Free The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos Page A

so
expensive.”
    “No kidding.”
    We sat for another minute, before Sam started
up her car.
    “Ready, Madam?”
    She gave me a mischievous look and revved her
engine. I knew what she wanted to do. I smiled and I nodded my head
to give her the signal. She romped on the gas, pushing me back into
my seat and I squealed lifting my arms out of the convertible’s top
as she jetted down the road.
    We raced through town and parked on a side
road nearby the theater. Sam had offered to drop me off at the
front, but I didn’t want the extra attention. I could hobble down
the street if it wasn’t far.
    “Hey, I have an idea,” she said with a
twinkle in her eye.
    Before I could object, she ushered me towards
a tiny house with “Fortune Teller” glowing in the window.
    “No.” I dug my heels in.
    “Why? How come? It’ll be fun. Don’t you wanna
know if Nicholas is ever going to come back?”
    Oh nice. Bring Nicholas into it, why don’t
you.
    “No, actually I don’t. Besides, they just lie
anyway.”
    I would know. They couldn’t deceive me. Not
with my gift.
    “I really want to, please?” she begged,
flashing me puppy dog eyes.
    It was against my better judgment to go, but
since she really wanted to, I conceded. We walked to the porch and
spotted a sign in the window that said “come in”. Sam, now
conveniently afraid, looked to me for support, so I turned the
rusty knob and opened the door. Bells rang out to alert the owner
of our presence.
    “If she really could see the future, she
wouldn’t need those,” I whispered.
    Sam wrinkled up her nose and smirked.
    The dimly lit room stunk of animal dander,
patchouli oil and incense. Dusty plum colored scarves with gold
fringes hung over the lampshades and tabletops. They matched the
ugly gold and purple metallic paper on the walls. The only light in
the room came from a few candles, which didn’t brighten the dismal
appearance. I wondered if the décor scared off potential repeat
customers.
    A black cat, with icy blue eyes, hissed at me
from its perch on top of an armoire in the corner.
    “Shhh Enigma,” a voice said from the other
room.
    A plump old woman full of distrust and
pessimism entered the room through a doorway framed by a thick
curtain held back with a beaded sash. She picked up the cat and
shooed it into another room.
    “Come in, come in,” she said, while loosening
the sash, letting the curtain fall.
    Her high pitched voice sounded out of breath,
like she was going to croak at any minute.
    We looked at each other and stepped inside.
The sound of the door slamming shut behind us felt final. I
shivered, reminded of the children in Hansel and Gretel .
    “What can I do for you girls?” she said, her
red lipstick not quite exactly on her lips.
    “We’d like our fortunes read,” Sam said
sheepishly.
    The old woman smiled revealing crooked teeth
aged from time. “Fine dears, lovely, come…sit down… sit down.”
    She motioned for us to sit in two chairs by a
table adorned with more dark tapestries. Sam patiently waited as I
hobbled over and leaned my crutches against the wall. I sat down,
but kept a watchful eye as the woman waited for us to get
comfortable. Her black taffeta dress swished as she moved to sit
directly across from us.
    “That’ll be $10 each,” she said.
    “What a rip off,” I murmured.
    Sam jabbed me in the ribs, before she plunked
down the money. The old woman pocketed it and snatched Sam’s hand,
flipping it over. She paused; I’m sure for effect, before giving
her answer. She told us Sam would have two children, marry the man
of her dreams and live a long and prosperous life but to avoid
making big decisions if the date happened to be the 16th and a
Tuesday.
    Sam asked few specific questions about her
family and Todd. The woman wanted to know their birth dates and
then made up some niceties about how Todd could be the one because
their birth signs were compatible.
    I rolled my eyes. What a crock!
    But before I could stop