"Mrs. Baxter, the only thing I can say with any certainly is that your son
won't die," said Dr. Barrett, a parrot man. "Of course, that's because he's
already dead."
Bitzi stared at the doctor unbelievingly. Buster, his shirtless chest as starch-white as his face and ears, sat on the edge of the examination table, intrigued by the seemingly grim diagnosis. "Cool," he mused. "I'm a zombie."
"His vital functions have ceased," Dr. Barrett continued to explain. "All the blood has disappeared from his veins. I can only guess that some supernatural force is animating his body and preventing it from decomposing."
Bizi shook her head. "There must be a scientific explanation, Doctor. There must be something you can do to help him."
"This is beyond anything I've ever encountered," said Dr. Barrett. "I'm going to call in some specialists from the Mayo Clinic to have a look at him."
"Mmmm...mayo," said Buster thoughtfully.
"What do I do in the meantime?" asked Bitzi, her voice quivering.
"First of all, keep him warm," the doctor recommended. "Without any internally generated body heat, he's at risk of hypothermia. Second, his digestive system isn't functioning, so don't let him eat or drink anything."
"But I'll starve to death!" cried the alarmed Buster.
Dr. Barret smiled at Buster. "No, you won't. Like I said before, you're dead already."
"But I have to eat something," Buster insisted. "Even the zombies in the movies eat brains."
"You're not a zombie," the doctor told him. "Zombies aren't real. So don't get any ideas, okay?"
Buster's face fell. "Come to think of it," he said glumly, "I'm not even hungry or thirsty."
"What about school?" Bitzi asked the doctor.
"His mental faculties seem to be intact," replied Dr. Barrett, "and his condition isn't contagious, as far as I can tell."
Buster's skeletal face lit up. "I wanna go to school, Mom. I want to show all my friends."
"I see no reason why he shouldn't go," said the doctor.
----
"See? No pulse," gloated Buster as Arthur pressed two fingers to his clammy wrist. "I'm a living dead bunny."
Arthur pulled his hand away and shook his head in astonishment. "That is so weird. How did it happen?"
"I don't know," replied Buster, who seemed gleeful about his ignorance. In spite of the fact that it was a warm day, he was wearing a winter coat and hat.
"Hey, wait a minute," said Binky, who stood next to Arthur. "I've seen movies about zombies who run people down and suck out their brains."
"Well, you don't have much to worry about," quipped Francine.
But Binky's anxiety only increased. "Uh, that's cool, Buster, but I gotta go." As he hastened away, Muffy and Brain passed by on their way to Mr. Ratburn's classroom.
"Omigosh, look at Buster!" Muffy blurted out. "He looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks!"
"Or hasn't eaten anything but junk food for weeks," Brain added. He and Muffy joined Arthur and Francine in gaping at Buster's pale, sunken face.
"You'd better be careful, Brain," Francine warned the boy. "Buster's a zombie now. If he gets hungry, you're the first one he'll come after."
"I don't eat brains," insisted the annoyed Buster.
"If Buster is truly a zombie," said Brain, touching the rabbit boy's wrist to obtain his own confirmation, "then someone must have put a voodoo curse on him. Voodoo has its origins in Haiti and is commonly practiced on the Caribbean islands."
"Interesting," said Muffy suspiciously. "And who do we know who's been to the Caribbean islands?" Arthur, Francine, and Brain all narrowed their eyes at her. "And, uh, was old enough to remember it," she continued sheepishly.
At that moment Sue Ellen strolled up and joined the group. "Hey, guys. What's wrong with Buster?"
"He's a zombie," Arthur informed her.
"I didn't do it," claimed Sue Ellen, and then she walked away.
Francine watched her disappear behind a corner. "Why would she want to turn Buster into a zombie?" she wondered aloud.
"Maybe she's still sore at him for thinking she was an alien," Muffy theorized.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," said Brain.
"But she's been all over the world," Muffy insisted. "I'll bet she picked up all kinds of magical stuff."
"Hold it, Muffy," Arthur chimed in. "Don't we know someone else who collects magical stuff?"
Suddenly Prunella walked up to the group. "Hey, guys. What's wrong with Buster?"
"He's a zombie," Arthur answered.
"I didn't do it," claimed Prunella, and then she walked away.
"It's scary how everything is timed so well around here," Brain remarked.
"You've got to be kidding me," Francine protested. "Prunella's just a two-bit fortune-teller. She can't turn people into zombies."
"Maybe she can't," Muffy responded, "but what about her sister?"
"Hey, who cares who did it?" Buster interjected. "Being a zombie is cool."
----
A short time later, the first period began in Mr. Ratburn's classroom. The normal assignment of desks had been abandoned, as Binky, Fern, George, Jenna, and all the students who didn't talk much took seats as far away from Buster as they could manage. Brain and Muffy took seats on opposite sides of the zombie rabbit boy, seemingly unconcerned about his transformation.
"You need new clothes to go with your new look," Muffy half-whispered to Buster. "I'm thinking something gothic with holes in it."
"Before we get started," said Mr. Ratburn to the class, "perhaps you can explain to me why half of you are not sitting at your normal desks."
An uncomfortable silence filled the room.
George raised his hand timidly. "Uh, in case you haven't noticed, Mr. Ratburn, Buster's been turned into a zombie."
"I have noticed that, George," replied Ratburn, glancing briefly at Buster. "So why is that a problem?"
"Haven't you seen any zombie movies?" Binky interrupted. "If a zombie catches you, it sucks out your brains, and then you turn into a zombie."
"You can't believe everything you see in movies," Ratburn informed him.
Jenna grinned. "Hey, I know. You gave him too much homework, and he spent all night finishing it, and now he's a zombie." The other kids chuckled.
"Up until this morning I didn't believe in zombies," said Fern nervously. "But now there's a zombie in our classroom. What do we know about him? What if he really can turn the rest of us into zombies?"
Muffy, suddenly looking frightened, climbed out of her seat and walked over to a desk at the back of the room without looking at Buster.
A worried look appeared on Buster's undead face. "Fern's right," he said to Mr. Ratburn. "I've never been a zombie before. I don't know what'll happen to me. Maybe I'll flip out in the middle of class and start biting people and turning them into zombies. Maybe I should go home."
"Unless you have a note from your mother," Ratburn told him, "you're staying right where you are."
As the teacher started his lecture, the other kids looked warily at Buster. The zombie boy didn't feel as if he wanted to hurt any of his friends, but could he still trust himself not to?
TBC
Bitzi stared at the doctor unbelievingly. Buster, his shirtless chest as starch-white as his face and ears, sat on the edge of the examination table, intrigued by the seemingly grim diagnosis. "Cool," he mused. "I'm a zombie."
"His vital functions have ceased," Dr. Barrett continued to explain. "All the blood has disappeared from his veins. I can only guess that some supernatural force is animating his body and preventing it from decomposing."
Bizi shook her head. "There must be a scientific explanation, Doctor. There must be something you can do to help him."
"This is beyond anything I've ever encountered," said Dr. Barrett. "I'm going to call in some specialists from the Mayo Clinic to have a look at him."
"Mmmm...mayo," said Buster thoughtfully.
"What do I do in the meantime?" asked Bitzi, her voice quivering.
"First of all, keep him warm," the doctor recommended. "Without any internally generated body heat, he's at risk of hypothermia. Second, his digestive system isn't functioning, so don't let him eat or drink anything."
"But I'll starve to death!" cried the alarmed Buster.
Dr. Barret smiled at Buster. "No, you won't. Like I said before, you're dead already."
"But I have to eat something," Buster insisted. "Even the zombies in the movies eat brains."
"You're not a zombie," the doctor told him. "Zombies aren't real. So don't get any ideas, okay?"
Buster's face fell. "Come to think of it," he said glumly, "I'm not even hungry or thirsty."
"What about school?" Bitzi asked the doctor.
"His mental faculties seem to be intact," replied Dr. Barrett, "and his condition isn't contagious, as far as I can tell."
Buster's skeletal face lit up. "I wanna go to school, Mom. I want to show all my friends."
"I see no reason why he shouldn't go," said the doctor.
----
"See? No pulse," gloated Buster as Arthur pressed two fingers to his clammy wrist. "I'm a living dead bunny."
Arthur pulled his hand away and shook his head in astonishment. "That is so weird. How did it happen?"
"I don't know," replied Buster, who seemed gleeful about his ignorance. In spite of the fact that it was a warm day, he was wearing a winter coat and hat.
"Hey, wait a minute," said Binky, who stood next to Arthur. "I've seen movies about zombies who run people down and suck out their brains."
"Well, you don't have much to worry about," quipped Francine.
But Binky's anxiety only increased. "Uh, that's cool, Buster, but I gotta go." As he hastened away, Muffy and Brain passed by on their way to Mr. Ratburn's classroom.
"Omigosh, look at Buster!" Muffy blurted out. "He looks like he hasn't eaten in weeks!"
"Or hasn't eaten anything but junk food for weeks," Brain added. He and Muffy joined Arthur and Francine in gaping at Buster's pale, sunken face.
"You'd better be careful, Brain," Francine warned the boy. "Buster's a zombie now. If he gets hungry, you're the first one he'll come after."
"I don't eat brains," insisted the annoyed Buster.
"If Buster is truly a zombie," said Brain, touching the rabbit boy's wrist to obtain his own confirmation, "then someone must have put a voodoo curse on him. Voodoo has its origins in Haiti and is commonly practiced on the Caribbean islands."
"Interesting," said Muffy suspiciously. "And who do we know who's been to the Caribbean islands?" Arthur, Francine, and Brain all narrowed their eyes at her. "And, uh, was old enough to remember it," she continued sheepishly.
At that moment Sue Ellen strolled up and joined the group. "Hey, guys. What's wrong with Buster?"
"He's a zombie," Arthur informed her.
"I didn't do it," claimed Sue Ellen, and then she walked away.
Francine watched her disappear behind a corner. "Why would she want to turn Buster into a zombie?" she wondered aloud.
"Maybe she's still sore at him for thinking she was an alien," Muffy theorized.
"Let's not jump to conclusions," said Brain.
"But she's been all over the world," Muffy insisted. "I'll bet she picked up all kinds of magical stuff."
"Hold it, Muffy," Arthur chimed in. "Don't we know someone else who collects magical stuff?"
Suddenly Prunella walked up to the group. "Hey, guys. What's wrong with Buster?"
"He's a zombie," Arthur answered.
"I didn't do it," claimed Prunella, and then she walked away.
"It's scary how everything is timed so well around here," Brain remarked.
"You've got to be kidding me," Francine protested. "Prunella's just a two-bit fortune-teller. She can't turn people into zombies."
"Maybe she can't," Muffy responded, "but what about her sister?"
"Hey, who cares who did it?" Buster interjected. "Being a zombie is cool."
----
A short time later, the first period began in Mr. Ratburn's classroom. The normal assignment of desks had been abandoned, as Binky, Fern, George, Jenna, and all the students who didn't talk much took seats as far away from Buster as they could manage. Brain and Muffy took seats on opposite sides of the zombie rabbit boy, seemingly unconcerned about his transformation.
"You need new clothes to go with your new look," Muffy half-whispered to Buster. "I'm thinking something gothic with holes in it."
"Before we get started," said Mr. Ratburn to the class, "perhaps you can explain to me why half of you are not sitting at your normal desks."
An uncomfortable silence filled the room.
George raised his hand timidly. "Uh, in case you haven't noticed, Mr. Ratburn, Buster's been turned into a zombie."
"I have noticed that, George," replied Ratburn, glancing briefly at Buster. "So why is that a problem?"
"Haven't you seen any zombie movies?" Binky interrupted. "If a zombie catches you, it sucks out your brains, and then you turn into a zombie."
"You can't believe everything you see in movies," Ratburn informed him.
Jenna grinned. "Hey, I know. You gave him too much homework, and he spent all night finishing it, and now he's a zombie." The other kids chuckled.
"Up until this morning I didn't believe in zombies," said Fern nervously. "But now there's a zombie in our classroom. What do we know about him? What if he really can turn the rest of us into zombies?"
Muffy, suddenly looking frightened, climbed out of her seat and walked over to a desk at the back of the room without looking at Buster.
A worried look appeared on Buster's undead face. "Fern's right," he said to Mr. Ratburn. "I've never been a zombie before. I don't know what'll happen to me. Maybe I'll flip out in the middle of class and start biting people and turning them into zombies. Maybe I should go home."
"Unless you have a note from your mother," Ratburn told him, "you're staying right where you are."
As the teacher started his lecture, the other kids looked warily at Buster. The zombie boy didn't feel as if he wanted to hurt any of his friends, but could he still trust himself not to?
TBC