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“Ooooh, since we’re doing tarot, we should make something mystical and spooky,” Màiri said, scrolling through her phone for ideas.

“Well, we’ve got loads of vodka and cranberry juice if that helps,” Lizzie offered, picking up and showing them random bottles.

“Amazing! I knew I brought that blue stuff for a reason,” Màiri declared, referring to the rogue bottle of Blue Curaçao she’d turned up with. “I’m going to make us a bright purple bad boy!”

True to her word, Màiri made a ludicrously purple and highly alcoholic Witch’s Brew cocktail in a huge jug. They returned to the living room where everyone was sitting enraptured as Cathy Ann finished Abi’s reading.

“Oh. My. God! That was so amazing,” Abi said, eyes wide with wonder. “Thank you so much.”

“No problem, lovely,” Cathy Ann replied, beginning to gather the cards back into a neat pile.

“Jenn, you have to go next. You hosted us,” Abi declared.

Previously, Jenn would’ve politely declined, but she had to admit—she was feeling morbidly curious. Besides, it was just a bit of fun. Yeah? And she really did love all of Cathy Ann’s mystical bits in the shop.

“Ach, go on then,” she said with a grin.

“I’m just doing three cards tonight since there’re so many of us, and even then, I don’t think I’ll manage everyone,” Cathy Ann explained. “So, it’s essentially past, present, and future we’re looking at.”

“Sounds good to me,” Jenn said, settling down and taking a sip of Witch’s Brew. “Oh my God, Màiri—this is potent!” she exclaimed with a grimace.

“But sooo delicious!” Anne Marie cut in tipsily, taking a huge glug. “I’m not going to make it to the street party at this rate.”

Everyone laughed and raised their glasses in a cheer.

“Woah, those are beautiful,” Jenn said as Cathy Ann began preparing the deck.

“Taing,” Cathy Ann said warmly, reshuffling them with care and laying them out.

Instead of the classic designs with The Fool or The High Priestess, this deck felt deeply Hellisay—rich in Scottish folklore and teeming with fairies.

“Okay,” Cathy Ann said, “I’d like you to select three cards from the deck when you feel ready.”

A hush fell over the room. Whether it was the booze or the moonlight or just the novelty of it all, everyone seemed thoroughly invested in the moment.

“I’ll take these three,” Jenn said, pulling them one at a time.

Cathy Ann turned the first card over to reveal a beautiful fairy or sprite, pale and luminous, trapped within eight crossed swords—their delicate wings pressed tight, posture rigid, eyes bright with frustration. The swords didn’t pierce or threaten, but they enclosed her like a cage.

Jenn blinked at it. There was no blood, no violence—just stillness. That awful feeling of hovering mid-air, unable to move.

“Hmm… interesting,” Cathy Ann murmured, leaning in. “So, the deck can be read in different ways… but from what I’m seeing here, your recent past is coming through loud and clear.”

She tapped the card gently. “You were feeling stuck in a rut. Caged by circumstance. Maybe even your own thoughts. Powerless. Like things just weren’t going to plan…”

Right on the money, Jenn thought, resisting the urge to fidget.

Cathy Ann turned the second card over.

A whimsical-looking woodland elf followed, striding purposefully through long grass and wildflowers, cloak tugged by the wind, wielding a tall, carved staff that shimmered faintly. Not just a walking stick, but something more deliberate. Like it meant something.

“But now,” Cathy Ann went on, “you’re feeling more energised. More inspired. This one speaks of motion—of something sparking again inside you. You’re stepping onto a new path, even if it’s not the one you expected.”

She looked up, meeting Jenn’s eyes. “You’re on the right track—but it’s also an adventure. Life, work, home… everything’s shifting. You might not know the map yet, but the journey’s already begun.”

Jenn glanced around the room. Everyone looked enthralled—some even nodded sagely, like village mystics in prosecco-fuelled cardigans. Uncanny. Though maybe that was just because Cathy Ann knew her. Right? She shifted in her seat, suddenly nervous and giddy.

“This last card is always the trickiest,” Cathy Ann said, voice quieting slightly. “It represents your possible future.”