A snipped from my work in progress, hopefully to be out by summer's end:
The two friends laughed gaily for several hours as they rode dare-devil rides and ate massive quantities of junk food. The beach carnival had added a new attraction, a fortune-telling station. They had a palm reader, a tea-leaf reader, a crystal-ball gazer, and a Tarot-card reader. Troy pulled Renée into the tent. "Come on. Let's see what our futures hold. Which one do we do first?"
"None of them. This is silly."
"Renée, it's just for fun. Let's remember what they say and see what happens in twenty years, or are you chicken?"
She punched him in the arm. Since the tea-leaf reader's line was the shortest, they went to her first. They drank their tea and the wizened old gypsy swirled their cups. First, she interpreted Renée's. In a heavy Baltic accent, she said, "Hmmm. I see a ladder vith some broken rungs. You are upvard bound, my dear, but be careful of the steps you take to get there. Some are treacherous."
Then, she turned to Troy's cup. "My, my. I have never seen this before. There is a dragon. That means you vill do battle, but it is not clear vhat kind of battle."
Troy gesticulated victory. "Yes! I'm gonna play in a super bowl. You'll see, Renée."
The girl had to admit that the encounter was harmless enough, so they moved on to the palm reader who was a pretty, young gypsy. She took Renée's palm. "Your life appears long, but there are barbs all along your lifeline. You will have serious obstacles to overcome. Your love line is chaotic. You will find the one you choose to be false, but there is a constant abiding love who will never forsake you entwined in the line. You are a lucky woman."
Unflinchingly, Troy offered his palm. "Let me see again." The girl reached for Renée's palm. "Yes, the same pattern is there. You two are interwoven although there seem to be breaks in the line that are reformed. Now, your lifeline diverges as if you have two lives. That is an unusual pattern, as if you are two separate identities."
"I didn't like that part about your having multiple personalities," worried Renée as they waited for the crystal ball.
Troy laughed a fake witch's laugh. "Maybe I'm schizophrenic."
"That's not funny, Troy."
"Lighten up, Renée. You don't take this stuff seriously. But if you do, remember we're interwoven." He put his arm around her and pulled close for a tight, friendly squeeze.
Renée had to laugh despite the disquiet she felt. As they continued to wait, she pointed out, "They must be three generations of the same family." The four women of the ages to indicate three separate generations bore strong resemblances to one another.
"Exactly," said Troy. "It's like a circus act carried on from one generation to the next. They're performers. They tell people what they think will be enticing and interesting. So, chill."
Finally, Troy and Renée reached the table where the middle-aged woman bade Renée to sit. Then, she looked at the couple, "No, sit together. The ball already tells me you will wander in and out of each other's' lives forever."
Troy plopped onto Renée's lap. "You're heavy," she chided. "Trade places." He obliged.
The fortune-teller continued. "I do not like dark fortunes. This one is very cloudy. I see turmoil and strife and secrets. I see rays of sunlight trying to shoot through, but the clouds are thick. I see blood. And I see…" The woman jumped up from the table. "No more."
"What did you see?" demanded Troy.
"It cannot be. I saw dragon fire."
"Oh, good grief," Renée barked. "Troy, let's go home. We have to work tomorrow."
"But we haven't done the Tarot cards."
"Forget the damned Tarot cards. I know what we'll get. First, will be the one with its eyes covered indicating it's hard to predict our future. Oh, but there will be a broken heart for unrequited love, and there must be death lurking somewhere." Renée spoke loudly enough to be heard throughout the tent.
Even as she spoke, the young Tarot-card reader crooked her finger at the couple before she took the next person in line. They paused near the table as she spoke distinctly, "Those are exactly the cards I turned over as my mother read the ball for you. Do not scoff, my dear." Troy looked down at the table, and those were the cards that were face up. The woman continued, "Would you like to see the last one?"
"Yes," said Troy.
"No," said Renée simultaneously.
The woman flipped the card. "Lies and deception, both in your pasts and your futures."
Renée dragged Troy from the tent.
"None of them. This is silly."
"Renée, it's just for fun. Let's remember what they say and see what happens in twenty years, or are you chicken?"
She punched him in the arm. Since the tea-leaf reader's line was the shortest, they went to her first. They drank their tea and the wizened old gypsy swirled their cups. First, she interpreted Renée's. In a heavy Baltic accent, she said, "Hmmm. I see a ladder vith some broken rungs. You are upvard bound, my dear, but be careful of the steps you take to get there. Some are treacherous."
Then, she turned to Troy's cup. "My, my. I have never seen this before. There is a dragon. That means you vill do battle, but it is not clear vhat kind of battle."
Troy gesticulated victory. "Yes! I'm gonna play in a super bowl. You'll see, Renée."
The girl had to admit that the encounter was harmless enough, so they moved on to the palm reader who was a pretty, young gypsy. She took Renée's palm. "Your life appears long, but there are barbs all along your lifeline. You will have serious obstacles to overcome. Your love line is chaotic. You will find the one you choose to be false, but there is a constant abiding love who will never forsake you entwined in the line. You are a lucky woman."
Unflinchingly, Troy offered his palm. "Let me see again." The girl reached for Renée's palm. "Yes, the same pattern is there. You two are interwoven although there seem to be breaks in the line that are reformed. Now, your lifeline diverges as if you have two lives. That is an unusual pattern, as if you are two separate identities."
"I didn't like that part about your having multiple personalities," worried Renée as they waited for the crystal ball.
Troy laughed a fake witch's laugh. "Maybe I'm schizophrenic."
"That's not funny, Troy."
"Lighten up, Renée. You don't take this stuff seriously. But if you do, remember we're interwoven." He put his arm around her and pulled close for a tight, friendly squeeze.
Renée had to laugh despite the disquiet she felt. As they continued to wait, she pointed out, "They must be three generations of the same family." The four women of the ages to indicate three separate generations bore strong resemblances to one another.
"Exactly," said Troy. "It's like a circus act carried on from one generation to the next. They're performers. They tell people what they think will be enticing and interesting. So, chill."
Finally, Troy and Renée reached the table where the middle-aged woman bade Renée to sit. Then, she looked at the couple, "No, sit together. The ball already tells me you will wander in and out of each other's' lives forever."
Troy plopped onto Renée's lap. "You're heavy," she chided. "Trade places." He obliged.
The fortune-teller continued. "I do not like dark fortunes. This one is very cloudy. I see turmoil and strife and secrets. I see rays of sunlight trying to shoot through, but the clouds are thick. I see blood. And I see…" The woman jumped up from the table. "No more."
"What did you see?" demanded Troy.
"It cannot be. I saw dragon fire."
"Oh, good grief," Renée barked. "Troy, let's go home. We have to work tomorrow."
"But we haven't done the Tarot cards."
"Forget the damned Tarot cards. I know what we'll get. First, will be the one with its eyes covered indicating it's hard to predict our future. Oh, but there will be a broken heart for unrequited love, and there must be death lurking somewhere." Renée spoke loudly enough to be heard throughout the tent.
Even as she spoke, the young Tarot-card reader crooked her finger at the couple before she took the next person in line. They paused near the table as she spoke distinctly, "Those are exactly the cards I turned over as my mother read the ball for you. Do not scoff, my dear." Troy looked down at the table, and those were the cards that were face up. The woman continued, "Would you like to see the last one?"
"Yes," said Troy.
"No," said Renée simultaneously.
The woman flipped the card. "Lies and deception, both in your pasts and your futures."
Renée dragged Troy from the tent.
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