Chapter Three

In which Mark comes up with a base for his plan and discovers a world of Shakepeare.

Mark was looking in his father's desk for interesting things. He usually had some stuff he wanted to keep away from Mark as a surprise. Mark found an interesting CD rom. It said 'British Literature: Shakespeare's Theater, History and How it Was Played'.

"Hey, what's this?" He took the disk downstairs and asked his Dad.

"Oh, he's a late sixteenth century playwright. Very famous. That's why I have it. But, once I got the disk in, it just showed a bunch of people walking around. Thought we'd sell it at the flea market next summer."

"Dad, maybe I could make some use of it? This would be worth running if I could fix it." He figured it might come in useful with his plans.

"Sure go ahead, son."

"Yessssss!"

He couldn't wait to use the disk. He had just put it in the computer and the program was coming up on the screen. But when Mark saw it, he was disappointed. The only thing he saw was a bunch of people walking around in what looked like a feasting hall, just like his dad said. He tried clicking but this was not a opening sequence. But wait, this was something new! At the top of the screen, some words were flashing:

RichardIII! Henry V! Those sounded like English kings! He would look them up later. Someone else was coming on. The screen said it was Hamlet and Macbeth. These weren't English kings' names!!! I'll have to look them up, he thought.

Chapter Four

In which Mark discovers something worth knowing.

When he was putting the disk away Mark noticed some words in tiny print on it the box. He read, 'press control-F8'. This is interesting, he thought and put the disk back in the computer. He held down Control button and pressed F8. The screen showed the same place. It was inside and empty castle and a feasting table with nothing on it. The printer started up. What came out was nothing that Mark had expected. It said:

"Go to the old Boar's Head Tavern. Push the third knothole on the left side of the north wall. There you will find the what you seek.

"What in the world!", Mark said. He thought, before I puzzle my brain out of my head with this printer message, I'll look up the names of the people on the screen. Let's see, he would look up Hamlet first. H, H, H. Ah, he found it. A play written by William Shakespeare. Tragedy. Shakespeare, all right. Now I'll look up Henry V. Okay Shakespeare, History. Then, Macbeth. He paused they were mising the 'M' encyclopedia.

"Have you seen the 'M" encyclopedia, Dad?"

Dad shouted, "Uh, ya, I think it's on the kitchen table."

Mark raced downstairs to the table. It was there. Macbeth, Macbeth. Ah, there it is. Tragedy, William Shakespeare. Then he got the 'R' encyclopedia. Richard. Ah Hah! Shakespeare, History! All of them are Shakespeare! A Shakespearean world! Probably at the Old Boar's Head Tavern! "I got it. I got it!" Mark shouted with glee. "This is where they'll go! Yess, Yess, YESS!!!"

"Hey, Dad. Can I take a walk?"

"Sure, but be back before sundown."

Mark looked at his watch. 3:30, plenty of time. "Okay." He grabbed a map and was out the door in a flash. Outside he paused. He looked down at the map and saw that the Boar's Head Tavers was a half a mile walk from here. That would take about ten to twenty minutes.