Eye Of The Fortuneteller

18

“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.”