The six kids stood in front of S'more Books and examined the poster in stunned
disbelief.
"I don't get it," said Francine. "When did Arthur and D.W. become famous?"
"The aliens must've brought us here so we could entertain them," said Buster.
"They'll sure be disappointed when they find Arthur lying dead in the back of a truck," said Muffy.
Brain glared at her. "We don't know if Arthur's really dead, Muffy."
Fern pushed open the door to the children's bookstore. "The rest of you can do whatever you want, but I'm going to find some answers."
The other kids followed her into the store, where they immediately became the center of attention.
"Mommy, look!" said a six-year-old girl to her mother. "It's Francine! And Buster! And Muffy! And..."
Before long, all of the "alien" kids in the store came running toward Buster, Francine, Muffy, Brain, Binky, and Fern. Within moments the sextet were surrounded by a mob of more than twenty children who were shouting, smiling, and calling them by their correct names (in most cases).
"Are those ears real?" asked a seven-year-old boy before he grabbed one of Buster's ears and tried to yank it off.
"Ouch!" cried Buster painfully. "Yeah, they're real!"
"Hey, Brain," said a smiling eight-year-old blond girl, "will you do my math homework for me?"
"Uh...sure," said Brain, thinking the girl was rather cute.
"What's your nose made of?" asked a six-year-old boy as he tried to pull off Fern's nose.
"These kids will tear us to pieces!" cried Muffy as she fended off a girl who was pulling on one of her braids. "Francine, do something!"
"Brain, do something!" Francine said desperately to Brain.
Brain swatted away a little boy who was tugging at his shirt, thought for a moment, and then said, "Binky, do something!"
Binky raised a fist at the unruly children. "All right, you doofuses, back off or I'll clobber you!"
His posturing only caused the children to laugh uproariously.
At that moment a store clerk came toward them and started to push the children aside. "Kids, kids!" she exclaimed. "Give them room to breathe!"
The children stepped back and formed a circle around the Elwood kids, gaping at them in awe.
"Would you mind telling me who you are?" asked the clerk, who wore a light red blouse and a nametag that said "Thea".
"Uh, I'm Francine Frensky," replied Francine, "and this is Muffy Crosswire..."
"Very funny," said Thea seriously. "Do you work for the new theme park?"
"What new theme park?" asked Buster.
The clerk pointed to a nearby book stand, to the top of which was attached another brightly colored poster with Arthur's face on it.
"Huh?" said the six kids together. They hurried over to the book stand and began to read the words on the poster.
"Join Arthur and his friends in Orlando's newest theme park, Elwood City 3D!" said the amazed Brain.
"It's the best theme park ever," said the blond girl who had asked him for math assistance. "It opens next week. I'm gonna be first in line."
"No, you're not. I am," said the boy who had tried to pull off Fern's nose.
Fern was still rubbing her nose when she picked up a book from the stand. To her surprise, the title was ARTHUR'S VALENTINE. She started to leaf through the pages.
"This is very strange," said Brain when he glanced at the book. "It's as if we've entered a world where we're regarded as fictional characters."
"But you ARE fictional!" exclaimed the boy who had yanked Buster's ear.
"No, we're not," said Francine, glowering at him. "We're just as real as you."
In the meantime, Muffy perused the titles on a nearby shelf and pulled out a book called ARTHUR AND THE TRUE FRANCINE. "Hey, Francine," she called, "this one's about you."
As Francine went to Muffy's side, Fern closed the book she had been skimming. "I don't have any lines in this book," she told Brain. "And the cat girl doesn't look like Sue Ellen at all." She replaced the book on the stand.
"Omigosh!" cried Muffy, disgusted. "That's not me! Look at those horrible buck teeth!"
"And what on Earth happened to Arthur's nose?" Francine added. "He looks like an aardvark."
"What's Prunella doing in our class?" asked Buster as he examined yet another book.
"Am I really that stupid?" asked Binky, who held the book ARTHUR'S APRIL FOOL in his hands.
Muffy glanced over at the cashier's counter and noticed that Brain was talking to someone on the telephone. "Tell me how it ends," she said, handing her book to Francine.
"Sorry about that. Goodbye," said Brain. As he put down the receiver, he noticed Muffy approaching him.
"You've got the right idea, as usual," she said to him. "Since my cell phone's not working, I'll just use a landline."
"You won't get through," said Brain with a hint of sadness. "I just called my parents' number. Somebody else is living there."
Muffy's jaw dropped. "You mean..."
"Our parents don't exist," Brain continued. "Elwood City doesn't exist. It's all a fictional creation."
"But...but..." Muffy's voice was tinged with panic. "We're real, aren't we, Brain?"
"I can see you." Brain put a hand on Muffy's shoulder. "I can feel you. The kids in the store can see us and feel us. So we must be real."
Muffy's eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm scared, Alan. What if whoever brought us here...whoever killed Arthur...is still after us?"
Brain lowered his head and put his hands in his pockets. "I'm scared, too," he said quietly.
(To be continued...)
"I don't get it," said Francine. "When did Arthur and D.W. become famous?"
"The aliens must've brought us here so we could entertain them," said Buster.
"They'll sure be disappointed when they find Arthur lying dead in the back of a truck," said Muffy.
Brain glared at her. "We don't know if Arthur's really dead, Muffy."
Fern pushed open the door to the children's bookstore. "The rest of you can do whatever you want, but I'm going to find some answers."
The other kids followed her into the store, where they immediately became the center of attention.
"Mommy, look!" said a six-year-old girl to her mother. "It's Francine! And Buster! And Muffy! And..."
Before long, all of the "alien" kids in the store came running toward Buster, Francine, Muffy, Brain, Binky, and Fern. Within moments the sextet were surrounded by a mob of more than twenty children who were shouting, smiling, and calling them by their correct names (in most cases).
"Are those ears real?" asked a seven-year-old boy before he grabbed one of Buster's ears and tried to yank it off.
"Ouch!" cried Buster painfully. "Yeah, they're real!"
"Hey, Brain," said a smiling eight-year-old blond girl, "will you do my math homework for me?"
"Uh...sure," said Brain, thinking the girl was rather cute.
"What's your nose made of?" asked a six-year-old boy as he tried to pull off Fern's nose.
"These kids will tear us to pieces!" cried Muffy as she fended off a girl who was pulling on one of her braids. "Francine, do something!"
"Brain, do something!" Francine said desperately to Brain.
Brain swatted away a little boy who was tugging at his shirt, thought for a moment, and then said, "Binky, do something!"
Binky raised a fist at the unruly children. "All right, you doofuses, back off or I'll clobber you!"
His posturing only caused the children to laugh uproariously.
At that moment a store clerk came toward them and started to push the children aside. "Kids, kids!" she exclaimed. "Give them room to breathe!"
The children stepped back and formed a circle around the Elwood kids, gaping at them in awe.
"Would you mind telling me who you are?" asked the clerk, who wore a light red blouse and a nametag that said "Thea".
"Uh, I'm Francine Frensky," replied Francine, "and this is Muffy Crosswire..."
"Very funny," said Thea seriously. "Do you work for the new theme park?"
"What new theme park?" asked Buster.
The clerk pointed to a nearby book stand, to the top of which was attached another brightly colored poster with Arthur's face on it.
"Huh?" said the six kids together. They hurried over to the book stand and began to read the words on the poster.
"Join Arthur and his friends in Orlando's newest theme park, Elwood City 3D!" said the amazed Brain.
"It's the best theme park ever," said the blond girl who had asked him for math assistance. "It opens next week. I'm gonna be first in line."
"No, you're not. I am," said the boy who had tried to pull off Fern's nose.
Fern was still rubbing her nose when she picked up a book from the stand. To her surprise, the title was ARTHUR'S VALENTINE. She started to leaf through the pages.
"This is very strange," said Brain when he glanced at the book. "It's as if we've entered a world where we're regarded as fictional characters."
"But you ARE fictional!" exclaimed the boy who had yanked Buster's ear.
"No, we're not," said Francine, glowering at him. "We're just as real as you."
In the meantime, Muffy perused the titles on a nearby shelf and pulled out a book called ARTHUR AND THE TRUE FRANCINE. "Hey, Francine," she called, "this one's about you."
As Francine went to Muffy's side, Fern closed the book she had been skimming. "I don't have any lines in this book," she told Brain. "And the cat girl doesn't look like Sue Ellen at all." She replaced the book on the stand.
"Omigosh!" cried Muffy, disgusted. "That's not me! Look at those horrible buck teeth!"
"And what on Earth happened to Arthur's nose?" Francine added. "He looks like an aardvark."
"What's Prunella doing in our class?" asked Buster as he examined yet another book.
"Am I really that stupid?" asked Binky, who held the book ARTHUR'S APRIL FOOL in his hands.
Muffy glanced over at the cashier's counter and noticed that Brain was talking to someone on the telephone. "Tell me how it ends," she said, handing her book to Francine.
"Sorry about that. Goodbye," said Brain. As he put down the receiver, he noticed Muffy approaching him.
"You've got the right idea, as usual," she said to him. "Since my cell phone's not working, I'll just use a landline."
"You won't get through," said Brain with a hint of sadness. "I just called my parents' number. Somebody else is living there."
Muffy's jaw dropped. "You mean..."
"Our parents don't exist," Brain continued. "Elwood City doesn't exist. It's all a fictional creation."
"But...but..." Muffy's voice was tinged with panic. "We're real, aren't we, Brain?"
"I can see you." Brain put a hand on Muffy's shoulder. "I can feel you. The kids in the store can see us and feel us. So we must be real."
Muffy's eyes brimmed with tears. "I'm scared, Alan. What if whoever brought us here...whoever killed Arthur...is still after us?"
Brain lowered his head and put his hands in his pockets. "I'm scared, too," he said quietly.
(To be continued...)