In the palacial living room of the Crosswire mansion, Muffy sat in a plush
chair, wearing a casual shirt and reading a book of poems by Jack Prelutzky.
Fern was escorted into the room by Mrs. Crosswire, and Muffy greeted her.
"Oh, hi, Fern. Glad you could make it."
"I don't have much time," said Fern as she took a seat by the fireplace. "I've been investigating this whole affair with D.W.'s change and the kidnapping attempt. I think the Reads are keeping her in a hotel somewhere. And I'm pretty sure Greta's mixed up in it somehow."
"You'll have plenty of time to play detective later," said Muffy, waving her hand. "You know all about Blinded by Science, right?"
Fern smiled. "Yes, I do. Sue Ellen won't talk about anything else."
"Well, Mrs. Stiles and I were talking about what we might do as a follow-up," Muffy continued, "and we had an idea for a poetry curriculum."
Fern's face brightened.
"Poetry is a dying art," said Muffy. "Fewer and fewer people read it. We think the solution is to get people interested in it at a young age, just like we hooked kids on science with the Blinded by Science program."
"Muffy, that's a fantastic idea!" Fern enthused. "And I've got the perfect name for it. We'll call it Poetry in Motion."
"I knew I could count on you." Muffy closed her book and showed Fern the cover. "We'll start with Prelutzky, because he's so kid-friendly. Then we'll move on to the harder stuff."
"Like Dickinson," Fern suggested. "And Frost, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, and Byron. And let's not forget the great Russian poets, like Gogol, Pushkin, and Yevtushenko."
"Uh...right," said the bewildered Muffy. "Hold on, let me get some paper and write those names down."
----
Mrs. Read inserted her passcard into the reader, and opened the door to a room in Elwood's Tripletree Inn. As Arthur, Francine, and D.W. followed her inside, she glanced around in wonder at the varnished wooden-slat walls, the satin bed coverings, and the ornate curtains. "This is the poshest room yet," she remarked. "Your plan had better work, Francine, or the hotel bills will ruin us."
"What plan?" asked D.W.
"Uh...Francine has a plan for bringing the kidnappers out into the open," Arthur misinformed her.
Upon seeing the queen-size mattress, D.W. immediately climbed onto it and began to bounce and giggle, exactly like she had done in the other hotel rooms where she had stayed.
"Don't worry about the bills, Mom," said Arthur. "I'm sure the Crosswires will help us out."
As D.W. pulled the wrapper from the mint that had been left on the pillow, Mrs. Read turned toward the door. "Remember, if you need anything, call me," she told the kids. "Francine, how are you getting home?"
"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Read," Francine replied.
Arthur waited until his mother had closed the door after her, then started to consult with Francine. "Did you take care of Fern?" he asked.
"I called Muffy and arranged a distraction," said Francine. "I don't think Fern will be able to resist."
"Perfect." Arthur picked up the hotel telephone and deftly pulled out the cord. "Now all we have to do is wait."
"Wait for what?" asked D.W., her lips smeared with chocolate.
"It's a surprise," said Francine. "A really big surprise." She then jumped onto the mattress and began to tickle D.W.
For the next half hour Arthur, Francine, and D.W. played and watched TV, including some cable channels that their parents might not have approved of. Then there came a knock at the door. "There she is," said Francine giddily.
She flew to the door and opened it. "Hi, Greta. Come on in."
The unicorn girl walked slowly into the hotel room, a grim look on her face. "Whatever you called me here for, it had better be important."
"Oh, it is." Francine closed the door behind Greta. "Very important."
Arthur clicked the remote to switch off the TV, which had been playing Bionic Bunny reruns. "Have a seat on the bed, Greta," he said warmly. "There's plenty of room."
As Greta seated herself on the edge of the bed, she saw D.W. approaching from the kitchen, and noted with surprise that her horn was visible. "Turn your horn off, D.W.," she warned. "You never know who could walk in here."
"You can say that again," said Francine knowingly.
As D.W. made her horn disappear, another knock was heard. "Room service," came a gruff voice from outside.
Francine started towards the door. "That voice..." said Greta, suddenly afraid. "No, Francine! It's not the maid!"
Her warning came too late. Francine swung the door open, revealing the presence of Mr. Baker, the hippo teacher, who clutched a large black bag in one hand. "Ralph's Horn Removal," he said, smirking.
Greta's eyes went wide with terror, which was soon replaced by fury. "Come on!" she cried, grabbing D.W. by the hand and yanking her from the bed.
Clenching her teeth, Greta made her horn reappear and charged full throttle at Mr. Baker, dragging D.W. behind her. The hippo man raised a pudgy fist and swatted Greta in the nose as she approached, knocking her and D.W. to the floor. Before the two girls could rise to their feet, Mr. Baker knelt and thrust his hands onto their chests, pinning them. Greta and D.W. squirmed and cried out in fear, but to no avail.
Mr. Baker gestured with his head toward his black bag, which he had placed on the floor. "Arthur, Francine, if you look in my bag you'll find a pair of forceps."
The helpless Greta watched in unbelieving shock as her two human friends calmly walked over to Mr. Baker's bag, opened it, and rummaged through it. "You betrayed me!" she shrieked angrily.
Francine located the forceps and pulled them out of the bag. "Hmm...these could do some serious damage," she remarked, grinning.
Arthur turned and looked down at Greta's terrified face. "How do we make D.W. human again?" he demanded.
"You can't!" cried Greta, who was still wriggling in a futile attempt to break free from Mr. Baker's strong grip.
"You two, take D.W.," the hippo man ordered. Arthur and Francine grabbed D.W.'s arms and lifted her into a standing position, while Mr. Baker grabbed the tool from Francine with his free hand.
"If there's a less painful way to remove the horn," he said, fastening the forceps to the base of Greta's horn, "you'd better speak up now."
(To be continued...)
"I don't have much time," said Fern as she took a seat by the fireplace. "I've been investigating this whole affair with D.W.'s change and the kidnapping attempt. I think the Reads are keeping her in a hotel somewhere. And I'm pretty sure Greta's mixed up in it somehow."
"You'll have plenty of time to play detective later," said Muffy, waving her hand. "You know all about Blinded by Science, right?"
Fern smiled. "Yes, I do. Sue Ellen won't talk about anything else."
"Well, Mrs. Stiles and I were talking about what we might do as a follow-up," Muffy continued, "and we had an idea for a poetry curriculum."
Fern's face brightened.
"Poetry is a dying art," said Muffy. "Fewer and fewer people read it. We think the solution is to get people interested in it at a young age, just like we hooked kids on science with the Blinded by Science program."
"Muffy, that's a fantastic idea!" Fern enthused. "And I've got the perfect name for it. We'll call it Poetry in Motion."
"I knew I could count on you." Muffy closed her book and showed Fern the cover. "We'll start with Prelutzky, because he's so kid-friendly. Then we'll move on to the harder stuff."
"Like Dickinson," Fern suggested. "And Frost, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, and Byron. And let's not forget the great Russian poets, like Gogol, Pushkin, and Yevtushenko."
"Uh...right," said the bewildered Muffy. "Hold on, let me get some paper and write those names down."
----
Mrs. Read inserted her passcard into the reader, and opened the door to a room in Elwood's Tripletree Inn. As Arthur, Francine, and D.W. followed her inside, she glanced around in wonder at the varnished wooden-slat walls, the satin bed coverings, and the ornate curtains. "This is the poshest room yet," she remarked. "Your plan had better work, Francine, or the hotel bills will ruin us."
"What plan?" asked D.W.
"Uh...Francine has a plan for bringing the kidnappers out into the open," Arthur misinformed her.
Upon seeing the queen-size mattress, D.W. immediately climbed onto it and began to bounce and giggle, exactly like she had done in the other hotel rooms where she had stayed.
"Don't worry about the bills, Mom," said Arthur. "I'm sure the Crosswires will help us out."
As D.W. pulled the wrapper from the mint that had been left on the pillow, Mrs. Read turned toward the door. "Remember, if you need anything, call me," she told the kids. "Francine, how are you getting home?"
"Don't worry about it, Mrs. Read," Francine replied.
Arthur waited until his mother had closed the door after her, then started to consult with Francine. "Did you take care of Fern?" he asked.
"I called Muffy and arranged a distraction," said Francine. "I don't think Fern will be able to resist."
"Perfect." Arthur picked up the hotel telephone and deftly pulled out the cord. "Now all we have to do is wait."
"Wait for what?" asked D.W., her lips smeared with chocolate.
"It's a surprise," said Francine. "A really big surprise." She then jumped onto the mattress and began to tickle D.W.
For the next half hour Arthur, Francine, and D.W. played and watched TV, including some cable channels that their parents might not have approved of. Then there came a knock at the door. "There she is," said Francine giddily.
She flew to the door and opened it. "Hi, Greta. Come on in."
The unicorn girl walked slowly into the hotel room, a grim look on her face. "Whatever you called me here for, it had better be important."
"Oh, it is." Francine closed the door behind Greta. "Very important."
Arthur clicked the remote to switch off the TV, which had been playing Bionic Bunny reruns. "Have a seat on the bed, Greta," he said warmly. "There's plenty of room."
As Greta seated herself on the edge of the bed, she saw D.W. approaching from the kitchen, and noted with surprise that her horn was visible. "Turn your horn off, D.W.," she warned. "You never know who could walk in here."
"You can say that again," said Francine knowingly.
As D.W. made her horn disappear, another knock was heard. "Room service," came a gruff voice from outside.
Francine started towards the door. "That voice..." said Greta, suddenly afraid. "No, Francine! It's not the maid!"
Her warning came too late. Francine swung the door open, revealing the presence of Mr. Baker, the hippo teacher, who clutched a large black bag in one hand. "Ralph's Horn Removal," he said, smirking.
Greta's eyes went wide with terror, which was soon replaced by fury. "Come on!" she cried, grabbing D.W. by the hand and yanking her from the bed.
Clenching her teeth, Greta made her horn reappear and charged full throttle at Mr. Baker, dragging D.W. behind her. The hippo man raised a pudgy fist and swatted Greta in the nose as she approached, knocking her and D.W. to the floor. Before the two girls could rise to their feet, Mr. Baker knelt and thrust his hands onto their chests, pinning them. Greta and D.W. squirmed and cried out in fear, but to no avail.
Mr. Baker gestured with his head toward his black bag, which he had placed on the floor. "Arthur, Francine, if you look in my bag you'll find a pair of forceps."
The helpless Greta watched in unbelieving shock as her two human friends calmly walked over to Mr. Baker's bag, opened it, and rummaged through it. "You betrayed me!" she shrieked angrily.
Francine located the forceps and pulled them out of the bag. "Hmm...these could do some serious damage," she remarked, grinning.
Arthur turned and looked down at Greta's terrified face. "How do we make D.W. human again?" he demanded.
"You can't!" cried Greta, who was still wriggling in a futile attempt to break free from Mr. Baker's strong grip.
"You two, take D.W.," the hippo man ordered. Arthur and Francine grabbed D.W.'s arms and lifted her into a standing position, while Mr. Baker grabbed the tool from Francine with his free hand.
"If there's a less painful way to remove the horn," he said, fastening the forceps to the base of Greta's horn, "you'd better speak up now."
(To be continued...)
