Jack and Nanette went down Bourbon Street, past the French Quarter, and arrived at their stop. They walked inside a dark store, through a beaded curtain, and then sat down.
"What are we doing here?" Jack asked.
"We're here to visit Madame LaTrine," Nanette explained. "She's a voodoo expert."
"Voodoo?"
"Oh yeah. I've come to her once or twice for something or another."
"Well, it doesn't look like she's home."
Suddenly, another beaded curtain swung open, and out stepped a woman, wearing a long, black garment, and a gold amulet with a green jewel in the center of it. She sat down and looked at Jack and Nanette.
"I am home," she said. "What can I do for you?"
"We have a slight problem," Nanette said.
"You stole the famed Mardi Gras Pearls and you accidently gave them to a group of boys who happen to be performing in the parade today," the woman said.
"How'd you know?" Jack asked.
"Madame LaTrine knows all and sees all," the woman replied. "Lucky for you, I know exactly what to do."
Madame LaTrine left the room, and disappeared. Jack and Nanette looked at each other, and shrugged. After awhile, Madame LaTrine returned to the room, carrying a small box. She handed it to Jack, as well as a slip of paper.
"Take that box to the address on the paper," she said. "Gordy will know exactly what to do."
"Who's Gordy?" Jack asked.
"My partner," Madame LaTrine replied. "That's all you need to know."
"Come on, let's split," Nanette said. "We have to get that necklace back!"
Jack shrugged, and took the box to Gordy's place, which was in the swamp. What Jack and Nanette didn't know was Gordy hailed from the Other Realm, and specialized in voodoo. He smiled sneakily and Jack and Nanette.
"Don't worry about a thing," he said. "I'll get your necklace back for you. No problem at all. You two wait here."
Gordy left his house, carrying the box with him. Jack watched him go, and then turned to Nanette.
"What's in that box, anyway?" he asked.
"I have no idea," Nanette said, with a shrug. "We'll find out sooner or later, I guess."
Indeed they were, but the Impossibles were going to find out first. In fact, they were preparing for the parade, changing into some very extravagant costumes.
"I tell you," Fluey said, looking at his reflection in a full length mirror. "We're gonna look like male Supremes in these!"
"No kidding," Coiley replied, putting on a string of beads. "I can't believe this. They've got us wearing the Mardi Gras colors."
"Well, there are three of us," Multi replied, as he was putting a little dog sized costume and mask on Skittles. She was trying to grab onto the beads around Multi's neck so she could chew on them. "And there are three colors of Mardi Gras. Purple, green, and gold."
"Yeah," Fluey said. "Sheesh, look at us. We've got so much metallic material, glitter, and glitz on us, we'll blind anybody that comes within a two mile radius!"
Coiley and Multi had to laugh at that one. Fluey pulled the remaining beads out of the box (which happened to be the Mardi Gras Pearls) and put them around his neck. Then he, Multi, and Coiley looked in the full length mirror.
"We look like fools," Coiley replied. "Scoop magazine would have a field day if they got wind of this."
(Scoop magazine was Megatropolis's local tabloid trash paper)
"I know," Multi said. Then he put on a mask. "At least they gave us these masks."
"They'll still know who we are," Coiley said. "After all, we are performing!"
"Well, Fellow Fools," Fluey said, putting on his mask. "Are we ready?"
"We're ready," Multi said, laughing.
"Okay then," Fluey replied. "Masks on. Let's go."
Coiley and Multi put on their own masks, and walked down to the parade grounds. The sidewalks were already jammed with people, most of them wearing costumes. Coiley let out a low whistle as he looked.
"I have a feeling this place is gonna get wild," he said.
"You oughta see Mardi Gras in the French Quarter!" Multi shouted. "It gets crazy over there!"
"How crazy?" Coiley asked.
"Well, let's say the behavior gets a little risque," Multi explained. "But usually at night. My dad's been to the Mardi Gras before, and he's seen it first hand."
"We'll have to check it out then," Fluey said.
Multi and Coiley gave their bandmate a weird look, not sure if Fluey was kidding or not. Then they climbed onto the float that they were going to be performing on. The parade got started, and Coiley began to get a little nervous. He probably thought a fight was going to break up among the teenage girls that were on the street, since the Impossibles were going to be throwing beads, doubloons, and other items. For the introduction, the boys launched into a rendition of Gary US Bonds's "New Orleans" (what else?) The teenage girls went crazy. Between songs, the boys began tossing beads to the girls in the crowd, who were practically killing each other grabbing for them.
Just as the Impossibles finished their third song, a large puff of smoke appeared right in front of the float, stopping the whole parade cold. The crowds were awestruck.
"Is this part of the show?" one of the float riders asked.
"I don't think so," Coiley said, taking off his mask to get a better look at what just stopped the float. Skittles tensed, and began growling.
"I'm getting that icky feeling in the pit of my stomach again," Fluey said, nervously.
The smoke cleared, revealing a man, dressed in black, and face made up in white, black, red, green, and gold paint. He had some kind of snake wrapped around his neck. Multi thought it was real for a minute or so, and then realized it was rubber, much to his relief.
"What is that?" he asked.
"I'm not sure," Coiley said. "But I think it's a voodoo priest."
"Voodoo?!" Fluey shouted.
"Ah ha!" the man in black shouted. "The young man has figured me out! I am most certainly a voodoo priest. They call me Gordonalis, the master of all voodoo!"
"Ooohhh boy . . . . ." Coiley said.
"Holy Mesopotamia!" Fluey shouted.
"Yipe!" Skittles yipped, and ran behind Multi's leg. No way in the world was she going to mess with a voodoo master!
"Now hold it," Multi said. "There's no such thing as voodoo. It's just a bunch of mumbo jumbo."
"Oh is it?" Gordonalis asked. "I have incredible power. Amazing power you'd never believe!"
Gordonalis waved his arms around, and then snapped his fingers. Another puff of smoke appeared in his hands. When it cleared, he was holding a voodoo doll in his hand. The doll had black hair in somewhat of a 1960's style haircut, a purple jacket over a green turtleneck, red pants, and black boots.
"What the . . . . ." Coiley started.
"Suffering RPM's!" Fluey shouted. "Th-th-that thing looks just like me!"
"Relax, Fluey," Multi said. "There's no such thing as voodoo."
"Well, there is such a thing as witchcraft," Fluey said. "After all, my girlfriend is a witch. Isn't voodoo a type of witchcraft, Multi?"
"Don't get technical, Fluey. Besides, he's putting us on."
"Oh am I?" Gordonalis asked.
Gordonalis took a pin out of his garment and stuck it into the doll's back. In response, Fluey let out a scream of pain.
"Ow!" he shouted. "What just happened?!"
"You have been cursed," Gordonalis said. "And you, Franklin McAlister, will remain cursed for all eternity!"
"But why me?!" Fluey shouted.
"Yeah, it doesn't make sense," Coiley shouted.
"It doesn't have to make sense," Gordonalis said. "It's the way it goes. But there is one way to lift the curse."
"What's that?" Fluey asked.
"First of all, you must not lose those beads you wear around your neck."
"Keep wearing these beads? Sounds kinda silly if you ask me."
"They're vitally important, trust me."
"Okay. I keep the beads. Then what do I do?"
"Seek out Madame LaTrine. You will find her in the swamp lands."
"The swamp?!"
"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Multi said.
"Yeah, the Louisiana bayou isn't exactly paradise," Fluey replied. "And this Madame LaTrine sounds like one spooky character."
"Suit yourself," Gordonalis said. "If you want to remained cursed. That's not my problem."
With that, Gordonalis dropped the doll to the ground. Once he did that, Fluey felt like he was being thrown off the float, and he landed on the ground, flat on his back. Multi and Coiley jumped off the float themselves, and helped Fluey to his feet. Skittles followed, whimpering.
"Hey, Fluey, are you all right?" Coiley asked.
"Yeah, that was some fall!" Multi shouted.
"I'm okay," Fluey said. "Still don't think there's such a thing as voodoo, Multi?"
"Of course there isn't!" Multi shouted. "That was just a coincidence."
Gordonalis laughed, picked up the doll, and twisted it's arm behind it's back. Fluey felt as though someone was twisting his arm them. He let out a painful shriek as Gordonalis twisted the doll's arm.
"Then again," Multi said. "I could be wrong."
Gordonalis laughed, and let go of the doll's arm. Then he snapped his fingers and disappeared the same way as he arrived. Everybody was silent. The Impossibles looked at each other, not quite knowing what to think. But one thing was for sure, they had to figure out what to do about this voodoo curse Fluey was supposedly under.
"A voodoo curse yet," Fluey groaned. "Boy, we get ourselves into more predicaments."
"You're telling us?" Coiley asked. "What are we supposed to do?"
"I don't know about you guys," Fluey said. "But I'm gonna go check out this Madame LaTrine person. I definitely don't want to be cursed the rest of my life."
"Oh for crying out loud, Fluey!" Multi shouted.
"Well, after what happened earlier," Fluey said. "I don't want to take any chances, that's all!"
"He's got a point, Multi," Coiley replied, shrugging. Skittles barked in agreement.
"Okay," Multi said. "Yeah, you guys do have a point. Well . . . . let's go."
"Yeah," Coiley said. "We've got a lot of ground to cover."
"We?" Fluey repeated. "You mean you guys are gonna come with me?
"Yeah," Coiley said. "We're not gonna let you go off into the swamp lands alone, Fluey. Knowing you, you'll only land into a mess of trouble."
"Yeah okay," Fluey said. "Good point. Let's get out of these ridiculous costumes and head on out."
Multi and Coiley agreed, and the three boys headed back to their hotel to change.
