"Maybe if I can discover the physical principle behind it," she thought as she opened the door of the limo, "I'll win a Nobel Prize."
Carrying her lunch box and tote bag, she walked slowly toward the steps leading to the school entrance, a stoic expression on her face. "Must stay calm. Must try to act normal. Normal? I don't know what normal is anymore."
The first sight to greet her eyes as she entered the school was Francine and Fern, who were standing and giggling in an animated manner. Fern was holding a sheet of paper.
"Giggle, giggle," thought Muffy/Brain. "I guess it's something girls can't help."
As Muffy walked by the pair, Francine hailed her. "Hey, Muffy!"
Muffy turned, tried to force a smile, and walked over to join the two girls. "What are you two giggling about?" she asked in a feeble attempt at small talk.
"I wrote a poem about The Brain," said Fern, smiling. "Would you like to hear it?"
"Uh...sure," said Muffy, although she wasn't entirely sure that she did.
Fern read from the paper she was holding.
"Brain's the smartest boy in the class, And he has a really cute..."
"Fern!" Muffy shouted disapprovingly.
"What?" said Fern, looking surprised.
Muffy struggled for words for a moment. "I...I don't think you should write poems making fun of other kids," she finally said.
Francine and Fern started to giggle again. "Come on, Muffy," said Francine. "It's no worse than the poem you wrote about Arthur."
Muffy became flabbergasted. "I...I...I..."
"Always talking about yourself, as usual," Fern quipped.
Muffy suddenly spotted Sue Ellen walking towards Mr. Ratburn's classroom. "I'll catch you later," she said to Francine and Fern.
Walking quickly, she caught up with Sue Ellen. "Wait up!"
"Hi, Muffy," Sue Ellen greeted her.
"I need to ask you something," said Muffy as the two girls continued towards the classroom.
"Go ahead."
"That statue of yours..."
"Which one?"
"The one from Africa. The one with the body-switching curse."
"What about it?" asked Sue Ellen as she opened the classroom door.
"What else can you tell me about it?"
Muffy and Sue Ellen sat down at a table next to each other. Mr. Ratburn hummed cheerfully as he wrote a list of scientific terms on the chalkboard.
"Not much," Sue Ellen answered. "An old woman who kept the grounds at the embassy gave it to me because she thought I was a nice little girl."
"Funny," said Muffy thoughtfully. "Why would she give you a cursed statue, then?"
"She didn't really believe in the curse. I don't believe in it either."
Muffy paused and rubbed her chin.
"But let's suppose for a minute that the curse is real," she went on. "If two people got switched by it, how would they reverse the curse?"
Sue Ellen thought for a moment. "Uh...I guess they would have to find another cursed statue, and switch themselves back. But I'm the wrong person to ask about curses. You want Prunella. She's descended from gypsies."
As Muffy pondered these words, she was startled to see Brain--that is, Brain's body and whoever might be inhabiting it--walk into the classroom and take a seat nearby.
"There I am," she thought. "Maybe now I can get some clues as to what's going on."
Brain looked over at Muffy with a hint of curiosity.
"Uh...hello, Brain," said Muffy, smiling and waving her fingers. "How are you...er, feeling today?"
"I feel fine," Brain replied. "Uh...how about yourself?"
"Never better," said Muffy, as the confusion in her mind--that is, Brain's mind--escalated to new levels. She looked away from Brain and gazed at the table top.
"He talks just like me," she said to herself. "That can't be Muffy in my body. She may be a good actor, but she's not THAT good. If he's Alan, then who am I?"
Mr. Ratburn called the class to order and launched into a lecture about the formation of dew on plants. While the other kids looked bored, Brain's mind became fascinated with the subject, and for a while completely forgot that he was trapped in Muffy's body.
"Now," said Mr. Ratburn, turning to the class, "who can tell me what condensation is?"
Muffy absent-mindedly raised her hand.
"Yes, Muffy?"
"Condensation is the process by which evaporated water in the air attaches itself to a cool surface and forms water droplets."
The other kids stared at Muffy in wonder, except for Brain, who for some reason didn't seem surprised at Muffy's sudden display of scientific knowledge.
Muffy/Brain glanced around the room nervously. "I shouldn't have said that," she thought. "Now they'll get suspicious."
"Very good, Muffy," said Mr. Ratburn as he turned back to the board, chalk in hand.
"Uh...I've been studying with Brain," Muffy explained.
"That's good," said Mr. Ratburn with his back to her. "Now, who can tell me under what conditions condensation can form?"
Muffy/Brain groaned silently and started to fiddle with one of her braids. "How long can I keep this up?" she wondered.
In a short while the bell rang, and the children filed out of the classroom. Muffy/Brain wandered aimlessly in the direction of the washrooms, wondering whether she should reveal her true identity and risk ending up in a mental hospital, or try to act more like Muffy.
She lifted her hand and started to push open the door to the boy's room, then caught herself. "Wait, I can't go in there."
Reluctantly, she took a few steps to the left and found herself in front of the entrance to the girls' room. She raised her hand to the door, then suddenly became breathless.
Brain had never set foot in this hallowed sanctum. What mysteries were hidden inside?
Muffy/Brain stood motionless, deep in thought. "Okay, maybe I'll wait. But how long can I wait? Muffy goes to the girls' room all the time..."
She gritted her teeth. "Must...be...brave," she said aloud.
Then, with a mighty heave, she flung the door open and marched into the girls' room...
...which looked just like the boys' room, except that the bits of garbage on the floor were different.
She looked around the room. When she saw Muffy's reflection in the mirror, she felt a brief twinge of fear that she might be in the wrong washroom.
"I'll never get used to seeing Muffy in the mirror," she told herself.
At that instant the door opened, and Francine strolled into the girls' room. "Hey, you were pretty good," she said when she saw Muffy. "Maybe I should start studying with Brain."
"Er...ah..." Muffy stammered, "yes, I'm sure he'd be glad to work with you."
Francine walked past Muffy, entered a stall, and closed the door behind her. When Muffy/Brain realized what was about to happen, she panicked and rushed out of the washroom. When she came to a stop, she saw Arthur, Buster, and Binky huddled in front of her, chatting.
"I should join in the conversation," she thought, "but I'd probably make a fool of myself. They'll never accept me as Muffy, and if they find out I'm a boy in a girl's body, they'll treat me like some kind of freak."
Then Muffy/Brain had an encouraging thought. "Wait a minute. They're my friends. I should be able to tell them anything."
Her imagination wandered into a fantasy sequence...
"Guys," said Muffy to Arthur, Buster, and Binky, "I've got to tell you something."
"Sure," said Arthur, smiling. "Tell us anything. We're your friends."
"I'm really The Brain," said Muffy. "This morning I woke up, and I was in Muffy's body. I don't know how it happened."
The three boys exchanged understanding glances with Muffy.
"It's no big deal," said Binky. "That happened to my cousin. She was stuck as a boy for a whole week."
"I can explain that," said Buster. "Space aliens are testing a body-switching device on Earth. I don't know how soon the effect will be reversed, but we're your friends, and we're here to help you adjust to being a girl."
"It's nothing to be ashamed of," said Arthur. "It happens to a lot of kids, but they're ashamed to admit it, because they're afraid of being teased."
Muffy's fantasy sequence faded away. She gathered courage, and walked over to where the three boys were talking.
"Hi, Muffy," said Arthur when he saw her. "How did you get so smart all of a sudden?"
"I'm really The Brain," said Muffy. "This morning I woke up, and I was in Muffy's body. I don't know how it happened."
The three boys stared blankly at Muffy for a moment, then started to laugh riotously. Muffy's face fell.
"That's a good one," said Binky. "It's so funny, I may even remember it tomorrow."
"I guess that means Brain is really Muffy," said Arthur. "So why isn't he at the mall, buying shoes?"
Buster, meanwhile, laughed so hard that he started to choke, and quickly pulled his inhaler from his pocket.
Muffy/Brain observed the boys dolefully.
After a few moments, Arthur stopped laughing and looked over at Muffy. "You're not serious, are you?" he asked with a grim face.
"Yes, I'm serious," said Muffy firmly. "I really am The Brain."
The boys gazed at her for a few seconds, then started to laugh hysterically again. Muffy rolled her eyes, sighed, and walked away from the group.
"It's no use," she muttered silently. "Now they think I'm crazy."
Suddenly a lightbulb switched on in Brain's mind, and Muffy stopped in her tracks.
"Wait...a...minute," she thought. "What if...what if I am crazy?"