Eye Of The Fortuneteller 3 page

“Whoa! This is totally freaky,” Zandra said. “It sounds to me like you really are under a curse.”

“That’s what we’ve been telling you all along!” Drew yelled. “Now, can you do anything to help, or not?”

“I don’t know,” Zandra shrugged. “I think you probably ought to talk to the gypsy who put the curse on you and ask her to remove it.”

“But – but,” Kelsey sputtered, “I tried that already. The only time I ever saw her was in here. And you told me that was impossible – that there was no other gypsy!”

“I am the only gypsy here,” Zandra stated. “What was this other gypsy’s name? Did she tell you?”

“Yes,” Kelsey answered. “But I don’t remember what it was. It was something weird.”

“Madame something,” Drew reminded her. “Madame… Madame…”

“Valda!” Kelsey blurted out.

“That’s it!” Drew agreed. “Madame Valda!”

Zandra’s jaw dropped.

“What’s wrong?” Kelsey asked.

“That can’t be,” Zandra said, shaking her head. “Madame Valda. Here? No,” she answered her own question. “That just can’t be.”

“You know who Madame Valda is?” Drew asked.

“Of course,” Zandra answered. “Every gypsy in the world knows who Madame Valda is.”

“Well, who is she?” Kelsey asked, planting her hands on her hips.

Zandra took a deep breath. “Madame Valda is the most powerful gypsy who ever lived. And the most evil. But you could not possibly have seen Madame Valda,” Zandra assured them.

“Why not?” Kelsey wanted to know.

“Because,” Zandra said, staring directly into her eyes, “Madame Valda has been dead for more than a hundred years.”

“Madame Valda can’t be dead!” Kelsey shouted. “She was sitting right here! Tell her, Drew!”

“She was,” Drew insisted.

“Maybe you’re thinking of a different Madame Valda,” Kelsey told Zandra.

But Zandra shook her head no. “There is only one Madame Valda,” she insisted. “And I’m telling you that she has been dead for a really long time.”

“But we saw her!” Drew exclaimed. “So that’s impossible!”

“Well,” Zandra hesitated for a moment. “Not according to some of the old gypsies, it isn’t. But I never believed them.”

“What do you mean?” Kelsey asked.

“Well, some of the older gypsies believe that Madame Valda can still appear – even after death.”

“Yeah, well, you better believe it now,” Kelsey declared. “Because I’m telling you‑ she was here!”

“Oh, man.” Zandra cringed. “This is tooooo creepy.”

“Tell me about it!” Kelsey shot back. “I’m the one who’s been cursed by a dead gypsy!”

“So what do we do now?” Drew asked Zandra.

Zandra shrugged. “You’ve got me.”

“Oh, that’s just great!” Kelsey huffed. “Just great!”

“Look, don’t panic,” Zandra told Kelsey. “I have an uncle. He knows all about the old ways. He’s the one who told me about Madame Valda. I bet he can help you.”

“Where is he?” Drew asked.

“How soon can we see him?” Kelsey added.

“You can see him right now,” Zandra answered as she stood up. “Just wait here. I’ll go wake him up.”

Kelsey and Drew watched Zandra disappear through a curtain of beads that led into a back room.

Kelsey started to pace nervously.

“Do you believe this!” Kelsey was talking more to herself than to Drew. “A dead gypsy put a curse on me! I hope Zandra’s uncle is like Super‑gypsy or something. Otherwise, I’m doomed.”

“You’re not doomed,” Drew muttered. He didn’t sound very convincing.

Just then the beads parted and Zandra headed toward Kelsey and Drew. An old man followed behind.

The man appeared to be as old as Madame Valda herself. Kelsey thought that was a very good sign.

He wore all black. Black pants, black jacket. A worn black leather vest. On a chain around his neck hung a large blue bead.

When Kelsey peered closer, she realized the bead was really a glass eye!

“This is my uncle, Gregor,” Zandra said as she approached them.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Gregor,” Kelsey said as politely as she could. There was no way in the world she was going to insult another gypsy.

Gregor’s wrinkled old face showed no expression. He stood as still as a statue and stared at Kelsey. “Zandra tells me that you think you have been cursed by Madame Valda,” he finally said.

Gregor spoke in an accent much like Madame Valda’s. And Kelsey thought that was an even better sign.

“I don’t think I’ve been cursed,” Kelsey told Gregor. “I know I’ve been cursed.”

Kelsey told Gregor about the Fool card and Madame Valda. She told him all about getting lost, and about the sand crabs. The jellyfish. The horseflies.

Gregor listened without moving. Without even blinking. When she was finished, he said, “I must tell you, this is most unusual.”

“No kidding,” Drew blurted out. “Especially since Madame Valda is dead!”

“Death is only a bend in the path for someone as powerful as Madame Valda,” Gregor told him.

“A what?” Kelsey’s eyes opened wide.

“A bend in the path,” Zandra repeated. “It means that death can’t stop Madame Valda. It just slows her down for a while.”

Kelsey turned to Drew in time to see his jaw drop.

“I told you Madame Valda was the most powerful gypsy who ever lived,” Zandra said, as if Kelsey needed to be reminded.

“Yes,” Gregor agreed. “She was the most powerful gypsy who ever lived. Only she was evil to the bone. And she used her powers in ways that were unthinkable.”

“Like how unthinkable?” Kelsey asked, not really wanting to know.

Gregor just shook his head. He didn’t answer Kelsey’s question. But he continued with his story.

“Madame Valda was so evil that the other gypsies feared her. They feared her for her power. But they also feared that her evil would cause terrible misfortune for all the other gypsies.

“So, secretly, the other gypsies – her own people – decided to kill her. They selected a young boy and a young girl to sneak into her tent and poison her wine.”

“Oh, wow!” Zandra exclaimed. Then she sat down and began fanning herself with her fashion magazine.

Gregor went on.

“How the boy and girl managed to trick her – no one knows. But Valda died. Her dead body was thrown into the sea.

“But Valda did not stay in the sea. She has been seen many times and in many places for over one hundred years. And each time she comes back, it is with evil in her heart.”

Neither Kelsey nor Drew could speak after Gregor finished his story. But finally Kelsey managed to break the thick silence. “What happened to the boy and girl who poisoned her?”

“Madame Valda cursed them and eventually they went crazy.”

“So do you know how to break Madame Valda’s curse?” Zandra asked.

Kelsey held her breath, waiting for the answer.

Gregor nodded yes. “But I must warn you, it will not be easy. It will not be easy at all.”

Gregor inched closer to Kelsey. She stared at the blue eye dangling from his neck as he spoke in a deep whisper.

“I can remove the curse,” he stated. “But removing it will be terrifying – so terrifying that you may think it is worse than the curse itself!”

Kelsey shivered. She tried to speak in a normal tone, but her voice came out in a squeak. “I have no choice. I want to break the curse.”

“Then you must do exactly as I tell you,” Gregor said.

“Fine,” Kelsey agreed. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Gregor’s wrinkly old face finally cracked into a smile. In fact, he started to laugh. “But you are not ready yet,” he told her.

“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she insisted.

“No,” Gregor said. “You are not. There are many things you must do before we can begin. And we can not begin until midnight.”

“How come we can’t begin right away?” Kelsey asked.

“You must not ask any questions,” Gregor told her. “To remove the curse, I must have your trust.”

Trust? I don’t trust you at all, Kelsey thought. But she knew there was no point in arguing. “Okay,” she said. “No questions.”

“Good,” Gregor declared. “Now listen to me carefully. The first thing you must do is gather up your fears.”

“Ask him what that’s supposed to mean,” Kelsey whispered to Drew – so she wouldn’t break Gregor’s rules.

“What exactly does that mean?” Drew asked.

Gregor ignored him. “You will bring me a map,” he told Kelsey. “And on it you will circle the street where your beach house is located. Understand?”

Kelsey nodded. At least she really did understand that part, even though she had no idea why Gregor needed a map.

“And you will bring me a sand crab,” Gregor continued. “One that is still alive.”

“Ewwww, gross,” Zandra chimed in.

“Hush, Zandra,” Gregor scolded. “You must also bring me a big, buzzing horsefly,” he continued. “And a lumpy, fat jellyfish. The boy may assist you in finding these things. But you alone must be the one to catch them.”

Thinking about touching the crabs and the jellyfish made Kelsey itch all over.

“When you have everything you need, you will come to the gypsy camp. It is under the boardwalk. You must be there by the stroke of midnight,” Gregor instructed.

“Don’t worry,” Kelsey assured him. “We’ll be there.”

“Good,” Gregor said, standing up. “Oh, yes,” he added, “there is just one more thing you will need to bring.”

“What?” Drew asked.

This time Gregor didn’t seem to mind answering Drew’s question. “Twenty dollars,” he told Drew. “The cost of removing the curse.”

And with that, Gregor and Zandra disappeared behind the beads.

Later that afternoon Kelsey started step one of removing the curse: gathering her fears.

The map was easy. She found it in the glove compartment of her mother’s car.

Finding a sand crab. That was no problem, either. There were dozens of them crawling around the beach.

But Kelsey couldn’t stand to actually touch them. The thought of those creepy, pinchy legs made her skin crawl. So she found a jar in the kitchen and used it to scoop up the icky creature.

Next came the horsefly. She got a second jar for that. Catching that was harder. It wasn’t that she couldn’t find one. The problem was that there were too many! They swarmed the beach.

Kelsey took a deep breath and ran right into a horde of them.

They landed on her skin. They buzzed in her ears. And they stung her.

When she finally clamped the lid on her jar, she had managed to trap three horseflies.

That left only one more fear.

A jellyfish.

Yuck.

Kelsey swam in the ocean searching for a jellyfish until her lips turned purple and her skin shriveled like a raisin.

But she still didn’t have one when her parents called her in for dinner.

By the time she and Drew finished eating and headed back out, the sun was going down. And the beach was totally deserted.

“It’s pretty weird being out here all alone,” Kelsey commented. Then she thought about how weird it would be going out at midnight – when it was totally black outside. And a shiver ran down her spine.

“Yeah, it is creepy,” Drew agreed. “Let’s just hope our parents don’t catch us down here. If they do, Madame Valda’s curse is going to be the last thing we have to worry about.”

But Madame Valda’s curse was the only thing that Kelsey was worried about. And if she didn’t find a jellyfish, she was going to have to worry about it for the rest of her life.

Kelsey headed into the water.

Drew started to follow.

“You stay on the beach,” she ordered. “Where you can see me.”

“I think I should go with you,” Drew argued.

“You can’t,” Kelsey reminded him. “I have to get the jellyfish myself.”

s Kelsey started walking out into the ocean. She scanned every inch of the water around her.

No jellyfish – anywhere.

She waded in farther and farther. The water grew deeper. And darker. And colder.

It’s really scary out here, she thought as the water rose up to her shoulders.

She turned around to look for Drew. But she couldn’t spot him.

She took a few more steps into the ocean – and suddenly the ocean floor dropped beneath her feet.

She plunged down. Down. Down.

Her arms shot up, out of the water. But her head remained beneath the surface.

The current pulled her down – deeper and deeper.

Kelsey struggled to break the water’s surface. Struggled to breathe.

She kicked as hard as she could.

Her legs ached. Her lungs burned.

She needed air. She desperately needed air.

Coughing, gasping for breath, she finally burst free.

She gulped the cool night air, filling her lungs. Then she began to swim to shore.

But the water around her grew rough. She lost her rhythm and began to flail.

Concentrate! she told herself. Concentrate!

She kicked, hard. Her arms cut through the water.

She swam and swam.

I must be close, she thought, panting. I must be.

But when she lifted her head, she froze.

She couldn’t see the shore.

She couldn’t see anything.

She was lost in a sea of darkness.

“Drew!” Kelsey screamed. “Drew!” But her cries were drowned by the crashing waves.

Kelsey’s eyes darted around her. Trying to focus. Trying to spot a twinkle of light – any clue to show her the way to the shore.

But it was completely dark. So dark that she didn’t see the wave forming behind her. The huge wave.

It crested and broke, catching her in a cyclone of foam.

It spun her upside down.

Then it whipped her out of the water.

And she spotted it – the shore. The giant wave had carried her closer to the beach.

“Drew!” Kelsey tried to scream. But a wave washed over her, and she swallowed a mouthful of the salty sea.

Where was he? Her chest tightened.

Why couldn’t she see him? Did he go for help?

Kelsey began to swim again. She was surprised to feel her strokes propel her easily through the water. And as the shore line grew closer, she began to feel better. The tightness in her chest eased.

And then the current changed.

Now it thrashed against her, propelling her sideways.

Directly in the path of a huge stone jetty!

“Nooooooo!” Kelsey screamed at the sight of the jagged rocks.

The waves roared in her ears. Her heart thundered in her chest.

She tried to swim against the force. She cast a glance at the jetty.

She was so close to it now.

So close to being pounded against its pointed, rough rocks.

And then she spotted Drew. Running along the jetty. Jumping from rock to rock.

The waves crashed around her, tossing her body. Tossing her inches from the craggy wall.

“Kelsey!” Drew shouted down. “I’ll get help!”

“No!” she cried. “No time!”

A huge wave broke, thrusting her into one of the rocks that jutted out. And a sharp pain shot through her leg.

I can’t hold out any longer, Kelsey thought. She could feel the strength seep from her arms. Her legs.

Drew had to help her – now. In another moment she’d be smashed against the jetty.

She lifted her face to call to him one more time.

But he turned – and walked away.

The tide pelted Kelsey.

She threw her arms out – to soften the crash against the rough stones.

“Kelsey! Kelsey! Grab this!”

Drew!

He held out a pole – a pole with a red flag on the end. The kind lifeguards use to warn about rough seas.

Kelsey reached out. Stretching.

Grasping – grasping for the pole.

Drew held it out as far as he could.

Her fingertips grazed the end. She almost had it – but a wave broke over her, and the pole slipped from her hand.

She tried again – gripping it tightly this time. And Drew pulled her out of the churning sea.

As she sat on the jetty, gasping for breath, her fingers brushed against something. Something slimy.

She snatched her hand away.

A jellyfish.

She finally had her jellyfish.

“Drew,” Kelsey whispered. “Drew, wake up. It’s time to go.”

Kelsey stood in the doorway of his room. She was wearing black jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt.

Drew sprang out of bed. “I’m up! I’m up!”

He was already dressed, in black jeans and a black sweatshirt too. He even had his sneakers on.

“Come on,” Kelsey said as she tugged him out of bed. “It’s almost a quarter to twelve. We have to move fast.”

“Okay, okay,” he muttered. “Do you have everything?”

“Uh‑huh,” Kelsey told him, patting her backpack. “Right here.”

“Is everyone asleep?” he asked.

“Yep.” Kelsey headed for the door. “So be quiet.”

Kelsey tiptoed down the stairs to the front door. Drew followed.

She opened the door slowly so that it wouldn’t make a sound. Then she and Drew stepped out into the chilly night air.

“Make sure you leave it unlocked,” Drew told her. “We need to get back in.”

Kelsey nodded as she pulled the door closed behind them. “Let’s go!” she cried, and the two started to run.

They didn’t stop until they reached the boardwalk. “The gypsy camp must be this way.” Kelsey turned to the left.

“Are you sure?” Drew asked.

“Well, it’s probably near Gregor’s fortunetelling place, right?”

“I guess,” Drew said. “You should have asked him.”

“No,” Kelsey snapped. “You should have asked him. I wasn’t allowed to ask any questions, remember?”

A flicker of light suddenly caught Kelsey’s eye.

“Look.” She pointed. “I was right!”

“Okay, okay,” Drew admitted. “We’d better hurry.”

Kelsey glanced at her watch. “Oh, no! It’s three minutes to twelve! Let’s‑”

Drew grabbed Kelsey’s arm and tugged her back into the shadows. A dark figure approached.

As it neared, Kelsey could see it was an old gypsy man – dressed in colorful, ragged clothing.

Kelsey stepped forward. She forced a smile. “We’re looking for Gregor.” Her voice squeaked.

“Then you must come quickly, child,” he replied. He was missing almost all of his teeth, and his breath practically knocked Kelsey over. “Gregor is waiting for you. Come.” The old man beckoned her with a spindly finger.

Kelsey wasn’t so sure she wanted to follow him. But time was running out.

The old man led them under the boardwalk.

Kelsey had never been under the boardwalk. She felt as if she were in a huge cove. It was damp and dark – very dark. She could barely see the wooden planks high above her head.

She took a deep breath to steady her nerves. Her stomach lurched as the stench of dead fish filled her nostrils.

She wanted to turn back. But then she caught sight of a blazing fire up ahead.

As the three moved toward it, she could see gypsies – a crowd of gypsies – sitting in a circle around the crackling flames.

Their colorful clothing and golden jewelry glowed in the fire’s light.

Inside the circle stood Gregor. His face flushed from the heat of the flames.

“So, you are here,” he said as Kelsey and Drew approached. “Just in time.”

All the gypsies rose and turned to stare at Kelsey and Drew. Kelsey didn’t like the feeling of all those eyes on her.

“Did you bring everything I commanded?” Gregor asked.

“Yes,” Kelsey told him. “I’ve got them right here.”

“Good,” Gregor said. “Very good. Come then.” He extended his hand. The gypsies parted, allowing Kelsey and Drew to step inside the circle.

Then Gregor clapped his hands together twice – and all the gypsies began to dance.

They danced around the fire, singing an eerie tune – in a language that Kelsey did not understand.

Kelsey didn’t know what she was supposed to do. So she stood there and watched. Watched the gypsies whirl around her.

Kelsey recognized Zandra. She was dressed in her gypsy costume, wearing her long, dark wig. And as she danced with the others in the circle, she looked every bit as serious as the rest of them.

When Gregor clapped his hands again, the dancing and singing came to an abrupt stop. And everyone sat.

Gregor reached for an old leather‑bound book lying close to the edge of the fire. “May I have all the items, please,” he addressed Kelsey.

Kelsey reached into her backpack. First she pulled out the jar with the horseflies. She handed it to Gregor.

He took it without saying a word.

Then she gave him the jar that held the sand crab. He took that, too.

Kelsey had put the jellyfish in a plastic bag. But she still hated touching it. She tossed it over to Gregor quickly.

The last thing Kelsey pulled out of her backpack was the map.

Gregor spread all the items before him.

He turned the tattered pages of his book, searching for the proper chant.

Then he began, chanting in the same strange language Kelsey had heard before. And he rocked back and forth – in a deep, deep trance.

Kelsey wondered what Gregor was saying. But she didn’t dare interrupt him.

“Is it over?” she whispered hopefully when Gregor finally stopped his strange song.

“Not yet,” he answered. “For the curse to be broken, you must swallow your fears.”

“What do you mean?” Kelsey asked.

Gregor nodded at the items on the ground in front of him. “You must swallow your fears,” he repeated.

“Are you telling me that I have to eat those things?” Kelsey shrieked.

“Yes,” Gregor told her. “It is the only way to break the curse.”

“No way!” Kelsey said.

Touching sand crabs and jellyfish was disgusting enough. Eating them was out of the question!

“We do not have to go on,” Gregor declared.

“Yes, yes, we do,” Kelsey moaned.

Gregor smiled. “Very well.” Then he reached for the jar with the horsefly.

“You’re going to do it?” Drew cried.

“I – I have to do it,” Kelsey stammered. “I’m not letting that witch beat me. ”

“Are you ready to begin?” Gregor asked.

A hush fell over the bonfire.

Kelsey could hear the sounds of crashing waves in the distance. The crackling of the flames before her. And the pounding of her heart.

“Yes,” Kelsey forced herself to reply. “Only – couldn’t we maybe start with the map first?”

Gregor nodded as he placed the jar down and picked up the map.

He tore a piece out of the map, right where Kelsey had circled her street. “Open your mouth.”

Kelsey did, and Gregor placed the tiny piece of paper on her tongue. Then he began to chant.

Swallowing the map was really easy. It clung to the back of her throat for a only second. Then she managed to choke it down.

But as Gregor reached for the jar of horseflies, Kelsey’s stomach heaved.

When he opened the jar, two of the horseflies escaped. Gregor plucked one of the wings from the horsefly lying in the bottom of the jar and held it out in front of Kelsey.

At least I don’t have to swallow the whole thing. She sighed.

She stared at the wing, trying to convince herself that it wasn’t going to be as terrible as she thought.

It’s just a wing. A tiny, little wing. As harmless as a piece of cellophane.

Kelsey closed her eyes and opened her mouth. And she told herself that that’s exactly what it was – a little piece of cellophane.

The moment the wing hit her tongue, she pushed it back toward her throat. Then she swallowed quickly.

She didn’t taste a thing. It almost felt like swallowing the skin of a peanut.

Only it wasn’t the skin of a peanut. It was the wing of a horsefly. And Kelsey could feel it sticking in her throat. She swallowed and swallowed. But she couldn’t make it go down.

She started to choke.

Just as she was about to ask for a glass of water, she saw Gregor reach for the sand crab.

She quickly gathered saliva in her mouth and forced the wing down in one big gulp.

Gregor lifted the crab and removed one of its legs. He dangled it in front of her.

Kelsey shut her lids tightly and tried not to think about it. Then she opened her mouth.

As soon as Gregor placed it on her tongue, she swallowed – hard and fast.

The crab leg scratched her throat as it went down.

Kelsey imagined that it was still alive.

Alive and wriggling back up into her mouth.

Kelsey slammed her hand over her mouth – so she wouldn’t throw up.

“You have just one fear left,” Gregor stated. Then he pulled out a jeweled knife and sliced off a chunk of the slimy, foul‑smelling jellyfish.

The gypsies stared. Silently.

It seemed as if everyone stopped breathing.

Kelsey broke out into a sweat. She wiped her clammy palms on her jeans.

She tried to open her mouth. But she gagged.

“I can’t,” she cried as she turned her face away from Gregor.

“You must,” Gregor told her. “Or the curse will always be with you.”

“You can do it, Kelsey,” Drew pleaded. “I know you can!”

She shook her head. “No,” she told Drew. “I can’t.”

“Kelsey,” Drew replied, “you have to.”

Kelsey knew Drew was right. She had to try. “Okay,” she said, inhaling deeply. “I’m ready.”

Kelsey closed her eyes and held her nose. She opened her mouth. She told herself that if she swallowed it quickly, everything would be okay.

Gregor placed the quivering gunk in her mouth.

It oozed on her tongue.

She forced herself not to think about it. She closed her mouth around the bitter slime.

It tasted salty and fishy. Like eating rotten bait.

But the taste wasn’t the worst part.

The worst part was how it felt in her mouth.

Slimy – like mucous.

Ooozing and sliding around on her tongue.

Swallow! Kelsey ordered herself. But she gagged again.

Swallow! This time the glob slipped down her throat. Slowly. Kelsey felt her stomach lurch.

She was sure she was going to vomit.

Swallow!

Kelsey had to swallow three times to force the quivering blob down her throat.

She opened her eyes slowly and smiled at Gregor. Drew beamed – as if she had just won an Olympic gold medal.

“You have done very well,” Gregor congratulated her. “Very well, indeed. You are a brave girl. And you should be most proud of yourself.”

“I am.” Kelsey laughed. “I am!”

“You did it, Kelsey!” Drew exclaimed. “You really did it!”

“So, is that it?” Kelsey asked Gregor. “Is the curse all gone now?”

Gregor peered into his magic book. “No,” he told Kelsey. “The curse has not yet been broken.”

“What else do I have to do?” Kelsey wailed. “What else could there possibly be?”

“You must throw something belonging to Madame Valda into the fire,” Gregor told her.

“You never told us that!” Drew yelled.

“Something belonging to Madame Valda!” Kelsey shrieked. “I don’t have anything belonging to Madame Valda. I’m doomed,” she told Drew. “I’m totally doomed.”

“There must be another way!” Drew protested.

“No. No other way,” Gregor stated.

“Maybe Madame Valda left something in your shack?” Drew turned to Zandra.

“Umm. Let me think…”

“She didn’t have anything except that stupid deck of cards,” Kelsey interrupted.

“Kelsey!” Drew exclaimed. “That’s it! The card! You still have the Fool card! That belonged to Madame Valda!”

Kelsey’s face lit up. She started rummaging through her backpack to find it. “You’re right! We do have something that belongs to Madame Valda.” She laughed. “And here it is!” Kelsey pulled the Fool card out of her bag.

“I’m not sure this will work,” Gregor said, taking the card from Kelsey to examine it.

“What do you mean?” Drew shouted. “Of course it will work. It’s Madame Valda’s card!”

“Yes, I know,” Gregor started to explain. “But the book suggests using an article of clothing or jewelry.”

“Yeah,” Kelsey snapped. “But we don’t have an article of clothing or jewelry. We have a card. Besides, the book doesn’t say you can’t use a card, right?”

“No,” Gregor admitted, flipping through the pages. “It doesn’t.”

“Then this will work!” Drew exclaimed. “This will break the curse!”

Gregor handed the card back to Kelsey. “Yes,” he agreed. “This should break the curse!”

The crowd of gypsies cheered.

Kelsey stared down at the card in her hand.

The Fool’s haunting face grinned up at her. But this time Kelsey grinned back. She was going to break the curse. Now she was sure of it.

“Approach the fire,” Gregor instructed as the crowd fell silent.

Kelsey took a deep breath. Then she stepped up to the flames.

The heat of the fire stung her cheeks – so she backed off, standing just close enough to toss in the card.

“Here goes,” she whispered to herself.

She lifted her arm, ready to throw – and the fire began to crackle.