The Crown That Would Not Stay

Chapter 1The Third Bow

Shloimy's cardboard crown stayed on for the first bow.

On the second, it tilted.

On the third, it slid over his eyebrows.

The boys rehearsing their little palace scene burst out laughing.

Shloimy pushed it back up. He was supposed to be the king who could not find his own chair, not the king who could not see it.

His friend Berel had made the crown with him. It had gold paper points and a soft strip inside to keep the cardboard edge from rubbing.

"It fitted yesterday," Berel said.

"It doesn't fit today," Shloimy answered from beneath the gold points.

Chapter 2The Bigger Circle

Berel reached for a spare piece of cardboard.

"I'll make another one. Bigger."

Shloimy took off the crown. There were only twenty minutes before Mr. Weiss wanted to see the whole scene.

"The first one took us nearly an hour."

"This one can have fewer points."

Berel flattened the spare cardboard. Starting again seemed easier than watching the crown slip.

Shloimy turned the old crown around in his hands.

"Could we see what changed?"

Chapter 3Yesterday's Crown

Yesterday they had tried it without a lining.

This morning, Berel had folded a thick strip of cloth twice and fitted it inside the bottom edge. Mr. Weiss had helped attach it with removable clips.

"It felt softer," Berel said.

"It does. But it sits higher now."

Mr. Weiss came to check on them. The boys showed him the crown and the spare cardboard.

He helped unclip the thick cloth. Shloimy tried the crown again.

It sat lower on his head.

He bowed once. Then twice.

It did not slide.

Chapter 4Still a Rough Edge

Shloimy ran a finger gently along the crown's lower rim.

"We put the cloth in because this edge bothered me."

Mr. Weiss checked it.

"Then leave it off your head while we fix that. We need comfort as well as a good fit."

Berel found a thin strip of soft paper in their box.

Mr. Weiss helped fold it over the edge and attach it smoothly. There were no thick folds inside the circle now.

Shloimy tried it on.

It did not rub, and it rested where yesterday's crown had rested.

Chapter 5The Whole Scene

"Try the scene, not only a bow," Mr. Weiss said.

Shloimy crossed the room, turned toward the empty chair, and looked behind it.

"Has anyone seen my throne?"

Berel, playing the palace helper, pointed to the chair.

Shloimy sat, stood, and bowed.

The crown stayed on.

He tried leaning to peer beneath the chair. It shifted a little.

"I can bend my knees instead," he said.

He crouched while keeping his head upright. The gold points did not cover his eyes.

Chapter 6A Small Change

Berel rolled up the spare cardboard.

"We nearly made a whole new crown."

"And we might have put the same thick cloth in it," Shloimy said.

Berel looked at the folded strip lying on the table.

"It was comfortable until it changed the fit."

He put it back in the scraps box.

Mr. Weiss checked the crown once more before the scene began.

Chapter 7The Missing Throne

This time, Shloimy came through the curtain with his eyebrows showing.

He searched the room for the chair directly behind him.

The boys watching laughed at the missing throne.

At the final bow, Berel watched the crown closely.

It stayed where it belonged.

Berel kept the spare cardboard for a palace window.