“She probably heard us talking,” Kelsey whispered to Drew.
“But we just walked around the shack. She wasn’t there,” he replied.
“Maybe she heard us through the windows or something,” Kelsey answered. “Trust me, these fortunetellers are all fakes. You said so yourself.”
“Come, children,” the gypsy woman continued, opening the door wider. “Come inside.” Then she gazed over her shoulder. “I have something for you.”
“Um, thanks. But we can’t,” Drew said. “We really have to get home.”
The gypsy ignored him. And so did Kelsey. She followed the old woman inside. Drew lunged for Kelsey’s arm and tried to pull her back, but Kelsey jerked free.
“You have some pretty neat things in here,” Kelsey said to the woman as she stepped inside.
“These are not my things,” she replied. Then she sat down behind a round table. “Sit.” She motioned to two chairs. “You may call me Madame Valda.”
“I thought she was supposed to be the Amazing Zandra,” Drew whispered as the two took their seats at the table.
Kelsey shrugged as she watched the gypsy set a folded velvet cloth on the table in front of her. It was blood-red and held something inside it.
“Madame Valda will tell your fortune now,” the gypsy announced. Then she opened the cloth to reveal a deck of cards.
“But we don’t have any money to pay you, uh, Madame Gypsy,” Drew said, standing.
“Madame Valda,” the old woman corrected sharply. “I will do it for nothing,” her voice softened. “Sit! It is a great honor to have Madame Valda tell your fortune.”
“Sit!” Kelsey echoed.
Drew sat. Madame Valda spread the deck of cards out on the table. She began to sing softly in a language Kelsey had never heard.
Kelsey watched as the fortuneteller swirled her head around in a circle. She’d seen fortunetellers in the movies do this. They closed their eyes and sang themselves into some kind of trance.
Only Madame Valda wasn’t closing her eyes.
She stared straight ahead. Straight at Kelsey.
This is really creepy, Kelsey thought. A nervous giggle escaped her lips.
Madame Valda didn’t seem to notice – or she didn’t care.
She continued to sing.
She continued to stare.
Directly into Kelsey’s eyes.
Kelsey stared back. She felt as if she were in some kind of trance, too. She couldn’t stop gazing into the woman’s weird eyes.
Finally Madame Valda’s chant came to an end, and she shifted her gaze to the deck of cards on the table.
Kelsey let out a long sigh. She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath.
Madame Valda flipped over three cards. They all had strange symbols on them. Symbols that Kelsey had never seen before.
The gypsy studied the cards for a moment, then turned to Drew.
“Drew Moore,” she said. “I see that you are sometimes more a follower than a leader. You must be careful to guard against that. It will get you into trouble. Especially when you let Kelsey make all the decisions.”
Kelsey shot a quick glance at Drew. His jaw dropped and his eyes grew wide.
Kelsey squirmed in her chair.
Then she spotted it. Drew’s beach pass. Pinned to his shirt. With his name printed in big red letters, Drew T. Moore. Kelsey laughed out loud as she stared down at her own badge. Then she pointed it out to Drew.
“What is funny?” The old woman snarled.
“Um. Nothing,” Kelsey replied.
“Then why do you laugh?” the old woman pressed.
“Well, it’s just that your fortunetelling powers aren’t all that, um, mysterious,” Kelsey confessed.
Drew kicked Kelsey under the table.
“Do you think Madame Valda is a fake?” The old woman’s voice rose to a screech.
“I
“You have insulted the famous Madame Valda,” the fortuneteller roared. She jerked to her feet and loomed over Kelsey. “Apologize now, or live the rest of your life in fear.”
“In fear of what?” Kelsey asked, staring directly into Madame Valda’s dark eye. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“Oh, yes, you are!” Madame Valda cried. “I am the most powerful fortuneteller who ever lived. And I know all your fears, you foolish child. All your fears!”
“Just say you’re sorry and let’s go,” Drew said, pushing his chair from the table. Then he added in a whisper, “She’s worse than scary – she’s nuts.”
“No,” Kelsey told Drew. “I am
Madame Valda’s eyes flickered. She leaned in, closer to Kelsey. Kelsey could feel the gypsy’s hot breath on her face. Then she whispered, “Only a fool is not afraid.”
Before Kelsey could reply, the old woman reached down and flipped over the next card in the deck. She threw it down onto the table in front of Kelsey.
It looked like a joker.
Kelsey read the words on the bottom of the card – the Fool.
“The cards never lie! You are the fool, and I curse you for the rest of your life. Now get out!” she cried. “Get out. Now!”
Kelsey and Drew jumped up and bolted for the door. Madame Valda’s voice thundered behind them. “You will believe. You will know
As soon as Kelsey’s and Drew’s feet hit the boardwalk, they broke into a run.
But Madame Valda’s voice trailed after them. “Fear! Fear! Fear!” she cried out over their pounding sneakers. “You will know fear!”
Kelsey and Drew ran faster. But Madame Valda’s voice seemed as close as before. Kelsey glanced back. “Oh, no!” she cried. “She is crazy! She’s coming after us!”
3
Kelsey’s heart pounded as she ran faster.
Her lungs felt as if they were about to explode.
She turned back – and there was Madame Valda. Right behind her!
This is unreal, Kelsey’s mind whirled. How could an old lady run so fast?
“She’s right behind us!” Drew cried out, panting.
“Leave us alone!” Kelsey screamed over her shoulder.
Madame Valda’s right eye burned into Kelsey – and Kelsey stopped running.
“Run! Run!” Drew screamed.
But Kelsey couldn’t move. She felt paralyzed. Frozen in place by the dark eye of the fortuneteller.
The gypsy reached out and clutched Kelsey’s shoulder with her bony fingers. A sharp pain shot down Kelsey’s arm. She tried to jerk away, but Madame Valda held her tightly.
The old gypsy laughed. A hideous laugh.
“Not afraid!” she cackled. “Oh, yes. You will be afraid!” She whisked the Fool card before Kelsey’s eyes, then tossed it in the air.
“Fool! Fool! Fool!” she cried. “Only a fool is not afraid!”
Kelsey and Drew watched as the card flew up. And up. And up. Until it faded to a white flicker in the sky. Then it was gone.
Kelsey wrenched free of Madame Valda’s grip, and she and Drew flew down the boardwalk. She ran so fast, her lungs burned in her chest. She quickly glanced back – to see if the fortuneteller was still following them.
But Madame Valda was gone.
“Drew! Stop!” Kelsey grabbed her cousin’s arm. “Look! Madame Valda. She disappeared.”
Drew spun around. Kelsey was right. Madame Valda had simply vanished.
“How did she run so fast?” Drew asked, out of breath.
“I don’t know,” Kelsey replied, shaking her head. “Do you think she really was a fortuneteller? I mean, a
“Come on, Kelsey,” Drew replied. “Now you sound as crazy as that old hag.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Kelsey said. But she didn’t sound as if she meant it. “So, um, you don’t think she put a curse on us, right?” Kelsey asked.
“Not on me,” Drew answered. “I was nice to her, remember?”
“Thanks a lot.” Kelsey punched Drew in the arm.
“Come on, Kelsey,” Drew said. “She probably isn’t even a real gypsy.”
Kelsey knew that Drew was probably right. But she kept picturing the fortuneteller’s strange eyes. And she kept hearing her voice. That horrible voice screaming, “Fool! Fool! Fool!”
“Forget the fortuneteller.” Drew headed toward the exit. “We’ve got real problems. We’re late for dinner.”
Kelsey checked her watch. “Oh, no!” she groaned. “We’re already a half hour late. Mom’s going to kill us!”
Kelsey and Drew hurried out the exit. They were only eight blocks from the beach house. If they ran, they’d be home in five minutes.
“Let’s take the shortcut home,” Kelsey suggested as she dashed ahead of Drew. “It’s right there.” She pointed ahead. “The alley that runs behind the Italian restaurant.”
Drew followed Kelsey past the restaurant and into the narrow, winding alley.
“Where does this go?” Drew asked as they sprinted around the alley’s turns and curves.
“To the parking lot on Eighteenth Street,” Kelsey answered. “Then we’ll be only two blocks from home.”
But as they rounded the last curve, Kelsey knew something was wrong. She faced a dead end – a sooty brick wall that rose at least twenty feet high. No parking lot.
“This is really strange,” she said, glancing around the alley. It was dark and dingy. Totally deserted. “I’m sure there was a parking lot here last summer.”
“Maybe they bricked it up during the winter,” Drew suggested. “Let’s just get out of here.”
