Before the hedgehog even can reply, a sound is heard from BEHIND the party: a voice exclaiming, "I'm going to really mix up your minds!"
The White Rabbit wails, "A split infinitive! THAT must be a Verbivore!" And the Rabbit finds a hole too small for most of those present, where he hides himself and plugs his ears.
Joe frantically squeezes himself to the rear of the party, drawing the magic pen Inkling lent him. Pointing this at the blurry-looking creature approaching them, he shouts defiantly, "That should be, you're REALLY GOING TO mix up our minds! Or alternately, if you want the term of emphasis to be more closely linked with 'mix up,' you could say something like, 'I'm going to get your minds REALLY MIXED UP!' You see, no matter what head games you play, clumsy grammar is NOT something to which we simply have to resign ourselves!"
By force of will, helped by the magic pen, Joe in his retort has avoided the deadly trap of uttering his own split infinitive; the Verbivore was trying to trick him into saying "--have to simply resign." Seeing its tactic thwarted, and feeling the growing force of the teacher's pen burning into it, the monster flees in defeat.
