Chapter 2
1134 Words
“Get a move on, Billie! We"re going to be late.” Austin nudges her along as he invites himself into her dorm room.
“I"m coming, I"m coming,” Billie assures him. She stuffs her music sheets into an already overstuffed carry bag. “We have plenty of time before rehearsal begins.”
They arrive at the auditorium green room to find the other orchestra members commandeering their spaces. “Don"t worry,” one of them informs, “rehearsal has been pushed up to 6 o"clock. The conductor is still en route.”
en routeBillie and Austin find an empty cubby in the wall case and put their music and belongings in.
“In that case, I"m going to stroll through the festival for awhile,” Billy decides. “Want to come?”
Austin shakes his head, “No. I"ve got to go over this one part in the music that I can"t seem to master.”
“Okay. I"ll be back soon. You"ll be great tonight. Don"t worry.”
Outside the concert hall, several aisles of exhibits and booths color the campus courtyard adding to the ambience of the Port Avalon U Arts Festival. Billie grabs a quick sandwich and a drink from one of the food kiosks and munches while she strolls. One tent catches her eye.
“Tarot Card Readings by Dorinda” the sign reads, “Truth Seekers Welcome.”
“Hmm. Why not. I"ve got a few bucks to splurge.”
Billie pulls the faux velvet curtain back on the tent and walks inside. The music of flute, wind chimes and celeste infuse the air with an ethereal lightness. A small square table is covered with a ruby red cloth, several decks of cards, and an intriguing crystal ball that seems to glow with life.
“Hello? Is anyone here?” Billie wonders where the gypsy, or whatever she is, could be. The tent is as small as a closet.
As though an apparition, she appears, dressed in a beautiful blue kaftan and a gorgeous gold and red head wrap that accentuates her startling green eyes.
“I"m Dorinda. Welcome. Please have a seat.”
Billie obliges.
“What can I do for you today?” Dorinda"s voice is melodic and lilting.
“Uh - I just thought a general "how"s my life" kind of reading for now.”
“Do you have a special problem or issue you would like clarified for you?”
As fascinated as Billie is with the paranormal she knows that some mediums are fakes and try to extract information from their marks by asking what seem to be benign questions but are quite revealing. So, she hedges.
“Maybe you can see something that I can"t.”
“Well, we"ll start with that and perhaps other deeper issues will come to light.”
Dorinda places three decks of cards on the table, each with distinct and beautiful art designs denoting their themes: Mystical Oracle cards inspired by Gods, Goddesses, Angels and Spirit Guides; Vibrational Energy cards denoting positive and healing energies through impressionistic art; and the Rider-Waite Tarot with brilliant drawings of Major and Minor Arcana figures and symbols.
“Take each deck separately and shuffle them, then place the decks face down on the table side by side.”
Billie does as asked.
Dorinda sets two decks aside and fans the first deck across the table.
“Take a deep breath and without any forethought choose the first three cards from anywhere in the deck, and lay them face down.”
Again, Billie does as asked.
The ritual is repeated with the other two decks until nine cards are laid across the table, three in a row.
“This is a lot of shuffling,” Billie jokes.
“We do this so it is your energy in the cards and not mine. I will now pick one card from each row to give you an idea of who you are and what is happening in your life.”
Dorinda turns over Card 1.
“The Judgement card. You are a person of good intentions, quite motivated and believe you can do anything you set your mind to.”
“Oh, that"s good. Isn"t it?”
Dorinda smiles at Billie"s uncertainty.
“I see by the second card, The Moon, that you have an impulsive spirit and are quite independent.”
“Isn"t every woman these days?”
“Not every,” Dorinda remarks. “But you are also fickle and sometimes very difficult to know. On the other hand you are mysterious which adds to your charm. This can be beneficial as you have recently had a romantic liaison with a new man. Or, it could be the ruination of a relationship.”
One of Billie"s eyebrows raises, her antennae now up.
“You are polar opposites,” Dorinda continues. “He is a bit older than you, quite disciplined and serves his country, while you are respectful of him but totally antiwar.”
Billie"s jaw drops open. “How did you - ?”
“Correct?”
“Yes, I have to admit you"re correct.”
“Now, the Hermit card shows you are separated right now by distance but not for long. He will return and you will renew your friendship. It will grow quite strong very soon. But I see some obstacles, some very powerful forces against this union that you must fight.”
“Fight who? How?” Billie surprisingly feels a trust building up for this woman who could possibly determine her future.
“Let us look.” Turning to her crystal ball Dorinda moves her hands lightly and elegantly over the orb, absorbing its ethereal energy.
Finally, she pronounces, “Time will resolve all things.”
“That"s it?” Billie snaps. “Time will resolve all things? I"ve got this supposedly great relationship with a man who, if he had any sense would avoid me, and there are very powerful forces standing in the way. How will it be resolved? When?”
“I see patience is not one of your virtues,” Dorinda replies, patiently. “Fate has its own time table. Well, my time with you is up, my dear.”
“But I have so many questions. You can"t stop now. I want to see you again. How long will you be here?”
Dorinda stands to signal the end of the reading, and takes Billie"s hand in hers. “As long as you need me, I will be here.”
The warmth and strength of Dorinda"s hand pulsates through Billie"s body, startling her with its power.
Billie exits the tent but the sensation of Dorinda"s essence still lingers, even as Dorinda the Mysterious dematerializes into the crystal ball.
- Writer
