"Oh, are the two of you still not in the dining room?" Grace asked when she was on her way out to catch some fresh air outside.
"Oh, we're just on our way there now," Mishka responded with a look at Gillian's face for confirmation, because if she did not want to go to the basement then her next option was the dining room.
"Yes, definitely," Gillian responded with a tight grimace.
The two of them then walked past Grace, through the scullery and out into the hallway.
"What did you see on the video?" Mishka asked in a whisper. She could not keep her curiosity to herself. She needed to know even before dinner.
"We saw Myrtle call the cat into the nursery and then she fed it a live rat. She wasn't even afraid to hold onto the rat by its tail," Gillian responded.
"No! The cat and a rat? Both alive and she handled them?" Mishka responded in shock.
They were very close to the dining room now, so Mishka tugged at Gillian's sleeve to slow her down.
"It was as clear as daylight. She knows that stray cat. Do you know what happened after the cat had gobbled up the rat in a disgusting way?" Gillian asked with her face puckered up in distaste as she shuddered.
"No, did it go away?" Mishka asked with large eyes. She was gasping from shock.
"Not right away," Gillian replied with a quick glance up and down the hallway.
"What did it do? Did it change shape or something like that?" Mishka asked, standing still with her hands covering her mouth.
"Your grandma then looked into something like a crystal ball and chanted. When she was done, there was no cat around. It was only her and then she began to laugh happily. Almost hysterically," Gillian responded after she also stopped walking.
"It sounds really frightening. Very weird and alarming. Can it really be? Then I don't know her at all because I know that you and Milla are not on some kind of strange drug which can cause you guys to see such things.
Anyway let's pretend all is well and focus on enjoying our meal," Mishka declared as she began to walk up the hall again. She shuddered in spite of her brave words.
"Oh, look who's also here for dinner!" Myrtle exclaimed when her eyes fell on Gillian as the two young ladies entered the dining room.
"Hello, Aunty Rose!" Mishka exclaimed in response from her side. She knew that Myrtle was only going to be sarcastic towards Gillian because she was helping a servant to make a film.
"I should explain to Grandma what a short film actually is," Mishka told herself as she took her seat far from Myrtle.
"Good evening, everyone," Gillian responded in a light tone of voice. She then took the empty seat next to Mishka, at the far end of the table.
"Hi, Gillian," Mishka's father responded to Gillian's greeting. "You must have so many exciting things to tell us about that movie that you're making with Milla," he continued with a smile which caused his eyes to wrinkle deeply at the corners.
"Oh, as a matter of fact, we're making it very exciting. We're gonna add exciting elements like witches and enchanted cats," Gillian responded with a smile as she cast a quick glance around the long table.
"Oh, no! Is she gonna talk about Grandma's weird episode, here at the table?" Mishka asked herself with her breath held.
"Oh, but that's so exciting! You should definitely tell me more about it," Rose remarked with her eyes glinting behind her glasses.
Gillian responded while Mishka's mouth hung open at Rose's statement.
"Oh, we're actually going to start adding life to the story by finding some friends to act in it," Gillian remarked as she kept her eyes on the casserole dish which she was dishing up from.
Mishka kept her gaze on Myrtle while Gillian spoke.
"I think she's about to explode right now," Mishka told herself.
"That's wonderful. Go for it and give it all you've got because, even if you don't make money out of it or get famous from it, you will still have an amazing memory that you've made," Angus, Mishka's father remarked with his glass raised in a toast.
Gillian and Rose lifted their glasses as well. Myrtle stared at them with her eyes large in disbelief, while Mishka stopped short from gaping with her mouth open at Gillian's nerve. She inhaled deeply instead.
"She's really daring my grandmother," Mishka told herself on the inside. She dished up some food for herself, but the image of her grandmother making a cat disappear could not be erased from her mind.
"How on earth can my grandmother possess such powers? I will have to confirm this with Milla, just to make sure that Gillian's imagination isn't playing tricks on her," she told herself before she placed her focus fully on the food in front of her.
"Oh, yes. You can have yourself a great memory, but what about the little servant girl who will have her dreams shattered if this movie doesn't make it big, even locally?" Myrtle asked with her eyes still big as she gave everyone at the table a questioning look.
"I think that it's already amazing to have a servant who loves something other than a boyfriend," Rose remarked with her eyes on her food. She was clearly enjoying the food and the conversation. This was clear by the smile on her face as she ate and spoke.
"And then there's Mishka who's now chasing her music dreams again.
On the one side they're making a movie and on the other side it's music dreams which they are chasing. How long do you think any of this will last?" Myrtle asked as she glanced at her son with raised brows.
"Oh, Mom, you don't have to take everything so seriously," Angus replied with a chuckle. "They're all still young. They will figure things out as they go. As long as they give it all they've got," he added.
"But Mishka has a definite future in music. Her voice carries real quality," Rose remarked as she smiled at Mishka warmly.
"I don't know about that because these days her music is sounding rather noisy," Myrtle responded with the corners of her mouth turned down as she kept her eyes on her plate.
"No, her music can never be just noisy. She has a really bright future ahead of her," Rose responded with her mouth set firmly and her eyes on her food.
"Are you just hoping this or do you actually know it?" Myrtle asked with a sharp look at Rose.
"I know it because of her reviews and because I've heard her on radio once," Rose replied, raising her chin smugly.
"Oh? Which radio station?" Myrtle asked with a sharp look in her eyes as she stared at Angus and then at Mishka.
"Oh, it's a small, local station," Angus replied. "You don't follow modern music, Mom," he added as he helped himself to dessert.
"Oh? So, is that the only reason for you saying that she has a great future ahead of her as a singer?" Myrtle asked.
"Or are you talking about something more substantial, like proof?" she continued with her eyes focused firmly on Rose.
"Oh, my goodness! Is she going to hint at Rose being a fortune-teller, right here in front of all of us?" Mishka asked herself with her breath held and her fork halfway towards her mouth.