Chapter One
Dusting off the shelves in my mother's shop, I always find things that I have never seen in here before. Crystals, wooden runes, and other trinkets just seem to breed in here. I never noticed it before, but since mom has got me taking on more work after graduating high school, I’ve started seeing some strange things. However, being raised as I have been, with the knowledge and understanding of the supernatural community, the strange and abnormal doesn't faze me anymore. Which is good considering I’m from a long line of powerful Seers.
I'm what people would call a Gypsy, originally a Romany traveller. Some of my people consider it to be an offensive term, but I’m proud of my heritage and choose not to see it that way. I don't mind the name Gypsy, and I tend to play into the stereotype: long pink dreadlocks, loose-fitting flowing clothes, and lots of accessories. Every time I move, I jingle and jangle from all my metal bangles, rings, and beads that I have adorning my body. I find they help keep me grounded. Sometimes the power I hold inside can cause me to go into a dreamlike trance, and the sound of my jewelry helps the fog recede, bringing me back to the here and now.
I head around the shop, lighting the different candles and sage bundles as I go. Each candle I light doesn't have an overpowering smell, but I light them for their different properties. The sage is to purify the space, it helps cast out any negative energy that may be lingering. This is one way to tell the difference between a true Seer and an imposter: most con artists will have their parlours stinking like a French boudoir, with lots of different incense burning. I don’t understand how people can spend more than a few minutes inside those places without their eyes stinging and hacking up a lung. The fragrances need to blend together correctly to harmonise, and a true Seer knows exactly how to do that.
Taking one last glance around the room, I make sure everything’s in its place before heading over to turn on the neon ‘open’ light in the window. With the light announcing our status, I unlock the door.
Don’t kid yourself, we are not so popular that people would be lining the streets waiting for their readings, but we do have the right reputation for ourselves. It helps that we are Seers with a strict code of ethics. We don't give wrong information or anything that could cause someone stress. If we feel that it's going to hurt someone, we keep it to ourselves. Same with death - if we know someone is going to die, we don't tell. Death is one of Fate’s paths and must be walked by everyone. Preventing someone from death can have huge repercussions. We don't even tell friends or family if we have a vision about them because it's not wise to know too much about the path you walk. I know me and Mom find it difficult keeping the things we’ve seen about the other person to ourselves, but it's the code we live by and we do it for a good reason. Doesn't mean I have to like it.
As I wander around the shop, I'm strangely drawn to the rose-coloured crystal ball. I'm normally called to the runes, but as I walk towards the shelf that holds all my Seer tools, the crystal sets off a slight glow. ”Ok, looks like you want to come out and play today,” I say out loud as I reach up and grab the ball from the shelf. Once it's in my hands, the fog inside starts to swirl around. “Nobody is here, no need to start yet. Cool your beans.” Don't worry, I'm not crazy, I always talk to the artifacts. It helps us to connect. Walking over, I plant the crystal in the middle of a round table that I usually do my readings from. It has a dark velvet cloth with silver stars covering it. It’s one of our favorites that’s been passed down from Mother to Daughter for generations, and still looks brand new. Not a crease, pulled thread or fading anywhere on it. Grandma used to tell me when I was a child that the Goddess herself had spun the thread to make it, and that it was cloaked in magic. Just thinking about her now brings a smile to my face and warmth to my heart.
Watching the white fog spin inside the orb has me staring hypnotically, the spinning gets faster and faster until I can see a mini-tornado forming inside. How strange, it has never done that before. Walking quickly over to the table displaying all the crystals,I grab several that I know will help me to ease the energy that is causing the mini-tornado. Maybe the spirits are antsy today and are giving out a strange energy. Laying various specific crystals around the crystal ball in a circular pattern helps calm the fog. Yep, overexcited spirits it is.
It helps to know which crystals work with different energies. I've used amethyst and obsidian on the table. The purple and black stones work perfectly for grounding and cleansing. Even before my Seer powers had manifested I was obsessed with crystals. Everything about them, from their colors to their individual properties: every stone works independently, but they work together too. They can also be like people, very temperamental. Some stones won’t work with others, or can even cancel out the other stone’s power. I always thought that my seer tool would be a crystal ball, but nope, it’s the runes that seem to make my power come forth. However, with the way the orb is glowing today, I think it wants to work with me.
Lost in a cloud of thought, I sit shuffling my tarot cards. It's become a bad habit of mine, needing to keep my hands busy. I hear the bell over the door tinkle. Glancing up, I see a breathtaking giant. I say giant, as the gentleman in question just ducked down to come inside the shop. He must be at least 6 foot 5, give or take a few inches. As he steps inside the shop, his eyes rise up to meet mine. They look like a perfect African Turquoise crystal; green with dark dashes throughout. They are framed with long dark eyelashes, enough to make camels all around the world jealous.
Having his eyes boring holes into me causes me to lose my rhythm on the cards and they fly everywhere. Seventy eight card pick up anyone? Wait, make that seventy seven, as one card is sitting perfectly in my lap facing up.
Death!
The card of death; the image is one I’ve seen with many different readings that I have performed. No matter the type of cards you have, Death is normally depicted as a skeleton wearing armor, riding on a white horse, holding a white and black flag. On this card you can see a man bowing down to Death, as Death doesn't discriminate between anybody or thing. Death takes up all eventually. However, the card may show death, but the ending of a life isn't always its meaning. Death can be anything from the end of one chapter in your life, before the start of something new or even better. It can represent depression, long-term illness and resisting change if it’s pulled from the deck upside down. In simple terms, Death shows an ending of something. However, when pulled out of the deck upright, the card takes on a whole new meaning. It could represent a profound change, letting go of previous attachments or failure.
This card, right here, should have been my omen of what was to come. I should have heeded the Fates warning. But the stubbornness in me pushed it to the back of my mind to examine at a later date.
If only I had listened.
Chapter Two
‘Hello?” I say, clearing my throat. “Can I help you?”
We don't normally get his type in here, and by his type, I mean young and male. We get plenty of females, of all ages, but not many males. If the male species decides to enter the shop, it's normally to buy candles for romantic nights or any other aphrodisiac type of item we offer. A few years ago my mother accidentally made a strong batch of wannabe ‘lust potion’. We sold out in weeks when a guy on social media told everyone that this potion helped him have a hard-on for hours. She hasn't tried to recreate it in case someone ends up doing some serious damage to their hardware. Subtly I allow my gaze to travel up and down his body, I see that the stranger is wearing jeans and a dark long-sleeve Henley top. He also has dark rimmed glasses on, giving him the perfect hot nerd look.