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Panting, Birdie burst through the door.  Skidding across the tile floor, she flung her bag into the booth and slid into the seat.

“Thanks for meeting me,” she gasped, holding out her hand to the professor staring greedily at the menu across from her.

“There’s so much good food here,” Professor Allright muttered, licking his wrinkled lips as his eyes scanned the colorful plastic page.  “Patty melts, hamburgers, pork chops, fried chicken….however am I going to choose?”

Birdie rolled her eyes, knowing it was pointless to try to talk to him now.  Tapping her fingers against the plastic tabletop, she waited until the waitress brought them their drinks.

“Say, weren’t you in here earlier?” the waitress asked, narrowing her eyes.  “At breakfast?”

“I forgot breakfast!” Professor Allright bellowed, flipping the menu over and scouring it eagerly.  “How are the pancakes?”

“Ask her,” the waitress snorted, pointing to Birdie.  “She had a stack this morning.”

Professor Allright’s eager eyes flicked to Birdie, who had to resist rolling hers for a second time.  “Get the Surprise Sampler.”

“Surprise Sampler?” the Professor scanned the plastic sheet.  “It’s not on here.”

“It’s like a buffet,” Birdie supplied, exchanging amused looks with the waitress.  “It’s a little bit of the best of everything.”

“You’re paying, right?”  The professor peered at her through his thick glasses, his tongue running over his lips.

Birdie nodded.  His eyes glittering, the professor turned to the weary waitress.  “I’ll take the Surprise Sampler with a plate of nachos, a short stack, a piece of apple pie and a chocolate cream pie for dessert.  All together please.  With a side of macaroni.”  Patting his stomach, he leaned toward Birdie.  “I haven’t eaten in two days.”

“I’d believe it,” she muttered.  “I’ll have a cheeseburger and fries with a slice of pecan pie, please.  A la mode.”

“I’m bringing you a salad, too,” the waitress informed her, scribbling on her pad before stabbing her pen into her frizzy hair.  “Someone’s got to fee you some vegetables.”

“Fried pickles are vegetables,” Birdie pointed out.

The waitress merely snorted and scurried back behind the counter, where several kids from Birdie’s school sat drinking milkshakes.  Widening his eyes at the thick malts, a string of drool crept down the professor’s chin.  “You think I could get one of those too?”

Gritting her teeth, Birdie slapped her palms against the table.  “Until you tell me what you found out, you’re not getting a single bite.”

The proffessor’s wrinkled chin trembled.  “No milkshake?”

“You give me some good information, you can have a milkshake.”  One of the advantages, Birdie thought, to having absent minded parents who believed in financial independence yet forgot they had a credit card.

“Oh, yes.”  The professor blinked and dug around in a large leather satchel beside him.  Pulling out a sheaf of papers, he slid them in front of Birdie.  “I actually found this quite fascinating.  Not only is the Curse of Zarina quite well documented and argued, but your Mr. Pemberely has strong ties to the Black Paw tribe.”  He re-accounted the rumors Birdie had found in Pemebrely’s own papers.   “But what many don’t know is that the medicine woman, known as Black Claw, is said to be angry and seeking revenge.”

Birdie snorted.  “How would you know that?”

“After her disappearance, all the cats in the village vanished.  It was said that the cats were the seekers of the truth, the seekers of the true soul of the Black Paw tribe.  Every year, the tribe grows smaller and smaller, unable to find work or sustain its people due to a series of unfortunate events–fires, floods, government red tape…”

“So how are a bunch of cats supposed to find him?  Pemberely’s already got hundreds of cats,” Birdie said.

Professor Allright shook his head.  “Black Paw cats are different.  For one, they’re all black.  Secondly, they won’t show themselves easily.  They will wait, wait until the right moment.”  He tapped the folders.  “It’s worth mentioning that everyone Mr. Pemberely has ever come in contact with has suffered the same ill will as the Black Paw tribe.  His first employer’s office burned in a fire.  The second was flooded.  The third suffered a plight of intense flu that killed everyone except Mr. Pemberely.”

Birdie shook her head.  “If these cats are so powerful, then why are they punishing others?  Why not just go after Pemberely?”

“Because they need someone that can help transfer the spirits and conduct the ritual they have designed,” Professor Allright crowed, slapping the table.  “Hence where the Curse of Zarina comes in.  Ivory is known for strength in many cultures, and elephants have long been associated with good luck.”

Birdie stared at the table, chewing on her lip as the waitress slid a platter of hamburger, fries and salad in front of her.  “And if you have a holistic medicine woman there, she can perform the ceremony,” Birdie muttered, biting her lip so hard the taste of copper flooded her mouth.  “And if her daughter is pretending to be a magician…and there is a whole group of cats and legendary creatures there, all with a bone to pick…” She turned and glanced out the window.  The black cat glared at her from the sidewalk, the yellow eyes boring into hers.  “It all lines up,” she whispered.

The proffessor ripped off a chunk of fried chicken with one hand, waving a hamburger in the other.  “Do I get a malt?” he asked eagerly.

“Sure,” Birdie replied, her gaze still locked with the black cat’s.  “Why not?”

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  We have a new recipe tomorrow and a new Butterfly Dress Friday, plus Comfort and Whimsy Saturday!

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