I was terrified to play the prince. I hadn’t practiced that role at all. Even scarier, I would have to kiss my friend Charlie. Just thinking about kissing her made me feel sick. Just thinking about kissing any girl made me feel sick.

“You know that kissing scene at the end of the play?” Charlie asked me when we stood backstage.

I frowned. “Don’t remind me.”

Charlie whispered something to me.

I whispered something back to her.

We whispered more somethings.

Then Charlie said, “Your first scene is about to start. Get onstage, prince.”

“But I have stage fright,” I said.

She shoved me. All that pretend wood chopping and hauling had made her very strong. Her shove got me onstage.

I stared ahead. The auditorium was filled with people. I felt sick and shaky. I hoped I’d be able to speak. I hoped I could breathe. I hoped I wouldn’t barf.

Then I said the prince’s first lines: “I am lonely. I need a princess. I am also picky. I need a gorgeous princess. More importantly, I need a princess who is smart and has a good personality.”

Phew! I had remembered the lines. I hadn’t barfed. My fears had vanished.

I finished the scene. I knew the lines so well, I didn’t even have to think about them. All my hard work had paid off.

The horse was in the next scene. I rushed backstage, changed into my horse costume, galloped onstage, and neighed.

Playing two roles was very hard. I had to hurry onstage and offstage. I changed from a prince costume to a horse costume to a prince costume to a horse costume, and so on. I used my brown sweatshirt and sweatpants for both roles. I figured that princes needed to relax in casual clothes. Ruling entire countries must be stressful.

I made only two mistakes. During a scene as the prince, I was supposed to say “no.” Instead, I said “neigh.” In another scene as the prince, I forgot my plastic crown and velvet sash. So I said, “Drat. I left my crown and sash at Burger King by mistake. Burger King has food fit for kings and princes.”

The kids who played dwarfs made a few mistakes too. Smiley Dwarf tripped over her feet and cried. Tired Dwarf pretended to fall asleep, but he really did fall asleep. He didn’t wake up until Grouchy Dwarf pinched his nose and shouted in his ear. That made Gloomy Dwarf laugh.

Charlie and I stuck to the whispered plan we’d made backstage. In the kissing scene, I puckered my lips and put them near Charlie’s face. It looked like I was going to kiss her.

Then Charlie said, “Prince, I like you a lot. I think you’re cute. More importantly, you’re smart and have a good personality. But we haven’t even gone on a date yet. I don’t kiss boys until at least the third date.”

I said, “I like you a lot too, Snow White. I will wait to kiss you until our third date.”

Then we shook hands.

At the end of the play, the audience stood and clapped and cheered for us. This was the best night of my life.

I headed down the stage steps to join my family.

“Excuse me. May I talk to you?” a woman said.

“Me?” I asked.

“Yes, you. I am a director.” She handed me a card with her name and phone number on it. “I saw the show and think you’re a terrific actor. You could be a big star.”

“Thanks.” I smiled widely. This was just how I’d imagined it. I was about to get a starring TV or movie role.

“I am directing The Little Prince. I’d like you to be in it, in a role like the one you played tonight,” the director said.

Wow! She wanted me to play the prince in The Little Prince. A starring role! This was a dream come true. I asked her, “Will The Little Prince be a movie or a TV show?”

“Neither. I’m directing a play at the children’s theater down the street. I’d like you to play a horse, just like you did in this play.”

A horse. In a play. At a children’s theater. I frowned.

Then I remembered there were no small parts, only small actors. I smiled and said, “I might do it. I’ll think about it and ask my mom.”

She smiled back at me. “Please call me as soon as you decide. And keep in mind that famous theater saying.”

“There are no small parts, only small actors,” I said.

She wrinkled her nose. “No. That doesn’t even make sense. The saying I’m thinking of is ‘All the world’s a stage.’”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“I have no idea. But it sounds pretty good,” she said.

My mother and sisters rushed over and told me I was a wonderful actor.

What a perfect night!

Then my classmates Nicole and Buffy walked up to me. Nicole said, “You and Snow White were supposed to kiss. But you shook hands instead.”

I nodded.

“We wanted you to get kissed,” Buffy said.

“Too bad for you,” I said.

They each kissed me on one of my cheeks.

“Now we got what we wanted,” Nicole said.

Yuck.

It wasn’t a perfect night after all.

But it was pretty great.