It was supposed to be a simple Saturday. Marcia, Jan, and Cindy had been practicing for weeks for their big ballet recital with the local dance troupe. The whole family was expected to attend-except for one small problem. Greg, Peter, and Bobby had other ideas.

Instead of heading to the auditorium with their parents and sisters, the three boys snuck off to a traveling hypnotist show at the community center. “This’ll be way more fun than watching the girls twirl around in tutus,” Greg had declared with his usual big-brother confidence. Peter and Bobby nodded eagerly.

The hypnotist, a slick man with a swirling pocket watch, put on quite a show. After bringing the boys up on stage and putting them into a deep trance, he decided to have some mischievous fun. “You boys now hate football,” he intoned. “You love ballet more than anything in the world. You can’t wait to dance!”

When the boys woke up, they felt… different. Suddenly, the thought of tackling on a field made them shudder, while visions of pirouettes filled them with joy. “We gotta get to that recital!” Bobby exclaimed. “We’re missing our big chance to shine!”

They raced home. Greg jumped behind the wheel of the family station wagon, with Peter shotgun and Bobby in the back. The moment they burst through the front door, the search was on.

“Where are our ballet outfits?!” Peter yelled, tearing through the boys’ room.

“I can’t find my leotard anywhere!” Greg groaned, checking under beds and in closets.

They expanded the search, finally bursting into the girls’ room. There, neatly laid out as if waiting for them, were three beautiful ballet ensembles.

Bobby quickly slipped into his monochromatic light blue outfit: a short-sleeved leotard with slightly sheer sleeves, a matching short, fluffy, layered tulle tutu that bounced with every step, and opaque tights in the exact same shade. He twirled experimentally in front of the mirror, grinning.

Greg went for the pale yellow look: identical style to Bobby’s-short-sleeved leotard with sheer sleeves, a short fluffy layered tulle tutu, and matching opaque tights. He struck a dramatic pose.

Peter chose the two-tone number: a purple/lilac sleeveless ruffled leotard, a voluminous layered tulle tutu in the same rich purple/lilac, and contrasting light pink opaque tights. “This feels right,” he declared, adjusting his ruffles.