A Question from a Mother

She looked like she was one of the 10% who were now of mixed race -- her skin was a perfect golden-brown mocha color and her eyes were delicately almond-shaped. "How can you do this to us?" she asked. "You've changed my life -- my kids, my husband, they aren't going to recognize me!" "To answer your actual question," said Stud Muffin, "I can do this because I have almost unlimited magic powers. But don't worry. I've changed reality so that, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, all of you have always looked like this, and you've led pretty much the same lives up to now. What you may do from now on is a different story, but -- how old are your kids?" The woman looked a little startled that *she'd* been asked a question. "Uh, 10 and 6." "Ah, two little girls," said Stud Muffin. "I'm sure they'll grow up to be as beautiful and sexy as their mother." "They're boys, actually," said the woman. "Jeremy and Michael." Stud Muffin punched quickly at his device. As it glowed briefly, he insisted, "Two little *girls.* Jennifer and Michelle." The woman opened her mouth again, but no sound came out. She looked like she was about to cry. Stud Muffin scanned the line. No one else seemed to want to ask a question, afraid of what he might do to them. Finally, he said, "It's no fun if no one says anything. Okay, I'm just going to start calling on people." He pointed at someone else and said, "You."