The empty mask that had only recently been Sue Ellen's face and head lay
lifeless on the floor.
In its place was the most hideous and shocking sight that Arthur, Francine, Buster, Binky, Muffy/Brain, and Fern had ever beheld...
On top of Sue Ellen's torso sat a green and purple mass of writhing tentacles. At its base was a small opening that vaguely resembled a mouth.
It spoke...with Sue Ellen's voice.
"I hope you're pleased with my true appearance. But one way or another, it makes no difference to me."
Once the other kids had recovered their wits sufficiently to stop gawking, Binky broke the silence.
"Oh, I get it. Your dad's assignment is to another planet. Ha ha ha!"
The alien creature that had been Sue Ellen rolled its eyestalks.
"I knew it!" exclaimed Buster proudly. "I knew it all along!"
"What's your purpose here?" asked Arthur nervously. "What do you want? Why have you kept your identity a secret?"
The alien walked forward on Sue Ellen's feet until it was in the midst of the kids. "All your questions, and more, will be answered in time. However, there is something I must ask...or rather, demand...of you in return."
"Which is?" said Francine, still not believing her eyes.
"That you accompany my parents and myself as we leave your planet."
A silence fell over the room, except for the alien's hoarse breathing.
Buster stood and clenched his fists. "No way! Earth is my home!"
"I think you'll find the rest of us share Buster's attitude," said Muffy/Brain.
"As I expected," said the alien. It held up the African figurine. "The object you see in my hand is a device called a quantum cragulator. It has many uses, one of which I will now demonstrate."
The alien raised the device to its mouth and spoke into it. "You will board the spaceship."
Suddenly Buster, who was still standing, unclenched his fists. His eyes glazed over. "I...will...board...the...spaceship," he droned.
The other children gasped upon witnessing Buster's zombie-like behavior...
...but their surprise was not equal to that of the alien, who scanned them with its eyestalks, apparently expecting them to act in the same manner.
The alien turned abruptly to Buster. "You...you ate ALL the popcorn?"
"Affirmative," said Buster robotically.
"Come on, guys!" yelled Francine, leaping to her feet. Before the alien could react, Arthur, Binky, and Francine tackled it, dragging it to the floor. It dropped the quantum device, and Muffy/Brain rushed over and picked it up.
"Buster, come with us!" she shouted into the device.
"I...obey," droned Buster as he started to walk stiffly forward.
Muffy and Fern opened the front door while the alien pushed Francine, Binky, and Arthur aside with unnatural strength. Soon the five children were running through the door, with Buster following slowly behind.
Once she had reached the sidewalk in front of Sue Ellen's house, Muffy/Brain looked back to see Buster slowly descending the steps, his face frozen in an oblivious trance.
"Faster, Buster!" she shouted into the quantum device, but Buster's pace did not quicken. "Zombies," she sighed.
The other kids, seeing that Muffy and Buster had not kept up with them, stopped and turned.
"Hurry up!" called Francine. "She'll be after us any minute!"
"I can't get Buster to run!" cried Muffy.
Arthur, Francine, Binky, and Fern walked back to rejoin Muffy and Buster.
"Let's pick him up and carry him," said Binky.
"Wait, guys," said Fern. "Don't you think if she wanted to catch us, she would have by now?"
They all looked at the open door to Sue Ellen's house. Nobody came out. No sounds were heard.
The kids started to walk down the street away from the house, with Buster slowly and mindlessly following them.
"Did we really see what we thought we saw?" asked Arthur as he cleaned his glasses on his shirt.
"Muffy, what are you gonna do with that thing?" asked Binky, gesturing at the African-looking device she was holding.
"If I can figure out how this works," she answered, "then hopefully I can get out of Muffy's body once and for all."
"What do you mean?" asked Binky, confused.
"Don't you remember when I told you?" Muffy/Brain snapped. "I'm really The Brain."
Binky started to laugh uproariously.
"Cut it out, Binky!" said Arthur. "What if she's telling the truth? I mean, we all just narrowly escaped being abducted by aliens, so isn't it about time to have an open mind?"
Binky stopped laughing. "But she can't be The Brain. Because The Brain is The Brain, right?"
"I don't know how to explain it," said Muffy/Brain. "All I know is, at Sue Ellen's pizza party, Muffy and I were holding this object, and the next morning, I woke up in Muffy's body. And I've been switching between her body and my own body ever since."
"Huh?" said Binky and Arthur.
"It gets even more confusing. I'm traveling in time as well. I wake up one morning as Muffy, then I wake up the next morning as myself, only it's the same day, not the next day. I'm going through every day twice."
"And you think that device will make it stop?" said Fern as she glanced over her shoulder at Sue Ellen's house.
"I hope so," said Muffy/Brain. "I don't know what else to do."
"How do you make it work?" asked Francine.
"I have no idea."
"Why don't you just tell it to do something?" Arthur suggested.
Muffy/Brain stopped and smiled thoughtfully. Lifting the quantum device to her mouth, she spoke into it. "Quantum device, I command you to..."
Her sentence was interrupted by a sudden violent shaking of the earth. The concrete at their feet started to break apart...
(As always, To Be Continued...)
In its place was the most hideous and shocking sight that Arthur, Francine, Buster, Binky, Muffy/Brain, and Fern had ever beheld...
On top of Sue Ellen's torso sat a green and purple mass of writhing tentacles. At its base was a small opening that vaguely resembled a mouth.
It spoke...with Sue Ellen's voice.
"I hope you're pleased with my true appearance. But one way or another, it makes no difference to me."
Once the other kids had recovered their wits sufficiently to stop gawking, Binky broke the silence.
"Oh, I get it. Your dad's assignment is to another planet. Ha ha ha!"
The alien creature that had been Sue Ellen rolled its eyestalks.
"I knew it!" exclaimed Buster proudly. "I knew it all along!"
"What's your purpose here?" asked Arthur nervously. "What do you want? Why have you kept your identity a secret?"
The alien walked forward on Sue Ellen's feet until it was in the midst of the kids. "All your questions, and more, will be answered in time. However, there is something I must ask...or rather, demand...of you in return."
"Which is?" said Francine, still not believing her eyes.
"That you accompany my parents and myself as we leave your planet."
A silence fell over the room, except for the alien's hoarse breathing.
Buster stood and clenched his fists. "No way! Earth is my home!"
"I think you'll find the rest of us share Buster's attitude," said Muffy/Brain.
"As I expected," said the alien. It held up the African figurine. "The object you see in my hand is a device called a quantum cragulator. It has many uses, one of which I will now demonstrate."
The alien raised the device to its mouth and spoke into it. "You will board the spaceship."
Suddenly Buster, who was still standing, unclenched his fists. His eyes glazed over. "I...will...board...the...spaceship," he droned.
The other children gasped upon witnessing Buster's zombie-like behavior...
...but their surprise was not equal to that of the alien, who scanned them with its eyestalks, apparently expecting them to act in the same manner.
The alien turned abruptly to Buster. "You...you ate ALL the popcorn?"
"Affirmative," said Buster robotically.
"Come on, guys!" yelled Francine, leaping to her feet. Before the alien could react, Arthur, Binky, and Francine tackled it, dragging it to the floor. It dropped the quantum device, and Muffy/Brain rushed over and picked it up.
"Buster, come with us!" she shouted into the device.
"I...obey," droned Buster as he started to walk stiffly forward.
Muffy and Fern opened the front door while the alien pushed Francine, Binky, and Arthur aside with unnatural strength. Soon the five children were running through the door, with Buster following slowly behind.
Once she had reached the sidewalk in front of Sue Ellen's house, Muffy/Brain looked back to see Buster slowly descending the steps, his face frozen in an oblivious trance.
"Faster, Buster!" she shouted into the quantum device, but Buster's pace did not quicken. "Zombies," she sighed.
The other kids, seeing that Muffy and Buster had not kept up with them, stopped and turned.
"Hurry up!" called Francine. "She'll be after us any minute!"
"I can't get Buster to run!" cried Muffy.
Arthur, Francine, Binky, and Fern walked back to rejoin Muffy and Buster.
"Let's pick him up and carry him," said Binky.
"Wait, guys," said Fern. "Don't you think if she wanted to catch us, she would have by now?"
They all looked at the open door to Sue Ellen's house. Nobody came out. No sounds were heard.
The kids started to walk down the street away from the house, with Buster slowly and mindlessly following them.
"Did we really see what we thought we saw?" asked Arthur as he cleaned his glasses on his shirt.
"Muffy, what are you gonna do with that thing?" asked Binky, gesturing at the African-looking device she was holding.
"If I can figure out how this works," she answered, "then hopefully I can get out of Muffy's body once and for all."
"What do you mean?" asked Binky, confused.
"Don't you remember when I told you?" Muffy/Brain snapped. "I'm really The Brain."
Binky started to laugh uproariously.
"Cut it out, Binky!" said Arthur. "What if she's telling the truth? I mean, we all just narrowly escaped being abducted by aliens, so isn't it about time to have an open mind?"
Binky stopped laughing. "But she can't be The Brain. Because The Brain is The Brain, right?"
"I don't know how to explain it," said Muffy/Brain. "All I know is, at Sue Ellen's pizza party, Muffy and I were holding this object, and the next morning, I woke up in Muffy's body. And I've been switching between her body and my own body ever since."
"Huh?" said Binky and Arthur.
"It gets even more confusing. I'm traveling in time as well. I wake up one morning as Muffy, then I wake up the next morning as myself, only it's the same day, not the next day. I'm going through every day twice."
"And you think that device will make it stop?" said Fern as she glanced over her shoulder at Sue Ellen's house.
"I hope so," said Muffy/Brain. "I don't know what else to do."
"How do you make it work?" asked Francine.
"I have no idea."
"Why don't you just tell it to do something?" Arthur suggested.
Muffy/Brain stopped and smiled thoughtfully. Lifting the quantum device to her mouth, she spoke into it. "Quantum device, I command you to..."
Her sentence was interrupted by a sudden violent shaking of the earth. The concrete at their feet started to break apart...
(As always, To Be Continued...)