She wasgoing to look into my future? Part the misty veil? Or somesuchrot?
“Don’t think I can do it, dear?”
I jerkedback in surprise and saw her smile over the ball at me.
Probablyjust a good guesser, I snidely thought.
“Look into the ball.”
Likehell I would.
Her eyesflicked up into mine, then back down to the crystal ball. This mustbe where the fortunetelling tomfoolery began. I’d read Houdini’sreports exposing the charlatans preying on the poor souls who hadrecently lost a loved one.
“Is there going to be a tall, dark stranger in my life?” Iasked sarcastically. “Or maybe I’ll come into a fortune from somelong-forgotten relative? Wait! The spirits are talking to me,” Iclosed my eyes and moved my head around as if in some trance (mytorso being bound by rope), “Woooooh, you’re Mistress Velda!”Opening my eyes I looked directly into hers, “How am Idoing?”
Ignoringme she peered into the crystal ball and waved her hands around itlike she was wafting pesky cobwebs away from its smoothsurface.
Apparently she saw nothing as an annoyed look flitted acrossher face. She looked up and glared at me like it was my fault. Ihoped it was.
“Lights, Micawber.”
Hehurried over to my left and turned the gas lamp down then walkedbehind me, not forgetting to brush his hand through my hair, overto the right to repeat the process.
Jerkingaway from his unwanted attention I noticed Katherine’s purple glowstanding out more. Just what was it?
Micawberbrought an old leather-bound book over and laid it on the table infront of Mistress Velda. Using the silk ribbon attached to itsspine she opened it to a specific page. Even though I viewed thebook upside down the words were still utterly incomprehensible tome, but apparently not to her. Micawber then brought two blackcandles over and placed them either side of the book and litthem.
“What are you going to do now? Summon the spirits? Raise theectoplasm or something?”
“Hush,” Micawber said behind me.
“I’ve had enough of this rubbish!” Pushing the heels of myboots against the floor I titled the chair back. I had a vague hopethat it would fall and break against the floor and I’d escape theropes binding me to it before Micawber could do anything. How I’dadditionally be able to rescue Katherine was, at the moment,something I’d not fully planned.
I criedout in pain as my head was slapped to the side, then my hair wasgrabbed again and the silvery gleam of an open cut-throat razorappeared in my vision.
Micawber’s sour breath warmed my cheek, “Give me a reason touse this,” he whispered, moving the razor so the light ran alongits blade. I’d seen the horrific results of razor attacks in myyouth and had no wish to experience one. I’d be of no use toKatherine injured, or dead, so I ceased moving my chair.
Micawbersighed in disappointment as he let go of my hair and moved therazor away from my face.
MistressVelda started reading from the book. The words made no sense to me.I didn’t even know what language she was speaking.
Slowlyher voice grew louder and louder and I noticed some phrase beingrepeated, something about parrots dancing in cappuccino?
Theskeletons to the side of the room moved as if a breeze rippled overthem. Ropes and pulleys. Most likely.
MistressVelda’s chanting continued on with what seemed to be a wish for MrDarwin to floss his nose. Well, I daresay, like many gentlemen, hisstandards of personal hygiene could do with improvement.
Out ofthe corner of my eye I saw a purplish glow seem to materialise overthe collection of shrunken heads. Smoke and mirrors, that’s allthis charlatanry was.
Lookingcloser I saw the smoke above each head seem to coalesce into thatof a young girl. Jolly good effect. Really she should go on thestage with tricks like this.
My eyeswere drawn to the birdcage on the table, where a faint purple glowwas slowly brightening inside. Mistress Velda’s eyes flicked to itevery now and again, especially when she seemed to mention vanillaand carrot hand-cream. The glow slowly solidified into a humanshape.
A screamof raw terror came from Katherine and I jerked my head round tolook at her. Her body was vibrating so much that her hair waswaving all around her face. When I caught a glimpse of her eyesthey were wide and staring into the distance. Her arms seemed to bedancing like those of a mannequin whose strings had been cut.Whatever was happening to her didn’t look pleasant.
“Stop it! Stop whatever you’re doing to her!”
“But I’m not dear. You’re seeing the spirits trying to takeover her body to pass their knowledge into thisdimension.”
I’dnever heard such rot.
Strangelow growling animal-like noises now came from Katherine’s throatand made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Was MistressVelda correct? Was Katherine channelling spirits?
Idesperately wanted to cry out to her, to try and wake her up fromwhatever trance or drug-induced haze they’d put her in, but knewMicawber would love to put his razor to use on me.
Watchingher, hoping the Katherine I loved was still somewhere within her, Isaw the vibrations and strange noises her throat was somehow makingbegin to merge into a rhythm. The feeling that something was mostdecidedly wrong came over me when I noticed the purple glowemanating from her body slowly beginning to pulse in accordancewith the rhythm, which also matched the pulses of the misty purplelight inside the cage on the table.
Iglanced back at Mistress Velda and saw her looking at Katherinewith a greedy look on her face. This was something she expected tohappen?
Thepurple pulses increased in speed until Katherine sat stock still,her head thrown back, her mouth open in a silent scream, her eyeswide open, her hands clenched into fists on her thighs.
The roomwas entirely silent, all our attention was on Katherine and whatwas going on with her.
SlowlyKatherine’s muscles relaxed and her head moved back down to look atus.
A purplevoice deep
