Once she had cleansed the necklace with sage, using the rest of the burning bundle to cleanse her tent and allowing it to burn out in a dish on her table, Dahlia sent a picture of her wearing her gift to her father.

Looks good, kiddo! He had texted back.

With a smile, she tucked her phone away and finished preparing for her day.

It had started as her work days always did – she’d invite the customers to take her hands so they could ‘link their spirits’ so Dahlia could better read their cards, though really it was so she could peek into their minds.

That’s when she pulled out the cards. Having the abilities she did, it was impossible to be skeptic of the mysteries of the world, and Dahlia was grateful that the meanings of each card were open to interpretation. It allowed her to flex them to tailor her session to fit her clients.

She had stepped back from her lunch break and greeted the woman who was standing by her tent.

“I hope you weren’t waiting long,” Dahlia remarked, taking down the Out for Lunch sign that had been hanging on the tent’s opening.

“No, not at all,” the woman replied, sweeping her auburn hair off her shoulders. “That’s a very pretty necklace you’re wearing.”

“Oh, thank you,” she smiled. “It was a gift. Now, please have a seat so we can get started.”

When Dahlia took the woman’s hand, she immediately felt a sense of elation, as if the woman had finally found something she had been searching for. It confused her for a moment, but she continued sifting through the woman’s thoughts. There wasn’t a lot to go off of, the joyful feeling overwhelmed the majority of the woman’s thoughts, but there was enough for Dahlia to give a reading.

She brought out the cards and began shuffling them. Satisfied, she placed the deck in front of the woman.

“Please, cut the deck wherever you want.” She requested and the woman did so. “Now please cut the two stacks into four, however you like.”

One the four stacks were in place, Dahlia took the top card of each and placed them in front of the woman.

“The High Priestess – you feel as if there’s some kind of higher power moving you forward. Wheel of Fortune – you must feel that at this point in your life you’ve come across a turning point that will lead you to your destiny.”

She saw the woman’s expression get brighter; unsurprisingly, Dahlia was on the right track with her reading.

“Death – don’t be scared of this card, a lot of people are, but it really means that there’s a transition in your life. Something is ending and another thing is beginning. Finally, The World – this usually means completion, accomplishment, or travel.

Overall, your cards tell me that you’ve been on a long journey, most likely searching for something, and you feel as if there’s a higher power spurring you on and leading you to where you must go. You’re at a turning point in your life where you either will or already have found what you’re searching for. Overall, you feel a sense of accomplishment as you’re nearing the completion of this task, and once it’s completed there will be a new beginning in your life.”

The woman looked as if she were near tears, something that caught Dahlia off guard.

“Thank you,” the woman gushed, setting down what looked like twice the amount that Dahlia usually charged for a reading.

“Um, this is – ”

“Here, take this,” the woman interrupted, placing a small box on the table, “a token of my gratitude.”

Without another word, the woman rushed out of the tent, leaving a confused Dahlia in her wake.

“That was….really weird,” Dahlia muttered as she picked up the wad of money.

It was, in fact, roughly double what she charged, and she felt a little guilty for accepting it even though the woman didn’t give her any other option. Locking the money in the safe under her table, Dahlia then turned to the small box; on closer inspection, it looked like a box that held a deck