The kids jumped to their feet with surprise and delight upon hearing that
Arthur was at the door.
"He's alive!" cried Fern, wringing her hands anxiously. "Arthur's alive!"
"Why should he be otherwise?" asked Ms. Tarski as she took her daughter's place at the peephole.
The relieved kids, including Brain, raced to the front door. "What are you waiting for?" asked Muffy. "Let him in!"
Bella's mother unlocked and opened the door, and the Elwood kids saw that it was indeed true...their friend Arthur stood in the doorway, a friendly smile on his face.
Muffy was the first to reach him. "Oh, Arthur, I was so worried!" she cried, embracing him. "I thought you were dead!"
"Hi, Muffy," said Arthur emotionlessly. His warm expression didn't change.
"You gave us quite a scare," said Brain cheerfully.
"What happened to you?" asked Fern. "The last time I saw you, you were stiff and lifeless."
"How did you know where to find us?" Buster asked him.
Arthur took a few steps into the apartment. "I'll explain everything later," he said flatly. "Right now, I need you to come with me. I found a way to get us back home."
The kids cheered. "What are we waiting for?" said Binky, clapping his hands with joy.
Brain turned to Bella and smiled. "Thanks for everything. You've been very kind, but now it's time for us to go home."
Bella looked downcast. "I knew it was too good to last." She looked eagerly at her mother. "Mom, can I go with them? Just to say goodbye."
"All right," said Ms. Tarski with a hint of worry. "But stay where it's well-lighted, and don't cross the street."
"Well, come on, guys," said Arthur, turning to leave the apartment. The other kids filed out and started to follow the aardvark down the hall.
"Finally," said Buster cheerily, "we can get off this weird brain-freeze planet."
"I'll miss you, Alan," said Bella glumly.
"I'll miss you too," Brain responded.
"Ooh, did you hear that?" Francine said to the others. "She called him Alan."
"I think Brain's fallen in love with an alien woman," Fern remarked.
Arthur led Bella, Brain, Buster, Muffy, Francine, Binky, and Fern through the back entrance of the apartment building. They found themselves in a small parking lot where about a dozen cars were lined up. A garbage dumpster stood nearby, and a lamppost provided a barely adequate amount of light.
Arthur stopped in his tracks, and the other kids stood behind him. They noticed that a small truck was sitting in the lot, its cargo door open.
"So," said Francine, "where to now, Arthur?"
The boy didn't move, but continued to grin vacuously.
In an instant, before they knew what was happening, six or seven black-clad adults strolled out of the shadows and surrounded the group of kids.
"It's a trap!" cried Buster. He turned around and tried to go back into the apartment building, only to find the entrance blocked by a dark-haired, determined-looking man.
The kids' expressions of hope turned to fear as the strangers formed a tighter circle around them. Muffy noticed that each one of them possessed a strange-looking handheld electronic device. "What are those things?" she asked aloud.
"Stay calm," one of the women said reassuringly. "Don't be afraid. We only want to help you."
"You must come with us," said a man next to her. "It's for your own safety. You won't be harmed."
As the strangers drew closer and pointed their electronic gadgets at the kids, Binky turned to the still-smiling Arthur and glowered threateningly at him.
"You traitor!" he bellowed. "You sold us out!"
Before the other kids could stop him, the furious Binky reared back a fist, let it fly...
...and quite literally punched Arthur's face off.
The kids gasped in horror at the sight.
The broken fragments of Arthur's face and glasses fell to the concrete, making a metallic clattering sound.
Arthur reached up and touched the place where his face had been...
...where there was now nothing but wires, blinking lights, and circuit boards...
(To be continued...)
"He's alive!" cried Fern, wringing her hands anxiously. "Arthur's alive!"
"Why should he be otherwise?" asked Ms. Tarski as she took her daughter's place at the peephole.
The relieved kids, including Brain, raced to the front door. "What are you waiting for?" asked Muffy. "Let him in!"
Bella's mother unlocked and opened the door, and the Elwood kids saw that it was indeed true...their friend Arthur stood in the doorway, a friendly smile on his face.
Muffy was the first to reach him. "Oh, Arthur, I was so worried!" she cried, embracing him. "I thought you were dead!"
"Hi, Muffy," said Arthur emotionlessly. His warm expression didn't change.
"You gave us quite a scare," said Brain cheerfully.
"What happened to you?" asked Fern. "The last time I saw you, you were stiff and lifeless."
"How did you know where to find us?" Buster asked him.
Arthur took a few steps into the apartment. "I'll explain everything later," he said flatly. "Right now, I need you to come with me. I found a way to get us back home."
The kids cheered. "What are we waiting for?" said Binky, clapping his hands with joy.
Brain turned to Bella and smiled. "Thanks for everything. You've been very kind, but now it's time for us to go home."
Bella looked downcast. "I knew it was too good to last." She looked eagerly at her mother. "Mom, can I go with them? Just to say goodbye."
"All right," said Ms. Tarski with a hint of worry. "But stay where it's well-lighted, and don't cross the street."
"Well, come on, guys," said Arthur, turning to leave the apartment. The other kids filed out and started to follow the aardvark down the hall.
"Finally," said Buster cheerily, "we can get off this weird brain-freeze planet."
"I'll miss you, Alan," said Bella glumly.
"I'll miss you too," Brain responded.
"Ooh, did you hear that?" Francine said to the others. "She called him Alan."
"I think Brain's fallen in love with an alien woman," Fern remarked.
Arthur led Bella, Brain, Buster, Muffy, Francine, Binky, and Fern through the back entrance of the apartment building. They found themselves in a small parking lot where about a dozen cars were lined up. A garbage dumpster stood nearby, and a lamppost provided a barely adequate amount of light.
Arthur stopped in his tracks, and the other kids stood behind him. They noticed that a small truck was sitting in the lot, its cargo door open.
"So," said Francine, "where to now, Arthur?"
The boy didn't move, but continued to grin vacuously.
In an instant, before they knew what was happening, six or seven black-clad adults strolled out of the shadows and surrounded the group of kids.
"It's a trap!" cried Buster. He turned around and tried to go back into the apartment building, only to find the entrance blocked by a dark-haired, determined-looking man.
The kids' expressions of hope turned to fear as the strangers formed a tighter circle around them. Muffy noticed that each one of them possessed a strange-looking handheld electronic device. "What are those things?" she asked aloud.
"Stay calm," one of the women said reassuringly. "Don't be afraid. We only want to help you."
"You must come with us," said a man next to her. "It's for your own safety. You won't be harmed."
As the strangers drew closer and pointed their electronic gadgets at the kids, Binky turned to the still-smiling Arthur and glowered threateningly at him.
"You traitor!" he bellowed. "You sold us out!"
Before the other kids could stop him, the furious Binky reared back a fist, let it fly...
...and quite literally punched Arthur's face off.
The kids gasped in horror at the sight.
The broken fragments of Arthur's face and glasses fell to the concrete, making a metallic clattering sound.
Arthur reached up and touched the place where his face had been...
...where there was now nothing but wires, blinking lights, and circuit boards...
(To be continued...)