Arthur and Sue Ellen sat on a bench near the playground at Lakewood Elementary, chatting happily. Several of their classmates--Francine, Binky, Beat, Fern, and Van, to be precise--approached them cautiously, trying hard not to smirk.

Beat was the first to address them. "There's a nasty rumour going around that you two are...how do Americans say it...an item."

"We know it can't possibly be true," said Francine.

"We'd greatly appreciate it if you would disabuse our minds of this slander once and for all," said Van pompously.

"Now who would have started a rumor like that?" Sue Ellen asked Arthur.

Arthur pretended to think deeply. "Uh...could it be...D.W.?"

"So," Fern asked eagerly, "is it a rumor, or is it the truth?"

Rather than answer, Arthur and Sue Ellen leaned over and kissed each other on the lips.

"Eww!" The other kids grimaced and turned their faces, unable to bear such a display of affection.

Arthur and Sue Ellen kissed for several seconds, then stopped and noticed that their friends were looking away from them.

"Guys, we're done," said Arthur. The other kids turned to face him again.

"Oh, man, that was gross," said Binky, clutching his stomach. "Even my night light won't keep me from having nightmares about that."

"It's just wrong to glamourize it on TV the way they do," Beat remarked.

"How does it taste?" asked Van.

"Just like chicken," Sue Ellen replied.

"Eww!" said the other kids again. They began to slowly walk away, except for Francine.

"Hey, Sue Ellen," she asked hesitantly, "do you...feel anything when you do that?"

"Yeah, I do," Sue Ellen answered. "It's like when I first moved to Costa Rica and got diarrhea really bad, only without the diarrhea."

Arthur shot her a disgusted look, and then started to laugh.

Francine turned and shuffled away from them, looking nauseous. "I've got a date with my reflection in the toilet," she muttered.

A short time later, Arthur entered the boy's room and saw George drying his hands. After throwing his paper towel in the dispenser, the moose boy grabbed Arthur by the arm and dragged him into the far corner of the room.

"What is it, George?" Arthur asked.

"Shh!" George spoke in a suspicious whisper. "She mustn't hear us."

"Who?" Arthur whispered back.

"The alien," said George ominously. "Doesn't it seem strange to you that she won you over so easily? It's alien mind control, I'm sure of it."

In George's fantasy, Arthur, dressed in a Starfleet-like uniform, materialized on an alien world covered with purple boulders. He opened his tricorder, waved it around for several seconds, examined the output, and closed it again. Then he pulled a cell phone from his belt and started to speak into it.

"Arthur to Secondprize. According to my readings, there's no intelligent life on this planet. Plus it's outside of my calling plan, so the roaming charges are out of this world. So beam me up and let's get the..."

He was interrupted when a beautiful, green-skinned alien girl, who looked vaguely like Sue Ellen, appeared from behind a purple boulder.

"Greetings, Captain Arthur of the starship Secondprize," she said seductively.

"How did you know my name?" asked Arthur. Then he looked down and saw a label stuck to his shirt, upon which were written the words, HELLO, MY NAME IS CAPTAIN ARTHUR OF THE STARSHIP SECONDPRIZE. He quickly tore off the label, muttering, "Darn, I always forget."

The alien girl drew closer, holding out her arms and smiling. "It's been so long since men have visited my planet," she gushed.

"Are you real, or are you an illusion?" asked Captain Arthur. "Not that I prefer one over the other."

The alien girl's pupils turned into swirling, hypnotic spirals.

So did Captain Arthur's. "Are you trying to hypnotize me, or is it the other way around?" he asked.

George's fantasy ended.

"Sue Ellen isn't an alien," Arthur told him. "I thought we'd all agreed on that."

"It takes a trained eye to tell who's an alien and who's not," said George, gazing piercingly into Arthur's eyes. "Buster taught me everything he knows. Now that he's gone, the aliens think it's safe. They've got another think coming."

"Wonderful." Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Whatever you do, don't kiss her," George warned him. "Unless you want baby aliens growing in your stomach."

"Too late," said Arthur.

George started to back away nervously. "Drink a glass of milk and contact a poison control center immediately," he raved. "Do not induce vomiting." With that, he hurried out of the boy's washroom.

----

Later that day, Prunella and Marina were strolling through the mall. Marina, as usual, was tapping with her cane as she went along.

"I called Mrs. Simon yesterday," said Prunella. "She said the Braille version of her new book won't be ready for two more weeks."

"Somehow I think that may not be a problem," said Marina.

"What do you mean?"

Marina stopped and handed Prunella her cane. "I want to show you something, and you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"Okay," said Prunella, raising her right hand. "I promise."

Then Marina started to walk forward again, without her cane.

Prunella gasped. "What are you doing?"

Marina didn't respond, but walked straight toward an empty bench.

Prunella put her hands over her mouth, sure that Marina would trip, fall, and possibly hurt herself...

...but the blind girl walked around the bench instead.

After that, to Prunella's amazement, Marina walked between two waste baskets without touching either one.

Prunella ran to her. "How did you do that?" she asked, wide-eyed. "Are you getting your sight back?"

Marina stopped. "No, I'm not." She turned, looked directly into Prunella's eyes, and spoke in hushed tones. "Ever since I escaped from Spiritus Mundi, I've been able to...sense things. Without seeing them."

Prunella looked at her incredulously.

"I know you don't believe me," said Marina. "I can hardly believe it myself. But it's real...and it's getting stronger."

To demonstrate, she walked into a nearby bookstore, followed by the speechless Prunella. Pulling a random book from the display, she read the title aloud: "Love in the Time of Chickenpox."

Prunella was astounded. "You...you can read print?"

"Not very well," said Marina, replacing the book exactly where she had found it. "I haven't read print since second grade, when I went blind."

Prunella thought for a moment. "Wait. You say you started...sensing things right after Spiritus Mundi?"

"Uh-huh."

"I've got a crazy idea," said Prunella. "You know how astronauts and deep-sea divers sometimes have hallucinations or other weird experiences because the human brain wasn't made to live in those places? Maybe going into another dimension affects your brain too."

"I didn't think of that," said Marina thoughtfully.

"That might also explain Nadine's nightmares and panic attacks," Prunella theorized. "Do your parents know about this?"

"I haven't told them," said Marina. "They don't notice anything out of the ordinary, because I know where everything is in my house."

"So what else can you..." Prunella began.

Marina raised a hand to stop her. "Francine's coming," she said quickly.

Prunella glanced around the bookstore, but saw no sign of Francine.

About five seconds later, to Prunella's surprise, Francine and Beat walked into the store, followed closely behind by Beat's mother.

"Oh, look, Prunella's already here," said Francine, pointing.

"Hi, Prunella," said Beat. "Had any spectral visitations lately?"

"Uh...h-hi," Prunella stammered.

Beat and her mother walked past Prunella and Marina, while Francine remained behind to chat. "I'm looking forward to seeing you in The Sound of Music tonight," she said to Prunella. "I heard you were really good on Saturday."

"Uh, yeah, I was." Prunella shot a sideways glance at Marina. "So, what brings you here, Francine?"

"I'm here for the book signing," Francine replied. "I thought you knew that."

"Oh, right, of course."

At the front of the bookstore, two employees had set up a table and chair. Another employee placed a stack of books on the table, along with a placard on which were printed the words, AUTHOR SIGNING, 4-5 PM. "BAD ZOMBIE! NO BRAIN!" THE SEQUEL TO "BAD DRAGON! NO DAMSEL!" BY PENELOPE SIMON.

Prunella handed Marina's cane to her, and pulled her aside so that Francine couldn't hear. "How did you know Francine was coming?" she asked in a whisper. "I couldn't see her anywhere."

"That's something else I wanted to tell you," said Marina fearfully. "I...I think I'm starting to hear people's thoughts."

(To be continued...)