"DEAD?" cried Francine, Buster, Muffy, Binky, and Brain in disbelief.
"He...he was stiff," said Fern fearfully. "He wasn't breathing."
"The truck's leaving!" shouted Muffy, pointing.
The kids turned their heads. The traffic signal had changed, and the truck, its cargo door still open, had started to roll down the street.
"Follow it!" exclaimed Francine. "We've gotta get Arthur back!"
Soon all six of them were racing down the middle of the street as fast as they could, with Francine in the lead. The truck, however, was too fast. It sailed through a green traffic light and was soon far out of their reach.
The kids slowed down and stopped, breathing heavily. Before they had a chance to talk to each other, they heard a honking noise directly behind them. They turned and saw an angry-looking man (or what appeared to be a man), sticking his head out of the window of his light blue Honda.
"What is this, a parade?" he shouted. "Get out of the street!"
The children scrambled toward the sidewalk. The man pulled his head back into his car and drove down the street, followed by other impatient motorists who had the same unusual sort of appearance.
Passing pedestrians gawked in wonder at the six kids as they stood on the sidewalk, discussing what they had just experienced.
"What on Earth is this place?" said Francine, glancing around. The store fronts had large signs in front of them: Kentucky Fried Chicken, Walgreen's 24-Hour Pharmacy, True Believer Comic Books, Blockbuster Video, Luigi's Italian Bistro.
"I don't think this is Earth," reflected Buster as he moved his eyes up and down the street.
"I suppose you think we've been abducted by aliens," Brain snapped at him.
"It sure looks that way," Buster went on. "I mean, look at these people. They're not like us. They all look the same. They must be clones."
"Maybe Buster's right," said Binky as he examined a nearby group of chatting girls. "I've never seen noses like that on an Earth creature before."
"I have," said Francine, folding her arms. "Jenna Morgan."
"This can't be another planet," Brain observed. "All the signs are in English. Aliens wouldn't know our language."
"Maybe it's another country," Fern suggested. "One that speaks English. I wonder if Sue Ellen's been here."
"It must be the country of the color-blind people," said Muffy indignantly. "Look at those pale, washed-out colors. Vomitrocious!"
"Are...are you sure Arthur's dead?" Binky asked Fern.
"I've read all of Sherlock Holmes' mysteries," Fern replied. "I think I can tell when somebody's dead."
"Did he smell bad?" asked Brain.
"Uh...no," said Fern. "But maybe he was embalmed."
"Maybe he was in suspended animation," Buster suggested.
At that moment a red-haired woman with a nametag pinned to her dress came out through the door of Margaret's Fashions, the store in front of which the kids were standing.
"Excuse me, kids," she said in a friendly voice, "but I think you're in front of the wrong store."
The six kids looked at her quizzically. On her nametag was written, "Margaret Reznicek, Margaret's Fashions."
"Pardon me, ma'am," said Brain formally, "but which store do you think we should be in front of?"
Margaret Reznicek fingered her chin briefly. "Well, you are advertising for S'more Books, aren't you?"
"What books?" Binky asked, puzzled.
Margaret pointed toward the end of the block. While Muffy admired the many rings on the woman's fingers, the other kids noticed that one of the last shops on the block bore a sign that said, S'MORE BOOKS.
"The children's bookstore," said Margaret. "Why else would you be standing around in costumes on a hot day like this?"
"We're not wearing costumes," said the surprised Fern.
"Right," said Margaret incredulously. "Well, I hope you sell a lot of books."
As she stepped back into the fashion store, Muffy cleared her throat.
"Just a minute, Margaret. I have a piece of advice for you. You'll sell a lot more clothing if you don't bleach everything before you put it on display."
"Bleach...?" Margaret had no idea what Muffy was saying.
"People are attracted to brightly colored garments like moths to a flame," Muffy continued.
"Uh...thank you," said Margaret, still bewildered.
"No charge," said Muffy as Margaret disappeared into the store.
"That was weird," Fern remarked. "Why did she think we were wearing costumes?"
"That should be obvious," said Buster. "To them, we're the aliens."
"What do we do now?" asked Muffy, waving her hands. "We're completely lost, Arthur's dead, and worst of all, so is my cell phone."
"I think we should go to the police," said Brain. "I memorized that truck's plate number, so they should be able to track it down. I don't want to give up on Arthur as long as there's a chance he's still alive."
"Look, guys!" said Francine, pointing. "I see a police car!"
The other kids turned their heads. Two blocks away, a police officer had left his car at the curb and was walking into a donut shop.
"Let's go!" said Brain, and the six children started to run in the direction of the police car, past a dozen or so stupefied, blinking pedestrians.
On the way they passed by S'more Books, the children's bookstore, which stood on the other side of the street.
Suddenly Binky stopped. "What the..."
Fern stopped as well. She pointed across the street. "Look at that!"
All the kids froze. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
In the window of S'more Books was a huge, brightly colored poster featuring smiling, costumed caricatures of Arthur and D.W.
(To be continued...)
"He...he was stiff," said Fern fearfully. "He wasn't breathing."
"The truck's leaving!" shouted Muffy, pointing.
The kids turned their heads. The traffic signal had changed, and the truck, its cargo door still open, had started to roll down the street.
"Follow it!" exclaimed Francine. "We've gotta get Arthur back!"
Soon all six of them were racing down the middle of the street as fast as they could, with Francine in the lead. The truck, however, was too fast. It sailed through a green traffic light and was soon far out of their reach.
The kids slowed down and stopped, breathing heavily. Before they had a chance to talk to each other, they heard a honking noise directly behind them. They turned and saw an angry-looking man (or what appeared to be a man), sticking his head out of the window of his light blue Honda.
"What is this, a parade?" he shouted. "Get out of the street!"
The children scrambled toward the sidewalk. The man pulled his head back into his car and drove down the street, followed by other impatient motorists who had the same unusual sort of appearance.
Passing pedestrians gawked in wonder at the six kids as they stood on the sidewalk, discussing what they had just experienced.
"What on Earth is this place?" said Francine, glancing around. The store fronts had large signs in front of them: Kentucky Fried Chicken, Walgreen's 24-Hour Pharmacy, True Believer Comic Books, Blockbuster Video, Luigi's Italian Bistro.
"I don't think this is Earth," reflected Buster as he moved his eyes up and down the street.
"I suppose you think we've been abducted by aliens," Brain snapped at him.
"It sure looks that way," Buster went on. "I mean, look at these people. They're not like us. They all look the same. They must be clones."
"Maybe Buster's right," said Binky as he examined a nearby group of chatting girls. "I've never seen noses like that on an Earth creature before."
"I have," said Francine, folding her arms. "Jenna Morgan."
"This can't be another planet," Brain observed. "All the signs are in English. Aliens wouldn't know our language."
"Maybe it's another country," Fern suggested. "One that speaks English. I wonder if Sue Ellen's been here."
"It must be the country of the color-blind people," said Muffy indignantly. "Look at those pale, washed-out colors. Vomitrocious!"
"Are...are you sure Arthur's dead?" Binky asked Fern.
"I've read all of Sherlock Holmes' mysteries," Fern replied. "I think I can tell when somebody's dead."
"Did he smell bad?" asked Brain.
"Uh...no," said Fern. "But maybe he was embalmed."
"Maybe he was in suspended animation," Buster suggested.
At that moment a red-haired woman with a nametag pinned to her dress came out through the door of Margaret's Fashions, the store in front of which the kids were standing.
"Excuse me, kids," she said in a friendly voice, "but I think you're in front of the wrong store."
The six kids looked at her quizzically. On her nametag was written, "Margaret Reznicek, Margaret's Fashions."
"Pardon me, ma'am," said Brain formally, "but which store do you think we should be in front of?"
Margaret Reznicek fingered her chin briefly. "Well, you are advertising for S'more Books, aren't you?"
"What books?" Binky asked, puzzled.
Margaret pointed toward the end of the block. While Muffy admired the many rings on the woman's fingers, the other kids noticed that one of the last shops on the block bore a sign that said, S'MORE BOOKS.
"The children's bookstore," said Margaret. "Why else would you be standing around in costumes on a hot day like this?"
"We're not wearing costumes," said the surprised Fern.
"Right," said Margaret incredulously. "Well, I hope you sell a lot of books."
As she stepped back into the fashion store, Muffy cleared her throat.
"Just a minute, Margaret. I have a piece of advice for you. You'll sell a lot more clothing if you don't bleach everything before you put it on display."
"Bleach...?" Margaret had no idea what Muffy was saying.
"People are attracted to brightly colored garments like moths to a flame," Muffy continued.
"Uh...thank you," said Margaret, still bewildered.
"No charge," said Muffy as Margaret disappeared into the store.
"That was weird," Fern remarked. "Why did she think we were wearing costumes?"
"That should be obvious," said Buster. "To them, we're the aliens."
"What do we do now?" asked Muffy, waving her hands. "We're completely lost, Arthur's dead, and worst of all, so is my cell phone."
"I think we should go to the police," said Brain. "I memorized that truck's plate number, so they should be able to track it down. I don't want to give up on Arthur as long as there's a chance he's still alive."
"Look, guys!" said Francine, pointing. "I see a police car!"
The other kids turned their heads. Two blocks away, a police officer had left his car at the curb and was walking into a donut shop.
"Let's go!" said Brain, and the six children started to run in the direction of the police car, past a dozen or so stupefied, blinking pedestrians.
On the way they passed by S'more Books, the children's bookstore, which stood on the other side of the street.
Suddenly Binky stopped. "What the..."
Fern stopped as well. She pointed across the street. "Look at that!"
All the kids froze. They couldn't believe what they were seeing.
In the window of S'more Books was a huge, brightly colored poster featuring smiling, costumed caricatures of Arthur and D.W.
(To be continued...)