Chapter 44
“Well? What did you think?”
I consider a moment. “Helpful. I’m dying to talk to Hank Chester. Deb definitely doesn’t sound like she thinks we have a witch on our hands, but she seems to think there’s enough to investigate further.”
“Elinor.”
“I know, you are going to tell me I’m losing it or that I should be careful.”
“No. Check it out.” She nods her head over her shoulder.
We are standing in front of a door with the words Salem’s Psychic Sisters in faded purple paint.
“Let’s see if they have any instincts.” Mia gives me an enticing smile. “Come on, it will be fun!”
I groan. I don’t believe in psychics. But given the circumstances, I’m also in no position to judge.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but not the scene that greets me. We are in what appears to be a tiny living room. Two La-Z-Boy chairs are positioned in front of a television. The scent of cigarette smoke hangs in the air, and I resist the urge to walk right out the front door.
One woman with short, purple hair hauls herself out of her recliner. “Two readings?” Her voice is low and raspy.
Mia and I look at each other.
“Uhhhh. Yes,” Mia says, slowly, looking at me for confirmation. I shrug.
“Forty dollars each,” the psychic says to us, and then she turns to her sister. “You take the blonde, I’ll take the brunette.”
Again, not what I’m expecting, but it’s too late to back out now. I follow the woman with purple hair down a dim hallway, through a curtain of plastic beads, and into what looks like her own bedroom.
“I’m Gina. Please have a seat.” Gina is settling herself on the floor, crossing her bare feet, and gestures for me to sit in front of her.
“What are we here for today? Love? Changing jobs? Making a move?” She rattles these off, as she shuffles a deck of worn-looking Tarot cards.
I used to have a deck, though I never learned how to use them.
But I loved the illustrations on the cards and the names.
The Hermit, the High Priestess, the Lovers.
“Um. Actually, I’m trying to figure something out. I’m trying to interpret some dreams I’ve been having.”
Gina pauses a moment, looking at me. It’s hard to tell how old she is. The purple hair, the raspy voice, she could be anywhere from thirty to sixty, depending on how kind or unkind the years had been.
“Hmm. We’ll do a four-card spread then. Here, shuffle the cards.” The deck feels smooth and heavy.
“Now, hold them in your right palm, place your left palm on top. Think of the dream and the key question you want answered.”
It feels silly, and I’m suddenly aware of a cat snoozing on the bed, and of a can of Red Bull sitting on the desk.
I close my eyes and think of the dream. I picture the sudden tightening of rope on my neck, the feeling of ground giving way beneath my feet, the dead weight of my body, swaying.
Funny, I don’t remember dreaming that, but I can feel it now.
I put the questions in my head. What do these dreams mean? What role am I supposed to play?
“Hand me the cards.” Gina carefully lays out the top four in a row. I look down.
The first card is the Devil. He sits in a chair, wings spread, upside-down star on his forehead. Ram’s horns sprout from his head. I swallow, my doubts melting away into curiosity.
“This card represents the cause of the dream. What’s happened in the world that is causing you to see these things. It is Baphomet, the Devil.”
“So, it’s evil?” I say stupidly.
“Not necessarily. It can mean an evil act absolutely. It could mean that you’ve become a slave to opulence and materialism. It could also suggest you have feelings of emptiness or entrapment in your life.”
I think I feel Gina’s eyes glance down at my belly, and my face burns.
“The second card represents what the spirits are trying to tell you through the dream.” The card shows a woman and a lion. She looks calm and seems to be petting or feeding the animal. “The Strength card here suggests the spirits are calling on you to face your fears with optimism.”
She points to the next card, which shows a man carrying swords.
The card is upside down. “The third card is the psychological meaning of the dream. Here you have the Seven of Swords, but it is reversed. This can suggest that there is something you thought you got away with, something connected with the origin of the dream. But it is time to atone for what you’ve done. ”
There’s one more card to go, but I already feel muddled, like the cards fit but don’t fit.
“But what if the dream isn’t my own?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the dream I’m having, it almost doesn’t feel like a dream. It feels like it is someone else’s memory. Are the cards describing me or are they reflecting the person whose memory I’m experiencing?”
Gina looks at me blankly. “That I can’t say.
” Gina speaks slowly. “The fourth card represents what’s to come, what will happen going forward.
” She points to the card and watches me as I take in the image.
There’s an X on the top and a figure lying face down, with swords stabbed in his back.
I’m not a psychic, but clearly this is not a good card to end on.
“The Ten of Swords.” Gina sighs, her nail tapping the card slowly.
“This represents the ultimate betrayal. Typically, the fourth card in a dream spread helps one to understand the dream’s overall message and the real-life action you must take.
But the Ten of Swords in this position, it feels more like a warning. ”
The cat yawns and jumps on the floor, casting a look of disdain in my direction. I realize I’ve been holding my breath, so I slowly exhale. I want to think she added the last part for dramatic effect. But Gina is chewing her lip, and her expression looks clouded.
“Who is going to betray me?” The question comes out louder than I intend.
“I don’t know. But it will be significant. This is not a friend bad-mouthing you, or even an affair. But it’s also not clear what role you play.”
“How do you mean?”
“Will you be betrayed or are you the betrayer?”