I'm doing 36 things
Prologue: As pale as moonlight, Myra seemed to float across the lawn. Her long coppery hair billowed in the gusting night breeze. Her silky white nightgown shimmered in the soft light, flopping soundlessly in the wind. / What is happening here?
1) Mrs. Barnes yawned as she set the plate of scrambled eggs down in front of Mayra. / “Yeah, she lives back near the lake. But I don’t mind Fear Street in the daylight.” Mayra said. “I mean, what could happen?”
2) “Oh! My beads!” / All the while she could feel the cat’s eyes on her, admonishing her for looking where she shouldn’t have looked, accusing her, warning her. . .
3) Mayra said goodbye to Mrs. Cottler and stepped outside, closing the heavy front door behind her. She took a deep breath of fresh air and looked up at the sky. / “You’ll be sorry!” he yelled, more sad than angry. “You’ll be sorry, Mayra!” When she turned around, he was gone.
4) “Now, settle yourself, Hazel.” Mrs. Cottler said, leaning down to the cat. “Mayra’s going to read to us.” / She propped the cane up against the wall and ran down the stairs without looking back.
5) “Mayra, you really think she’s a witch?” / She shook her head. “I warned him something bad would happen the way he was carrying on yesterday. Oh, that poor, poor man.”
6) Walker greeted her shyly, stepping out of the front door to his house, giving her a nervous half smile and reaching out his hand to shake hers. / Something is wrong, Mayra thought. Something is horribly wrong.
7) “Delicious lunch, Mayra.” / He was sharing a pizza with Suki Thomas, just about the trashiest girl in school. They were gazing into each other’s eyes, and they were holding hands.
8) Mayra was so startled she entered the reseraunt and walked right up to their booth. “Walker!” / She looked over at the bed. The white scarf. It was gone. Stephanie had taken the scarf!
9) The dream was so vivid. / She stared up at the ceiling feeling more and more frightened. I may never sleep again, she thought.
10) Walker was so worried about Mayra, he came running over to her house before she left for work. He looked really good in faded jean cutoffs and a red—and white—striped polo shirt. / And she thought of the burnt black candle and her beads on the dresser and of Stephanie saying that a witch needs a possession of yours to cast a spell on you—and she knew in her heart of hearts that her theory was right.
11) “Mom, can I quit my job with Mrs. Cottler?” / “No! No! No! No! No!” It took several minutes to calm her down. Even then, Mayra couldn’t explain why she had screamed.
12) “Donna, you’re late!” / “Yes. Donna. She’s here. In the hospital. In my ward. I—uh—well—She’s been in a bad accident with the car.”
13) “Donna, you sound weird.” Mayra was gripping the receiver so tightly, her hand began to hurt. / “Oh no!” she cried, pointing to the photos. “Walker—look! I don’t believe it!”
14) The cat meowed angrily and leapt up onto the desktop. Mayra ignored her and picked up the photos, which were in a double frame. She held them up so Walker could see. / One thing, however, she could make out very clearly—Stephanie had Mayra’s white scarf tied around her head.
15) Stephanie suddenly stopped chanting and turned around. “Mayra—what are you doing here?” / “I’m not crazy,” she said, without realizing she was speaking aloud. Link stared at her in surprise.
16) That night she had the dream again. This time the wind howled as she stepped onto the lake. Dark waves, the color of ink, tossed about her ankles, soaked the hem of her nightgown. / “What were you doing in the water this time of night all by yourself?” the fisherman asked. “I don’t know,” she said.
17) Mrs. Barnes, biting her lower lip, put down the phone receiver. “Dr. Sterne says he can see you in the morning. Would you like another bowl of tomato soup?” / Oh, no! she thought, realizing at once why Cal was there. He was a mental patient!
18) “Hey—you!” It took Cal a while to recognize her. He seemed groggy, confused. He struggled to his feet, and Mayra saw for the 1st time he was gripping a cane. / She was about to take her sneakers off and dip her feet in the water when she heard the footsteps on the grass behind her, and realized she was no longer alone.
19) “Who’s there?” Mayra’s voice came out a whisper. Her body seemed to freeze. She had to force herself to breathe. / And at that moment it came back to her.
20) It all came back to her. That night of horrors, more than a month before. And as she struggled back to shore, she suddenly remembered everything. / “How about tomorrow evening, then? I’ve got something really important to tell you.” He quickly agreed.
21) Walker took her hand and pulled her down beside him on the grassy shore. He pulled her head down to him and started to kiss her. / “You filthy creep!” she screamed. “I knew that’s what you did to me that horrible night! My sleepwalking—it was all your fault—and you’ve known it all along!”
22) Walker’s mouth dropped open in surprise and the two pink spots on his cheek turned scarlet. He started to climb to his feet, but Mayra shoved him back down. She stood over him, glaring in fury. / He didn’t reply. Instead, he pushed her head back under the water and held in there.
23) Mayra kicked her legs, trying to free herself. But he stayed at the edge of the dock, holding her head, pushing her down. / Mayra didn’t have long to think about the cat. She cried out as a rock flew into the kitchen, shattering the window. “No!” she cried, backing away.
24) Mayra stared in horror as one leg appeared over the window ledge, pushing out the remaining shards of glass. Then the other leg swung into the kitchen. Walker, blood pouring from long scratch marks down his face, stepped into the room. / I’m surrounded, she thought. I’m lost.
25) Cal glared at her, his face bright red. His body was tensed, his legs spread apart as if expecting trouble. / “Will you stop yakking and tell us what exactly is going on here?” one of the policemen demanded impatiently. “It’s sort of a long story,” Mayra told him.
26) “I admit it. I’ve been a real creep.” / I guess that‘s one mystery that just won’t be cleared up, Mayra thought. And she followed Link out the door onto Fear Street.
