “ Why yes I have.” Answered William Shakespeare
      “ Well that’s the play I'm rehearsing for.” said Amanda
      “ Oh, ok.” Wondered William Shakespeare.
      
So Amanda and William Shakespeare worked on her script and Amanda was ready for her auditions.
      “Mr. Shakespeare thank you for helping me no one at home would help me only my grandma Karen would have helped but she died of cancer 3 years ago” Amanda said tearing up just a little.
      “ I’m sorry. I’m glad to help. Are thou ready to go back to rehearsal?” asked William.
      “Yes I'm ready.” Said Amanda.
On their way back to the stools in front of the stage Amanda started to think about how she was going to get home. She had no idea when all of a sudden she fell and blacked out and woke up in her bed.
      “Ok Amanda I'm ready for your side of the story.” Said mom.











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The Dress that Changed My Life 6-8