Having arrived at the zoo, the cargo truck pulled to a stop near a fenced area
in which dozens of rhino children wandered aimlessly. The driver and the woman
who rode with him climbed out of the cab and went to open the cargo door.
As they opened it, to their surprise, they saw not seven rhino boys, but the very human Tough Customers.
"What happened to them?" the man wondered aloud.
"They've become human again," said the woman.
"But...how did you do it?" said the man to the human boys.
"Oh, it was easy," said Rattles. "I just wished I was human again, and...poof!"
"Is that so?" said the woman.
"Yeah," said another boy. "Well, the thought of having to eat seventy-five pounds of vegetables every day for the rest of our lives had a lot to do with it, too."
----
"This just in," said the news reporter. "In Elwood City, the mysterious phenomenon known as rhinocerosis is finally under control. Ever since the aggressive campaign by the mayor and city council to notify the citizenry of the dietary and lifestyle changes involved in becoming a rhinoceros, there have been no new reported cases. In addition, the thousands of children who had already become rhinos tired of their diet of vegetables, and started to turn human again. We now go to Wolf Blitzen, who is interviewing one of the first victims of rhinocerosis to return to human form."
The scene on the TV screen shifted to Wolf Blitzen interviewing Rattles.
"I don't believe it!" cried Francine.
"Why does he get all the credit?" Brain protested. "All he did was bully people. I was the one who stood for humanity and civilization while everybody around me turned into animals."
"I'm just glad all of this will be over soon," said Arthur.
On the screen, Rattles basked in his fifteen minutes of fame. "...but even though I had turned into a wild beast, driven by basic instincts, deep down in my heart there was still a spark of humanity, calling to me, beckoning me..."
"Well, who knows?" Francine remarked. "Maybe this experience will make him a better person."
The doorbell rang. Brain rose from the couch and went to answer it.
Standing outside the recently replaced front door of his house were all of his friends who had turned into rhinos--Binky, Sue Ellen, Prunella, George, Jenna, Fern, and Muffy--but were now fully human again.
"Hi, Brain," said Muffy, smiling. "We just got out of the zoo, and we all decided to come visit you and thank you for your valiant efforts to save Elwood City from the scourge of rhinocerosis."
"It was really nothing," said Brain bashfully as the kids filed into his house.
Fern examined the new door as she went by. "Nice door, Brain. Sorry about the old one."
Brain opened the refrigerator door and reached into the produce drawer. "Any of you hungry?" he asked.
"Am I ever," said Binky.
"I'm famished," said Prunella. "I've only eaten twenty pounds today."
Brain pulled two heads of lettuce from the refrigerator. "I've got some nice lettuce."
"Ewww!" the kids cried in unison.
"I never want to taste lettuce again as long as I live!" Sue Ellen exclaimed.
"I never want to smell it again, either," said George.
"All right," said Brain, putting the lettuce away. "We'll have ice cream bars instead."
"Oh, yeah!" said Jenna.
A few minutes later, all the kids were chatting and enjoying ice cream bars in Brain's living room.
"I hope rhinocerosis is one of those things you only get once, like chickenpox," said Muffy.
"I hope so too," said Arthur. "Rhinos destroyed my bedroom once, and that's quite enough."
"Quiet, everybody!" called Brain, who was watching a news reporter on TV.
"We've just had reports that rhinocerosis, which originated in Elwood City but is now under control there, has surfaced in the neighboring city of Springfield."
"D'oh!" said Arthur.
THE END
As they opened it, to their surprise, they saw not seven rhino boys, but the very human Tough Customers.
"What happened to them?" the man wondered aloud.
"They've become human again," said the woman.
"But...how did you do it?" said the man to the human boys.
"Oh, it was easy," said Rattles. "I just wished I was human again, and...poof!"
"Is that so?" said the woman.
"Yeah," said another boy. "Well, the thought of having to eat seventy-five pounds of vegetables every day for the rest of our lives had a lot to do with it, too."
----
"This just in," said the news reporter. "In Elwood City, the mysterious phenomenon known as rhinocerosis is finally under control. Ever since the aggressive campaign by the mayor and city council to notify the citizenry of the dietary and lifestyle changes involved in becoming a rhinoceros, there have been no new reported cases. In addition, the thousands of children who had already become rhinos tired of their diet of vegetables, and started to turn human again. We now go to Wolf Blitzen, who is interviewing one of the first victims of rhinocerosis to return to human form."
The scene on the TV screen shifted to Wolf Blitzen interviewing Rattles.
"I don't believe it!" cried Francine.
"Why does he get all the credit?" Brain protested. "All he did was bully people. I was the one who stood for humanity and civilization while everybody around me turned into animals."
"I'm just glad all of this will be over soon," said Arthur.
On the screen, Rattles basked in his fifteen minutes of fame. "...but even though I had turned into a wild beast, driven by basic instincts, deep down in my heart there was still a spark of humanity, calling to me, beckoning me..."
"Well, who knows?" Francine remarked. "Maybe this experience will make him a better person."
The doorbell rang. Brain rose from the couch and went to answer it.
Standing outside the recently replaced front door of his house were all of his friends who had turned into rhinos--Binky, Sue Ellen, Prunella, George, Jenna, Fern, and Muffy--but were now fully human again.
"Hi, Brain," said Muffy, smiling. "We just got out of the zoo, and we all decided to come visit you and thank you for your valiant efforts to save Elwood City from the scourge of rhinocerosis."
"It was really nothing," said Brain bashfully as the kids filed into his house.
Fern examined the new door as she went by. "Nice door, Brain. Sorry about the old one."
Brain opened the refrigerator door and reached into the produce drawer. "Any of you hungry?" he asked.
"Am I ever," said Binky.
"I'm famished," said Prunella. "I've only eaten twenty pounds today."
Brain pulled two heads of lettuce from the refrigerator. "I've got some nice lettuce."
"Ewww!" the kids cried in unison.
"I never want to taste lettuce again as long as I live!" Sue Ellen exclaimed.
"I never want to smell it again, either," said George.
"All right," said Brain, putting the lettuce away. "We'll have ice cream bars instead."
"Oh, yeah!" said Jenna.
A few minutes later, all the kids were chatting and enjoying ice cream bars in Brain's living room.
"I hope rhinocerosis is one of those things you only get once, like chickenpox," said Muffy.
"I hope so too," said Arthur. "Rhinos destroyed my bedroom once, and that's quite enough."
"Quiet, everybody!" called Brain, who was watching a news reporter on TV.
"We've just had reports that rhinocerosis, which originated in Elwood City but is now under control there, has surfaced in the neighboring city of Springfield."
"D'oh!" said Arthur.
THE END