Later on that same Sunday, Fern sat and stared gloomily at the computer
monitor, which had already lapsed into screen saver mode. Her father wandered
past and noticed her sad expression. "Why the long face?" he asked.
Fern turned slowly in the revolving office chair. "Well, Dad, part of it is the fact that I'm a dog, and part of it is that I feel in some way responsible for Odette being kidnapped."
Mr. Walters sat down on the edge of the desk near her, and tried to comfort her. "Now, Fern, there's nothing you could have done to prevent that from happening, so don't blame yourself."
"But, Dad, it was my..."
Her father eyed her curiously as she hesitated to complete her sentence.
"It was my idea for Muffy and Van to meet where they did," she admitted. "I didn't think anybody would be there, let alone kidnappers."
"Ah, now I see." Mr. Walters grinned. "So it was you who arranged their secret rendezvous."
"But it's even worse than that," Fern continued. "You see, I met this girl in a chat room, and we had a lot in common, and I wanted to go to that same place to meet her, but she wanted to meet me in a public place because she thought I might be a kidnapper. And I was upset about that. But now..."
"Why didn't you want to meet her in a public place?" asked her father.
It suddenly dawned on Fern that she had painted herself into a corner, and the only way out was to lie, or at least conceal part of the truth.
"Well...I...didn't have a problem with meeting in a public place. It's just that I liked going to the spot near the creek, and that's the first place that came to mind."
"Mm-hmm." Mr. Walters nodded attentively.
"I guess Greta's decided that I'm a kidnapper," Fern lamented. "She's left the chat room, and she doesn't respond to my messages anymore."
"Well, keep trying." Her father stood and smiled. "Sooner or later she'll see you for the wonderful girl that you are."
As he walked away, Fern turned back to the computer and moved the mouse cursor to the Receive Messages button. A popup banner appeared with the words, YOU HAVE NO NEW MESSAGES. She sighed despondently.
----
At roughly the same time, Prunella sat in the living room of her house, looking pensive and disheartened as if faced with an insurmountable dilemma.
As she moped, there came a knock at the front door. She slowly rose to answer it. Binky stood at her doorstep, appearing no happier than she was.
"Oh, hi, Binky," said Prunella in the most pleasant voice she could muster. "Do come in."
Looking desperate, Binky grabbed Prunella firmly by the shoulders. "You've gotta help me," he begged. "The love of my life is missing. I need you to help me find her."
Sighing bitterly, Prunella brushed away the boy's hands, then turned and led him into the living room. "I'm sorry, Binky," she said with regret. "I'm sorry about your loss, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"What do you mean?" Binky asked unbelievingly. "You've got your crystal ball. You can talk to the spirits and ask them where Odette is. Can't you?"
Prunella returned to her seat on the couch and patted the other cushion with her hand. "Sit down, Binky."
As Binky sat next to her, Prunella's voice became serious. "As soon as I heard the news of Odette's kidnapping, I went straight to the crystal ball and tried to contact the spirits. I spent most of the day there. And guess what the spirits told me."
"Uh...what?"
"Nothing!" Prunella wailed, covering her face with her hands. "I might as well have used a freaking bowling ball!"
"Well, can't you try again?" asked Binky.
"No!" Prunella snapped at him. "I've been doing the fortune-telling thing since I was four years old, and all I've done is hurt people. I'm through! T-H-R-O-U-G-H!"
"Uh, that spells 'through', doesn't it?"
"I almost destroyed the world, Binky!" Prunella ranted. "I made contact with another dimension where the natives weren't friendly. Marina was almost trapped there forever. And what's worse, when I tried to do it again at the Randi Institute, nothing happened! I could have made a million dollars!"
"Whoa," said Binky. "I didn't know there was so much money in it."
"And now Marina doesn't trust me anymore," Prunella continued. "And with Odette being kidnapped, I have a real chance to use my abilities to help my friends, but what do the spirits tell me? Nothing! N-O-T-H-I-N-G!"
"Are you, like, practicing for a spelling bee or something?"
Prunella sighed deeply and angrily. "It's no use, Binky. If I try to help you, something terrible will probably happen to you."
"Hey, I'm not afraid," said Binky, raising his fists. "Monsters from another dimension? Bring 'em on. I'll take all comers."
Suddenly and unexpectedly, Prunella started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Binky asked her.
"You are," Prunella giggled. "You're so stupid, you make me laugh."
"Hey!" Binky glowered at her.
Prunella calmed down and composed herself. "You know, Binky, you could do a lot better than Odette Cooper."
"I don't think so," said Binky. "She's the best dancer in the whole city."
"Yes, but dancing isn't everything. Besides, there are other girls who like you. Girls your own age."
Having said that, Prunella started to bat her eyelashes and smile seductively at Binky. The boy fell silent, apparently confused by her behavior.
Finally he spoke. "Like who?"
Prunella's face fell. "Binky, this is Houston," she said with a sarcastic tone. "Come in, Binky." Then she moved closer to Binky and started to smile and bat her eyelashes again.
"Well?" said the oblivious Binky.
Prunella clenched her fists angrily. "I'm in love with you, you big fat stupid oaf!" Surprised at her sudden outburst, she placed a hand over her mouth.
Binky grinned. "Oh, I get it now."
Prunella gazed at him hopefully.
"You're jealous," said Binky smugly. "You don't want to find Odette because you're in love with me. I see your little game now."
Prunella jumped to her feet and pointed toward the front door. "Get out of my house!" she roared indignantly.
Frightened, Binky rose quickly from the couch and hurried through the door. After watching him leave, Prunella sat down again, whimpering pathetically.
(To be continued...)
Fern turned slowly in the revolving office chair. "Well, Dad, part of it is the fact that I'm a dog, and part of it is that I feel in some way responsible for Odette being kidnapped."
Mr. Walters sat down on the edge of the desk near her, and tried to comfort her. "Now, Fern, there's nothing you could have done to prevent that from happening, so don't blame yourself."
"But, Dad, it was my..."
Her father eyed her curiously as she hesitated to complete her sentence.
"It was my idea for Muffy and Van to meet where they did," she admitted. "I didn't think anybody would be there, let alone kidnappers."
"Ah, now I see." Mr. Walters grinned. "So it was you who arranged their secret rendezvous."
"But it's even worse than that," Fern continued. "You see, I met this girl in a chat room, and we had a lot in common, and I wanted to go to that same place to meet her, but she wanted to meet me in a public place because she thought I might be a kidnapper. And I was upset about that. But now..."
"Why didn't you want to meet her in a public place?" asked her father.
It suddenly dawned on Fern that she had painted herself into a corner, and the only way out was to lie, or at least conceal part of the truth.
"Well...I...didn't have a problem with meeting in a public place. It's just that I liked going to the spot near the creek, and that's the first place that came to mind."
"Mm-hmm." Mr. Walters nodded attentively.
"I guess Greta's decided that I'm a kidnapper," Fern lamented. "She's left the chat room, and she doesn't respond to my messages anymore."
"Well, keep trying." Her father stood and smiled. "Sooner or later she'll see you for the wonderful girl that you are."
As he walked away, Fern turned back to the computer and moved the mouse cursor to the Receive Messages button. A popup banner appeared with the words, YOU HAVE NO NEW MESSAGES. She sighed despondently.
----
At roughly the same time, Prunella sat in the living room of her house, looking pensive and disheartened as if faced with an insurmountable dilemma.
As she moped, there came a knock at the front door. She slowly rose to answer it. Binky stood at her doorstep, appearing no happier than she was.
"Oh, hi, Binky," said Prunella in the most pleasant voice she could muster. "Do come in."
Looking desperate, Binky grabbed Prunella firmly by the shoulders. "You've gotta help me," he begged. "The love of my life is missing. I need you to help me find her."
Sighing bitterly, Prunella brushed away the boy's hands, then turned and led him into the living room. "I'm sorry, Binky," she said with regret. "I'm sorry about your loss, but there's nothing I can do about it."
"What do you mean?" Binky asked unbelievingly. "You've got your crystal ball. You can talk to the spirits and ask them where Odette is. Can't you?"
Prunella returned to her seat on the couch and patted the other cushion with her hand. "Sit down, Binky."
As Binky sat next to her, Prunella's voice became serious. "As soon as I heard the news of Odette's kidnapping, I went straight to the crystal ball and tried to contact the spirits. I spent most of the day there. And guess what the spirits told me."
"Uh...what?"
"Nothing!" Prunella wailed, covering her face with her hands. "I might as well have used a freaking bowling ball!"
"Well, can't you try again?" asked Binky.
"No!" Prunella snapped at him. "I've been doing the fortune-telling thing since I was four years old, and all I've done is hurt people. I'm through! T-H-R-O-U-G-H!"
"Uh, that spells 'through', doesn't it?"
"I almost destroyed the world, Binky!" Prunella ranted. "I made contact with another dimension where the natives weren't friendly. Marina was almost trapped there forever. And what's worse, when I tried to do it again at the Randi Institute, nothing happened! I could have made a million dollars!"
"Whoa," said Binky. "I didn't know there was so much money in it."
"And now Marina doesn't trust me anymore," Prunella continued. "And with Odette being kidnapped, I have a real chance to use my abilities to help my friends, but what do the spirits tell me? Nothing! N-O-T-H-I-N-G!"
"Are you, like, practicing for a spelling bee or something?"
Prunella sighed deeply and angrily. "It's no use, Binky. If I try to help you, something terrible will probably happen to you."
"Hey, I'm not afraid," said Binky, raising his fists. "Monsters from another dimension? Bring 'em on. I'll take all comers."
Suddenly and unexpectedly, Prunella started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Binky asked her.
"You are," Prunella giggled. "You're so stupid, you make me laugh."
"Hey!" Binky glowered at her.
Prunella calmed down and composed herself. "You know, Binky, you could do a lot better than Odette Cooper."
"I don't think so," said Binky. "She's the best dancer in the whole city."
"Yes, but dancing isn't everything. Besides, there are other girls who like you. Girls your own age."
Having said that, Prunella started to bat her eyelashes and smile seductively at Binky. The boy fell silent, apparently confused by her behavior.
Finally he spoke. "Like who?"
Prunella's face fell. "Binky, this is Houston," she said with a sarcastic tone. "Come in, Binky." Then she moved closer to Binky and started to smile and bat her eyelashes again.
"Well?" said the oblivious Binky.
Prunella clenched her fists angrily. "I'm in love with you, you big fat stupid oaf!" Surprised at her sudden outburst, she placed a hand over her mouth.
Binky grinned. "Oh, I get it now."
Prunella gazed at him hopefully.
"You're jealous," said Binky smugly. "You don't want to find Odette because you're in love with me. I see your little game now."
Prunella jumped to her feet and pointed toward the front door. "Get out of my house!" she roared indignantly.
Frightened, Binky rose quickly from the couch and hurried through the door. After watching him leave, Prunella sat down again, whimpering pathetically.
(To be continued...)
