by Betsy Haynes
"Dearly beloved," he said in a hushed voice, "we are gathered here today to put an old friend to rest." He indicated the TV with a gesture of his hand. Laughter rippled through the audience.
"In keeping with this solemn occasion," he continued, "we have elected to celebrate its passing with skits, recitations, cheers, and variety acts."
Katie looked around at the kids in the audience. He had them interested. She crossed her fingers.
"For our first act, let me introduce to you Wakeman's own, Dekeisha Cosby."
Katie couldn't believe her eyes as Dekeisha Adams sauntered onto the stage. She was wearing long pants and a sweatshirt and had an unlit cigar in her hand and a silly smile on her face.
Oh, my gosh. She's supposed to be Bill Cosby, thought Katie.
The audience knew what she was doing right away and responded with laughter.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen," Dekeisha said. "Oops! Sorry, I've got the wrong audience. I thought I was at Branford Junior High."
Dekeisha's act was all about how great Branford was, but everything she said could be taken as an insult instead of a compliment. When she was finished she stuck the cigar in her mouth and walked off to a standing ovation.
Curtis Trowbridge was next. He had put on a fake beard and top hat and looked like a miniature Abraham Lincoln. He read a revised version of the Emancipation Proclamation in which he declared that all television watchers were being freed. Katie saw Jana and Christie nod their approval as the audience clapped for Curtis's performance.
Kaci Davis twirled her baton, and then the seventh-grade cheerleaders came on with special cheers about turning off the TV. After them came two more acts, each with a different message about why the TV should be turned off.
"Before our final act," Mr. Bell said, "I want to instruct you to remember Branford Junior High!"
The crowd booed and jeered at the mention of the rival school, but then everyone quieted down as the funeral music came over the loudspeakers again. Mr. Bell gave a signal, and a boy and a girl from each grade rose from their seats at the back of the auditorium. They were all wearing black, and they walked slowly onto the stage and behind the curtain. Katie followed them onto the stage and stood near the television set. She was too embarrassed to look at the audience. She hoped no one thought it was her idea to be in the ceremony.
When the group of boys and girls emerged from behind the curtain a moment later, they were carrying a small wooden coffin that was painted black, and they marched straight to the television set and stopped. Mr. Bell nodded to Katie, and she reached up and pulled the plug on the TV. The glowing screen went black. There was a moment of silence before Mr. Bell lifted the set into the coffin and closed the lid, laying the wreath on top.
Mr. Bell spoke again. "As you leave the auditorium, please file past the coffin to pay your last respects to the deceased. Those of you—both students and faculty—who have signed a contract for the turnoff are asked to drop your contract into the coffin as you pass by."
The six pallbearers slowly carried the casket off the stage and down the aisle to the back of the auditorium with the principal and Katie following.
When the procession reached the back of the room, the pallbearers set the coffin down and opened the lid again, standing at attention as the last strains of funeral music died away.
The audience was quiet for a moment, and Katie couldn't tell whether they liked the idea of burying the television or not. Then, all over the auditorium, kids began jumping to their feet, applauding and cheering.
A thrill of excitement raced up Katie's back as she looked around at the cheering crowd. It would be okay. It was going to work! Most of the kids would drop signed turnoff contracts into the coffin. She just knew it.
After school The Fabulous Five crowded into Bumpers, where everybody was talking about the assembly that had officially started the turnoff.
"I have to tell you, Katie, you're a natural actress," joked Beth. I've never seen anyone pull a plug as well as you did today."
Katie rolled her eyes. Then she laughed and asked, "Do you think Hollywood will be after me?"
Everyone at the table nodded.
"Oh, there's Dekeisha," said Beth. "I've got to tell her how good her Cosby act was. Hey, Dekeisha!"
Dekeisha heard her and headed for The Fabulous Five's table. "Hi, guys!"
"You were fantastic today!" said Beth. "I didn't know you could do imitations like that."
Dekeisha smiled shyly. "I can only do a few. Bill Cosby's my favorite. I watch his show all the time . . . or I did until I signed my TV turnoff contract." Then her smile faded. "Hey, I want to tell you, Katie, you've got trouble."
"Trouble?" asked Katie, puzzled.
"Yep. Laura McCall and her friends hung around the back of the auditorium watching everybody file past the coffin. Then they started pulling kids aside and trying to talk them into breaking their contracts."
"What?" said Katie. "You've got to be kidding."
Dekeisha shook her head. "No, I'm not. Laura's started a big campaign. She says it's a free country, and no one should dictate what you can or can't watch. I know that's what she was saying because I'm one of the kids she said it to."
"Nobody will listen to her," Katie grumbled. "At least nobody who has already decided to go along with the turnoff and has signed a contract."
"Don't bet on it," warned Dekeisha. "She's reminding everybody Mr. Bell made it clear that turning off your TV is voluntary."
Katie frowned. Maybe Laura McCall was going to be more trouble than she had thought.
CHAPTER 8
"I still can't believe it," said Christie. "Laura is just being spiteful."
It was the next day, and The Fabulous Five were having a meeting in Jana's bedroom. Christie and Beth were stretched across Jana's bed, sharing a bag of potato chips; Melanie was lounging on the floor, holding Jana's stuffed pink bunny; and Katie and Jana were sitting in chairs. They were all wearing their Fabulous Five T-shirts.
"You'd think since the school is behind the turnoff, she wouldn't take a chance," said Melanie.
Jana shrugged. "Like Laura said, it's strictly voluntary. I know several kids who said they weren't going to sign up. They just don't want to give up their television."
"And let's face it, even some who signed contracts won't be able to stand it without their tube time," said Beth. "They'll go berserk after the first day."
"And good old Laura will be right there to tell them it's okay to turn their sets back on," added Katie.
"We definitely have to keep as many kids from falling into her trap as we can," declared Jana.
"Mr. Bell told Mom that eighty-five percent of the student body signed up, and all of the teachers. But guess what?" Katie said, giggling. "He said he wouldn't be surprised if a couple of teachers cheated."
"I hope they get caught!" exclaimed Melanie.
"He also said that Miss Simone made photocopies of all the contracts and mailed them to the principal at Branford Junior High. Now the Branford kids will know how serious we are about beating them," continued Katie.
"I just hope Wakeman stays serious," said Jana.
"Who watched TV last night?" asked Christie.
"Not me," answered Beth.
"Me, either," said Melanie. "But it wasn't because I didn't want to." She hugged the pink bunny and looked forlornly at her friends. "Actually, it was awful. I kept walking by the television set, and—I know you'll think I've flipped out—but I could almost hear it calling to me."
"Gosh, Mel. I didn't think you were that hooked," said Beth.
"I thought you were going to start writing your own version of the story in your diary," added Katie.
Melanie nodded. "I did, and I'll have to admit that it helped a little. In this first episode, I have Sylvia waking up in her hospital room to find Cal looking down at her. I can't wait to write another episode this afternoon."
"Boy, are Brittany and Brian grouches," said Beth. "They really hat
e it that we can't watch TV at our house. I'm lucky my mom and dad are all for it, or I'd be surrounded by television. That would make it hard to resist."
"Tell me about it," grumbled Melanie. "Jeffy doesn't understand why he can't watch his favorite cartoons. It's really tough on my mom to keep him entertained."
"The same with Alicia," said Beth.
"My mom and I played Monopoly last night," Katie told them. "Of course we don't watch much television, anyway."
"I went bowling with my mom and Pink," said Jana. "I kept score for them."
"So far, so good, for the five of us," said Katie. "But what are we going to do to keep Laura from luring other kids into breaking their contracts?"
"We can spread the word about what she's trying to do," said Beth. "That ought to help."
"Not everyone feels the same about Laura as we do," pointed out Jana.
"And some kids just signed up for the turnoff because everyone else was doing it," offered Christie.
"Maybe we can find out who's about to break their contracts and help them," said Katie. "When we know who they are, we can give them some ideas for fun things to do. We need to encourage them to tough it out."
"What we need to do is follow The Fantastic Foursome around and watch who they talk to," said Melanie. "Then we can corner those people and talk them back into keeping their TVs turned off."
"We can't be with The Fantastic Foursome all the time," said Christie. "We're not even in all their classes."
"What we need are spies!" Beth said dramatically.
"We've got lots of friends," said Katie. "I bet if we talk to Dekeisha, Melinda, Mandy, and Alexis, they'll help."
"Right," agreed Christie.
The idea made Katie brim with excitement. "Let's call them right now, and see if they'll be our spies."
The Fabulous Five went to Jana's living room and took turns calling the other girls. Every one of them agreed to help. Katie felt relieved. With help, they had a fighting chance to keep Laura from ruining the turnoff.
Katie was so anxious to hear what people were saying about the turnoff on Monday morning that she gulped down her breakfast and hurried out the door. When she arrived at school, the first thing she saw was Laura taking to Shane. Oh, no, she thought. Melanie would be furious.
Intending to eavesdrop on their conversation, Katie moved closer, but just then she heard someone call her name.
"Katie Shannon. Whose big idea was this turnoff, anyway?"
Katie glanced around to see Elizabeth Harvey marching toward hen It was obvious from her scowling face that she wasn't happy.
"I don't know why I signed up for it in the first place," Elizabeth said, stopping next to Katie. "Do you realize how long a weekend is when you can't watch TV?"
Katie smiled weakly. "Oh, come on, Elizabeth. There are lots of fun things to do besides watch television."
"Name one," Elizabeth challenged.
By this time Lisa Snow had joined them. "Yeah," she said. "This was the longest weekend of my life. I'll never last two whole weeks."
"Sure you will," Katie insisted.
"Well, I won't," said Elizabeth. "And you were going to name something fun to do besides watch TV, remember?"
Katie nodded. "Listen, guys. Don't give up yet. Just give it a little time. You'll think of things to do."
Elizabeth shrugged and walked away, calling back over her shoulder, "If I don't think of something pretty quickly, I'm going straight home to turn on my set."
"I signed up for the turnoff, and I'd still like to do it," said Lisa, "but my family isn't interested. My dad wants to watch the news when he gets home, and then if there's a game on later, he wants to watch that. My mom has some shows in the evening that she says she has to watch. I either have to sit in my room by myself or be in the living room with them. I might as well forget about the whole thing now and get it over with."
"Can't you explain to your parents how important the TV turnoff is?" asked Katie. "Didn't you tell them the whole school is doing it?"
"That's not true. Laura was telling me about all the kids who aren't going along with it."
"There are more doing it than not," argued Katie. "What about Branford? Do you want them to beat Wakeman? Think of how they'll make fun of us, after we said we could do better than them."
"I know," Lisa said, sounding miserable. "But I can't get away from TV, anyway, so why fight it?"
Now what am I going to do? thought Katie as she left Lisa and scuffed along toward The Fabulous Five's meeting place by the fence.
She glanced around to see Melissa McConnell and Tammy Lucero talking to Marcie Bee near the gum tree, where the Wakeman kids stuck their gum before going into school. Katie watched them for a moment, and even though she couldn't hear what they were saying, she knew what they were talking about. Marcie had signed a contract to give up TV.
Jana and Christie were waiting when Katie got to the fence.
"I've got good news," announced Jana.
"Great," replied Katie. "I could use some."
"I talked to Randy," Jana went on. "He said the guys made rockets at his house on Saturday and launched them yesterday. They had a great time. The best news for you is that Tony was with them. He signed up for the turnoff, too."
Katie felt her spirits rise. "Did Randy say if Tony talked about me?" she asked.
"No, but I can ask him if you want me to," offered Jana.
"Never mind," Katie answered quickly. If he's going to be too stubborn to apologize to me, I'm certainly not going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that I care.
CHAPTER 9
"How did your weekend go, class?" asked Mrs. Clark that day. "Did any of you have trouble finding things to do instead of watching television?"
"I counted the money I've been saving for a trip to Disney World and read two books," said Melinda Thaler.
"Some of us guys made rockets," said Scott Daly. "Then I tried to see how many push-ups I could do. I got up to seventy-five."
"Very good," said Mrs. Clark.
"I wrote on my little brother's feet and stomach," bragged Joel Murphy. He looked around impishly when a chorus of laughter filled the air.
"You what?" asked Mrs. Clark, looking surprised.
"Well, actually I copied the Declaration of Independence on him. I just wanted to see if I could do it. It looked really neat."
"I'm sure it did," said the teacher, shaking her head.
"He didn't like it when I held him down, though, and he started crying. My mom got mad and turned on the television to keep him quiet."
Whitney Larkin frowned at Joel and raised her hand. "Curtis Trowbridge and I went to the library and checked out a bunch of books. We read the whole weekend."
"Very commendable," said Mrs. Clark. "What about you, Geena?"
"I wasn't crazy about the turnoff, but I signed up. Then my brothers had the television on all weekend. I tried not to watch, but it wasn't easy."
"Good for you for trying," said Mrs. Clark.
Others said they had found things to do with their friends and with their families. A few admitted to sneaking a peek at television.
Katie didn't think it sounded as if the turnoff was going too badly for some kids. At least the news was a little encouraging.
"I saw Laura and Tammy talking to Lisa Snow," reported Mandy. "I talked to Lisa later, and she said she was definitely considering breaking her contract." Mandy and Alexis were sitting with The Fabulous Five at Bumpers after school, giving their spy reports.
Turning to Alexis, Katie said, "What did you find out?"
"I saw Melissa talking to Mona Vaughn and Matt Zeboski," said Alexis. "I couldn't tell for sure, but I think it was about the turnoff."
"Darn," said Katie. "She's already talking some kids into watching television, and this is just the beginning of the first week. By the end of next week she may have everyone breaking the contract, and then the whole turnoff will fall apart."
"Hey, guys. Listen to this,
" cried Dekeisha as she pushed her way through the crowd and sank breathlessly into The Fabulous Five's booth. "You'll never guess what The Fantastic Foursome is up to now."
"What?" asked Christie.
Dekeisha caught her breath and leaned forward. "Laura and her friends are saying that they'll watch programs for anybody who'll pay them fifty cents an hour. They say that they'll write down everything that happens on the show and bring the report to school the next day."
"That's cheating," Katie blurted out. "That way kids could keep their contracts and still know what's happening on their favorite shows right away instead of waiting to see the tapes they've made on their VCRs."
"Exactly," said Dekeisha. "That's what Laura is counting on."
"Right." Jana nodded. "And I'll bet she's also planning to secretly let Mr. Bell know who is cheating."
"And if she gets enough kids to cheat, the turnoff will be a failure," said Dekeisha.
"That jerk," said Katie. "I just hope nobody takes her up on it."
"Ha!" scoffed Dekeisha. "That's the rest of the news. She was passing around a sign-up sheet in science class, and half the kids in class were signing up."
Katie sank back against the booth, folding her arms across her chest. It made her furious that Laura was trying so hard to wreck the turnoff. But it made her even angrier that so many kids were going along with it.
The crowd in Bumpers began to thin. Dekeisha left with Mandy and Alexis, leaving The Fabulous Five alone with their gloom.
Suddenly, Jana sat up straight. "Don't look now, but you-know-who is coming this way."
Katie turned to see The Fantastic Foursome approaching.
"Well, how's the great reformer?" Laura asked in a sarcastic voice. She was looking straight at Katie. "Have you come up with any more great ideas like the TV turnoff? I hear there are lots of kids who aren't going along with it."
"Only because you and your friends are trying to talk people into watching television," said Katie.
"That's not totally true," replied Laura sweetly. "A lot of them only went along with the turnoff in the first place because your mother got Mr. Bell to make such a big deal of it. Who cares if the Branford kids didn't watch TV? Big deal."