She was standing just a few feet away from him. She glanced over at him, gave a quick smile and turned and walked away. The blond-haired bassist's mind raced. He recognized that woman from somewhere!
Peter's mouth opened and closed several times before he said anything.
"I know I've seen that face before, I've seen that face before….I've faced this scene before!" Peter exclaimed as the memories came back to him. That girl was a gypsy! What was her name? Tanya! That's it! She was with Maria the gypsy and her sons! Peter remembered when he and the other Monkees had been lured to the gypsy camp.
Tanya and Kiko did a `scarf dance' for him and he quickly found himself bound up in scarves, his arms pinned to his sides. His friends were captured too and they were forced to steal a valuable statue or he would be killed. Peter shivered at the thought. But only Maria and her sons had been arrested; somehow Tanya had escaped. Impulsively, he ran after the girl.
"Wait, wait!" Peter called after Tanya. He caught up to her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around.
"Yes? May I help you?" Tanya asked Peter, a slight accent in her voice.
"I remember you." Peter said firmly. "You're Tanya. You were with Maria the gypsy and her boys."
Tanya pretended not to recognize Peter for a moment. "Do I know you? Oh, yes! Peter! How are you?"
"I'm fine, no thanks to you and your un-nice gypsy friends." Peter said crossly.
"Oh, Peter, don't be mad at me." Tanya said sadly. "That unfortunate incident happened over a year ago."
"Well, it isn't nice threatening to torture and kill people, Tanya." Peter replied more softly this time. "But you should be in jail with them too."
Tanya just barely stopped herself from laughing out loud. It seems Peter and probably the other Monkees didn't know Aunt Maria and her cousins had escaped from jail! Things were getting better and better! Still, Tanya kept playing the part of remorseful gypsy and hung her head.
"I know, Peter. After my Aunt Maria and my cousins didn't return from Madam Rantha's house, I knew something had happened. I gathered up what I could and fled our camp just minutes before the police came. Without any family, I drifted around homeless, afraid to contact any of my gypsy brethren for fear of leading the police to them." Tanya looked up and saw Peter's eyes start to tear. The sucker was falling for her story. "Finally, I was hired by this traveling circus and I make a little money dancing and telling fortunes to people."
"Maria is your Aunt and her sons are your cousins?" Peter asked.
Tanya nodded. "Yes, Aunt Maria has raised me since I was little."
That much was true at least, Tanya thought to herself. "Now she and my cousins are in prison, and I know they are as sorry as I am for causing so much pain to you and your friends."
"That's good to know." Peter smiled
Tanya smiled back. What a fool, she thought. Time to lure him in. "Why don't you come back with me to my tent? I'll tell your fortune."
"I dunno…" Peter said, "I don't believe in all that stuff and besides…"
"You remember what happened last time," Tanya said, "When you and your friends visited gypsies."
"Yeah, that's right." Peter replied.
"Come on." Tanya insisted, "It will be different this time." Much different, Tanya thought, and you and your friends won't get away this time. "My tent is nearby."
Against his better judgment, Peter followed Tanya a short distance past the side-show attractions to a medium-sized tent sitting off to the side. There was a sign stuck into the ground in front. It read: `Madam's fortune-telling. What does your future hold?' A piece of wood saying `closed' was hanging in front of it. Tanya walked over to the tent and opened the flap.
"After you, Peter." Tanya said, smiling.
Peter became wary. He didn't completely trust Tanya . He walked to the opening and looked inside the tent. Inside was a small table and two chairs with a crystal ball in the middle of the table. A single candle lit up the interior. It was too dark to see anything else. Peter looked at Tanya.
"You go first, Tanya." He said.
Tanya shrugged, walked inside and sat on the far side of the table, facing the entrance.
"See?" Tanya laughed. "Nothing to be afraid of."
Peter slowly walked inside and sat at the table opposite Tanya, his back to the tent flap. Tanya smiled at him. Peter sat there waiting for Tanya to tell his fortune, but she simply sat there looking at him.
"Well, aren't you going to look into your crystal ball and see my future?" Peter asked, beginning to get nervous.
Something wasn't right……
"I don't need to." Tanya replied, an evil smile slowly spreading across her face. "Your future is right behind you."
Peter twisted in his chair and his mouth dropped open in shock. It was none other than Maria and her four sons standing right behind him! They had hidden in the dark corners of the tent, waiting for him to come inside.
"Maria!" Peter exclaimed, "You're supposed to be in jail! You too!" Peter finished, pointing at Marco, Zeppo, Rocco and Kiko.
"And you'll soon wish we were there!" Maria snarled. "Seize him!" She told her sons.
Maria's four sons grabbed Peter and yanked him out of his seat.
Zeppo put his hand over Peter's mouth to stop him from making a sound. Peter struggled, but it was four against one. Marco punched
Peter in the stomach and Peter doubled over in pain. Then something hit him on the back of the head and Peter's world went black.
Kiko went to the tent flap and peeked outside. It seemed nobody had heard the commotion. He joined his Mother, brothers and cousin at staring at the unconscious Peter on the ground. Maria hugged her niece.
"Very good, darling!" She said happily. "Now go quickly! One down, three to go!"
"Yes, Aunt Maria." Tanya replied, smiling. She quickly left the tent, leaving the others to deal with Peter.