In Laymon's Terms

“Right away, Hal,” she called back. Then she turned to Neal. “When I’m done with this scene, I’ll be through for the day. See you then.” She smiled and hurried away.

Neal moved to the side so he could see better. The set, Melissa’s bedroom, was the same as yesterday. He watched Hal talk to Lynda. He smiled when he saw that Hal was holding a stuffed black cat by one leg. The cat hung stiffly at his side. It was stuffed, all right. No funny business today. At least, he hoped not.

Neal looked around. A few women stood at the end of the set. He wished he had been able to see Elizabeth’s face better last night. But he had just seen it in the darkness for a second as the spiders flew off. He only knew for sure that Elizabeth was thin and tall like Lynda. And about 21 years old. None of these women looked like her. So far, so good.

Neal turned his eyes back to the set. Hal, holding the stuffed cat with its mouth to his shoulder, was throwing himself back against the bedroom wall. He screamed in fright as he pretended to fight off the cat. Then he threw it across the floor. “That’s all there is to it,” he told Lynda.

She nodded.

Hal returned to his chair.

“Quiet on the set.”

A young man stepped in front of the camera with a clapper. On it was written “NIGHT OF THE WITCH, SCENE 13 TAKE 2.” The man spoke the words. Then Hal called out, “Action.”

The man clapped down the wooden arm on the board.

Lynda, holding the stuffed cat just as Hal had shown her; cried out and threw herself against the wall. She let out an awful scream. Then she hurled the cat away. It hit the floor hard.

Lynda fell to her knees. Her face was twisted with fright as she stared at the cat.

“Cut!” Hal called as he jumped to his feet. “Beautiful, beautiful! Lovely!”

But Lynda stayed on her knees. Gasping loudly for air, she shook her head wildly.

“You can stop, Lynda,” Hal told her. “That’s all we need. It’s over.”

Suddenly Neal felt a cold knot in his stomach.

He ran to Lynda and pulled her up. She grabbed his arm and looked at him with wide, frightened eyes.

“What happened?” he asked. “Are you OK?”

“It moved!” Lynda cried. “It moved! It tried to bite me!”

CHAPTER 5

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS

“Everyone thinks I’m crazy,” Lynda said.

“I don’t,” said Neal.

Sighing, Lynda rolled down the window of Neal’s car. The warm ocean air blew against her face and through her hair. “Maybe I am crazy,” she said. “Maybe I just imagined the cat was...I don’t know.”

“I don’t know, either,” Neal told her. “But if Elizabeth can make spiders jump off her face at you, I guess she could make a stuffed cat try to bite you.”

He drove into the Venice Beach parking lot as he spoke. Then he stopped the car and got out a large straw basket.

“You’re kidding,” said Lynda.

“We’re having a picnic!”

“How did you know I was starving?” asked Lynda as she peeked inside the basket.

“It didn’t take strange powers of the mind to figure out,” said Neal, making her laugh.

Together, they carried the picnic basket down toward the beach through the hot sand. They found a spot away from the crowd and sat down. The sound of the waves and the fresh air made Lynda forget about Elizabeth and spiders and cats. Somehow, the strange things that had happened seemed far away and unreal.

As they ate, Neal talked about himself and his family. Lynda laughed at his jokes and, for the first time in days, she felt almost happy.

When they finished eating, they took a long walk down the beach. Then they headed for Ocean Front Walk.

There, they looked at what was for sale on tables set up beside the street. People were selling clothes, rings, paintings, toys, radios, almost everything. Then they came to a man with roller skates for rent.

“Want to give it a try?” Neal asked.

They got skates from the man and put them on. Lynda stepped onto the street. Neal followed her on shaking legs. “Don’t crash,” she called over her shoulder. She rolled along slowly, being careful not to bump people walking or skating in her way. Other skaters flashed past her. Some danced and did tricks. Finding a clear spot, Lynda spun around in a circle. She stayed on her feet and saw Neal fall on his hands and knees, laughing.

Then she saw the fortune teller.

The old woman was sitting behind a well-used card table. With a red scarf over her hair, large earrings, and a long dress, she really looked the part. She was staring into the crystal ball. Next to the ball was a deck of Tarot cards. And at the front of the table a sign read:

FORTUNES TOLD

LEARN WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS!

LOVE? MARRIAGE? BUSINESS?

Madame Agatha Tells All!

$10.00

Neal brushed himself off and skated slowly up beside Lynda. “Why don’t you give it a try?” she said to him.

“Give what a try?”

“Have Madame Agatha tell your fortune.”

Neal took a quick look at the old woman. “Thanks, but no thanks.”

“Scared?” Lynda asked, smiling.