Yasmine gestures to a chair opposite her at a small card table covered in a navy blue silk cloth covered in more symbols like those on the floor in the front shop.
“What do all of these symbols mean?”
“They ward off evil spirits. Protecting not only me but anyone in need of my services. Using magic can create a target to evil on you that needs to be shielded.”
She bounds to a work table with a series of baskets and small drawers. I watch as she pulls a spindle of black leather and cuts it to length before her delicate fingers open and close several drawers until she finds everything she needs. Working quickly, she turns around, holding up a necklace with three stones in a small tower shape. The black center stone is the largest, and the brown and purple stones on either side are a bit smaller.
“The obsidian will repel negative energies.” She gestures to the glassy black stone in the center. “Tiger’s eye will provide strength against negativity, and amethyst will protect from evil as well as allow you to harness a calm energy,” she says, pointing to the brown and purple stones, respectively. “You should wear it at all times,” she warns.
I nod, and she places it around my head and ties off the ends. The length is long enough to be hidden inside my shirt to avoid any questions. A warmth blossoms in my chest at her kindness, as if she innately knows what those in this town will say. Thoseage-wizened eyes watch me knowingly, and I wish I could get to know her story more.
Yasmine sits in the chair across from me, placing a wooden box in front of her. She carefully opens it and removes its contents, which are wrapped in a purple handkerchief. I watch raptly as she unfolds the fabric to reveal a deck of well-worn tarot cards. The back of the cards resembles the one I found in the library, and I feel a shiver run down my spine.
“Rami,” Yasmine says my name with purpose, forcing my gaze to meet hers. “I want you to divide the deck, but you need clear intent in what you want to learn.”
Only one question pops into my head, so I say the painful words in my head and hope the cards are clairvoyant.
How do I get away from my painful existence?
Yasmine dips her chin when my gaze tears away from the deck back to her, and she stacks the cards together before lifting the top card.
I stare at the images as she lays them out in a specific design that I don’t understand. My eyes bounce from the delicately scrawled drawings to the names. My blood runs cold as I see
The Fool.
Death.
Hanged Man.
Justice.
This town will be my downfall, and here it is laid out in front of me. A warning of my demise.
Yasmine’s eyes dance around the cards, reading their meaning after she lays the tenth card.
The look of calm on her face and posture nearly makes me leap out of my chair. “What does it mean?” I pry, too impatient to wait.
“It says you were reckless and impulsive in your past, but due to a lack of support, you have had to sacrifice everything.”
My fingers absentmindedly run along the raised scars on my wrists and I fight back the memories that threaten to surface.
“Does that mean I’m going to die?” I swallow the lump in my throat, almost too afraid to hear the truth.
A warm smile curls up her lips, and she delicately touches the card closest to her. “Death doesn’t resemble a physical death. In this direction, it shows that you will change, adapt, to a more harmonious version of yourself.” Her fingers move to touch The World card as if they’re connected somehow.
“How do I get there?”
“There will continue to be sacrifice as you search for self-acceptance, but there will be those who wish to throw you off your path and manipulate you into doing their will. If you stay true to your path, follow your gut, you will find the clarity and truth you’ve been searching for.”
Picking up the Justice card, she hands it to me. I run my fingers over the small sword pictured on the card.
“That’s what this is. Your future. Though the journey will be filled with trouble and those who will try to derail you, there is hope. I cannot promise there will be no more pain, but I do see a bright future for you. One where you’re accepted for who you are.”
Tears track down my cheeks, but I can’t tear my gaze from the card as her words continue to run on repeat in my head.
There is hope.
Justice.
