The next morning, Arthur and Francine went to Reverend Fulsome's congregation
together. The Reads, the Coopers, and many other neighborhood families were
gathered in the chapel, awaiting an inspiring sermon.
While Arthur and Francine held hands and exchanged small talk, Mrs. Read struggled to calm the squirming Baby Kate in her lap. Across the aisle from them, the Coopers and their six children occupied an entire pew plus a wheelchair. Odette's neck had recently spurted to twenty inches, making her the most conspicuous landmark in the crowd of parishioners.
"I'm surprised your parents would let you come to my church, being Jewish and all," Arthur remarked to Francine.
"I've been more open-minded about religion since Sue Ellen got stuck in my head," Francine answered. "And my parents don't care if I go to church with my friends, as long as I go to temple as well."
Finally the reverend took his stand behind the pulpit. "I have chosen for my topic, 'Where is God when I'm suffering?'" the rabbit man announced.
"Not again," Arthur heard his father grumble.
----
In the mid-afternoon of the same day, April responded to a call from Fern, requesting a meeting between the two girls in a secluded thicket near the creek. When the cat girl arrived at the location, she was surprised to find not only Fern present, but Alan as well.
"What's this about?" she asked the pair.
"We have an ultimatum for you," replied Fern.
"We know your secret now," Alan added. "Your father's really a CIA agent."
The twelve-year-old cat girl's mouth fell open.
"You came back in time to save your parents," said Fern. "What we want to know is how you intend to do that, and why you need Augusta's help."
April bit her lip with determination. "It's in your best interests if you don't know," she said with finality.
"Let me put it another way," Fern continued. "Either tell us what you and Augusta are planning, or by this time next week, everyone in Elwood City will know who you are and what your dad does for a living."
Both anger and helplessness were visible in April's eyes.
"You don't understand," she said with a hint of a snarl. "Some very dangerous people are after my parents, and if they can get to them by killing me, they will."
"Augusta's dangerous too," came Alan's response. "She almost destroyed the world when she was a man, and now she's even more powerful."
"You don't know her like I do," said April defensively. "She only wants to make the world a better place."
"How?" snapped Alan. "By sucking out all the evil? Where will she put it?"
The sullen-faced April didn't answer.
"Wait a minute," Fern chimed in. "How well do you know Augusta? Did you know her in the future?"
The poodle girl's question was met with silence.
"I have access to the school's web site," Fern threatened. "And I've already written an article for the kids' section of the local paper."
"She's hardcore," Alan told April.
Without a word of reply, April turned on her heel and walked away from the thicket, not looking back.
By the time she reached Augusta's apartment, she still hadn't looked back. The rabbit woman was laboring over a bunsen burner which she had installed in a new metal desk. A vial containing a light blue mixture bubbled over the flame.
"Augusta, we have a problem," April reported.
"What kind of problem?" Augusta lowered the burner's heat setting and turned around.
"Fern and Alan know about me and my dad," April answered. "They say they'll tell everybody, unless I reveal our plans to them."
Augusta sat down on the desk chair and rested her chin in her hands. "This isn't good at all," she remarked. "I should talk to them myself."
"We can't let the whole city learn my secret," said April with urgency in her voice. "If this doesn't straighten itself out, we may have to go directly to...Plan Z."
A chill passed through the room.
Augusta shook her head. "Too drastic. Plus we haven't found the time reverser yet."
"How long would it take you to create a new one?" April asked her.
"I don't know. How long did it take my future self to create the first?"
"Six months."
Augusta sighed. "Then, seeing that my future self is twice as good as I am at everything, I would have to say a year."
----
Sunday evening arrived, and Fern's parents were enjoying a peaceful evening in front of the TV. As a Hercule Poulet murder mystery played on the screen, they heard a ring at the doorbell. Thinking it might be Fern, Mrs. Walters rushed to the door and looked through the peephole.
"Who is it, dear?" Mr. Walters asked her.
"It's some big-eared lady," was her answer.
The blond rabbit woman in the checkered dress started to speak as Mrs. Walters opened the door. "My name's Augusta Winslow. Is your daughter Fern at home?"
"No, she isn't," Mrs. Walters replied, feeling a pang of concern that a total stranger was inquiring about Fern. "She's spending the night at a friend's house."
"Which friend?" asked Augusta.
"I don't know. She didn't say."
Augusta waved her hand at Mrs. Walters' face. "I'll ask you once again," she said firmly, "where is Fern?"
"I told you, I don't know," said the poodle woman.
Consternated by the failure of her truth spell, Augusta turned and walked away from the house, deep in disturbed thought.
A few hours later, Fern was tucked into a guest bed by Sarah McGrady. She found the room much to her liking, with paintings and blues posters adorning the walls.
"Thanks for letting me stay the night here, Mrs. McGrady," she said with a sleepy smile.
"No problem," the woman responded. "Anything to finally get a line of dialogue in this series."
She turned out the lights, and Fern lapsed into slumber, dreaming about the cybernetic havoc she would wreak the following morning.
----
Monday morning arrived too quickly for many...particularly April Murphy.
Class sessions were about to begin at Bainbridge Middle School, and April was wandering the hallways with her best friend, Odette the swan.
"Thanks for sticking your neck out for me, Odette," said April.
As the two seventh-graders walked past the opened entrance to the computer lab, April saw something very troubling out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, no," she muttered, rushing into the lab with Odette in tow.
One of the monitors was displaying a news story from the middle school's web page. The headline bore the message, APRIL MURPHY AND SUE ELLEN ARMSTRONG--THE SAME PERSON? Below it appeared front and side view pictures of April and Sue Ellen. A subheading read, HANK ARMSTRONG--DIPLOMAT OR SPY?
April fumed so hard that Odette could almost see wisps of smoke rising from her head. "It's just a harmless joke," said the swan girl. "Don't let it get to you."
But it was too late--April's temper had reached the critical point. She had expected Fern to post such a story on the Lakewood Elementary web site, where only Sue Ellen's friends would find it meaningful. But this...this was going too far...
TBC
While Arthur and Francine held hands and exchanged small talk, Mrs. Read struggled to calm the squirming Baby Kate in her lap. Across the aisle from them, the Coopers and their six children occupied an entire pew plus a wheelchair. Odette's neck had recently spurted to twenty inches, making her the most conspicuous landmark in the crowd of parishioners.
"I'm surprised your parents would let you come to my church, being Jewish and all," Arthur remarked to Francine.
"I've been more open-minded about religion since Sue Ellen got stuck in my head," Francine answered. "And my parents don't care if I go to church with my friends, as long as I go to temple as well."
Finally the reverend took his stand behind the pulpit. "I have chosen for my topic, 'Where is God when I'm suffering?'" the rabbit man announced.
"Not again," Arthur heard his father grumble.
----
In the mid-afternoon of the same day, April responded to a call from Fern, requesting a meeting between the two girls in a secluded thicket near the creek. When the cat girl arrived at the location, she was surprised to find not only Fern present, but Alan as well.
"What's this about?" she asked the pair.
"We have an ultimatum for you," replied Fern.
"We know your secret now," Alan added. "Your father's really a CIA agent."
The twelve-year-old cat girl's mouth fell open.
"You came back in time to save your parents," said Fern. "What we want to know is how you intend to do that, and why you need Augusta's help."
April bit her lip with determination. "It's in your best interests if you don't know," she said with finality.
"Let me put it another way," Fern continued. "Either tell us what you and Augusta are planning, or by this time next week, everyone in Elwood City will know who you are and what your dad does for a living."
Both anger and helplessness were visible in April's eyes.
"You don't understand," she said with a hint of a snarl. "Some very dangerous people are after my parents, and if they can get to them by killing me, they will."
"Augusta's dangerous too," came Alan's response. "She almost destroyed the world when she was a man, and now she's even more powerful."
"You don't know her like I do," said April defensively. "She only wants to make the world a better place."
"How?" snapped Alan. "By sucking out all the evil? Where will she put it?"
The sullen-faced April didn't answer.
"Wait a minute," Fern chimed in. "How well do you know Augusta? Did you know her in the future?"
The poodle girl's question was met with silence.
"I have access to the school's web site," Fern threatened. "And I've already written an article for the kids' section of the local paper."
"She's hardcore," Alan told April.
Without a word of reply, April turned on her heel and walked away from the thicket, not looking back.
By the time she reached Augusta's apartment, she still hadn't looked back. The rabbit woman was laboring over a bunsen burner which she had installed in a new metal desk. A vial containing a light blue mixture bubbled over the flame.
"Augusta, we have a problem," April reported.
"What kind of problem?" Augusta lowered the burner's heat setting and turned around.
"Fern and Alan know about me and my dad," April answered. "They say they'll tell everybody, unless I reveal our plans to them."
Augusta sat down on the desk chair and rested her chin in her hands. "This isn't good at all," she remarked. "I should talk to them myself."
"We can't let the whole city learn my secret," said April with urgency in her voice. "If this doesn't straighten itself out, we may have to go directly to...Plan Z."
A chill passed through the room.
Augusta shook her head. "Too drastic. Plus we haven't found the time reverser yet."
"How long would it take you to create a new one?" April asked her.
"I don't know. How long did it take my future self to create the first?"
"Six months."
Augusta sighed. "Then, seeing that my future self is twice as good as I am at everything, I would have to say a year."
----
Sunday evening arrived, and Fern's parents were enjoying a peaceful evening in front of the TV. As a Hercule Poulet murder mystery played on the screen, they heard a ring at the doorbell. Thinking it might be Fern, Mrs. Walters rushed to the door and looked through the peephole.
"Who is it, dear?" Mr. Walters asked her.
"It's some big-eared lady," was her answer.
The blond rabbit woman in the checkered dress started to speak as Mrs. Walters opened the door. "My name's Augusta Winslow. Is your daughter Fern at home?"
"No, she isn't," Mrs. Walters replied, feeling a pang of concern that a total stranger was inquiring about Fern. "She's spending the night at a friend's house."
"Which friend?" asked Augusta.
"I don't know. She didn't say."
Augusta waved her hand at Mrs. Walters' face. "I'll ask you once again," she said firmly, "where is Fern?"
"I told you, I don't know," said the poodle woman.
Consternated by the failure of her truth spell, Augusta turned and walked away from the house, deep in disturbed thought.
A few hours later, Fern was tucked into a guest bed by Sarah McGrady. She found the room much to her liking, with paintings and blues posters adorning the walls.
"Thanks for letting me stay the night here, Mrs. McGrady," she said with a sleepy smile.
"No problem," the woman responded. "Anything to finally get a line of dialogue in this series."
She turned out the lights, and Fern lapsed into slumber, dreaming about the cybernetic havoc she would wreak the following morning.
----
Monday morning arrived too quickly for many...particularly April Murphy.
Class sessions were about to begin at Bainbridge Middle School, and April was wandering the hallways with her best friend, Odette the swan.
"Thanks for sticking your neck out for me, Odette," said April.
As the two seventh-graders walked past the opened entrance to the computer lab, April saw something very troubling out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, no," she muttered, rushing into the lab with Odette in tow.
One of the monitors was displaying a news story from the middle school's web page. The headline bore the message, APRIL MURPHY AND SUE ELLEN ARMSTRONG--THE SAME PERSON? Below it appeared front and side view pictures of April and Sue Ellen. A subheading read, HANK ARMSTRONG--DIPLOMAT OR SPY?
April fumed so hard that Odette could almost see wisps of smoke rising from her head. "It's just a harmless joke," said the swan girl. "Don't let it get to you."
But it was too late--April's temper had reached the critical point. She had expected Fern to post such a story on the Lakewood Elementary web site, where only Sue Ellen's friends would find it meaningful. But this...this was going too far...
TBC
