Elaine Viets & Victoria Laurie, Nancy Martin, Denise Swanson - Drop-Dead Blonde (v5.0) (pdf) by Unknown (howl and other poems .TXT) 📕

spotlight turned on, illuminating her to the audience as Deirdre asked her to stand. My sister complied, and one of the twins shoved a microphone into the space between Cat and Deirdre.

I watched with disgust as Deirdre exaggerated her move- ments, enhancing the belief that she was spiritually charged as she closed her eyes, putting her hand on my sister's shoulder and asking, ``What is your name, dear?''

``Catherine.''

``Ah, yes,'' Deirdre said, her voice all breathy and dra- matic, ``Great Wind Talker told me there was a C connec- tion to your name. Now, Catherine, I see an older female figure standing over here,'' she said as she waved at an area just over my sister's left shoulder, ``and she says she loves you very much and she's glad that you came to visit her when you were a child. She says she was petite, just like BLIND SIGHTED 273 you, and that she loved to bake cookies. Does this sound familiar to you?''

``Oh, brother,'' I said to myself, and rolled my eyes.

``Uh . . .'' My sister said thinking hard. ``It could be my grandmother?''

``Yes!'' Deirdre practically shouted, ``yes, it is your grandmother, and she's nodding her head acknowledging that. And to her side is an older gentleman who says that he loves you very much as well and he's so proud of you, and he says he's glad that you made a recent decision . . . did you recently make an important decision?''

I rolled my eyes again at all the generalities spewing out of Deirdre's mouth, but the audience begged to differ with my opinion, as all around me people sat slack jawed and gawking as if they were witnessing the Second Coming.

``Uh, it could be a new product line I'm launching for my business?'' Cat supplied, unsure what Deirdre was look- ing for.

``Yes! He's nodding his head, Catherine, and saying that's it. And he's also talking about a nickname you had as a child. Did you have a nickname when you were little? Maybe something he called you?''

``Uh . . .'' Cat thought.

``Yes, he's insisting there was a nickname that he called you when you were little,'' Deirdre pressed, nodding her head at my sister while her two attendants mimicked her agreeably.

I could see Cat growing uncomfortable at the pressure to recall an imaginary nickname that never existed, ``Well . . .'' she hesitated, and then, in an instant, Deirdre's demeanor shifted, and she abruptly dismissed her.

``Well, I'm sure you'll remember it later,'' Deirdre said tightly, and pointed my sister back to her chair.

As Cat took her seat again, her face flushed with embar- rassment for not having remembered an imaginary nick- name, Deirdre moved on to the portly man sitting across from us. For some reason I felt the need to turn my intu- ition to the ``on'' mode, and as he stood I pointed my radar at him and began assessing his energy.

``Now, what is your name?'' Deirdre asked as she placed her hand on the man's shoulder.

``Stanley,'' he answered obediently. 274 Victoria Laurie

``Ah, yes, and people call you Stan, don't they?'' Deirdre said knowingly.

Stanley nodded, eager to cooperate, and Deirdre contin- ued: ``Well, Stan, Great Wind Talker is telling me that you are a very successful man.''

``Uh-huh,'' Stan acknowledged.

``And they are also telling me that you are about to close a rather large business deal,'' Deirdre said.

``Really?'' Stan asked, his hopes rising.

``Yes, and this will bring you even greater success. More than you've ever had before,'' Deirdre said.

Stan was near bursting with excitement as he hung on her every word. ``Really?''

``Yes, it's the truth. It has something to do with a con- tract. Do you work with contracts, Stan?''

``Uh, well, I own my own company,'' Stan offered.

``Yes, that's it. That's what your guides are saying. And your guides want you to celebrate, Stan; they want you to take your lovely wife on a vacation--someplace warm and tropical. They're telling me that both of you should go someplace wonderful to kick back and celebrate the success that's coming your way. . . .''

``Maybe we should go to Hawaii with you?'' Stan offered.

Deirdre smiled benevolently at him and said, ``Yes, I feel that is a good fit for you and your wife. Just remember there are only a hundred seats available, so why don't you see my associate, Mr. Hamilton, here, and he can sign you up?'' Deirdre suggested, indicating Tweed Jacket to my right.

Stan nodded his head, so happy to have such fantastic news, and as he took his seat I began to seethe with rage. What I picked up from Stan was far different from what Deirdre had indicated, and the harm she was inflicting on these trusting people was making me fume.

Deirdre then turned her attention to the table next to ours, and I recognized a familiar face. Even before she got there, I knew Deirdre was going to pick Millicent Satchel as the next contestant on The Price Is Right, and sure enough, like a wolf to a sheep, Deirdre made a beeline to the sweet old lady.

``Would you stand up for me, dear?'' Deirdre said, her voice dripping with honey.

Millicent popped up quickly; so excited she was shaking BLIND SIGHTED 275 and still clutching her book. ``Would you tell us your name?'' Deirdre asked.

``I'm Millicent Satchel, Miss Pendleton, and I'm such a huge fan of yours!'' she gushed in a voice cracked with age and quaking with excitement.

``That's sweet of you to say, Millicent. Now the first thing I'm seeing is a large crowd of people standing behind you and waving at me. These people claim to be your friends and family who have already crossed over into heaven,'' Deirdre said.

``Oh?'' Millicent asked, already a small line of doubt crin- kling her forehead.

``Yes,'' Deirdre said