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.”
19
“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.
She lowered the card to her side. She glanced around. Then she began again.
But as she raised her arm, the fire’s gentle flicker roared to a blaze.
Kelsey jumped back.
The flames soared higher and higher. Hot sparks shot out from their tops.
“What’s going on?” she screamed at Gregor.
But Gregor didn’t answer. Kelsey could see his face in the glow of the blaze. He looked terrified. He edged back – away from the circle of gypsies.
Kelsey moved in toward the flames.
I have to throw this card in! I have to!
“Hurry!” Drew shouted. “Throw it! Throw it before it’s too late!”
Kelsey swung her arm back and-BOOM!
The fire exploded in her face. And the flames leaped out – leaped out to grab her!
She screamed and screamed. And when she finally stopped, she heard a terrifying sound. A sound she had heard once before. A sound she would never forget. The sound of Madame Valda’s evil, haunting laugh.
20
Kelsey stared up. Up at the raging fire.
And gasped.
Madame Valda soared up from the center of the flames.
Her fiery body rose high above Kelsey. She loomed over them. Laughing madly.
“Again I face the Fool,” she cackled.
Daggers of fire flew from her lips.
“What do we do?” Kelsey cried out to Gregor.
“I… I… don’t know,” he stammered, his eyes fixed on the evil gypsy woman.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Kelsey screamed.
“He doesn’t know because he is a fake!” Madame Valda bellowed. “How can you believe in this gypsy clown – and not believe in Madame Valda!”
Kelsey whirled to face Gregor. He inched back again – farther and farther from the old woman.
“He is no gypsy!” Madame Valda roared. “He has no powers! There is nothing in his stupid, little magic book to help you.”
Then Madame Valda pointed her finger at Kelsey. “Fool!” she cried.