I thought the prior Monday had been unusual. The atmosphere at school was unreal. Everyone already knew that Jenny had dumped Tommy. Neither of them would tell anyone why and the number of often conflicting rumors were unreal.
I had to stop a few of the rumors: Jenny had caught Tommy in bed with me; I had petrified Jenny because Tommy wouldn’t date me; and the funniest one: Tommy, Jenny, and I had had a three-way and now Jenny only wanted to date me. I had heard that last rumor with different woman and a couple different men in my place. I must have told a dozen people to leave me out of the Jenny and Tommy drama.
I was dreading biology and I was right to do so. As soon as Ryan saw me, he was in my face, “How’d you get Jenny to dump Tommy?”
“I didn’t do anything. Tommy got her to dump him all by himself.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“What you believe doesn’t mat--” Suddenly my head weighed a ton and I dropped to the floor. My own hair snakes felt like baseball bats as the struck my head. I squeezed my eyes shut in pain.
Mr. Heinz shouted, “Let her go.”
“Fuck off, you simp. Get out of here. I need to talk to the monster here.”
I heard the room clear out. My right arm lay across my chest and made it hard to breath. I couldn’t even slide it off and I felt a rib break. I cried out.
Ryan was shouting at me. And I couldn’t do anything.
I couldn’t do anything. There was ringing in my ear canal. I couldn’t do anything. I could taste blood in my mouth. I couldn’t do anything.
I – I could do one thing. I opened my eyes. Instantly all the weight crushing me disappeared.
“Fuck. She zapped him,” Jared said. He ran for the door.
I zapped him and whoever else was in the room. I got up. Ryan stood there like a statue. I placed my palm on his chest and took a couple sips. My head cleared a little and my breathing hurt a bit less. Enough for me to shuffle out of the room. My right arm hung limply at my side. I wheezed when I inhaled and there was a metallic taste in my mouth. I wasn’t sure if my inner eyes were closed. I pushed the door open. The rest of the biology class were all standing right there. Several of them shouted to call the nurse.
Mr. Heinz got in front of me and said, “Where do you think you are going?”
“Move.”
He muttered something and got out of my way. I was limping toward the nurse’s office when Ross appeared and picked me up. Next thing I knew I was in a chair in the nurse’s office. Mom was there. I heard the words concussion and bruising before I lost consciousness.
I woke up. Carefully, I opened only the outer lids. The light in the room was too bright. My snakes formed a light barrier over my eyes.
“She must be awake.”
“Who’s there?” I said.
A masculine voice said, “I’m Cynthia. I’m a nurse here at the Clinic. I’ll get Dr. Lewis.”
“I’m here, too,” said Ross. “I’d kiss you but it would probably hurt. Your face is all bruised. You bruise in a kind of sickly greenish color.”
“I never needed to know that.”
“The first thing they’re going to ask you…”
“The first things I’m going to ask you,” Dr. Lewis said, “Is why is Mr. Cairns still a statue? He assaulted you nine hours ago.”
“Yes, that,” Ross said.
“I may have drained him a little when I got up.”
“Probably a good thing you did. Your brain was near the consistency of pudding after being subjected to more than ten gravities of force by the foolish boy.”
“I don’t really remember anything but yelling at the useless Mr. Heinz.”
“Jameson already put him on probation,” Ross said. “A lot of students complained that he had never done anything to stop Ryan from bullying you, myself included. Ryan will probably get expelled as well.”
“Can you speak to a police officer?”
“Not without a lawyer present,” my mother said, arriving suddenly.
“Can you turn off the lights?”
“Yes, we can do that.”
“Where’s Elliot?”
“There’s a limit on the number of visitors,” Ross said. “He said he could talk to you later.”
After the police interview, I was famished and human food did nothing to curtail the hunger. Dr. Adelaide caused me to destroy a dozen more cameras as she tried to capture what was happening as I partially drained over two dozen lab rabbits and mice. It was barely enough. But my mind was much clearer afterward.
Ryan was a statue for a day and a half. I must have taken more than a few sips. Every time I think about that I realize I must have been near death when I drank from him. He was charged with attempted murder I believe.
My arm was still in a cast when I left the Clinic two days after the incident. Even the healer at the Clinic said she couldn’t do anything until it was set properly and allowed to heal on its own for a week. The contusions on my face healed and, aside from the cast, I looked like I did a week ago.
The night I got home I walked out into the woods alone. I didn’t turn into my snake form because of the cast on my arm. I created a large menagerie of stone woodland critters. I didn’t drain any of them dry. Just enough to make sure I wouldn’t turn into my snake form by accident.
Elliot was on the back porch as I returned from the woods. He pointed back into the forest and said, “How many experience points did you get?”
“Probably none. I’m too high a level to benefit from squirrels and birds.”
“I meant from Ryan.”
“More than I ever wanted.”
“Where’s Marie?”
“She figured you’d just want to talk to me. Not that you don’t like her company,” he quickly added. “She just thinks there are some friendships that are extra special. Like ours.”
I sat next to him and leaned my head against his shoulder.
He rubbed my shoulder and patted a few on my headsnakes. “You okay?”
“Fine. Just need a shoulder for a few minutes.”
“Take your time.”
I was actually cheered like some kind of hero when I returned to school on Thursday. Everyone wanted to sign my cast and thank me for getting Ryan expelled. I heard a lot of tales of heavy clothing falling off of the women and guys having their balls suddenly weigh a lot in the most painful manner.
At lunch, my new girlfriends had me sit down while they fetched my lunch. I was sitting there alone when my snakes saw Tommy heading toward me. I couldn’t read his intent.
He stopped at a respectable distance and loudly said, “Medusa, I want to apologize to you for any grief I’ve ever caused you. I don’t expect your forgiveness. I don’t deserve it. But after what Ryan did to you, I feel awful. I don’t remember which of us decided to pick on you all those years ago. But, if it was me, it was the dumbest thing I ever did. I’m sorry.”
He stood there a moment and then turned and walked away. Behind him a dozen guys, including Elliot and my old crew were standing waiting for something to happen.
“Thank you, Tommy.” I said.
He turned back and said, “No. Don’t thank me. I don’t deserve it.”
“Okay. I acknowledge what you said.”
“That is more than I can ask for.” And then he left. And the crowd dispersed.
“Did that really just happen?” Melody said, holding two trays of food.
I took the one she was holding toward me. “Thanks. Yeah, it really happened.”
It was May, the night was the prom. My stomach was in knots. I was positive this was not caused by my feeding hunger. I had just fed a few days before. The high school I attended had one prom for the seniors and juniors and one prom for the sophomores and freshmen. It had been six months since my twist and almost four months since the incidents with Jenny, Tommy, and Ryan.
None of that was on my mind as I was tying cream and scarlet bows around the necks of my hairsnakes. Even Dirk submitted to getting a bow – he preferred the red one. I was wearing the beautiful dress I made Mom buy when I first twisted. My makeup was more prominent than I usually would wear. My nails were freshly painted and I was wearing the tallest high heels I’d ever worn.
I still had at least five minutes until Ross would be here to pick me up. I was standing in front of the mirror on the inside of my closet door. It was the safest place for a mirror in my room. Mom suddenly appeared in my doorway. “They’re here,” she said. “Oh, those bows are adorable.”
“Thanks. I’m ready.”
She was downstairs before me. I started down the stairs as Ross entered the house. He was wearing a full tuxedo with an orange cummerbund. I was fully aware of how my black nylon sheathed legs poked out and tucked back inside the folds of my dress as I descended the stairs. When I reached the floor, Ross was still half a foot taller than me.
“Are you wearing platform shoes?”
“I knew you’d wear those heels.”
“I wanted to be taller than you.”
“Fat chance.”
I laughed.
“Let’s get a pic, dear.”
I stood on his left and he put his arm around my waist. Just before the pic was taken I kissed his cheek.
“Medusa!” Daddy said. “This time look at the camera.”
I just smiled bigger and Daddy took a couple more pics.
“Sorry, I’m late,” Elliot said, walking in. “Woah. I feel like a munchkin. Oh, you finally did the little bows. The girls are going to be jealous.”
“We should get going,” Ross said. “Marie was expecting us ten minutes ago.”
“I’m sure she’s glad for the extra time.”
She was. Marie was wearing a scandalous, for high school, red dress with a plunging neckline. The four of us posed for pics taken by Marie’s mother, Ellen.
From there we went to the dance. It was being held at a local country club ballroom. As we passed through the lobby, I spotted someone I had to say hello to.
“Dr. Hauser,” I said.
He was talking with an older gentleman and a woman I didn’t know. “Medusa,” he said. He put his arms around me and gave me a gentle hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you looking happy.”
“I’m sure the last time you saw me, I was devastated. Gillian, this is Medusa and her boyfriend?”
“Ross,” Ross said extending his hand.
Douglas shook Ross’ hand.
Gillian said, shaking my hand “They get bigger every generation.”
“Gillian O’Malley owns an art gallery downtown.”
“Did she do the statue of Duke?”
“Both of them,” I said.
“I meant the fake one. It is such an uncanny likeness of the original Duke.”
“I hope your father told how touched I was when he passed along the replica statue you made.”
“He did.”
“Could you do more works like that? I’m sure I could sell them.”
“I don’t have anything finished.”
“Here’s my card. Call me when you have five or six items you want to sell. We’ll see how it goes from there.”
“Thank you, Ma’am. It was good to see you, Dr. Hauser.”
“You, too.”
Ross took the card from me and put it in his pocket. As we were entering the ballroom, Marie was waiting for me to enter. “Did I see you talking Mrs. O’Mallory?”
“Um, yes. Why?”
“Does she want you to do an exhibit at her gallery? Can I be a statue at the exhibit?”
“Marie, she saw a sculpture I made and asked if I had any more.”
“To display?”
“To sell. I don’t think you want to be sold as a statue.”
She didn’t agree immediately.
“Marie?”
“Well, obviously I wouldn’t want it to be forever. I would miss Elliot for one thing. But, you know I’d like to be in a gallery as a statue. Just for a week. Maybe two.”
“Aw, you’d miss me,” Elliot said. “I could deal with a week or two as well. While you were in the gallery I could tell people my girlfriend is a real work of art.”
Several of us groaned.
“What? It’s not like I’d take her for granite.”
“Elliot…”
I looked up at Ross. “We could be dancing.”
He bowed and then held out his hand to me. He said, “Would the lady do me the honor of her first dance this evening?”
“Of course.” I took his hand and he led me away. I heard someone complain about their boyfriend not being as gallant.
The song playing was a slow song. I was glad to be wearing the high heels as we could dance cheek to cheek without one or both of getting a stiff neck.
As we slowly swayed to the music, Ross said, “Elliot is a wonderful goofball. I’m glad he’s your best friend.”
“I’m glad you like him. Do you have a best friend?”
“I have an opening in that department if you’d like to fill it.”
“I can’t be your best friend. I’m your girlfriend.”
“You are? We’re a couple?”
“You don’t think so?”
“I wasn’t sure what you thought.”
“Could have asked.”
“I thought I just did.”
“Could have asked sooner than at the dance.”
“I didn’t want to spook you.”
“I’m scarier than anything that merely spooks.”
“Not to me.”
He tilted his head toward mine and the room got dark. Our lips met. I realized later all my hairsnakes had surrounded our faces so no one could see us kissing. And they’d all closed their eyes to leave me in the dark like a proper kiss. In the moment, I just enjoyed the softness of his lips and the flutter in my stomach as we kissed.
A few songs later, we met Stacy, Melody, and Tess and their dates on the dance floor. Melody could not stop talking about how cute my hairsnakes looked in their bows. As the song ended, we all sat down at a table on the perimeter of the room. The guys asked the ladies if they wanted drinks and disappeared to get them.
“Does everyone have condoms?” Tess said. She had an assortment in her bag.
“No. And I won’t need one,” I said.
Melody removed a couple and put them in her own bag. “Thanks, I always forget.”
“Just in case,” Tess said.
“I’m good.”
“She’ll be fine,” Stacy said. “Ross is unbelievably considerate.”
“Isn’t he?” Melody said.
Pete and Jim waved and walked over to talk to me. They usually didn’t come around when I was with the girls.
“Hi, Medusa. Ladies.”
“Hi, guys. Here stag?”
“Yeah,” Pete said.
“I didn’t want Pete to feel lonely.”
“That’s very thoughtful, Jim.”
Jenny Wu sat down at the table. “I hope you don’t mind if I join you.”
“Not at all. These gentlemen were just expressing their feelings for the other,” Stacy said.
“Don’t feel bad,” Jenny said. “If I can end up going to a dance alone, going stag can’t be all that bad. It does make it harder to dance.”
“Pete is the least creepy of my old friends.”
“Is he? Are you?”
Pete stuttered out, “Not creepy at all.”
She got up and took his hand. “Let’s dance.”
“Later, Medusa.”
“I should be upset,” Jim said. “But, yeah, Pete’s less creepy than I am.”
The guys returned. Elliot gave Jim a hug hello. “Where’s Pete?”
“Dancing with Jenny Wu.”
“Really?”
Elliot and I were in the audience of the school’s graduation ceremony. Marie was graduating. Marie had made sure two of her allotment of four tickets were for us. The ceremony was as boring as most graduations are. Marie’s mother, Ellen, was seated next to me. One of Marie’s cousins sat next to Ellen.
After the ceremony we all went to a restaurant together where I met a few more of Marie’s cousins, aunts, and uncles. Some of her friends from school were there with their own families. I only knew the graduating seniors as faces I’d seen at school.
“I heard you’re deferring a year before college,” her cousin Abigail said. “Are you going to travel the world?”
“I can’t afford to do that. I’m hoping to spend time in a local art gallery.”
“You won’t make a lot of money in an art gallery,” her cousin Randall said.
“Probably not. But it’ll be an experience of a lifetime.”
A week later, Elliot and his family went on a vacation. I had been invited to prior vacations but this year they were going on a driving tour of the southwest, hitting places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park, and others. Given these places weren’t safe for the obviously Twisted like myself, my parents convinced me I shouldn’t go. Two weeks without Elliot would have been unthinkable a year ago.
The afternoon after they left, Marie visited me in my garage. “Can I come in?”
“You’re always welcome, Marie,” I told her.
“Where’s Ross?”
“He works for his father during the summer. I’ll only get to see him on weekends.”
She sat down on the chair Elliot usually sat on. “I miss Elliot already.”
“It’s only been like six hours,” I said. We sat in silence for a few moments. “I miss him, too.”
“You and I talked about something a couple days ago and you said you’d think about it. That you didn’t just say, ‘No,’ was more than I’d hope for.”
“I did think about it.”
Marie wanted me to test petrifying her for the whole two weeks Elliot would be away.
“You realize, it’s dangerous?”
“You didn’t say too dangerous. Are you trying to get my hopes up?”
“I’ve been convinced I can’t be afraid of my own abilities. So, if you’re still interested I will petrify you.”
“Oh, thank you, Em.” Her whole body twitched as if she were going to fling herself at me for a hug. But her eyes were looking at my snakes.
I took hold of her and she held me so tight. She was dabbing her eyes as we separated.
“That’s a lot of happy tears.”
“I know, right?” She said. “I don’t want to do it here.”
“Oh?”
“As much as I love spending time with you here in this lovely garage, I’m hoping to be stuck in one place for two weeks somewhere with a better view.”
“That’s fair,” I said. “I also have one condition.”
She visibly deflated. “Okay. What?”
“It’ll only be for eleven days. I need to bum a ride from you on the twenty-ninth. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Eleven days is good, too. You had me worried for a minute. Why can’t Ross give you a lift?”
“Work.”
“Where do you need a ride to?”
“Dr. Hauser’s clinic.”
Her mother thought Marie was crazy. When we arrived an hour later at her home. Marie conscripted me to help rearrange the living room furniture. The result was probably the room’s Christmas tree configuration except in this case, Marie would be the tree. She wanted to freshen up before being petrified, leaving me alone with Ellen.
“A couple months ago, your mother seemed very worried about what happened to Marie. Now, you want to do it on purpose,” Her mother said as soon as Marie was out of earshot. “Is doing this safe?”
“Mostly. And it’s not what I want to do. It’s what Marie wants me to do.”
“’Mostly’ isn’t very reassuring.”
“I know. Did Marie tell you about what happened to Jenny Wu?”
“Recently?”
“When I petrified her a couple months ago.”
“Oh, that. Did she really die?”
“Yes.”
“And you revived her somehow?”
“Yes. Basically by doing the opposite of what I’m about to do to Marie. So, it’s reversible.”
“Well, if my Marie trusts you, I trust you. Can I hug you?”
“Of course.” Marie returned to the room wearing nothing but an opaque bathrobe as her mother and I finished our hug.
“I’m glad you two are bonding,” she said.
“I will need to come back a couple times to make sure you don’t recover faster than expected.”
“Marie mentioned that,” her mother said. She looked at the robe. “Honey, I wish you weren’t doing this in the nude.”
“Statues don’t wear clothes.”
“Statues of people in clothes are a thing.”
“Unfortunately, my power doesn’t affect clothes. It really is weird to see a statue wearing actual clothes.”
“I suppose. I guess I should leave now. Have fun. Is that what one says to someone about to become a statue?”
“It’s what you say to me when I’m about to become a statue.”
Her mother kissed her on the cheek and left the room. Marie didn’t see her shaking her head as she left. When I turned to look back at her, she had draped the robe over the end of the sofa and was posed for me to zap her.
“How’s this look?” She asked. She had one hand on her hip, the other bent to the side with her palm pointed upward at about eye level. Her feet were near one another but one leg was straight and the other was bent at the knee so only the toes touched the ground. She was facing the street through the window.
“Looks good. You are aware you’re currently flashing the neighborhood, right?”
“I’ll be flashing the neighborhood for eleven days.”
“Flashing with flesh tits is different than flashing with stone tits.”
“Tomayto, tomahto. Hit me.”
“I’ll count down so you can be sure your face is how you want it. Three.
“Two.
“One.” My inner eyelid opened and the color drained out of her body. The lines and swirls within looked as they always did. I probably could identify her and Elliot by just those swirls now.
I reached out and took a few sips. I was aiming for the first duration to be about seven days. I would take additional sips when I came back over the next few days. When I was done, I wondered how accurate my aim for seven days was. I made a mental note of how diminished her colors were.
I went into the kitchen where her mother was looking at her phone.
“Is it done?” She asked.
“Yeah. It should last seven days. I’ll know for sure when I return tomorrow or the next day to see how she’s progressing toward restoration.”
“Could you have just done it all at once?”
“Maybe. Doing it this way makes it nigh impossible for me to have overshot the target end date.”
“Sensible. I have a request.”
I don’t think I rolled my eyes.
“I’d like to experience what she doing for the normal one hour duration, if you don’t mind.”
“I would have been surprised if you weren’t curious.”
“I’m sure afterward I will only be more perplexed as to what she finds so fascinating about being a statue.”
“Where would you like to do it?”
“Can I stand behind her in the living room? Or will that affect her timer?”
“No, it won’t affect her at all. You just can’t be touching her.”
We went into the living room and Ellen stood half a room away from her daughter. For some reason, I suspected that she didn’t want Marie to know what was happening. So when she looked like she was posed how she wanted to stand, I tilted my head in question. Ellen nodded. And I zapped her. I took a few pics of Ellen and then of Marie.
“Marie? I’m leaving. Have fun.”
I locked the door behind me as I left. I walked over the lawn and took a few more pics of Marie through the window.
Marie spent the next eleven days as a statue looking out the window. Ellen enjoyed seeing the pics of herself. But her prediction came true. Being petrified wasn’t anything she ever needed to experience again. Marie’s first duration was probably a little less than seven full days. No big deal. Each time I visited, Ellen and I would chat for an hour or two. One evening she insisted I stay for dinner.
When I arrived on the twenty-ninth, Marie was already out of the window. Ellen hugged me as soon as she opened the door. The living room furniture was already back where it belonged. Marie came downstairs and said, “I was going to go pick you up.”
“I’ve gotten use to walking to your house.”
Marie gave me a ride to Dr. Hauser’s office. I was there to make an animal statue. I had done two animal statues since Duke and while it wasn’t emotionally easy, it didn’t destroy me like Duke had. I think knowing I could reverse it if I absolutely had too mitigated the darkness of the moment.
We walked in the back door and waited in his office. When Douglas returned, he smiled. “Medusa, so nice to see you again. Betty said to say hello.”
“Thanks. Say hello back for me. This is my friend Marie.”
After exchanging pleasantries, Douglas got serious. “Are you ready to meet Catmando?”
“Is that really the cat’s name?” Marie said.
“Unfortunately. Crazy pet names is one of the hazards of being a veterinarian.”
We went into another room. It was basically a supply room with an infrequently used examination table. An older tabby was resting in a pet carrier on the table. As soon as we entered the cat stood up and hissed at us. “He’s a little feisty. Let me take him from the carrier so he can get to know you.”
The cat would calm down for the doctor, but as soon as he put the cat down it would scamper away from Medusa. “I suspect he knows I’m a better predator than he is.”
“It would appear that way.”
“Can I hold him?” Marie said.
Douglas shrugged and passed the cat to her. He sat in her arms calmly.
“Zap us both. If I’m not touching the cat, you can separate us and do what you need to do,” Marie said.
Douglas took the cat back and handed Marie exam gloves.
“You don’t have to do this.”
“Em, you know I love to get stoned.”
“What?” Douglas said.
“She means petrified, not high.” I said. “Everyone thinks saying I get them stoned makes them a comedian.”
A few minutes later, Marie and the cat were statues. It took some effort to make sure the cat wasn’t being squeezed before I zapped them. I took the cat from Marie’s hands and put it on the exam table. Once I was sure the pose was fine, I drained the poor cat dry. As usual it tasted so good, but a bit off. When I was done, I took the cat to Douglas’ office.
“So quick?”
“Sadly, it doesn’t really take any time.”
“I guess you’re going to be here for another hour.”
“Need any help with the other animals.”
“No, I had a surprise for you but she’s running late.”
“She?”
“Gillian O’Malley will be here in a few minutes. She was hoping to see the cat before and after. But I didn’t see any reason to make you wait.”
“She really wants me to make an exhibit?”
“Well, yes. She was hoping you could zap her, today. She seems a bit like your friend.”
“You didn’t enjoy being a statue?”
“Enjoy is a strong word. It’s not like it was a bucket list item for me to cross off. I’m guessing Marie has been a statue more than once.”
“More than I can count.”
The phone on his desk rang. The receptionist informed Dr. Hauser of an arriving appointment. “Duty calls. You can wait here or with your friend.”
“I’ll wait here.”
I heard the sound of the back door opening and a woman poked her head into the office. “Medusa. I’m glad I caught you,” Gillian O’Malley said.
“Do I call you Miss O’Malley?”
“Oh, please don’t. I’m Gillian to everyone I like. Oh, I missed the cat?”
“Sorry. Douglas didn’t tell me he was expecting you until after we did it,” I said. “Follow me. My friend wants to meet you.”
“Friend?” She said as we moved to the store room. “Oh, your friend held the cat I’m guessing.”
“Yes. She’ll be stuck for another thirty or forty minutes.”
“That gives me time to convince you to do a show at my gallery.”
I laughed. “I would love to do a show. I have a dozen pieces that I plan to make. But only about half of them have been fired.”
“That’s a lot more progress than I expected. At the prom I wasn’t sure you were enthusiastic about a show.”
“What kind of artist doesn’t want a show in a prestigious art gallery?”
“That’s kind of you to say about the gallery.”
“I’m curious though. Marie here would love to spend a week as a statue in an art gallery. Do you think we could make that happen?”
“Sans clothes, I hope. As it doesn’t appear that you turn fabrics to stone.”
“No, I don’t.” I took out my phone. “Here, look at this.”
“She’s naked in front of her living room window? When was this?”
“Actually she was there for eleven days. Just turned back to normal earlier today.”
She flipped between the various pictures I had of Marie, and Ellen, and Elliot for several minutes in silence. She looked embarrassed when she realized how long she’d been looking at the images. “I’m sorry. I’d be happy to have Marie spend any amount of time in my gallery. You need to get those other pieces finished.”
“She’s probably thrilled.”
“She’s aware?”
“Oh, yeah. People say it feels like only five minutes go by unless there’s something to pay attention to. For example, the two of us having a lengthy conversation in front of her. She’ll have been aware of the whole time we’ve spent talking in front of her.”
“How was she a statue for a week if it only lasts an hour?”
“Part of my trick.”
“Oh,” Gillian said. “And how the cat is a statue for good?”
“Same trick.”
“So, you could do that to a person?”
“Make a permanent statue? No, I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.”
“I didn’t say you would. But it’s possible?”
“Why are you asking?”
Douglas chose that moment to enter the room. “You made it.”
“I made it.” They air-kissed.
“Did you ask Medusa to petrify you?”
“I was getting to it when you interrupted.”
“You want to be a statue?”
“I studied ancient roman art in college. I love everything about statues. And given the chance, I’d love to be one.”
“Here?”
“Anywhere,” she said. “Do you mind Douglas? If I am petrified I require that a lot of pictures be taken.”
“I will photograph you if that’s what you want. And you can stand here in this room for an hour if you like.”
“Please?”
“If it’s what you want. Don’t stand near Marie.”
“I’ll see you in my office, Medusa,” Douglas said as he left.
Gillian put her bag down, took off her shoes, and jacket. “Do you mind if I take my clothes off?”
“The number of women who’ve disrobed in front of me is far greater than a younger me could ever have guessed.”
“That’s a story I’d love to hear someday.”
“Maybe. I’ll step out into the hallway. Call me when you’re ready.”
It didn’t take long for her to call me back in. She was standing in a classical statue pose. “How does this pose look?”
“Classic. Ready?”
“Any chance you can make it last two hours.”
“I’d rather not.”
“Okay, never mind. I’m ready.”
I zapped her. Once she was stone, I examined the flow of colors within her. I was saddened by what I saw.
“Douglas,” I said as I entered his office. “She’s ready.”
“I’ll take the pics after you and Marie leave.”
“Makes sense. Do you know?”
“Know what?”
“I’m no expert. But I’m guessing she has cancer.”
“Cancer?”
“The glands here and here.”
“The lymph nodes.”
“That’s the word. I should study anatomy.” I said. “I guess you didn’t know?”
“She never said anything about cancer to me.”
“She was asking me about my trick and she start drilling down on whether I could do to her what I did to the cat.”
“What?”
“The patterns in her statue were similar to that dog I did a few weeks ago that you said had cancer. I haven’t seen a lot of sick people or animals with my weird statue vision. Or many healthy people for that matter. But this was the exact same condition.”
“I thought she was interested in you for the art. And I still think that interest is genuine. But could she have been thinking about what you did to Duke? Doing it to her? I can’t tell you what to do. But that is… I’m going to call my lawyer and see if he would look out for your interests.”
“I don’t think I’m going to do anything.”
“Just in case. You should tell your parents what you told me.”
“Okay.”
Thanks for reading. Comments are always welcome.
