Author's Note:

Time for another Funky Phantom story in the "Meddling Kids" saga. This is one I think you'll really like. In fact, you might even say the story is kind of familiar. Might remind you of something.


Our story opens at the Central City Museum, where we see Mrs. Martin's class getting off the school bus for their field trip.

"Alright class, one at a time." She said as everyone got off. "Remember, this is an honor and a privilege to be here, so please no lallygagging. We can't afford a repeat of our trip to the aquarium."

"Okay Mudsy, we're here." Skip whispered into his backpack.

"It's about time." Mudsy said from inside. "I was getting a little tight in there, don't you know?"

"Pretty sure you could shape-shift into anything." Augie offered. "Or possess an object."

"Well, possessing objects isn't a picnic." Mudsy said. "It takes up a lot of energy and strain."

"Then I guess you'll just need to stay in the bag until the end of the day." Augie shrugged.

"On second thought, I think I will posses an object after all." Mudsy said.

"There you go." Skip said.

Mudsy flew into the museum and went inside of a statue bust of some confederate soldier.

"Okay class, be sure to pay close attention and not wander off. This is an educational field trip and you're going to write down what you learned on your assignment sheet."

Mrs. Martin handed the kids each a quiz sheet for the day and the kids started picking partners.


At that same time, Elmo and Boo were secretly right outside, wanting to get in on the action, too. Both of them were getting bored and restless as they waited outside.

"Meow." Boo sighed as he looked at the sign that said, 'NO ANIMALS ALLOWED!'

"Hmmm..." Elmo whimpered.

Boo looked at the entrance and saw the security guard standing in front. Just then, his walkie rang.

"Simmons, please report to the western section." said the guy on the walkie. "Some old guy is trying to touch the bust of Billy the Kid."

"Coming." Simmons said as he went inside the museum.

"Meow! Meow!" Boo pointed to the entrance, which was now free of security.

Boo picked up Elmo and flew him into the museum to find their owners.


Back in the museum, the students were walking through the exhibitions and looked at the surrounding displays.

"Boy, look at all this stuff." Augie said to Travis. "It must be ancient."

"Yeah, older than that Mudsy guy that you and Skip hang out with." Travis snickered.

"Hey, I resent that remark, don't you know?" Mudsy said from inside a bust of Shakespeare.

"Don't take it personally, Mudsy, maybe you'll see an old friend of yours here." Augie chuckled.

"Yeah." Skip agreed. "For all we know, maybe we could see your comrades from the war."

"Indeed, brings back fond memories, don't you know?" Mudsy smiled. "The gunshots, the British harassing Native Americans, those were the days."

"Okay class, time for the next stop on our tour." said Mrs. Martin.

"Mudsy, come on." Augie whispered.

"Right behind ya!" Mudsy turned invisible and followed the class. "To the next stop, stage left!"

Some time later, the class were at the cafeteria for lunch.

"So Mudsy, what do you think of this whole museum? Remind you of home?" Skip asked Mudsy.

"I will admit, it does make me want to reminisce or wax nostalgic even." Mudsy said. "Although, I am quite offended by some of these inaccuracies."

"What inaccuracies?" asked Augie.

"For one thing, Washington never cut down a tree!" Mudsy proclaimed. "I knew Washington, I worked with Washington, Washington was a friend of mine and he never cut down any tree! Some school bullies set him up and forced him to take the blame."

"Sounds like the real story got lost in history." Skip remarked.

"Too bad we can't use that for future reports." Augie rolled his eyes.

"Hey guys, it's time to go." Hector walked up to the boys. "Mrs. Martin is calling."

"Coming, Hec." said Skip.

"Time to vamoose." Mudsy turned invisible.

The boys then joined the rest of their class for the remaining parts of the tour.


Meanwhile, Boo and Elmo were busy looking around in the museum. They saw all sorts of paintings, statues and artifacts from all over.

"Me-ow." Boo said in awe.

"Ruff." Elmo nodded.

Boo saw a bust of Mayor Iverson's ancestor and went inside of it.

At that same time, another group of customers were on another tour by the museum's curator.

"...and if you'll look closely, you'll see this jar from the medieval times." said the curator. "This jar is said to contain the Black Plague, which endangered many lives and resulted several deaths. Some say that, like Pandora's Box, if one were to open this jar, it would release the germs containing this ailment and endanger us all."

"Ooh..." said the tourists.

"Okay, moving on." said the curator. "Now, on your right..."

While the tour group left, Elmo looked around for Boo.

"Ruff? Ruff?" He barked.

Just then, the Iverson bust's eyes started glowing green and making eerie sounds.

"Arf?" Elmo gasped as he saw the statue.

The statue then made a scary face and spooked Elmo white. Boo floated out of the statue and laughed.

Elmo growled and tried to pounce on Boo, when the ghost cat vanished into thin air and the yellow bulldog accidentally knocked down the stand displaying the plague jar.

The plague jar hoovered in the air briefly before it came crashing down onto the floor.

Soon enough, all the bacteria stored in the jar started floating around the place.

Elmo and Boo gulped and they immediately fled from the museum.


Meanwhile, after lunch, the class continued with the trip through the museum.

"...and that's why to this very day, history refers to him as the biggest jerk in the world." Mrs. Martin concluded.

"I'd hate to see who is stuck having him as a best friend." Mudsy thought from inside a painting.

"Hey Travis, you look a bit funny." Augie turned to Travis. "You look all woozy and pale. You feeling okay?"

"Huh? What?" Travis asked groggily. "Sorry Augie, I couldn't hear you. I'm feeling woozy and a little flu-ish."

"Mrs. Martin!" Augie raised his hand. "Something is wrong with Travis!"

"Not now, Mr. Anderson, save your questions for the end of the tour." Mrs. Martin ignored him. "Now as I was saying..."

Just then, April started feeling the exact same way as Travis.

"Yo April, are you feeling okay?" asked Maria.

"I...I...ACHOO!" April sneezed. "I dunno..."

She then started sneezing and coughing violently.

"YAAHHH!" Maria screamed. "She sneezed in my face! She sneezed in my face!"

"Not now Maria." Mrs. Martin ignored Maria. "We must be on our best...ACHOO! Behavior..."

Skip turned towards Augie as he sneezed again loudly.

"Gesundheit, bro." said Skip. "You oka-"

Skip then started coughing loudly and violently. Soon enough, the whole class started to cough and sneeze violently.

"Goodness me!" Mrs. Martin saw her students. "Class, what's going on?"

"I..COUGH...don't...know, Mrs-" Augie coughed.

"I think we'd better leave..." Mrs. Martin continued coughing.

As soon as they left, little did they know that everyone else in the museum seemed to be getting sick as well; the guards, the staff, the visitors, everybody.

Eventually, the students began to head their separate ways after class was dismissed.


As soon as the boys went home, their mom called a doctor for assistance.

"Okay doctor, what's wrong with them?" Kathy asked the doctor.

"Well, this is unlike anything I've ever seen before!" said the doctor.

"It is?" asked Kathy.

"Yep." The doctor nodded. "That is some great wallpaper you got here. Also, your sons seem to have come down with some sort of ancient ailment. I am going to have to recommend you to have them quarantined in their rooms and set a date for another appointment."

"Quarantine?" Kathy asked. "Is it serious?"

"Afraid so." The doctor shrugged apologetically.

"Okay doctor, I will." Kathy nodded.

"Thanks." The doctor handed Kathy a bill. "Here's the bill."

As soon as the doctor left, Kathy turned to the boys.

"I don't get this!" She said. "One minute, you boys were as healthy as horses and now, you're as sick as dogs. What the heck happened?"

"I don't know, ma..." Augie coughed. "I'm still trying to figure that out."

"Well, you boys had better stay in bed and not move a muscle." She told them.

"Yes ma'am." The boys nodded.

"Right, then." Kathy said before she left the room without another word.

Kathy then met Emma in the living room, watching the news.

"How'd it go, sis?" Emma asked Kathy.

"Not so good, Emma." Kathy sighed. "The boys have to stay in bed in quarantine."

"Well, they're not the only ones." said Kathy. "Look!"

The two sisters saw the news to see what was going on.

"Breaking news!" said Reginald Livingston Segal. "A strange ailment has started plaguing Central City and everyone has to stay in bed, quarantined. We don't know how or why this happened, but infected people are lying in bed and other people are stocking up on sanitizer and protective masks. We take you now to Mayor Iverson for his opinion! Over to you, Bob."

The scene changed to Bob at the mayor's mansion.

"Thanks Reginald!" said Bob. "I'm live at the mayoral mansion, where Mayor Iverson is due to come out at any moment."

Right after Bob finished speaking, someone walked over to him and passed him a note.

"Here sir." said the man.

"I just got word that the mayor cannot come out, due to fear of becoming infected, but one of his personal bodyguards has given this note." Bob started to read the note. "Citizens of Central City, it has come to my attention that the city is becoming infected with a strange ailment and everybody is in bed drinking fluids and resting, whereas, me and my family are safe in an emergency bunker with plenty of food and filtered water to last a year. I do not know how or when we are going to get through these tough times, but I do know that you must avoid physical contact with other people and it will go away soon. Some of you will die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make. Your hardworking mayor, Jeffery Iverson."

"Spoken like a true mayor." Kathy rolled her eyes.

"Figures." Emma agreed.

"Well there you have it, folks!" Bob said. "Stay inside at all times and wear protective masks, cause I know I'm gonna do that right now."

Bob zipped out of the scene and the bulletin went back to Reginald.

"Thank you, Bob." said Reginald. "There you have it, folks. Stay inside and put on protective masks. More on this story as it develops."

"Stay inside and wear protective masks." Kathy repeated.


Back in the boys' room, Mudsy appeared right before the boys.

"Hold onto my horses!" He gasped. "I haven't seen anything like this since the illness aboard the ships to North America, don't you know?"

"What?" Augie coughed. "Sorry Mudsy, we can't hear ya. We're too sick."

"I haven't seen anything as dead serious as those illnesses aboard the ships to North America in my day." Mudsy repeated.

"That's great, Mudsy..." Augie blew his nose into a tissue.

"How could this have happened?" Skip wondered. "I mean, one minute we were healthy and kicking, now we've got stuffy noses, sore throats and aching heads."

"If only there was a way we could investigate what might've happened..." Augie groaned.

"Wait, Mudsy, you can help!" Augie blew his nose.

Mudsy raised his eyebrow and looked at the boys with blank faces, which led to some sort of awkward silence.

"We want you to go back to the crime scene and figure out what happened." Augie clarified. "You're a ghost, so you obviously won't get infected."

"Fear not, my boys!" Mudsy proclaimed. "For I, the Funky Phantom shall find the source of this ailment, don't you know? Come Boo, we are off on another mystery to solve!"

Boo appeared right on Mudsy's shoulder.

"To the exit, stage left!" Mudsy flew right out the window.

"Well, we're doomed." Skip deadpanned.


Author's Note:

Well, looks like Central City is doomed, unless Mudsy can find a way to get rid of this strange ailment. Stay tuned!

PS: Is this reminding you of something?