----
"I was really worried about Francine," said Arthur as Fox Hansom interviewed him. "We all were. It was hard to think about school and homework, let alone the screen test. And my friends were starting to treat me differently, too..."
----
In the center court at Lakewood Elementary, Muffy was sitting on a bench with a morose expression. Arthur saw her while walking by, and sat down next to her.
"Penny for your thoughts," he said kindly.
Muffy didn't answer, but continued to stare into space.
"Nickel?" said Arthur. Muffy still didn't speak.
"Okay, a dollar," Arthur offered. "But that's as high as I'm going."
"Keep your money," Muffy finally said. "I don't need it."
Arthur held his breath, hoping that Muffy would keep talking.
"I miss Francine," she said dolefully.
"So do I," said Arthur. "We all miss her."
"She was my best friend in the whole world," Muffy went on. "If she'd left while I was angry at her, it would've been easier."
Arthur struggled to think of something to say that wouldn't sound trite.
"What good is all my money if I can't help my friends?" Muffy wailed.
Arthur tried to comfort Muffy by putting an arm around her shoulder, but Muffy stood up. "I don't want to be touched right now," she said as she walked away.
Before Arthur had a chance to pull back his arm, Sue Ellen came along and sat down exactly where Muffy had been sitting. As a result, Arthur's arm was now around Sue Ellen's shoulder.
"Hel-lo, Arthur," said Sue Ellen in a sultry voice.
Arthur tried to withdraw his arm, but Sue Ellen leaned her head back to prevent him from doing so.
"I'm so proud of you," she said sweetly. "Fame and fortune at such a young age. The rest of us only dream of it."
"Uh...yeah," said Arthur anxiously. "But I don't have fame and fortune yet. I haven't even passed my screen test. What if I go to Hollywood and mess things up, and they change their minds?"
"A talented boy like you?" said Sue Ellen in a flattering tone. "I don't think so. I may not have a crystal ball like Prunella, but I can tell you're on your way to greatness."
"We'll see," Arthur muttered.
"Would you like to come to my place for dinner tonight? My mom's making daal makhani."
"I'm really sorry, Sue Ellen," said Arthur, "but I'm afraid Jenna got to me first."
Sue Ellen's tone turned to one of disappointment. "Okay. Well, maybe some other time. See you later, Arthur."
As Sue Ellen walked away, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.
In a nearby bench sat Brain, carefully studying a science book. Floyd approached him and sat on the bench next to him.
"You're the one they call The Brain," he said.
"Uh-huh," muttered Brain without lifting his eyes from his book.
"What book are you reading?"
"Quantum Mechanics for Mortals," Brain replied. He raised his head and acknowledged Floyd's presence. "Oh, hi, Floyd."
Brain continued to read for a few seconds, then raised his head again. "Why'd you drop out of the play?"
"Everybody asks me that," said Floyd, exasperated. "I've just decided that acting's not for me, that's all."
"But you're very good at it," said Brain.
"It doesn't matter how good I am," Floyd complained. "Show business is like any other business. It's not what you know, but who you know."
"I've heard that somewhere before," Brain remarked.
"I'd like to get into a field where talent is more important than politics," said Floyd. "Something like...science."
"Admirable," said Brain curtly.
"Do you think you can teach me about quantum...whatever you call it?"
"I can try," said Brain. "It may take a while, though."
"I've got until the end of recess," said Floyd.
Brain placed a bookmark on the current page, and flipped backwards through the book. "Let's start with Schroedinger's Cat. It's an analogy to help amateurs like yourself to understand the basic principles of quantum mechanics."
"Okay," said Floyd.
"Suppose you have a box with a soundproof lid. There's a revolver in the box, and a switch connected to the revolver. You put a cat in the box, and then you put the lid on. If the cat trips the switch, the revolver will go off and the cat will die."
Floyd, a cat boy, started to become squeamish.
"Since the lid is soundproof, the only way to tell if the cat is alive or dead is to remove the lid. Until you do, the cat is in a superposition of quantum states, alive and dead."
Floyd became increasingly uneasy.
"By removing the lid and observing the cat, you force it to adopt one of the quantum states. You may remove the lid and find that the cat is alive, but an observer in a parallel universe may remove the lid and..."
"Uh...that's enough," said Floyd, who was now sweating. "I think I understand now. Thanks."
Floyd wandered out of the school building and into the playground, where he saw Fern sitting on a swing. He approached and sat in the swing next to her. "Hi, Fern," he said.
"Hey, Floyd," Fern responded. "Why'd you drop out of the..."
Floyd put his hand in front of Fern's mouth to silence her.
"Do you think you can teach me how to write poetry?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Brain had closed his science book and was chatting in the center court with Arthur, Buster, and George.
"He asked me to teach him about quantum mechanics," said Brain. "I'm surprised how quickly he picked it up."
"He asked me to teach him how to be a ventriloquist," said George. "I told him to find a professional to teach him. I'm not so good at it myself."
"I think he should stick to acting," Buster commented. "He can act circles around all of us."
"I wonder..." Arthur began.
"What?" said Brain.
"Maybe he's giving up acting because he's upset over losing the Bionic Bunny audition."
"That's just stupid and illogical," said Brain, shaking his head.
At that moment Principal Haney approached the boys.
"Mr. Powers," he said, "I'd like to have a word with you in my office."
"Uh...certainly, Mr. Haney," said Brain.
As Brain walked away with Mr. Haney, Arthur, Buster, and George gave each other surprised glances.
"The Brain got called to the principal's office," said Buster. "Has that ever happened before?"
"You got me," said Arthur.
(to be continued)
"I was really worried about Francine," said Arthur as Fox Hansom interviewed him. "We all were. It was hard to think about school and homework, let alone the screen test. And my friends were starting to treat me differently, too..."
----
In the center court at Lakewood Elementary, Muffy was sitting on a bench with a morose expression. Arthur saw her while walking by, and sat down next to her.
"Penny for your thoughts," he said kindly.
Muffy didn't answer, but continued to stare into space.
"Nickel?" said Arthur. Muffy still didn't speak.
"Okay, a dollar," Arthur offered. "But that's as high as I'm going."
"Keep your money," Muffy finally said. "I don't need it."
Arthur held his breath, hoping that Muffy would keep talking.
"I miss Francine," she said dolefully.
"So do I," said Arthur. "We all miss her."
"She was my best friend in the whole world," Muffy went on. "If she'd left while I was angry at her, it would've been easier."
Arthur struggled to think of something to say that wouldn't sound trite.
"What good is all my money if I can't help my friends?" Muffy wailed.
Arthur tried to comfort Muffy by putting an arm around her shoulder, but Muffy stood up. "I don't want to be touched right now," she said as she walked away.
Before Arthur had a chance to pull back his arm, Sue Ellen came along and sat down exactly where Muffy had been sitting. As a result, Arthur's arm was now around Sue Ellen's shoulder.
"Hel-lo, Arthur," said Sue Ellen in a sultry voice.
Arthur tried to withdraw his arm, but Sue Ellen leaned her head back to prevent him from doing so.
"I'm so proud of you," she said sweetly. "Fame and fortune at such a young age. The rest of us only dream of it."
"Uh...yeah," said Arthur anxiously. "But I don't have fame and fortune yet. I haven't even passed my screen test. What if I go to Hollywood and mess things up, and they change their minds?"
"A talented boy like you?" said Sue Ellen in a flattering tone. "I don't think so. I may not have a crystal ball like Prunella, but I can tell you're on your way to greatness."
"We'll see," Arthur muttered.
"Would you like to come to my place for dinner tonight? My mom's making daal makhani."
"I'm really sorry, Sue Ellen," said Arthur, "but I'm afraid Jenna got to me first."
Sue Ellen's tone turned to one of disappointment. "Okay. Well, maybe some other time. See you later, Arthur."
As Sue Ellen walked away, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.
In a nearby bench sat Brain, carefully studying a science book. Floyd approached him and sat on the bench next to him.
"You're the one they call The Brain," he said.
"Uh-huh," muttered Brain without lifting his eyes from his book.
"What book are you reading?"
"Quantum Mechanics for Mortals," Brain replied. He raised his head and acknowledged Floyd's presence. "Oh, hi, Floyd."
Brain continued to read for a few seconds, then raised his head again. "Why'd you drop out of the play?"
"Everybody asks me that," said Floyd, exasperated. "I've just decided that acting's not for me, that's all."
"But you're very good at it," said Brain.
"It doesn't matter how good I am," Floyd complained. "Show business is like any other business. It's not what you know, but who you know."
"I've heard that somewhere before," Brain remarked.
"I'd like to get into a field where talent is more important than politics," said Floyd. "Something like...science."
"Admirable," said Brain curtly.
"Do you think you can teach me about quantum...whatever you call it?"
"I can try," said Brain. "It may take a while, though."
"I've got until the end of recess," said Floyd.
Brain placed a bookmark on the current page, and flipped backwards through the book. "Let's start with Schroedinger's Cat. It's an analogy to help amateurs like yourself to understand the basic principles of quantum mechanics."
"Okay," said Floyd.
"Suppose you have a box with a soundproof lid. There's a revolver in the box, and a switch connected to the revolver. You put a cat in the box, and then you put the lid on. If the cat trips the switch, the revolver will go off and the cat will die."
Floyd, a cat boy, started to become squeamish.
"Since the lid is soundproof, the only way to tell if the cat is alive or dead is to remove the lid. Until you do, the cat is in a superposition of quantum states, alive and dead."
Floyd became increasingly uneasy.
"By removing the lid and observing the cat, you force it to adopt one of the quantum states. You may remove the lid and find that the cat is alive, but an observer in a parallel universe may remove the lid and..."
"Uh...that's enough," said Floyd, who was now sweating. "I think I understand now. Thanks."
Floyd wandered out of the school building and into the playground, where he saw Fern sitting on a swing. He approached and sat in the swing next to her. "Hi, Fern," he said.
"Hey, Floyd," Fern responded. "Why'd you drop out of the..."
Floyd put his hand in front of Fern's mouth to silence her.
"Do you think you can teach me how to write poetry?" he asked.
Meanwhile, Brain had closed his science book and was chatting in the center court with Arthur, Buster, and George.
"He asked me to teach him about quantum mechanics," said Brain. "I'm surprised how quickly he picked it up."
"He asked me to teach him how to be a ventriloquist," said George. "I told him to find a professional to teach him. I'm not so good at it myself."
"I think he should stick to acting," Buster commented. "He can act circles around all of us."
"I wonder..." Arthur began.
"What?" said Brain.
"Maybe he's giving up acting because he's upset over losing the Bionic Bunny audition."
"That's just stupid and illogical," said Brain, shaking his head.
At that moment Principal Haney approached the boys.
"Mr. Powers," he said, "I'd like to have a word with you in my office."
"Uh...certainly, Mr. Haney," said Brain.
As Brain walked away with Mr. Haney, Arthur, Buster, and George gave each other surprised glances.
"The Brain got called to the principal's office," said Buster. "Has that ever happened before?"
"You got me," said Arthur.
(to be continued)
