Chapter Two: Give a Little Whistle
Brainy turned to Salu.
"Now what?" Brainy asked.
"Oh yeah." Salu said. "I should probably begin with a heart to heart about how to tell right and wrong."
"Why?" Brainy asked.
"Well you wanna be a real boy, right?" Salu asked.
"Uh-huh." Brainy answered.
"Okay, then sit down." Brainy sat down on the bench as Salu climbed up to sit next to him. "Let's see, first the world is full of temptations."
"What are temptations?" Brainy asked.
"They're the choices that seem right at the time but are actually wrong." Salu said, and then she got confused. "But even when the right things may seem wrong at the time, sometimes the wrong things… Um… Maybe right at the wrong time… Or visa-versa…" Salu had no idea what she just said. "Do you understand what I just said?"
"Uh-uh." Brainy said.
"Good." Salu replied.
"But I'm gonna do right!" Brainy said with a smile.
"That's the spirit, Brainy!" Salu said with a smile. "And I'll help you! If you ever need me, just whistle, like this."
Salu whistled.
"Like this?" Brainy asked, and he just blew.
"No." Salu said.
"Like this?" Brainy asked again as he blew some more.
"No, now listen." Salu said, and she whistled three times, going up a pitch every time. Superboy blew the same way until he finally whistled at the last one. "That's it! Come on, let's sing it!"
"Okay." Brainy said.
When you get in trouble,
And you don't know right from wrong,
Give a little whistle.
Give a little whistle.
When you meet temptation,
And the urge is very strong,
Give a little whistle.
Give a little whistle.
Not just a little squeak.
Pucker up and blow.
And if your whistle's weak, yell.
"Salu?" Brainy asked.
"Right!" Salu said with a smile.
Take the straight and narrow path,
And if you start to slide,
Give a little whistle.
Give a little whistle.
And always let your conscience be your guide.
Salu put her hand on an unused violin when a string snapped and hit her in the rear.
"OUCH!" Salu called out.
"Are you okay?" Brainy asked.
"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't lean on instruments."
Take the straight and narrow path,
And if you start to slide,
Give a little whistle!
Give a little whistle!
And always let your conscience be your guide!
Salu then hopped down.
"And always let my conscience be my guide!"
Brainy walked to the side, so that he wouldn't land in front of Salu when he got tripped up in painting cans and fell over.
"Ah, look out!" Salu yelled, but it was too late, and there was a resounding crash.
()()()()()
Clark and Lois shot out of their beds in alarm.
"Who's there?" Clark called out.
"Me!" A little boy's voice said from downstairs.
"Oh thank goodness it's just me." Lois said as she and Clark were about to go back to sleep when their brains suddenly jumped back into action.
"ME?!" Clark and Lois asked at the same time. Clark then walked down cautiously in case someone else was down there. They went down with Krypto in front when they saw a mess by the counter with Brainy on the floor.
"Oh, Brainy, how'd you get down there?" Lois asked as she picked him up and was about to put him back on the bench.
"I fell down." Brainy said.
"Oh, are you o- What?" Lois asked as she blinked.
"You're talking?" Clark said as he blinked.
"Yup." Brainy said with a smile.
"No, no, that can't be." Clark said.
"Yeah, and I can move too." Brainy said as he got up and waved his arms.
"No, this is impossible!" Lois said. "We're just dreaming! Clark, wake me up! WAKE ME UP!"
Clark pinched Lois in the shoulder.
"Ow." Lois said. "Oh, Clark must be the one that's asleep then."
Lois pinched Clark.
"Ow." Clark said.
"I guess we just imagined it then." Lois said.
"Right." Clark said. "Imagined it. Now Brainy, say something."
"You two are funny!" Brainy said with a laugh. "Do that again."
"You do talk!" Clark said in surprise.
"Yeah!" Brainy said. "An angel named Shayera came and brought me to life."
"An angel named Shayera?" Lois asked.
"Yeah, and I got a conscience." Brainy said. "You wanna meet her?"
"Uh… Sure." Clark said.
Brainy hopped down from the bench and ran to the largest music box and pulled from behind it a five-year-old girl in a pure white leotard.
"Hi." Salu said nervously. "Um… I… Kinda snuck in while you were putting the finishing touches on Brainy, and I was afraid that if I told you I was here, you'd send me back to the orphanage."
"Oh, well you're welcome to stay here." Lois said. "What's your name?"
"Salu Digby." Salu said.
"With her help, I'm gonna be a real boy some day!" Brainy said excitedly.
"Well whether it's today, tomorrow, or next year, our wish came true, right Lois?" Clark asked.
"Of course it did, oh come to Mommy sweetie." Lois said as she picked Brainy up and kissed his forehead.
"Krypto, look!" Clark said excitedly. "He's alive, and he can talk."
"Go on, sweetie, say hi to Krypto." Lois said as she knelt down and placed Brainy in front of Krypto.
"Hi to Krypto." Brainy said as he petted Krypto, and he panted and began licking his face as Superboy giggled.
"Oh, Krypto, no." Lois said. "No licking Brainy's face, you might wash the paint off."
"Oh, he's fine." Clark said with a smile. "I think this calls for a celebration."
Clark pushed a button by the large music box, and Salu backed away a little as Clark held Brainy now and was pushing several buttons.
"Your turn to start one, Brainy." Clark said.
Brainy pushed one, and he laughed at the music coming from apparently nowhere.
The four then danced around in a circle as Krypto ran around them and barked happily.
()()()()()
As everyone danced around, Brainy looked at a yellow and orange thing on top of a long white thing as he stared.
"Ooh, nice." Brainy said. He tried to grab it, but he couldn't. He then held his finger out, and the thing on top spread to the tip of his finger.
"Look Mom and Dad!" Brainy said as he walked up. "Isn't it pretty?"
"AH!" The other three screamed. Clark picked Brainy up, turned on a nearby sink, and put Brainy's finger under the water.
"Phew." Clark said. "That was close."
"No playing with fire, young man." Lois said firmly but not unkindly.
"Why?" Brainy asked.
"Because you'll get burned." Lois explained.
"What's burned mean?" Brainy asked.
"It means you'll end up as a pile of ashes and die." Salu said.
"What's die mean?" Brainy asked.
"It means you won't live anymore." Lois said.
"Oh." Brainy said.
"Now let's go to bed before anything else happens." Clark said.
They then took Salu and Brainy up to their room as Clark took Brainy into the bathroom to put some pajamas from the attic on him, so Salu could put on a nightgown Lois had saved privately.
"Now, we'll all have to sleep in the same bed tonight." Clark said. "Tomorrow, I'll build two new beds for you two."
"Thank you, Mr. Kent." Salu said as she snuggled down with a yawn as Krypto lied down between Brainy and Salu.
"Now go to sleep dear." Lois said as she made sure Brainy and Salu were tucked in, and Salu was already asleep and petting Krypto.
"Why?" Brainy asked.
"Oh everybody has to sleep." Clark explained. "Your mom sleeps. I sleep. Salu sleeps. Krypto sleeps, and besides, tomorrow, you're going to your first day of school."
"Why?" Brainy asked.
"To learn things." Lois said with a yawn. "And get smart."
"Why?" Brainy asked.
"Because." Clark said with a yawn as he and Lois nodded off.
"Oh." Brainy said as he snuggled next to Krypto and petted him with Salu. "Good night Dad."
"Night son." Clark said without waking up.
"Good night Mom." Brainy said.
"Night son." Lois said without waking up either.
"I love you." Brainy said as he fell asleep, and Lois and Clark waked up a little as they smiled at their new boy, and the girl who would probably be staying with them for awhile.
"We love you too." They both said as they made sure both children were comfortably covered, and they went to sleep.
Aw…
Salu: That does it.
Me: No wait! I didn't mean it!
Kara (sleepily): Yay!