Chapter 5
Cindy's eyes slowly opened and was greeted with the golden sunlight that filled the girls' bedroom. She yawned and stretched – but stopped upon noticing her hands. They were dark in color! That startled Cindy at first, but then, it made her happy and excited. That meant that her fairy godmother really had visited her, and she was now a black girl!
The eleven-year-old ran into the bathroom shared by the boys and girls and looked in the mirror. Sure enough, Cindy was now black! Although Cindy was excited that her wish had come true, she started to frown a bit since seeing a different girl in the mirror was so unusual. Her skin was dark, and she had black, braided hair – unlike the light skin and blonde hair that she had been used to for years. On top of that, her eyes were brown instead of blue. She looked like Ruby Bridges – who looked a lot like Camille. Cindy spent a few minutes in the bathroom walking around – looking at her hands, arms, and legs – as well as the reflection in the mirror – to make sure that she wasn't going crazy. Her heart was pounding from nervousness, and the soles of her feet slapped the floor as she walked around.
"Cindy, what's going on in here?" a familiar voice asked. Cindy saw Marcia for only a brief second before her older sister let out an ear-piercing shriek. Marcia clung to the doorframe and hyperventilated. Her eyes bulged as she demanded, "Who are you?"
Cindy gasped herself at seeing Marcia. Her sister now somewhat resembled La Toya Jackson – only with darker skin, and instead of long, blonde hair, Marcia now had long, black hair. From what Cindy could tell, Marcia had brown eyes as well.
"Who are you?" Marcia again demanded.
Because she had been so speechless and somewhat hurt, Cindy didn't answer immediately. "It's me – Cindy!"
Marcia's eyes grew wider in shock. Despite Cindy's different physical appearance, her voice was still the same.
"Marcia, Cindy, what's going on in there?" Jan asked from the bedroom. Marcia turned her head, and both girls screeched in unison.
"You're not Marcia!" cried Jan.
"You're not Jan!" yelled Marcia.
Both girls noticed, however, that their voices were the same. The two hurried into the bathroom to join Cindy, and as all three of them stared at their new selves in the mirror. Jan looked like a teenage version of Janet Jackson – only with darker skin and braided hair. Like her sisters, she now had brown eyes.
Marcia and Jan had been clutching the counter while hyperventilating for a few seconds before looking at each other in shock. "J-J-Jan…is that you?" asked Marcia as her teeth clattered.
Jan started trembling as she nodded nervously. "I-is that you, Marcia?" Her sister nodded, and the girls then turned to look at Cindy.
"C-C-Cindy…is that you?" Marcia asked as her lips trembled. The youngest child nodded. She was starting to be afraid now. Maybe wishing for a change like this wasn't such a good idea after all.
Tears started flowing from the girls' eyes, and they hugged each other. "What could have happened to us?" Jan cried.
Suddenly, the girls heard Peter grumbling from behind the door leading to the boys' bedroom. "Say, what's the deal? Can't a guy get any sleep on the weekend?" Peter then threw open the door and cried – jumping back at the sight of the girls. They gasped themselves as they saw their brother – now resembling Michael Jackson. "What's the matter with you?" Peter demanded as he walked farther into the bathroom. He then turned and cried louder upon seeing in the mirror his darker skin, large afro, and brown eyes.
"Hey, Peter, are you guys okay?" Bobby asked from his bedroom. "What's going on in there?" The others gasped as Bobby entered the bathroom, and he cried upon seeing his siblings. He then caught a glimpse of his reflection – and turned to look in the mirror. He gasped when he saw that he now resembled Randy Jackson – given that he now had darker skin, an afro (one smaller than Peter's), and brown eyes.
The third door that lead to the upstairs hall suddenly opened, and Greg recoiled as he saw his siblings. "Whoa! Sorry! I didn't realize that we had company!"
"Greg? Is that you!?" wondered Bobby. Greg's eyes and mouth opened wide in shock. Hearing Bobby's voice coming from someone looking like Randy Jackson was quite unexpected. He also was confused by Bobby's question.
"What do you mean? Of course it's me! I should ask you the same question!" Greg replied. He then looked up and cried upon seeing his reflection in the mirror. He now looked like Tito Jackson – given that he now had skin slightly darker than Peter's, an afro, and brown eyes. His heart pounded as he walked farther into the bathroom to get a better look at himself.
"Just what is going on in here?" demanded Carol as she entered the bathroom – screaming upon seeing the others present. She then glanced in the mirror and screamed again – seeing that she now resembled Diahann Carroll because of her darker hair, skin, and brown eyes.
"Carol? Is everything okay?" Mike called from the hall. By now, the Bradys' hearts were now pounding, and the kids stared nervously at the doorway. Mike then appeared, and not surprisingly, he now looked like football player Fred Williamson with his black, puffy hair, sideburns, dark skin, and brown eyes. Mike gasped – and then gasped louder upon seeing his reflection after Marcia, Jan, and Cindy pointed at the mirror.
The Bradys then turned their attention to the hallway when they heard footsteps. "What in the world is going on up here?" Alice questioned – her voice growing louder as she approached the bathroom. "What are you all doing – having a screaming contest?" Once Alice reached the bathroom, her eyes bulged, and she screamed louder than any of the Bradys had done. The Bradys screamed as well – seeing that Alice now resembled Esther Rolle with her round face, dark hair, skin, and brown eyes. As Mike had already done, Alice screamed even louder upon seeing her reflection in the mirror.
"Okay, okay," Mike said, "I don't know what's going on here, but unless this is some kind of prank, I think that we're going to have to see a doctor." Alice's eyes bulged briefly before she fell on the floor and fainted. The Bradys looked at each other and her in shock before bending down to help Alice.