Changing Places by Alan Hines

Chapter 1

This is Hal Tanner. Every morning, Hal gets up at 7 o'clock. He feeds Freddy, his dog. He eats his breakfast. Then, he gets on his bicycle and goes to work.

Hal works at the zoo. He watches the visitors carefully. They can look at the animals, but they can't go near them or feed them. Nothing changes from day to day.

"Nothing exciting happens in my life," thinks Hal.

Sometimes, at night, Hal has a wonderful dream. He is famous, and he has an exciting life. Then, he gets up in the morning, and he is Hal again.

On the weekends, Hal meets Sophie. Hal wants to marry her soon.

This is Tim Hawkins. Tim is a famous actor.

"I know that man," people think when they see Tim. They stare at him in the street. Sometimes, they run after him.

Tim does not have a normal life, and he is unhappy. For his next movie, Tim wears glasses. His face is very different in glasses.

"It's not Tim Hawkins' face," and many people do not recognize him. Now, Tim wants to wear glasses all the time.

One morning, Hal gets up.

"Today isn't different from yesterday or the day before that," Hal thinks. Then, he remembers something. In two days, he must marry Sophie. He feels nervous.

When Hal gets to the zoo, a movie crew is there. They are making a movie with Tim Hawkins. The crew are filming. Hal watches for two or three minutes. He is very excited.

Later, Hal is eating a sandwich when Tim Hawkins walks in. Tim stares at Hal, and Hal stares at Tim.

"What?" Tim says.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Hal Tanner," Hal says.

Tim looks at Hal and thinks for a minute.

"I have an idea, Hal Tanner.

Let's have some fun.

Let's change places for the afternoon."

Hal thinks about this. Then, he smiles.

"All right," he says. He gives his clothes to Tim, and he takes Tim's clothes.

Chapter 2

Hal brushes his hair up. Tim brushes his hair down.

Suddenly, a zoo worker comes in.

"It's time to go to work, Hal,"

the worker says to Tim.

"This is easy,"

Tim says.

"Who is Hal, and who is Tim?

Nobody knows.

Our mothers can't say, I'm sure."

Hal laughs.

Everybody is looking at Hal now. At first, he feels nervous. Soon, he is having fun. The crew loves the scene.

"You're wonderful," they tell him.

Tim is happy, too.

"Good morning, Hal," the zoo workers call to him. Then, Hal's boss comes to speak to him.

"Tanner, you must go to the monkey house," he tells Tim.

"Can you work there for an hour, please?"

"Tim Hawkins lives an exciting life," Hal thinks.

Tim loves Hal's job because nobody recognizes him.

"This is a normal life," he thinks.

"And these monkeys are wonderful."

Later, Hal and Tim meet. They must change their clothes again.

Tim has many things to do that night.

"You are on a TV talk show at five o'clock," Hal tells him.

"Then, you have a party later."

"I don't want to do those things," Tim says.

"You do them.

You be Tim Hawkins.

You can do it."

"I can be Hal Tanner," Tim says.

"Let's do it for one more day."

Hal feels afraid, but he's excited, too.

"Okay," he agrees.

"Let's do it."

Chapter 3

Hal tells Tim everything about Hal Tanner. He talks about his dog, Freddy, and his girlfriend, Sophie. Tim tells Hal everything, too. They agree to meet at an old building near Hal's house at six o'clock the next evening. Then, they can change clothes again.

For Tim, this is easy. He has many different roles in movies.

Tim tricks some people, but he doesn't trick Freddy.

"Who is this man?" thinks Freddy.

"I don't recognize him.

He's not Hal."

Hal finds Tim's house.

"This is wonderful," he says.

Hal meets Tim's girlfriend.

"She is beautiful," he thinks. He likes being a movie star. This is better than all his dreams.

The next day, Hal's girlfriend comes to see Tim at the zoo.

"Sophie is a very nice girl," thinks Tim. He likes the idea of making a life with her.

Being a movie actor helps Tim with Hal's job. Tim can climb very well, because he makes a lot of action movies. There is an accident with the Skytram at the zoo, and Tim climbs up to help the people in it.

In Hal's job at the zoo, he works with people. He must be a first aid worker sometimes.

Now, the film crew is filming an action scene in the desert. One of the crew has an accident, and she isn't breathing.

"I can help," says Hal, running to her. The people climb down from the Skytram. Tim helps them.

"I love climbing," he thinks, "and I love helping people."

The woman is breathing again.

"It's fun to be a movie star," thinks Hal, "but it's wonderful to help people."

Chapter 4

It is the evening before Hal's wedding. Tim waits, but Hal never comes. Tim waits for a long time. He is getting nervous. Tim goes back to Hal's house and calls his cell phone. Hal has the cell phone with him, but there's no answer. Soon, David, Sophie's brother, comes to get Hal for the wedding practice. Tim calls Hal again. Again, there's no answer.

Out in the desert, it is raining. The film crew cannot film in the rain. They all wait.

"I must leave," says Hal, but nobody is listening to him.

At the wedding practice that evening, Tim must be Hal. Tim is nervous at the practice dinner. When nobody is looking, he leaves the room. Tim goes to his house. He climbs over the gate, but the police see him.

"Stop!" they shout.

"Oh, no! I don't want anyone to see Tim Hawkins in these old clothes," thinks Tim, and he runs away.

Usually, Tim runs from people. Now, he is running from the police. Tim hides from the police. There's nothing he can do. In 24 hours, he must marry Sophie.

Chapter 5

The film crew is getting ready. They are going to film a big scene.

"You don't understand," Hal says.

"I must leave.

It's very important."

When nobody is looking, Hal leaves. When the film crew runs after Hal, he hides. He wants to get back to Sophie. He must get back for his wedding.

Hal looks at Tim's jeep.

"I can drive home across the desert in that," thinks Hal.

In the dark, Hal walks carefully across to Tim's jeep. Nobody sees him. Hal gets in Tim's jeep and drives away. He disappears into the night.

Hal has no map. Soon, he is lost. For a long time, he drives here and there. He is looking for something that he recognizes. Then, suddenly, the jeep stops.

"Oh, no! It needs gas," Hal says. Suddenly, Tim's cell phone rings.

It is Tim on the phone. Tim asks Hal.

"I want to come back," says Hal, "but I'm lost.

Where am I?

Where are they filming the desert scene?

Do you know?"

"No, I don't know", says Tim.

"Someone always drives me to the filming in the morning and back home in the evening, but please get here quickly.

I like Sophie, but I don't want to marry her."

Suddenly, Tim's cell phone goes dead.

"Tim!

Tim!"

Hal cries.

"Oh, no," thinks Hal.

"Today is my wedding." Just then, a truck arrives.

There are farm workers in it. The farm workers recognize Hal, and they are excited.

"Look," they say.

"It's Tim Hawkins." For a minute or two, Hal forgets all of his problems.

Chapter 6

It is the day of Hal's wedding. The wedding guests arrive. A lot of people are here for Hal and Sophie's wedding, and they are all strangers to Tim. David, Sophie's brother, comes to get him.

"It's time to go," David says.

Tim and David go to the front of the church and stand there. Sophie comes in when the music begins. She is beautiful in her wedding dress.

Just then, Tim says,

"Stop everything!

This can't happen!"

Everyone stares at Tim. Suddenly, they hear a truck, and then music. It's coming from outside. The doors open, and Hal comes in with his new friends. The farm workers are playing music. Sophie sees Hal. She looks at Tim, and she looks at Hal again. Then she faints.

When Sophie opens her eyes again, Hal and Tim tell her everything. The two of them are talking at once.

"Stop!"

Sophie says. She gets up and looks at Hal and Tim.

"Which one of you is Hal Tanner?"

"I'm Hal," Hal says.

"I'm sorry I'm late, but the desert is very, very big.

And without a map, I'd..."

"Stop!"

Says Sophie, and she laughs.

"You're here now.

That's the important thing."

So, in the end, Sophie marries Hal, and Tim is a guest at the wedding. Later, at the party, everyone is very excited to see Tim Hawkins, the famous actor. Of course, Tim likes that. Hal is happy, too, because he is with Sophie, and he can be Hal Tanner again.