Pet Psychic (Krystal Ball)

by Ruby Ann Phillips

  “Is this the model rocket you got from the planetarium?” I asked. “I was wondering when you’d finish building it.”

  “Oh no, don’t be ridiculous,” Billy scoffed. “I took that thing apart and used the thrusters and blasters to soup up my model pirate ship.”

  Claire and I exchanged puzzled looks.

  “That’s right. I’m talking about space pirates! I don’t think the world is ready for such genius.”

  Claire and I laughed.

  “You’re silly, Billy,” she said.

  “But very creative,” I added.

  As we walked toward the exit, Claire told us that her mom was coming to pick her up.

  “And she’s bringing Xena too!” Claire said.

  We decided to wait in the schoolyard.

  In the meantime, two sparrows flew over and perched upon a nearby branch.

  “Is that her?” one said.

  “It must be,” replied the other. “That pigeon said she had hair that looked like a bird’s nest.”

  “Hush!” said the first. “I think it looks lovely.”

  “Excuse me,” the second one chirped. “Are you the girl that can communicate with animals?”

  “Uh, yes,” I replied, nervously.

  “What’s your name, little lady?” asked the nicer sparrow.

  “I’m Krystal Ball.”

  Billy turned abruptly. “I know who you are — we’ve been friends forever.”

  “Shh, you’re interrupting,” I said to him.

  “Wait,” Billy said. “Are you talking to these birds too?”

  “Pleased to meet you, Krystal,” said the sparrow. “I’m Janet, and this is Jack.”

  “Nice to meet you both,” I said.

  “Uh, can someone please explain what is going on?” Claire asked.

  “This is what I wanted to tell you —” I said.

  “She’s a pet psychic!” Billy butted in.

  “For real?” Claire exclaimed.

  “Yep,” I said. “It started with Xena, last night at your house. All of a sudden, she just . . . spoke to me, and I could understand every word!”

  “You mean, when Xena’s barking, she’s really having a conversation?”

  “YES!”

  “Amazing!” said Claire. “I can’t believe it.”

  “You can’t believe it? I thought I was losing my mind, but I think it’s all part of my gift.”

  “ACK!” Billy shouted.

  Claire and I jumped with surprise.

  A chubby gray squirrel landed in Billy’s lap.

  “Easy, mate,” he squeaked. “I just want to get front row seats to meet Krystal Ball. I’m Pip.”

  “Well, it’s really nice to meet you, Pip!” I said.

  “Are you kidding me?” Billy exclaimed. “This is a scene out of a fairy tale! Are these guys going back to your house to clean your room?”

  The squirrel looked at Billy sideways. “Nah,” he told Krystal, “we only clean cottages with dwarves in them.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  “No!” laughed Pip. “I’m just kidding, love! Tell your friend he watches too many movies.”

  I chuckled and told Billy what Pip said.

  “This is unbelievable,” he replied, shaking his head.

  Mrs. Voyance arrived with Xena in tow. The happy beagle barked and wagged her tail.

  “Uh-oh!” cried Pip. “DOG!”

  The critters scattered and regrouped at the playground a few feet away.

  “Hi, Mom!” Claire shouted. Then she said, “Drat! I forgot my Math book. I’ll be right back!”

  As Claire ran back into the school, Billy and I greeted Mrs. Voyance and gave Xena a pat behind the ears.

  “Krystal! Krystal! Krystal!” Xena barked. “It’s been so long since I last saw you. How are you? I’ve missed you.”

  She jumped up and licked my face.

  “Oh, Xena, I’ve missed you too,” I said.

  I stood up and asked Mrs. Voyance if I could hold Xena’s leash.

  “Just make sure you hold on really tight,” Mrs. Voyance warned. “Xena gets excited very easily.”

  “I will, Mrs. Voyance. Thank you.”

  While I walked Xena around the schoolyard, she sniffed everything in sight.

  “I’m so happy to see you. I really like you. You’re my friend, right?” asked Xena.

  “Of course I am,” I said.

  “Well, you left before I could tell you something important.”

  “What is it?” I wondered.

  Xena walked closer to the playground, and I followed.

  “I need you to help me find somebody,” Xena said. “Can you?”

  “Sure,” I said even though I wasn’t. “Who are you looking for?”

  Xena began, “I’m looking for — SQUIRREL!”

  “Huh?” I managed to say.

  “Squirrel!” Xena barked again, and then she jetted toward the jungle gym. She spotted Pip, and now the chase was on.

  Uh-oh, I thought.

  Pip jumped off the monkey bars and scampered across the playground. Xena picked up speed and dragged me behind her.

  Thinking quickly, I ducked and narrowly missed the monkey bars.

  Xena ran faster and faster, barking and panting.

  I was panting too.

  I suddenly got a feeling of déjà vu. You know, that feeling when you think you’ve experienced something before?

  It was just like my dream, when I was getting dragged along inside that clamshell.

  “Xena! Slow down, will you?” I pleaded.

  “Come on, it’s this way!” she cried. “I can smell him!”

  As Xena ran even faster, the leash burned my hands.

  I could hear Billy and Mrs. Voyance shouting in the background. They were trying to catch up to me.

  “Xena, please stop!” I shouted.

  Then I stumbled over my own two feet, tripped, and fell facedown in the dirt.

  The leash slipped between my fingers.

  The beagle bolted out of the schoolyard and onto the sidewalk.

  Billy and Mrs. Voyance ran after her.

  Quickly, I got to my feet. I ignored the wood chips in my hair, the scrapes on my knees, and the rips in my tights. I joined the chase.

  When I reached Claire’s mom and Billy, the N train had just pulled away from the station. A crowd of people came hurrying down off the elevated platform.

  Xena became a brown blur bounding down the sidewalk. I could barely see her through the thick crowd. Frantically, we pushed passed them, but it was too late.

  Xena was gone.

  Chapter 8

  Written in the Stars

  Oh no, I thought. This is definitely NOT good. This is a catastrophe!

  My body tingled. I closed my eyes and tilted my head. A cold feeling, like icy fingers, crept up and down my spine.

  I turned and saw Claire standing under a tree. She was mad, for sure. With her black hair and angry face, she looked just like the Sphinx from my dream.

  My body went numb. I gulped hard and wished right then and there that the earth would open up and swallow me whole.

  “I . . . I’m . . . sorry,” I croaked.

  Claire slammed her textbook on the ground and ran to her mother. She started to cry.

  I looked at Billy.

  “Don’t worry,” he whispered. “You’ll fix this.”

  “Don’t count on it,” I said. “This time I messed up royally. My gift is a curse. And it just cost my best friend her dog.”

  * * *

  The car ride home was very uncomfortable. Claire sat in the front seat next to her mom, and Billy and I were in the back.

  She was so mad at me. She didn’t say a word or ev
en look my way.

  I would probably have done the same thing if I were in her shoes.

  Claire’s mom said that they would do their best to find Xena, and that because she had an identification collar, someone would contact them if they found her first.

  I can’t wait that long, I thought. I’ve got to do something now!

  Mrs. Voyance pulled over in front of our building. As I got out, I tried to make eye contact with Claire, but she turned away from me.

  I stood on the sidewalk, watching the car drive away. A million ideas were swirling through my head, but none of them made any sense.

  Billy put his hand on my shoulder and said, “I know you’re up to something, Ball, but it’s always best to eat before going on another adventure.”

  * * *

  When we walked into my apartment, Dad was already home. He was sitting at his desk grading papers. Mom was probably working downstairs at the hair salon.

  “Hey, guys,” he said. “How was school?”

  I dropped my book bag and kicked.

  “Never mind,” Dad said and smiled.

  He scooped me in his arms and planted a big kiss on my cheek. His mustache tickled. Then he tousled Billy’s hair.

  “Dad, something bad happened today,” I said.

  “Let me get us some milk and cookies, and you can tell me all about it,” he replied.

  “Whenever I’m in a funk, I choose double chocolate chunk,” Billy said.

  My spirits lifted a little once we sat around the kitchen table and started eating. Dad knew that my favorite cookies fixed me right up.

  After I washed down my second cookie with milk, I told my dad everything that happened.

  And I mean, everything.

  Starting with the night I met Xena, including my new psychic abilities, and ending up with the horrible events in the schoolyard.

  “Well, this certainly is a new development,” he finally said. “Your gift, like you, is growing stronger. It’s all part of what makes you special, just like Grandma. You’d be amazed at the amount of awesome things she can do.”

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Oh, yes,” Dad answered. “In time, you’ll learn how to control them and use them to do great things the same way too.”

  “That’s why I wanted to talk to her. I’ve made a huge mess, and I don’t what to do,” I said. “How am I supposed to find her in Egypt? She doesn’t even have a cell phone!”

  “You could send her an email,” Billy suggested. “Does she have a laptop?”

  “She’s on a camel, Billy,” I blurted out. “I don’t think she can check her emails on a camel.”

  “Well, that depends,” Billy said. “Does the camel have Wi-Fi?”

  “Argh!” I shouted, throwing my hands in the air. “I might as well talk to the camel!”

  Dad chuckled and lifted a dish towel off the counter. “I may not have the gift of sight like my mother,” he said. “But I know a thing or two about giving advice. I did learn from the best, after all.”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  Dad wrapped the dish towel around his head and puckered up his lips. He was pretending to be Grandma. Like me, she always wrapped her curly hair up inside a beautiful scarf. He looked so silly that it made me giggle.

  “Everything is written in the stars,” Dad started. He waved his arms wide and pointed at the ceiling.

  “They have been consulted for guidance for thousands of years,” he explained. “Sailors used them as a map to navigate the seas.”

  Billy and I just stared at him.

  “What is he babbling about?” Billy whispered.

  I closed my eyes and tried to see into the future.

  “I don’t know, but he may be right,” I said. “Perhaps the stars will inspire me to find a solution to this major problem.”

  “Now you’re babbling,” Billy said as he helped himself to another cookie.

  Getting out of my seat, I gave Dad a big hug and a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thank you,” I said to him. “You’re the best!”

  “So are you,” he said back.

  Then I turned to Billy. “Meet me on the roof after dinner,” I told him. “I have a feeling those stars will give me a bright idea!”

  Chapter 9

  Calling All Critters

  Later that night, I grabbed my telescope and astronomy book and headed for the roof. Billy was already there, waiting for me.

  He was wearing a T-shirt of his favorite superhero show, Galaxy Guard. On his head was the helmet from his Galaxy Guard Halloween costume. Billy saluted.

  “Galaxy Guard reporting for duty!” he announced. “What is our mission, Agent Ball?”

  “Oh my!” I said. “What a pleasant surprise, Galaxy Guard. I was expecting my friend Billy.”

  Billy laughed and helped me set up the telescope. “What are you waiting for?” he said. “Let’s save the day!”

  I looked through my telescope at the billions of stars lighting up the night. Soon, I came across three stars in a row that glowed a bright blue.

  “Ooh! I recognize this pattern,” I exclaimed. “Have a look!”

  While Billy peered through the lens, I quickly flipped through my astronomy book to the big constellation map.

  “There it is,” I said, pointing to the picture. “Orion’s Belt!”

  “Of course you’d recognize it,” Billy said. “It’s a fashion accessory!”

  I rolled my eyes and continued to read aloud. “The Orion constellation is visible throughout the world. It’s one of the easiest constellations to spot in the night sky. It was named after Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology. The surrounding constellations related to Orion are named after his two hunting dogs, Canis Major and Canis Minor.”

  I closed my eyes and tilted my head. Images started to swirl in my mind and come into focus.

  Two dogs under the night sky, I thought. “The Moon Card!” I shouted, startling Billy.

  “Excuse me?” Billy said.

  “When I looked at my tarot cards the other day, I pulled the Moon Card. It’s a picture of two dogs howling at the full moon. The first constellation we find is of a hunter with two dogs!”

  “Great!” Billy cried. “But what does it mean?”

  “I don’t know,” I replied.

  Sliding down into the corner, I folded my arms over my knees and sighed. What do the dogs symbolize? I asked myself. What is their purpose?

  “EUREKA!” I yelled.

  “Stop doing that!” Billy shouted. “You’ll give me a heart attack before I join the Galaxy Guild!”

  “Orion is a hunter, right?” I explained. “That means I have to be a hunter!”

  Billy scratched his head. “So you’re going to get two dogs to find the one you lost?” he asked.

  “Nope. I’m going to get creative and use another hunting party to seek out my prey!”

  And with that, I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled off the rooftop. “CALLING ALL CRITTERS!” I shouted. “THIS IS KRYSTAL BALL! PLEASE RESPOND!”

  “You can’t be serious,” Billy said, grinning. “Oh, this is going to be good!”

  “I don’t even know if it’s going to work,” I said. “It was just a crazy thought.”

  I crossed my fingers, held my breath, and shut my eyes.

  A few moments passed and nothing happened. I waited and waited and waited. Then, as I started to dismantle my telescope, I heard the pitter-patter sound of little feet scurrying up the side of the building.

  Suddenly, a squirrel appeared and stood on the ledge. Next to it was a chipmunk.

  “Hello, love,” said Pip. “You rang?”

  “WHOA!” shouted Billy.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” continued Pip. “I brought a friend. This is Pia.”

&n
bsp; “Pleased to finally meet you,” she said. “I’ve heard so much about Krystal Ball, the Great and Powerful!”

  I blushed and told Billy what she said.

  He let out a big laugh.

  Suddenly, there was another sound — the fluttering of bird wings. Two sparrows appeared.

  “Janet and Jack!”

  “Hi, Krystal!” Janet chirped. “We came as fast as we could!”

  “I can’t believe it,” I said. “This is amazing!”

  “Believe it, kid,” Jack snapped. “So why all the hullabaloo? I’ve got things to do.”

  “Hush, Jack,” Janet said. “You can pick seeds out of your feathers later. Krystal needs our help.”

  “That’s right,” I said. “I need you to help me find my best friend’s dog. She ran away!”

  “You can count on us!” said Pip. The squirrel puffed up his chest and cleared his throat. “Listen up, gang. Janet and Jack will give us a bird’s-eye view of the perimeter. Contact the pigeons if you need more eyes in the sky.”

  “Pia will call upon our tree-dwelling brethren, the chipmunks and the squirrels,” Pip said.

  “If I know dogs,” he continued, “I’m certain one of our trees will be marked, and we’ll be able to follow the trail.

  “Lastly, I will cover the ground, questioning the alley cats and sewer rats. Those guys are everywhere, and they see everything. We’ll find your pal’s pooch, love. Don’t you worry!”

  Pip straightened his bushy tail and gave me a tiny salute. Then he hopped off the ledge and landed on a nearby telephone wire.

  The sparrows chirped good-bye in unison and flew up into the night sky.

  “Gosh,” Billy gasped. “Do you think it’ll work?”

  I closed my eyes and felt a buzz in the air.

  “Outlook good!” I said.

  Chapter 10

  Together Again

  The next morning, I was sitting at the kitchen table with Mom and Dad. I could barely contain my excitement, so I woke up super early.

  “How are you feeling today?” Mom asked.