It was bedtime and all of the chibis were safely tucked away for the night. When Heero was certain that Quatre and Trowa were fast asleep he took out his flashlight and pulled the covers over his head. Wufei and Duo saw the light shine briefly so they were full of curiosity.

"What'cha got there?" Duo asked as he and Wufei stood next to Heero's bed.

Heero poked his head out of the blanket, holding the flashlight under the covers so that it wouldn't show.

"It's the book from that box in the attic," Heero whispered. "I sneaked up into the attic after supper an' got it."

"Scoot over--we wanna read it too," whispered Wufei.

Duo and Wufei got under the covers and lay on their backs on either side of Heero. Duo held the flashlight so that it would be easier for Heero to hold the book in both hands.

"Okay," Wufei whispered. "Start readin'."

"'The 'Fishul Webmommie's Handbook'," Heero read aloud. "'A book for Webmommies of hard-to-manage chibis.

'Chapter One: Rules for the Unruly
'Chapter Two: Restrickshins for the Rambunkshus
'Chapter Three: Punishmints for the Naughty.'"

"I don't like the sounda THAT," Duo declared. "Let's read that one first."

"That is probly the most 'portant chapter for US," added Wufei.

Heero flipped the pages until he found the ominous-sounding Chapter Three.

"Look at THIS," Heero pointed to the large bold red letters. "WARNING: This is the chapter that NO chibi should EVER read! Any chibi caught readin' this will get his Webmommie in lotsa trouble. She will get her 'Most Honor'ble World Order of Webmommies' certif'cate taken 'way from her if enyone knows a chibi has been readin' this book.'"

"We better put this book back in the box," said Wufei.

"An' QUICK!" added Duo.

"'An' even if a chibi puts this book 'way an' thinks nobody will know 'bout it,'" Heero continued to read, "their fingerprints are on the paper--'" Heero dropped the book. "MY fingerprints is on it," he said in a horrified whisper.

"So's the resta us's," Duo reminded him.

"Boy, are WE in trouble," Wufei observed solemnly.

They laid the book on the pillow, using the sheet to keep more tell-tale fingerprints from getting on the forbidden pages. They lay on their stomachs; the horns on Duo's and Heero's cow pajamas helped by holding up the sheet over them. Wufei was now holding the flashlight because Duo was too shaky to hold it steadily enough for Heero to read by.

"'An' any chibis found guilty of readin' this book will be BANISHED FROM THE LAND.'"

"What's 'banished' mean?" asked Duo, who was both puzzled AND suspicious.

"That means ya never get t' come back," Wufei explained.

"So we're doomed, then," Heero said in a matter-of-fact monotone.

"Doomed 'bout WHAT, 'zactly?" Duo asked anxiously.

"We'll be banished from Minnesota at least," said Wufei.

"An' probly from all of 'Merica, too," Heero added.

"Maybe we'll have to float in a boat for the rest of our lives like the man in that movie "A Man Without a Country" had to," Wufei guessed, causing them all to run panicking from the Nursery to search for Melody.

Melody heard the three distraught chibis running down the hall. They were at the bottom of the stairs by the time she got to the living room doorway, anxious to see what all the fuss was about.

"What's wrong?" she asked the pale and trembling little boys standing in a row in front of her, hands behind their backs.

"We got a 'fession t' make," Heero bravely admitted.

Duo threw his little arms around Melody's waist and clung to her as tightly as he could. "PLEASE don't banish us from the land!" he wailed. "I don't WANNA live in a boat!"

Needless to say, Melody was very, very confused.

"We didn't know it was so 'portant," Wufei admitted, "else we wouldn't a readed it."

Melody looked carefully at all three boys. She had never been so completely and utterly baffled by the chibis since they had come to live with her.

"I have no idea of what you're talking about," she said warily.

"The book in the attic," Heero said, thinking that was explanation enough. They could tell that she was still puzzled--they knew THAT look when they saw it because she looked at them that way ALL THE TIME.

"'The 'Fishul Webmommie's Handbook'," Wufei elaborated, but he could see that that did not help her. "You know, the one in the box in the attic with the lock on it."

"Maybe you should show me the book," she suggested wisely.

"An' our fingerprints is ALL OVER IT," Duo declared mournfully, not loosening his grip on Melody even a little bit.

Heero handed the book to her.

"An' now they'll take 'way your Webmommie Certif'cate," Duo moaned. "We're REALLY SORRY."

Melody examined the mysterious book in question, which was in reality a slim three-ring loose leaf notebook with a very familiar light gray paper and a font that she knew well.

Heero pulled his sleeve down over his hand and helped her find the page that had upset them so much.

Melody had to use all of the restraint she could muster so she wouldn't laugh. She knew of two chibis--the oldest chibis, in fact--who were in big trouble for frightening these gullible little ones.