Six weeks of fourth grade had gone by. During morning recess on Monday, Alan, Fern, Beat, and Van had gathered in the playground to commiserate with Muffy.

"I don't know what to do," the girl mourned. "I don't want to go to a private school. Why can't I make my own choice?"

"It's not that bad," sand Alan. "We can still visit each other and stuff. Plus you get to go to a great school. I'd kill for the chance to attend Uppity Downs Academy."

"Just when I start looking at life in a new light," Muffy lamented, "my parents send me to a school with a bunch of rich snobs!"

Begin Muffy fantasy sequence.

Muffy arrived at Uppity Downs Academy wearing her usual dress. Among the well-attired children stood a dog boy wearing a monocle, to whom she extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Muffy Cross..."

Rather than shake hands with her, the boy pulled a coin from his pocket and placed it in Muffy's outstretched hand. "There's a homeless shelter five blocks south of here," he said haughtily. "Now if you please, your smell is quite distracting."

End Muffy fantasy sequence.

"I hope your parents didn't do this because of me," said Van.

"I don't know," said Muffy. "I guess they're afraid I'm losing the Crosswire spirit. But it looks like I won't be able to see you anymore."

"They can't keep us apart that easily," said Van firmly.

"Maybe we can send messages back and forth by carrier pigeon," Muffy suggested.

"Hi, guys," said Arthur as he walked up to the group. "Alan, Beat, I've got a question for you brainiacs. Actually, it's a question from D.W."

"Let's hear it," said Alan.

"You ever hear of a place called Spiritus Mundi?" the aardvark boy asked.

"Spiritus Mundi," Fern repeated thoughtfully to herself.

"Never heard of it," said Beat.

"If it has something to do with spirits," suggested Alan, "you should ask Prunella."

"The Second Coming," Fern suddenly uttered.

"Huh?" said Arthur.

Fern began to recite:

Hardly are those words out

When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi

Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert

A shape with lion body and the head of a man,

A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,

Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it

Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.

"Shelley?" asked Beat.

"Yeats, you silly goose," said Fern.

"Sounds like a creepy place," said Muffy. "And dry climates are murder on my skin."

"So what is this place?" Arthur asked Fern.

"It's not a real place. Mrs. Stiles said it's some kind of imaginary zone. Why would D.W. want to know about it?"

"Beats me," said Arthur with a shrug. "She and her friend Nadine have been talking about it all weekend."

"Who's Prunella?" asked Beat.

"She's one of our fifth grade friends," replied Muffy.

"She's pretty deep into astrology and spiritual stuff," said Alan.

Arthur looked around the school environs. "Wait, I see her. She's by the back entrance. I'll go ask her."

"I'll come too," said Muffy.

"Me too," said Beat. "I'd like to meet her."

At that moment Prunella was holding a conversation with Binky. "I can talk to Odette now without getting nervous," the bulldog boy told her, "but dancing with her isn't quite so easy."

"Hi, Muffy," said Prunella when she saw Muffy, Arthur, and Beat approaching.

"This is Beat Simon," Muffy introduced the British girl, who shook hands with Prunella.

"Have you heard of a place called Spiritus Mundi?" asked Arthur.

Upon hearing the words, the rat girl suddenly turned ghastly pale.

"Are you okay?" Muffy asked her.

"Um, uh, I'm not feeling so well," Prunella stammered. "I think I'll see the nurse."

"Well?" Arthur asked again. "Have you heard of it?"

"It doesn't exist," said Prunella as she marched quickly into the school building.

"Gee, what got into her?" Binky wondered.


After school, Arthur and D.W. entertained themselves by putting up Halloween decorations in their home. After Arthur had pinned a picture of a fearsome black cat on his bedroom door, he came down the stairs to see D.W. tangled in fake cobwebs in the living room.

"Hey, big brother, can you give me a hand with these?" she requested.

"Sure," said Arthur as he tried to untangle his sister.

"Did you find out what Spiritus Mundi is?" D.W. asked him.

"I asked Prunella," her brother replied. "I think she knows, but I don't think she wants to tell me."

"Can you ask her again?" D.W. urged. "This is really important."

"Sure, whatever," said Arthur noncommittally.

The doorbell rang, and Arthur dropped his end of the cobweb strand so he could answer it. Sue Ellen stood in the doorway, apparently short of breath. She grinned ecstatically and put her arms on Arthur's shoulders, prompting the boy to back away slightly.

"Arthur..." she gasped.

"What?"

"Carla and Nigel..."

"What about them?"

"...are getting married!"

Arthur's jaw dropped.


The newly engaged couple, Nigel Ratburn and Carla Fuente, went to Stephanie's jewelry store that very day. Assisting them was store employee Maria Harris, Nadine's mother.

"We'd like to look at some diamond rings," said Mr. Ratburn.

"Right this way," said Mrs. Harris.

Meanwhile, at the Elwood City Community Theatre, Fern and other cast members were rehearsing the songs for their upcoming performance of 'The Sound of Music'. "So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, goodbye..." she warbled with the chorus.

As they concluded the song, Fern watched as a woman entered the theatre and sat down in the back row. The lights were dim, but Fern thought she recognized the woman...and her heart leaped into her throat. "Excuse me a minute," she said to the director.

She hurried over to where the woman was seated, and her hopes were confirmed.

"Mrs. Stiles!"

The woman stood, and Fern ran to embrace her.

"It's so good to see you, Fern," said her former teacher and poetry coach. "You know, I was going to play Marta once when I was child, but I caught laryngitis at the last minute and had to be replaced."

"Then you're out of rehab?" asked Fern hopefully. "You're better?"

"Better than I was," said Mrs. Stiles. "I'm still having some ups and downs. But the clinic staff was very helpful, and Rodentia was a life-saver."

"I worried so much about you," said Fern earnestly. "Every night I prayed you would come out all right."

"I guess your prayers have been answered."

After the rehearsal, Mrs. Stiles followed Fern along the street in the direction of the girl's house. "What will you do for work now? I don't think the school will give you your job back."

"I'll start looking for a job later this week," said the former teacher.

"Maybe I can help," Fern offered. "My dad knows a lot of people at the employment agency. He's a tech worker, and he's been unemployed a lot."

"After what happened with the drugs, it's unlikely that I'll find another teaching job," Mrs. Stiles remarked.

Mrs. Walters stood up, startled, when she saw Mrs. Stiles entering the house with her daughter.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hello, Fern. Mrs. Stiles? Is that you?"

"In the flesh."

"They let you out?" Mrs. Walters marveled. "That was quick."

"It didn't seem quick to me at all," said the polar bear woman.

"I'm sorry," said Mrs. Walters. "How insensitive of me."

"Mom, can Mrs. Stiles stay for a minute?" asked Fern.

Mrs. Walters peered rather suspiciously at the visitor. "Would you like to stay?" she inquired.

"Thanks so much," said Mrs. Stiles, "but I should be going."

"Will you need any help getting home?"

"No, I can manage."

Once Mrs. Stiles had left, Fern's mother shook her head slightly. "Well, it's nice to see her in good health again. Honey, Sue Ellen called. She wants you to call back."

"Okay," said Fern. "Is Dad around?"


The next morning, Mr. Ratburn pulled his economy car into his reserved parking space, climbed out, and walked into the school building. On his way to the teacher's lounge, he was mobbed all at once by Arthur, Buster, Francine, Muffy, and Sue Ellen.

"Is it true?" asked the grinning Buster. "Are you really getting married?"

"It's true," Mr. Ratburn acknowledged.

"Show us all your wedding band," Francine urged him.

The rat man held up his hand so the kids could see his wedding band. 'Oooh's and 'aaah's were heard among them.

"We just wanted to tell you how happy we are for you," said Arthur.

"Thank you," said Mr. Ratburn.

"This is a special day for all of us," said Muffy. "Because of that, I'm offering my services as a wedding planner at a discount rate."

"Thanks, Muffy, but I..."

"This offer won't last long," Muffy cautioned him.

"Muffy, give the recently engaged man a break," said Sue Ellen.

"I really need to prepare for my class," said Ratburn. "Thanks for being so considerate."

As he continued down the hallway, he was quickly thronged by a crowd of fifth-graders, including Prunella and Marina.

When the kids entered room 18 for their daily Mr. Wald fix, they were surprised to see an old friend seated at one of the desks—George Nordgren.

"George? What are you doing here?" asked Binky.

"I'm in your class now," said the moose boy.

"Awesome!" said Binky. "It'll be just like old times."

George became nervous.

"That's not what I mean," Binky assured him.

"Welcome, everyone," said Mr. Wald. "We have a new addition to our class. Most of you already know George Nordgren. He was in special education at the beginning of the school year, but his progress has been so rapid that he's been moved into a regular class. So let's all give him a warm welcome."

Fern raises her hand. "Mr. Wald, you may also want to mention that Mrs. Stiles has been released from the rehab clinic."

The teacher and kids looked at Fern in astonishment.

"Is that so," Mr. Wald mused. "That's news to me. Good news!"

Van raised his hand. "Does this mean you won't be our teacher anymore?"

"Not necessarily," said Mr. Wald. "We'll talk about it later."

By the end of the session, they still hadn't talked about it.

Buster, Muffy, and Fern talked during the class break. "Mrs. Stiles is better?" asked Muffy. "Did you see her?"

Fern nodded. "She came to my rehearsal last night."

"Cool," said Buster. "Is she gonna be our teacher again?"

"Not likely," said Fern, "with the school policy being the way it is."

"Then where will she work?" Muffy wondered.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," said Fern. "Go on ahead, Buster. This is just between us girls."

As Buster walked away, Fern made her proposal. "Muffy, have your parents considered hiring a private tutor?"

"I don't know. They could probably afford..." Muffy's face lit up like a rocket. "That's a great idea! I'd love to have Mrs. Stiles as a tutor! Then I wouldn't have to go to Uppity Downs with all those snobs!"

"Will you ask them?"

"Sure. Except my dad's out of town today, so I'll have to ask him tomorrow."

When the last period was over, Mr. Wald asked Alan and Beat to speak with him, while the other kids went their separate ways.

"You going to the Sugar Bowl, Muffy?" asked Francine.

"Nope," said Muffy. "Prunella invited me to her place for a 'six days before Halloween' party."

"Prunella's Halloween parties are always the best," Francine remarked. "Say hello to her for me."

Meanwhile, Alan reacted in surprise to what Mr. Wald had just suggested to him.

"Advanced placement?" he pondered. "You mean..."

"Yes," said Mr. Wald. "I can honestly see no reason why you two shouldn't be in fifth grade."

"But I'm just becoming accustomed to the American school system," said Beat. "Isn't it too soon?"

"I'll take the test," said Alan confidently. "Why go through fourth grade if I don't have to?"

"I'm not sure, Mr. Wald," said Beat. "I'll need to think about it."

"Can you take the test on Saturday morning?" the teacher asked Alan.

"Buster's mom's wedding is on Saturday morning," Alan told him.

"Then we'll make it Saturday afternoon," said Mr. Wald.


At Prunella's 'six days before Halloween party', the kids were exchanging scary stories. Among those present were Muffy and Marina, as well as two of Prunella's classmates, the blond elephant girl Bonnie and the Japanese monkey boy Toru.

"It turned out to be...a dead end!" Muffy regaled her friends. "The vampire drew closer and closer. I could smell the blood of his victims on his breath. In terror I cried out, 'What do you want?' and he answered, 'Your soul!' 'Oh, is that all?' I said. 'I thought you were after my credit cards.'"

"Great story, Muffy," said Prunella as the other kids laughed. "Your turn, Toru."

The Japanese boy started to speak. "This is a story about Okiku, the ghost who came out of a well."

Prunella checked her watch. "Go ahead without me," she instructed Toru. "I need to check on something."

Prunella hurried to her room and found, to her dismay, that her sister Rubella was standing inside, looking over the wooden frame that Prunella had constructed. The frame was built out of planks and decorated with occultic symbols. A lighted candle sat on each of its four corners.

"What are you doing in here?" Prunella exclaimed. "You're not supposed to see this!"

"I couldn't help it," said Rubella. "The vibrations from your room were too strong-and now I know why. You've constructed an astral portal!"

"Don't tell anyone about it," Prunella urged.

"Who are you trying to make contact with?" asked Rubella.

"They've made contact with me," said Prunella to her sister's astonishment.

"Who are they?" Rubella demanded. "What do they want?"

"I'm sure they're peaceful. Their leader is planning to cross over on Halloween."

"Do you know what this means?" Rubella marveled. "Beings from another dimension have chosen us as their conduit! We'd better tell Mom about this, just in case they're not as friendly as they claim to be."

"No, we'd better keep it secret," Prunella recommended. "People are starting to ask questions. Just the other day Arthur asked me about Spiritus Mundi."

The moment Prunella spoke these words, a rumbling sound emerged from the astral portal. The interior started to glow an eerie red, and waves of light started to flow through it.

"Oopsie," said Prunella. "I said the name."

"How careless of you," came a little girls voice from nowhere.

To the surprise of the sisters, Pickles the Pomeranian rose out of the glowing portal and started to float in midair above it. "I told you not to tell anyone else," the pom scolded Prunella.

"It's not her fault," Rubella admitted. "I poked around where I shouldn't have."

Pickles narrowed her eyes at the teenage girl. "Can you be trusted?"

"Of course. Prunie and I keep secrets all the time. Just not from each other."

"We must keep our operation secret," Pickles advised the girls. "The forces of ignorance would like to prevent us from crossing over."

"I have a question," said Rubella.

"I may or may not have an answer," said Pickles.

"Are you good or evil?"

"Those concepts are meaningless to us," Pickles told her. "There is only knowledge and ignorance. We seek to add to our knowledge by visiting your world."

"You completely sidestepped my question," Rubella complained.

"I think what she's trying to say is, what if you had to pick a side?" asked Prunella.

"Knowledge," said Pickles with finality.

With that, the Pomeranian girl floated downward into the portal and disappeared. As the inside of the wooden frame stopped glowing, Rubella turned to her sister.

"I've got a bad feeling about this."


After school the next day, Muffy and Fern were transported to the Crosswire mansion in Muffy's limo. "Thank you, Bailey," said Muffy. "Here's a little extra for your trouble." She handed the chauffeur a 50 bill, and then she and Fern climbed out of the vehicle.

As Bailey watched them run into the house, he wiped a tear from his eye.

The two girls met with Muffy's parents inside. "We've finished all the paperwork," Mr. Crosswire informed his daughter. "All it needs is your signature, and you'll start attending Uppity Downs in November."

"That's great, Dad," said Muffy unenthusiastically. "However, Fern and I just had an idea."

"What idea is that?"

"Have you given any thought to hiring a private tutor for Muffy?"

Mr. and Mrs. Crosswire looked at each other. "I think we considered that, didn't we, Ed?"

"I don't see a reason for it," said Mr. Crosswire. "Uppity Downs has the best teachers in the city."

"Except for one," said Fern.

"Who did you have in mind?" Mrs. Crosswire asked her.

"Our old teacher, Jean Stiles," said Muffy.

"Absolutely not," said Mrs. Crosswire without hesitation.

"Why not?" Fern asked. "She's an excellent teacher, and she needs a job."

"Jean Stiles will not teach our daughter," Mrs. Crosswire insisted. "That's my final word."

"Mine too," her husband added.

"But I really like Mrs. Stiles," said Muffy.

"What part of 'final word' don't you understand?" said her mother.

"The 'final' part," Muffy protested. "What do you have against Mrs. Stiles? Is it the drug problem? She's over that."

"Follow me, girls," Mrs. Crosswire instructed them.

As she led them to the study, she warned them, "You're about to learn something very disturbing. I don't know if you're ready for it."

"Try me," said Fern.

The Crosswire study was equipped with the latest in computer technology, as Fern discovered to her delight. All Mrs. Crosswire had to say to start up the system was, "Computer. On."

A beautiful Nordic landscape appeared on the screen. "Cool," Fern enthused. "Voice activation."

"Good afternoon, Millicent Crosswire," said a pleasant computer voice. "You have new mail."

"Stuff it," said Mrs. Crosswire.

"Stuffing it," said the computer voice.

After a little web searching, Mrs. Crosswire brought up a back issue of the Elwood Times Online. "Here it is, girls. Read it and weep."

Muffy scanned the article's headline. "'Actress turned teacher admitted to rehab clinic. By Bitzi Baxter.' We know that part, Mom."

"Keep reading," said her mother. "If you dare."

Fern and Muffy grew more and more startled as they read through the article.

"Mom, what does this word mean?" asked Muffy, pointing at a spot on the screen.

"You're too young to know what that word means," said her mother.

"I know what it means," said Fern.

"What does it mean?" Muffy asked her.

"You're too young to know what that word means."

By the time she finished reading the article, Fern was indignant. "How could Buster's mom print such a thing?"

"It's slander!" Muffy complained. "Mrs. Stiles should sue!"

"I don't believe a word of it," said Fern.

"Let's read it again," said Muffy.


In her lonely apartment, Mrs. Stiles was preparing a modest dinner for herself when the doorbell rang. She happily welcomed Fern and Muffy inside.

"Well, hello, Fern. And it's good to see you too, Muffy."

Muffy gazed curiously at the books lining the shelves and the movie posters adorning the walls.

"We just wanted to ask you a question," said Fern.

"Certainly," said the polar bear woman.

Fern hesitated. "You ask her, Muffy."

"We just read the newspaper article about you," said the monkey girl. "The one by Buster's mom. We know none of that stuff is really true, so we wanted to ask you why..."

Mrs. Stiles' expression turned deadly serious. "Sit down, girls."

Fern and Muffy grew worried as they seated themselves next to the woman.

"You're talking about the article that came out just after I went into rehab."

"Uh-huh," said Muffy.

"The one about my time in Hollywood."

"That's the one."

Mrs. Stiles sighed. "It's all true. Every word."

"No!" cried Fern.

"Y-you mean...you..." Muffy stammered.

"I did many things I'm not proud of," Mrs. Stiles admitted. "Now you know. I'm sorry."

Muffy and Fern became speechless from astonishment.

"I wanted more than anything to be a big Hollywood star," she related. "But I didn't want to work hard, so I did some dishonest and immoral things to get ahead. In the end, I lost everything. My career, my health, even my husband. That's why I was put on the drugs. Now you know the whole story." She looked away from the girls in shame. "I suppose you came here expecting me to deny everything."

"I guess we can say goodbye to the whole private tutor idea," said Muffy as she rose from the couch.

"Where are you going?" Fern asked her.

"I'm leaving," Muffy replied.

"No, you're not. Sit down."

Surprised at Fern's sharpness, Muffy seated herself again.

"I don't care what kind of person you were when you lived in Hollywood," Fern told Mrs. Stiles. "All I care about is the kind of person you are now."

"I'm a weak person," the former teacher admitted. "That's why I became addicted to the drugs. I have a hard time dealing with my emotions."

"I really think we should go now," said Muffy, rising again.

"Okay," said Fern, "if you insist." Turning to Mrs. Stiles, she said, "I'll visit you again tomorrow."

"Come on, Fern," said Muffy, and the girls quickly left.

"Why are you in such a big hurry?" Fern demanded to know.

"I just wanted to get out of there. I had no idea she would confess to everything."

"So she made some mistakes in the past," said Fern dismissively. "That sort of thing happens all the time in Hollywood."

"To think she was our teacher," mused Muffy as she and Fern reached the sidewalk in front of Mrs. Stiles' building. "This really creeps me out, Fern."

"How would you like it, Muffy?" Fern snapped. "What if you did something wrong in the past, and everyone kept digging it up and reminding you of it?"

"I'd never do the kinds of things she did," said Muffy woundedly.

"This coming from a girl who wants to grow up to be a supermodel," said Fern indignantly. "I don't like the things she did either, but she's our friend and she needs our support. She's lonely. She's emotionally unbalanced."

"Then support her," said Muffy haughtily. "I won't try to stop you."

"You don't even care about her!" Outraged, Fern turned and walked away in a huff.


After school the next day, Mrs. Read was grilling Mr. Ratburn and Carla about their plans while Arthur looked on. "Nigel, when did you first realize that Carla was the woman of your dreams?" she asked.

"It was the night we first met," Ratburn recounted. "When Sue Ellen lost her temper, and Carla had to take her home, I felt like...like a part of me had been torn away. I knew I had to see her again."

"You're such a romantic fool," said Carla, kissing him on the cheek.

"Dinner's ready," called Mr. Read from the kitchen.

"Finally," said Ratburn. "I'm famished."

"You're always famished," said Carla. "I need to cook for you more often."

"I'll get the girls," said Mrs. Read. However, when she opened the door and looked out into the front yard, she saw no one except Pal. "Where are they?"

D.W. and Nadine happened to be on the doorstep of Prunella's house, along with Sue Ellen, who was ringing the doorbell.

"Thanks for bringing us here, Sue Ellen," said D.W.

The door opened, and Prunella stuck her head out. "Hi, Prunella," said Sue Ellen. "D.W. and Nadine wanted to ask you something."

"Make it quick," said the rat girl crankily. "I'm awfully busy."

"You've got to tell us about Spiritus Mundi," urged Nadine. "We think something terrible is gonna happen on Halloween."

"There's no such place," said Prunella sharply. "Who are you, anyway?"

"My name's Nadine."

Prunella looked at Nadine, then at D.W., then back at Nadine. She shook her head.

"If Pickles tries to talk to you, don't listen to her." Nadine warned. "She's evil."

"No, she's..." Prunella caught herself. "Nobody named Pickles is trying to talk to me."

"She wants to take over the world," said Nadine.

"You're imagining things," said Prunella. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Happy Halloween."

When Sue Ellen, D.W., and Nadine returned to the Reads' house, Mrs. Read was enjoying dinner with Carla and Mr. Ratburn.

"Where were you?" D.W.'s mother asked her.

"They wanted to see Prunella," Sue Ellen explained.

"I thought I told you not to bother her," Arthur scolded his sister.

"What's this about?" asked Mrs. Read.

"It's that Spiritus Mundi thing Nadine keeps talking about," said Arthur. "She thinks the world is going to end on Halloween."

The doorbell rang, and Mrs. Read answered it. "Hello, Prunella. Come in."

Arthur, D.W., and Nadine watched in surprise as Prunella walked into the dining room.

"Nadine, I'd like to talk to you in private," she said solemnly.

Meanwhile, in Prunella's living room, the blind rabbit girl Marina had her nose, or rather her fingers, stuck in a Braille textbook. Suddenly she heard Prunella's frantic voice, coming from the direction of her room. "Marina! Help!"

"Prunella?" she called out. "What's the matter?"

"I'm hurt!" came the voice. "I'm in my room!"

"I'm coming!"

Marina quickly dropped her book and jumped to her feet. Grabbing her cane, she tapped her way up the stairs to Prunella's room, opened the door, and went inside.

"Over here!" called Prunella's voice. "Come closer!"

Not long afterward, Prunella returned to her house to find Marina's textbook lying on the couch. She sat down next to it, picked up her own book, and resumed her studies.

A few minutes passed. No sign of Marina.

"Hey, Marina," Prunella called out. "Are you in the bathroom?"

There was no response. Prunella continued to do her homework. Fifteen minutes passed.

"Marina? Where are you?"


Later that evening, the doorbell rang in Mrs. Stiles' apartment, and she was elated to see Fern in the doorway.

"Come in, Fern. Would you like some warm cookies and milk?"

"Thank you, Mrs. Stiles."

After they sat down with their milk and cookies, Fern apologized for Muffy's rudeness. "She didn't take it very well when she learned about the things you did."

"I can't blame her if she doesn't like me," said the polar bear woman.

"She just needs to get to know you," said Fern.

"I'm afraid it may take a while for me to be accepted by this community."

"I hate Mrs. Baxter for printing that article. Why couldn't she leave the past alone?"

"If she hadn't printed it, someone else would have."

"You need to show everyone that you're a good person now. They don't understand. They read the article, but they haven't met you."

"What do you suggest?"

"Come to the wedding reception on Saturday."

Mrs. Stiles thought for a moment. "But I haven't been invited."

"Just show up. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Besides, you just said you hate Mrs. Baxter."

"For printing the article. I hate her for printing the article."

"I'm afraid I wouldn't be welcome."

"Of course you'd be welcome. Please come, Mrs. Stiles. Please."

The woman hesitated.

"Look at my puppy-dog eyes," said Fern. "You know you can't resist."

However, Fern ultimately failed to convince Mrs. Stiles to commit. As she walked away from the apartment building in the direction of home, she saw two police cars parked in front of Prunella's house. She gasped and started running toward the scene.

Upon entering, she saw a police officer talking to Rubella and her mother. Prunella was sitting on the couch, tears streaming down her face.

"What happened?" Fern asked.

"Marina's gone!" sobbed Prunella. "She's disappeared!"


It was Saturday, shortly after the wedding of Bitzi Baxter and Harry Mills had been consummated. The bride, groom, and guests had gathered for the reception at the city park, where cake and punch had been provided by David Read's catering service. The Sue E. Armstrong Quartet was there, playing romantic background music.

Buster was chatting with Harry, his new father. The Reads weree there, along with the Crosswires and the Frenskys. Mr. Ratburn was holding hands with Carla and enjoying a large slice of wedding cake. Nadine was there with her mother, while the Simons and the Coopers were conspicuously absent.

"I can't conceive of it," Mrs. Read sead to Mrs. Frensky. "Who would be capable of kidnapping a blind girl?"

"Whatever is this city coming to?" said Mrs. Frensky shaking her head.

Fern and her mother were also at the party, although Fern's glum expression might have been better suited for a funeral.

"What's wrong?" her mother asked.

"She's not here," the poodle girl muttered sadly.

"She starts a week from now," Mr. Crosswire said to Harry Mills. "It's the best school in the city. This is something we probably should have done a long time ago."

"I'm glad some people can afford it," Harry remarked. "How about it, Muffy? New school, new friends..."

"Lucky me," said Muffy miserably.

"Can you believe it?" Carla said to Bitzi. "Just when we thought all the good men were taken."

"Have you set a date yet?" Bitzi asked her.

"We're thinking December, just before Christmas."

"Have you decided on a honeymoon spot?" Mr. Read asked Mr. Ratburn.

"Not yet. She wants to go to Acapulco, but I prefer Cancun."

When the quartet finished its number, Sue Ellen motioned for Fern to sing with them, but she shrugged them off. They started to play another selection without her, and then Bitzi took notice of Fern's unhappiness.

"What's with the sad face?" asked the just-married rabbit woman. "This should be a happy day."

"I hoped Mrs. Stiles would come," Fern lamented.

"It's probably for the best that she didn't," said Bitzi.

"What do you mean?"

"She's not very well liked."

Bitzi's comment elicited a surge of bitterness in Fern's heart.

"You know why that is, don't you?" she grumbled. "Because you wrote that stupid article."

"I felt that the public had a right to know," said Bitzi self-righteously.

"And what about her rights?" Fern retorted. "Doesn't she have the right to not be punished for the rest of her life for something she did in the past?"

"I know you're a good friend of hers. But still, I think parents like myself have a right to know what kind of people are teaching their children."

"What are you saying?"

Bitzi's tone became indignant. "I'm saying, I don't want my son to be taught by a promiscuous woman like Jean Stiles."

Fern's bitterness suddenly turned to anger. "Take that back!" she ordered. "It's not true!"

All the guests turned their heads to see the exchange between Fern and Bitzi.

"Fern, this isn't the time or place to..." Bitzi started to say.

Before she could finish, Fern flew at her in a rage and knocked her over. The bride struck a nearby table as she fell, tipping it over—along with the wedding cake and punch bowl.

As the guests watched in dismay, the cake fell to pieces and the punch bowl shattered, spilling its contents on the ground. The musicians in the quartet stopped playing.

"Oh, no!" cried Mr. Read. "My cake!"

While Mrs. Walters grabbed Fern by the arm and dragged her away, the poodle girl turned toward the stunned Bitzi and yelled, "Look who's a fallen woman now!"

Harry helped his new bride to her feet and brushed the dirt from her wedding dress. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"She was defending Jean Stiles' honor," said Bitzi. "For what it's worth."

Within moments, Fern was in the passenger's seat of the family car, while her severely angry mother drove away from the park. "That was detestable!" Mrs. Walters scolded her. "Attacking the bride at her reception. And in front of all those people! How could you think of doing such a thing?"

"She called Mrs. Stiles promiscuous!" Fern complained.

"I don't care," said her mother. "And you're not supposed to know what that word means anyway."

"I know I shouldn't have lost my temper, but..."

"But? But what?"

"But..."

"But... But..." Mrs. Walters mocked her. "I'll tell you what I'm gonna do to your butt. I'm gonna ground your butt. For two solid weeks."

"But, Mom, the play!" said the horrified Fern.

"Mr. Baker will have to find another little girl to play Marta," said her mother coldly.

Fern lowered her head and started to cry. "Stop blubbering and take your punishment like a woman," said Mrs. Walters.


Later that day, the doorbell rang at the Read house. Mrs. Read, having changed out of her good dress, welcomed Prunella inside. The rat girl appeared pale and frightened. Arthur and D.W. hurried to her side, supposing she was still suffering over the loss of Marina.

"D.W., where's your friend Nadine?" Prunella asked.

"She's not here."

"Call her and tell her to come over right now."

"What for?"

"I know where Marina is."

"Where is she?"

"She's in...Spiritus Mundi!"

TBC