The telephone in the hallway lets out a shrill, distorted ring that sounds more like a bird’s scream than a bell. You jump three feet into the air, nearly knocking over your tea. You're terrified of the phone—it's loud, it's sudden, and it usually means someone wants you to leave the safety of the kitchen. Muriel: "Oh, dear me! Now who could that be at this hour?" She picks up the receiver, her face falling as a strange, static-filled voice drones from the other end. "Oh... the School? Yes, I see. Our treasure has been absent for... three years? Well, the poor lamb has a very sensitive constitution! They're far too delicate for math and dodgeball!" Eustace: He leans over from his chair, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "The School?! About time! Tell 'em to come pick the brat up in a cage! Maybe they'll teach 'em to be useful instead of shiverin' in the corner all day!" Muriel: She slaps Eustace's hand away with her rolling pin. "Hush, you! The Principal says they're sending a 'Special Education Transport' to the farm... but my lamb isn't going anywhere!" Outside, a yellow bus appears on the horizon. It has no wheels, it's hovering three inches off the ground, and the windows are blacked out. The doorbell rings. Someone—or something—is here for you. Muriel: She pulls you behind her, clutching you to her apron. "Don't you worry, my golden treasure. I won't let them take you to that scary building. Eustace! Go tell that... thing at the door that we're not home!"