"Where's Prunella?" bellowed Alan, scrambling to his feet. "What did you do to
her?" The wind began to die down, making it easier for him to hear Dolly's
response.
"I don't know," replied Dolly with a sarcastic grin. "I've never done that before."
"Bring her back!" demanded Alan, clenching his fists.
"I will," said Dolly in a normal tone of voice, "as soon as Mr. Winslow creates a new Cleansing Stone for me."
"Right," snarled Alan. "So you can do to the rest of the world what you just did to Elwood City."
"Precisely." Dolly's voice grew louder, and her body slowly became bathed in spectacular light. "With the might of the Cleansing Stone, I shall draw all of the world's evil into myself. Then my power shall reach unto the very stars! All shall love me and despair!"
"I'll stop you!" Alan barked. "I'll warn Mr. Winslow!"
"Come closer, Alan," said Dolly, the fiery light around her beginning to fade. "I have a new word to teach you."
Disarmed by Dolly's unexpected request, Alan cocked his ears and listened carefully.
"(Bleep)," said Dolly.
Alan suddenly felt his mind clouding over. He couldn't think. He couldn't resist...
"Yes, master," he droned, sticking out his arms. "Your every wish is my command."
"As it should be." Dolly stepped closer to the mesmerized Alan and put a warm hand on his shoulder. "You will now return to your class, and forget about what happened here."
"Yes, master," Alan repeated, and started to walk rigidly in the direction of the school, his arms still out in front.
"And put your arms down," Dolly called after him. "You look like a dork."
As the obedient Alan lowered his arms and continued his mindless march toward the school entrance, Dolly picked up her broom, held it aloft, and started to rise into the air, cackling wildly.
During phys-ed class, the kids balked at forming teams, but chose instead to simply take turns kicking the soccer ball into the goal net. Molly and Rattles wandered about the school lot, apologizing to the kids they had bullied, and offering them candy to atone for their misdeeds. The kids in Alan's class displayed no malice toward him or their annoying new teacher, Mrs. Krantz, although they expressed a little concern about Prunella's absence. Alan himself trudged robotically from one class to the next, answering the teacher's questions from time to time with an emotionless tone of voice. Most unusually of all, the kids thanked the cook after enjoying their cafeteria lunches.
Throughout the city, pedestrians greeted each other warmly, even when they were total strangers to each other. Traffic flowed smoothly, as every driver became compulsively courteous. Police officers lounged about in donut shops, as there were no crimes to be stopped. People who had been bitter enemies fell into each others' arms, weeping and begging forgiveness. For all intents and purposes, Elwood City had become a perfect Shangri-La, its peace only disturbed occasionally by an emergency call for someone who had fallen ill or died.
Prunella and Dolly were nowhere to be seen.
School let out a few minutes early that day, and the smiling Lakewood kids rushed to their homes, anxious to get started on their increased portions of homework. Alan, still bereft of his free will, shuffled through the door of his house and was greeted by his cheerful mother. "How was school today?"
"Fine," mumbled Alan on his way to the living room. "Just fine."
"Are you okay, dear?" Mrs. Powers asked him.
"Fine," Alan repeated. Seating himself on the couch, he picked up the remote control and began to stare thoughtlessly at the TV screen.
"The Bionic Bunny Show has been cancelled today," came the announcer's voice. "In its place, we will air a children's program that contains no gratuitous violence or destructive behavior."
"Mary Moo Cow, Mary Moo Cow..."
Even in his trancelike state, Alan knew that he didn't enjoy watching New Moo Revue, despite the fact that two of his friends were in the cast. He clicked the remote.
"I'm reporting live from Salem, Massachusetts, where the famous Winslow Witch Museum was destroyed earlier today by a massive fireball."
The shocking news rattled Alan's mind, freeing him from Dolly's hypnotic spell. "Oh, no!" he exclaimed, jumping down from the couch and hurrying to the phone. Dialing Mr. Winslow's cell phone number, he waited breathlessly and desperately for a sound that would prove to him that the curator/alchemist was still alive.
It didn't come. "You have reached the voice mail of Angus Winslow. Please leave a message after the tone."
----
"I've been trying to contact him ever since," Alan told Buster. "Either Dolly got to him, or else he's hiding out somewhere and isn't answering his cell phone. Wherever he is, I'll bet Nadine and her mom are with him."
"So Dolly could be just about anywhere." Buster glanced around suspiciously. "She could be listening to us right now."
"Possibly," said Alan, whose voice had grown weary from relating the long tale. "I'm not sure how powerful she is now. All I know is, if she gets another Cleansing Stone, she'll become invincible."
"Yeah," Buster mused. "She'll make us all her slaves. You're right, that is worse than aliens."
"I don't know what to do," said Alan, shaking his head. "If there's a way to make Dolly good again, only Mr. Winslow knows what it is, and I'm not sure if I can even trust him. What if he really wants the power for himself?"
"But you said only women can have the power," Buster pointed out.
"Yes," Alan replied, "but maybe if a man gets enough evil inside of him, that would give him powers."
The mystified Buster took in a deep breath and let it out.
Alan looked down at his hands. "I'm afraid, Buster. What if they have to kill her to stop her?"
TBC
"I don't know," replied Dolly with a sarcastic grin. "I've never done that before."
"Bring her back!" demanded Alan, clenching his fists.
"I will," said Dolly in a normal tone of voice, "as soon as Mr. Winslow creates a new Cleansing Stone for me."
"Right," snarled Alan. "So you can do to the rest of the world what you just did to Elwood City."
"Precisely." Dolly's voice grew louder, and her body slowly became bathed in spectacular light. "With the might of the Cleansing Stone, I shall draw all of the world's evil into myself. Then my power shall reach unto the very stars! All shall love me and despair!"
"I'll stop you!" Alan barked. "I'll warn Mr. Winslow!"
"Come closer, Alan," said Dolly, the fiery light around her beginning to fade. "I have a new word to teach you."
Disarmed by Dolly's unexpected request, Alan cocked his ears and listened carefully.
"(Bleep)," said Dolly.
Alan suddenly felt his mind clouding over. He couldn't think. He couldn't resist...
"Yes, master," he droned, sticking out his arms. "Your every wish is my command."
"As it should be." Dolly stepped closer to the mesmerized Alan and put a warm hand on his shoulder. "You will now return to your class, and forget about what happened here."
"Yes, master," Alan repeated, and started to walk rigidly in the direction of the school, his arms still out in front.
"And put your arms down," Dolly called after him. "You look like a dork."
As the obedient Alan lowered his arms and continued his mindless march toward the school entrance, Dolly picked up her broom, held it aloft, and started to rise into the air, cackling wildly.
During phys-ed class, the kids balked at forming teams, but chose instead to simply take turns kicking the soccer ball into the goal net. Molly and Rattles wandered about the school lot, apologizing to the kids they had bullied, and offering them candy to atone for their misdeeds. The kids in Alan's class displayed no malice toward him or their annoying new teacher, Mrs. Krantz, although they expressed a little concern about Prunella's absence. Alan himself trudged robotically from one class to the next, answering the teacher's questions from time to time with an emotionless tone of voice. Most unusually of all, the kids thanked the cook after enjoying their cafeteria lunches.
Throughout the city, pedestrians greeted each other warmly, even when they were total strangers to each other. Traffic flowed smoothly, as every driver became compulsively courteous. Police officers lounged about in donut shops, as there were no crimes to be stopped. People who had been bitter enemies fell into each others' arms, weeping and begging forgiveness. For all intents and purposes, Elwood City had become a perfect Shangri-La, its peace only disturbed occasionally by an emergency call for someone who had fallen ill or died.
Prunella and Dolly were nowhere to be seen.
School let out a few minutes early that day, and the smiling Lakewood kids rushed to their homes, anxious to get started on their increased portions of homework. Alan, still bereft of his free will, shuffled through the door of his house and was greeted by his cheerful mother. "How was school today?"
"Fine," mumbled Alan on his way to the living room. "Just fine."
"Are you okay, dear?" Mrs. Powers asked him.
"Fine," Alan repeated. Seating himself on the couch, he picked up the remote control and began to stare thoughtlessly at the TV screen.
"The Bionic Bunny Show has been cancelled today," came the announcer's voice. "In its place, we will air a children's program that contains no gratuitous violence or destructive behavior."
"Mary Moo Cow, Mary Moo Cow..."
Even in his trancelike state, Alan knew that he didn't enjoy watching New Moo Revue, despite the fact that two of his friends were in the cast. He clicked the remote.
"I'm reporting live from Salem, Massachusetts, where the famous Winslow Witch Museum was destroyed earlier today by a massive fireball."
The shocking news rattled Alan's mind, freeing him from Dolly's hypnotic spell. "Oh, no!" he exclaimed, jumping down from the couch and hurrying to the phone. Dialing Mr. Winslow's cell phone number, he waited breathlessly and desperately for a sound that would prove to him that the curator/alchemist was still alive.
It didn't come. "You have reached the voice mail of Angus Winslow. Please leave a message after the tone."
----
"I've been trying to contact him ever since," Alan told Buster. "Either Dolly got to him, or else he's hiding out somewhere and isn't answering his cell phone. Wherever he is, I'll bet Nadine and her mom are with him."
"So Dolly could be just about anywhere." Buster glanced around suspiciously. "She could be listening to us right now."
"Possibly," said Alan, whose voice had grown weary from relating the long tale. "I'm not sure how powerful she is now. All I know is, if she gets another Cleansing Stone, she'll become invincible."
"Yeah," Buster mused. "She'll make us all her slaves. You're right, that is worse than aliens."
"I don't know what to do," said Alan, shaking his head. "If there's a way to make Dolly good again, only Mr. Winslow knows what it is, and I'm not sure if I can even trust him. What if he really wants the power for himself?"
"But you said only women can have the power," Buster pointed out.
"Yes," Alan replied, "but maybe if a man gets enough evil inside of him, that would give him powers."
The mystified Buster took in a deep breath and let it out.
Alan looked down at his hands. "I'm afraid, Buster. What if they have to kill her to stop her?"
TBC
