I'm just a science fiction aficionado

Knowledge bowl is teams of kids sitting around tables with a green strip on each that is connected to a computer. Questions are read and, if you think you know the answer, you hit the green strip. The computer tells which team(s) have buzzed in and in what order, and that's the order in which you are called on. Anyone can think of answers, but one designated person has to say the answer. I'd been talked into it in eighth grade, and hated it. I'd quite intentionally not signed up for it as a freshman. Mom tricked me into it. That's another story.

That year, I was the only freshman in knowledge bowl. The next year, I was on a team that accidentally made it past subregionals--the last tournament that everybody goes to--to regionals, which is only a step away from state. It was the farthest any team from our school had ever gotten, apparently.

I think it was at that regional tournament that we heard this question: "To science fiction aficionados, what do the letters 'BEM' stand for?" The other two teams buzzed in. The first said "Big Electro Magnet," I think. Ha. The second said "Big Eyed Monster." As soon as I heard that, I knew it was wrong, because I knew what was right. I leaned across the table and whispered, "It's 'bug-eyed monster'!"

Our spokesperson refused to say such a ridiculous answer. Just before our time ran out, he pointed at me and said, "Alternate speaker!" (Which is what you say when you can't say the answer--it's some foreign word, or even just some answer you didn't get because your team is trying to keep other teams from hearing your answer and stealing it.) I proudly announced, "Bug-eyed monster!" Everyone was impressed when the question-reader said "Correct!" I thought it was ridiculous. Afterwards my team told my coach about it (she'd been reading questions in some other room), and she said that no one in any other room had gotten that question right. It made them all think I was smart. Which made me think they were all crazy.