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Description
“Tell your fortune, pretty lady?”

His voice was deep. His accent was rich and vague. His words rose slowly from his throat and swirled around her head, like the smoke from the small brazier that rested between his outstretched palms. She chuckled in reply, dismissing his offer, but she paused.

“Ten dollars. Ten minutes. And the questions of your life are answered.” She looked over his faded robes. Were they silk? Were they satin? Polyester, for all she knew. They were old and well worn. Traces of golden thread still glinted in places throughout the elaborate designs. Perhaps they were more authentic than costume, but she knew she could not tell. After all, what would anything so fancy be doing at this small, two-bit carnival?

“Ten minutes. Ten dollars. And all will be revealed.” His “r”s rolled out with the effort and enticement of a babbling brook. He extended his right hand toward her. “All will be revealed. Come inside. Come inside, pretty lady.”

She stepped toward him, nearly involuntarily. “I suppose your crystal ball is all magic and something,” she quipped. Her eyes and lips narrowed tightly.

“No. No, pretty lady. No magic. This is not magic. I feel the cosmos. I detect its currents. We ride upon them like leaves in the stream. I see the stream. I tell you what I see.” He stood, slowly and fluidly, as if he were nothing but fog beneath his robes. His hands moved toward the closed flaps of the brittle, pale, canvas tent that set his backdrop. “Come inside. Come inside, pretty lady. You do not like what I tell you, you need not pay. Ten minutes. Ten minutes to change your life.”

She looked at her watch. She was not due to meet her friend for nearly two hours. She had ten minutes. Why not? “Okay, but I’m a tough critic. If you’re just full of shit, then I’m not paying you a dime.”

He smiled softly, obviously satisfied. “Yes, yes. Now, come inside. Come inside and have a seat, pretty lady.” He slowly lifted one of the tent flaps. “Come inside.”

She passed through the dark wedge that held open the flaps. The aroma of stale incense was strong, shocking. She stopped suddenly, gasping. The only light came from a small lantern that hung over the simple, wooden table at the center of the dirt floor and from the long, thin taper that rested in a simple stand at the middle of the table. The lantern’s dim, orange glow barely showed the outline of the two, simple, wooden chairs that flanked the table. The candle flickered gently, comfortably over every surface.

She dropped into one of the chairs. He followed close behind, flowing into the opposite chair. He gently placed the brazier next to the candle and crushed out the incense with his bare fingers. He reached into the left arm of his robe and produced a fresh pebble, which he dropped into the brazier with a dull clink. “This is important. This helps one feel the cosmos. You will see.” He tilted the taper and lit the pebble. “You will see.”

Within moments, the tent filled with a powerful scent that she did not recognize. “Be calm, pretty lady. Breathe deeply. Breathe slowly. Feel the cosmos flow around you. Her eyelids closed slowly. The scent crawled through her nose, filling her head. She felt heavy. She felt as if she were swaying. She tried to stand, but her legs did not answer. She felt as though she were floating out of her body.

“I—I need to go.” She mumbled. She could barely hear her own words. They were drowned out by the sound of a rushing tide. “I---I need t . . . .” She could hear nothing but the whoosh of wind and water. Her body answered no command. She felt nothing.

Her mind floated and swirled. She had no sense of time or space, of matter or her own body, of anything at all. In time, she began to feel her body materialize around her. Something was not right. She was not in the chair. She was not in the tent. She was lying on a mattress, on her stomach. She was in a small, dimly lit room. Something was wrong.

She tried to sit up, but her legs were quickly stopped. She felt her feet pulled up behind her back, her ankles bound tightly. Her fingers could find the rope that held her feet fixed in place. She could not reach her feet, as her wrists had been bound tightly and pulled up to the small of her back. Her wrists and ankles, both, seemed fastened to a crude rope harness that surrounded her chest and extended over her shoulders. She could see the ropes tangled behind her, but she could find no knots. She could see, and feel, that she was completely naked. She squirmed, trying to loosen the ropes. They moved with her, but they did not give at all. She squirmed harder, then harder. She thrashed, desperately, rocking back and forth. The ropes did not give. They did not even slip. For a moment, she just lied there, breathing heavily. She caught her breath and shouted. “Help??? Some body help me???” The room was silent, with barely so much as an echo. She drew a deep breath. “HEEEELLLLPPPP!!!!! HEEEELLLLPPPPPPP!!!!! SOMEBODY UNTIE ME!!!!! SOMEBODY HEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPP!!!!!!!” She screamed, over and over, until she could feel her voice begin to shred.

As she caught her breath, she heard a door creak slowly open. A deep voice filled the room like a fog. “Ah, pretty lady. I see you are awake and ready for your new life. Let us begin.”

Description
“Tell your fortune, pretty lady?”

His voice was deep. His accent was rich and vague. His words rose slowly from his throat and swirled around her head, like the smoke from the small brazier that rested between his outstretched palms. She chuckled in reply, dismissing his offer, but she paused.

“Ten dollars. Ten minutes. And the questions of your life are answered.” She looked over his faded robes. Were they silk? Were they satin? Polyester, for all she knew. They were old and well worn. Traces of golden thread still glinted in places throughout the elaborate designs. Perhaps they were more authentic than costume, but she knew she could not tell. After all, what would anything so fancy be doing at this small, two-bit carnival?

“Ten minutes. Ten dollars. And all will be revealed.” His “r”s rolled out with the effort and enticement of a babbling brook. He extended his right hand toward her. “All will be revealed. Come inside. Come inside, pretty lady.”

She stepped toward him, nearly involuntarily. “I suppose your crystal ball is all magic and something,” she quipped. Her eyes and lips narrowed tightly.

“No. No, pretty lady. No magic. This is not magic. I feel the cosmos. I detect its currents. We ride upon them like leaves in the stream. I see the stream. I tell you what I see.” He stood, slowly and fluidly, as if he were nothing but fog beneath his robes. His hands moved toward the closed flaps of the brittle, pale, canvas tent that set his backdrop. “Come inside. Come inside, pretty lady. You do not like what I tell you, you need not pay. Ten minutes. Ten minutes to change your life.”

She looked at her watch. She was not due to meet her friend for nearly two hours. She had ten minutes. Why not? “Okay, but I’m a tough critic. If you’re just full of shit, then I’m not paying you a dime.”

He smiled softly, obviously satisfied. “Yes, yes. Now, come inside. Come inside and have a seat, pretty lady.” He slowly lifted one of the tent flaps. “Come inside.”

She passed through the dark wedge that held open the flaps. The aroma of stale incense was strong, shocking. She stopped suddenly, gasping. The only light came from a small lantern that hung over the simple, wooden table at the center of the dirt floor and from the long, thin taper that rested in a simple stand at the middle of the table. The lantern’s dim, orange glow barely showed the outline of the two, simple, wooden chairs that flanked the table. The candle flickered gently, comfortably over every surface.

She dropped into one of the chairs. He followed close behind, flowing into the opposite chair. He gently placed the brazier next to the candle and crushed out the incense with his bare fingers. He reached into the left arm of his robe and produced a fresh pebble, which he dropped into the brazier with a dull clink. “This is important. This helps one feel the cosmos. You will see.” He tilted the taper and lit the pebble. “You will see.”

Within moments, the tent filled with a powerful scent that she did not recognize. “Be calm, pretty lady. Breathe deeply. Breathe slowly. Feel the cosmos flow around you. Her eyelids closed slowly. The scent crawled through her nose, filling her head. She felt heavy. She felt as if she were swaying. She tried to stand, but her legs did not answer. She felt as though she were floating out of her body.

“I—I need to go.” She mumbled. She could barely hear her own words. They were drowned out by the sound of a rushing tide. “I---I need t . . . .” She could hear nothing but the whoosh of wind and water. Her body answered no command. She felt nothing.

Her mind floated and swirled. She had no sense of time or space, of matter or her own body, of anything at all. In time, she began to feel her body materialize around her. Something was not right. She was not in the chair. She was not in the tent. She was lying on a mattress, on her stomach. She was in a small, dimly lit room. Something was wrong.

She tried to sit up, but her legs were quickly stopped. She felt her feet pulled up behind her back, her ankles bound tightly. Her fingers could find the rope that held her feet fixed in place. She could not reach her feet, as her wrists had been bound tightly and pulled up to the small of her back. Her wrists and ankles, both, seemed fastened to a crude rope harness that surrounded her chest and extended over her shoulders. She could see the ropes tangled behind her, but she could find no knots. She could see, and feel, that she was completely naked. She squirmed, trying to loosen the ropes. They moved with her, but they did not give at all. She squirmed harder, then harder. She thrashed, desperately, rocking back and forth. The ropes did not give. They did not even slip. For a moment, she just lied there, breathing heavily. She caught her breath and shouted. “Help??? Some body help me???” The room was silent, with barely so much as an echo. She drew a deep breath. “HEEEELLLLPPPP!!!!! HEEEELLLLPPPPPPP!!!!! SOMEBODY UNTIE ME!!!!! SOMEBODY HEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPP!!!!!!!” She screamed, over and over, until she could feel her voice begin to shred.

As she caught her breath, she heard a door creak slowly open. A deep voice filled the room like a fog. “Ah, pretty lady. I see you are awake and ready for your new life. Let us begin.”