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“This card represents your past,” he said. “Your brother was born first.”
“He’s my twin,” Jamal said. “But you’re right. He was born five minutes earlier than me. And he never lets me forget about it.”
Dr. Facilier nodded and flipped over the second card. It showed one boy holding a trophy over his head while another boy stood in his shadow.
“This is your present situation,” Dr. Facilier said. “You’re always in your brother’s shadow. That’s why you feel invisible. That’s why nobody ever notices you. He’s the cause of your problems. But you could have this….”
With that, he flipped over the third card. It showed the second boy holding a trophy, surrounded by adoring fans, while the first boy cowered in the shadows. The shadows weren’t just normal shadows, either—they looked like shadowy monsters. Their dark fingers reached for the cowering boy.
“Is that what you want?” Dr. Facilier said, his eyes locking on Jamal.
“You can do that for me?” Jamal asked, mesmerized by the card.
Dr. Facilier blew more purple dust over Jamal. Suddenly, the scene from the third card came to life, offering Jamal everything he had ever wanted.
Jamal getting called
on first when he raised his hand in science class. Jamal getting picked first for basketball teams in gym. The school bus door opening wide for him. His parents heaping praise on him for his stories at dinner. His pictures taking up the entire mantel.
“Little man, don’t you want your dreams made real?” Dr. Facilier said. “Don’t you want to step out from your brother’s shadow and have this future?”
Jamal did want it. He watched the images swirl around him in the purple dust. But then they faded away.
“Wait, bring them back,” Jamal said, feeling a stab of longing. “I do want it…. I really do!”
“Very good. All I require now is payment,” Dr. Facilier said. “This kind of spell isn’t free, you know. My friends on the other side don’t work for nothing.”
Jamal frowned. “But I don’t have any money. I’m just a kid. I don’t even get an allowance.”
“Oh, we’re not talking cash,” Dr. Facilier said. “Though that can be useful. It has to be something of great importance and value to the dreamer.”
“Great value?” Jamal said. “But I don’t have anything valuable.”
Dr. Facilier pointed to Jamal’s shirt, where a flare of reddish light could be seen through the fabric. “That skull necklace would suffice. From your grandmother.”
Jamal reached for it protectively. It felt hot and kept flashing. “Wait, but I still don’t understand how you know about my grandmother. Or her necklace.”
Dr. Facilier’s smile twisted. “That necklace. For this future.” He pointed to the third tarot card. “Don’t waste my time, little man. How I know doesn’t matter. Now hand it over.”
He held out his hand, his thin fingers outstretched. Jamal swallowed hard. He knew it was wrong. His grandmother had left him the necklace for a reason, even if he didn’t fully understand it. His mother would be angry with him if he gave it away to a stranger.
But his head felt foggy, like he’d just woken up from a deep sleep. The images from the tarot cards continued to swirl through his head, almost like he was in a trance. He felt envy surge in his heart again. The shadow man was right. He was sick of being stuck in his brother’s shadow. He wanted what the shadow man had shown him in the third tarot card. He wanted it more than he’d ever wanted anything in his whole life.
He took a deep breath, then pulled out the necklace and held it up. It looked even eerier than usual in the flickering candlelight. The skull’s eye sockets still glowed with reddish light. The air in the shop felt heavy, almost smoky. Jamal reached for the clasp to unfasten it, and the dolls in the window snapped their heads around. Their button eyes were fixed hungrily on the skull necklace.
What am I doing here? Jamal thought in a panic. Suddenly, he could see clearly. His eyes darted around the shop.
“I’m sorry…. I can’t do this,” Jamal said, jumping up from his chair and running for the door. His heart thumped faster. “I really have to get home.”
He yanked the door open and dashed into the dark alley. The last thing he heard was Dr. Facilier’s voice echoing after him.
He sounded angry.
“You’ll regret this, little man!”
“No, get off me!” Jamal screamed. But the creepy dolls chased him through the Voodoo Emporium. Their button eyes were fixed on the necklace around his neck. He bolted for the door, reaching out to grab the doorknob, but one of the dolls clung to his ankle, tripping him.
He went down hard.
