Morning arrived, and Muffy found herself alive and in good health, other than not having brushed her teeth. I must have fallen asleep while trying to make up my mind, she thought as she pushed herself off the bed. So what happens now? Will Mr. Gelt really kill us, or is he all bluster?
"Muffy, get ready for school," said her mother through the door. "By the way, you're grounded."
"Grounded?" said Muffy in disgust. "Why?"
"You know why," said Mrs. Crosswire sternly.
Muffy grumbled bitterly. "You can't ground me forever!" she yelled. "Sooner or later I'll become a burden!"
Sue, in the meantime, relaxed on the easy chair in her nightgown, planning out the day in her mind. Thanks to the power of the sphere, I can do anything I want, she told herself. But there's gotta be a catch. Where did it come from? Who created it, and why? Will I become evil by using it? Do I control it, or does it control me? I should probably destroy the thing…but not yet.
Mr. Krantz, wearing naught but a bathrobe, entered the living room with a steaming plate of pancakes and syrup in his hands. "Your breakfast is served, master," he announced.
Sue set the plate down in her lap, grabbed the fork, and took a greedy bite. "Mmm," she said with pleasure. "They're delicious. Thanks, Mrs. McGrady."
"You're welcome, master," spoke an elderly woman's voice from the kitchen.
The cat girl ate single-mindedly until every crumb and drop of syrup was gone. "Dad, come and fetch my plate," she commanded.
The moose man rushed back to her side. "Yes, master," he said with a polite bow, and cleansed Sue's lips with a wet wipe before making off with the dish.
It's great to be queen of the world, thought Sue, sticking her hands behind her curly hair. "Dad," she called, "how would you like to drive me to Springfield today?"
"But, master," came her adoptive father's contrite voice, "wouldn't you rather visit your mother at the hospital?"
"Mom's fine," said Sue indifferently.
"Not only that, master," Mr. Krantz went on, "but I have work today, master." I can't even stop myself from saying 'master', he thought despondently. This is so degrading.
"Call in sick," Sue instructed him. "Tell 'em you've got smallpox."
"Right away, master," said Krantz, and he marched obediently to the telephone.
Sue tossed the glowing sphere up and down as her brain devised more mischief. It's not fair that all my friends should have to go to school while I get to go on a trip, she thought. Plus, it saves me from having to play catchup tomorrow.
Bringing the ball to her mouth, she declared, "May I have your undivided attention, please. School is cancelled today due to…a cholera outbreak. I repeat, school is cancelled. There is no school today."
As Muffy searched her drawer for fresh underwear, a realization dawned upon her. There's no school today, she thought. I don't have to take a bath yet. I can sleep in! I can…oh, crud, now I'll have to stay home all day!
Arthur and D.W. were engrossed in a new cartoon entitled A Joey Called Spooky Poo when their mother looked in and said, "Kids, time for breakfast."
D.W. shrugged. "What's the hurry, Mom? School's cancelled today."
After a moment's reflection, Mrs. Read said, "Oh, that's right! How did I forget?"
Mr. Haney lay silently, awash with gratitude that he had finally been let go by the government scientists who had probed every crevice in his body. And to top it all off, there's no school today, he thought. I've got a whole day to myself, to rest and recuperate…only I don't feel like resting at all. I'm bursting with so much energy, I may just run a marathon before breakfast!
As Sue and Mr. Krantz pulled out of their driveway, the first thing they saw going by was the principal, clad in shorts and sneakers, sweat pouring in rivulets down his neck. To Sue's amazement, the running man's face and body showed absolutely no sign of fatigue. They saved his life, but they couldn't save April's, she thought angrily. I hope the Doctor suffered for what he did to her. I wonder if Clive's powerful enough to bring April back…do I dare ask him?
They drove past Lakewood Elementary, a vacant shell with neither pupils nor teachers. Albertson High School, also on their route, was similarly devoid of people. I wonder how far this thing reaches, thought Sue, fondling the ball in her pocket. I wonder how many people I can control with it.
Mr. Haney, jogging but not panting, felt as if even the four winds combined couldn't slow him down. He was surprised to discover that all it took was one avid woman seizing him by the arm.
"Herbert!" exclaimed Bitzi Baxter. "You're back! You're well!"
"Er, good morning to you," said the principal courteously.
Buster, bored by the prospect of a day without school, had taken to playing with a bag of carrots. He had a carrot in each ear, two carrots hanging out of his nose, and a half-eaten carrot in his mouth when his mother charged in, dragging the helpless Haney along. "Look who almost got away from me," said the woman with the horn-rimmed glasses.
"Hi, Mr. Haney," said Buster with a weak wave. He still looks human, more or less, thought the rabbit boy, but then again, so did the Terminator…
"And guess what, Buster," said Bitzi excitedly. "Since school's cancelled today, you and Herbert can play together as much as you want!"
Catch me, I'm passing out from the rapture, thought Buster.
"Uh, I see you like carrots," remarked the principal, as Bitzi retired to another room to care for Petula.
"Yeah, I do," said the boy, drawing the vegetables from his nostrils. "I like anything that's food."
"I'll bet I can run a mile with you on my shoulders," Haney boasted.
"Your bionic heart lets you do that?" said Buster, intrigued.
The sweat-soaked principal nodded.
"Can you fly?" the young rabbit asked him.
"Nope, can't fly," was Haney's response.
What a relief, thought Buster.
Then, to his alarm, a tall, massive stranger filled the doorway. The pig-nosed man wore a brown suit jacket and a white shirt with an open collar and no tie. His rough face featured a number of scars, as if he had survived a head-on collision with a rhinoceros, and his eyes were jet-black and pitiless. A large belt encircled his waist, and what appeared to be a holster dangled from the belt.
Buster's first impression upon beholding the man was, Cool! I get to watch Mr. Haney fight a supervillain!
"Buster, this is Richard, my bodyguard," Haney introduced him. "The government appointed him to keep an eye on me."
"Hey, kid," said the gigantic man, his voice unexpectedly normal.
"Wowwwww," said Buster in awe. Standing up for a closer look, he examined both sides of the stranger as if to ensure he was made of flesh rather than brick.
"You're quite a runner, Haney," said Richard to the principal. "It's all I can do to keep up with you and stay within the speed limit."
"Is that a real gun?" inquired Buster, gesturing at the man's hip.
"Yeah," was Richard's reply. "It squirts real water, too."
Buster grinned at the face that towered above the tips of his ears. "Do you have a nickname?" he asked. "You know, a dangerous nickname that tells people how dangerous you are…something like Bullet, or Trigger, or Magazine, or…or Buttplate."
"Yeah, kid," said the bodyguard. "I got a nickname. They call me…SCRUNCHY."
To be continued