The Announcement with the Old Door
Chapter 1The Big Voice
Dovi stood in the empty school hall with a small announcement card.
"Visitors for the exhibit, please use the front entrance."
His first try came out too softly.
His friend Moishy, at the back row, cupped a hand around his ear.
Dovi tried again. This time every word reached the back.
Mr. Stern had asked him to make the announcement when the parents finished watching the boys' class presentations.
Dovi knew the sentence by heart.
Chapter 2One More Try
That afternoon, Dovi practiced while Moishy arranged exhibit cards.
"Visitors for the exhibit, please use the front entrance."
He paused at the comma and pointed toward the hall's front door.
"Clear," Moishy said.
Dovi grinned and put the card in his pocket.
Near the entrance, a caretaker rolled a cart past a fresh notice on the wall. Dovi stepped aside for him but kept repeating the sentence quietly.
He did not stop to read the notice.
Chapter 3A Different Arrow
Moishy brought another exhibit card from the classroom.
He paused by the wall.
The fresh notice had an arrow pointing toward the side corridor.
"The exhibit entrance has changed," he told Dovi.
Dovi took out his card.
"Mr. Stern gave me this. It says front."
"The wall says side."
Dovi looked at the printed words. SIDE ENTRANCE FOR THE EXHIBIT.
Chapter 4Before the Families Leave
The presentations were nearly over. Parents would soon stand up to visit the exhibit.
Dovi held his card beside the notice. He did not know who had put the notice there.
He brought Mr. Stern to the wall.
"My card says front entrance. That notice says side entrance. Which should I announce?"
Mr. Stern looked at the notice.
"Thank you for checking before people leave the hall. The front entrance is being used for moving equipment. We changed the visitor route."
Chapter 5A New Card
Mr. Stern wrote a corrected announcement on a fresh card.
Dovi read it aloud to him.
"Visitors for the exhibit, please follow the arrows through the side corridor to the side entrance."
"That is right," Mr. Stern said. "I will have a staff member at the turn to help."
Dovi put the old card away from the new one.
He practiced once with Moishy at the back of the hall.
Moishy heard every word.
"Which way would you go?" Dovi asked.
Moishy pointed toward the side corridor.
Chapter 6The Right Turn
When the presentations ended, Mr. Stern nodded to Dovi.
Dovi held the corrected card where he could read it.
He gave the announcement slowly and clearly.
The parents followed the arrows. At the turn, the staff member welcomed them and kept the route clear.
No family walked toward the front entrance because of Dovi's old sentence.
Moishy stood by their exhibit table.
"They found us."
Dovi saved the new card.
Chapter 7More Than a Loud Voice
Mr. Stern came past after the visitors left.
"You caught that change in time."
"Moishy saw the notice," Dovi said. "I only saw my card."
Moishy gave a little bow beside the empty table.
"My finest performance. Reading a wall."
Dovi laughed.
His practiced voice could reach the back row. Now his words had brought the visitors to the right door.
