Fate: The echo of our character, mistakes and weaknesses. 🌙

Mynerva...the Gypsy woman, sits shuffling the cards. Everyday, except Sundays - she sits inside her little tent at the edge of the park where everyone passing by can see her.

The strategically placed sign beckons, tempts, stirs and beguiles those of a superstitious nature. They stare furtively around before darting inside to bare their fears and hear their destiny. It makes the non-believers stop to procure a reading...joking that it's just for fun.

Come, take a seat. But only if you are brave enough.

Bring me your fears -I can tell you your Fate...

I will change the echo of your character, mistakes and weaknesses.

Milo wasn't feeling brave at all. He was feeling lost and forlorn. He didn't need to hear his fate - he already knew it. Maybe he just wanted someone to talk to. He stood outside the tent for a long while...just staring up at the trees - watching the birds soar freely across the blue of the sky...wishing he too could fly away somewhere warm and wonderful. Further over in the park, people were playing with their children, pets romped happily, chasing kids and toys.

He remembered a time when he did that too. When he played with his sibling...his children, but he never sees them anymore. They had left him years ago under mysterious circumstances(or so he told everyone, including the authorities).

He had taught middle school for many years, they had been his family.

Milo slowly began pacing back and forth outside the tent, reluctant to enter.

"Well, don't just stay out there wearing away the pavement, come on inside, I won't bite". The beautiful gypsy startled him, he turned to see her standing at the door of the tent.

Why did it seem to be suddenly becoming darker there. Was it just his imagination.

"I'm...I'm not sure I want to come in. I've never been in a place like this before. I just...".

"I'm Mynerva", she said, smiling as she held out her hand, palm open - and waited.

"I'm Milo". He took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders and followed her inside. The interior of the tent was much larger than he had expected. It was as if the walls had expanded and widened, there were two more curtained rooms which seemed to hold some kind of mystery. He could not see anything beyond... but Milo felt a chill run through his spine.

On the wall she had a list of the cost of her readings. 🌙

Welcome to all

$50 - Reads your palms and tells your fortune

$20 - Chases you blues away

$10 - For a listening ear

$5 - for Hot Cocoa

$3 - for Tea

Milo felt like he needed a distinct blend of all three, plus some hot tea.

The fortune‑teller’s tent felt like stepping into a pocket of the world where time loosens its grip and everything glows with possibility.

🌙 The ethereal Interior took Milo's breath away.

The moment Mynerva pushed aside the heavy, jewel‑colored drape, the light changed. It’s dim but warm, lit mostly by lanterns with pierced metal casings that scatter dimly lit constellations across the canvas walls. Shadows move like soft creatures, never quite settling.

The air is thick with layered scents: cardamom, smoke, old paper, and a faint trace of something elusively floral. A brass incense burner sits on a low table, its tendrils of smoke curling upward in slow‑moving spirals.

At the center of the tent is the fortune teller’s table - round, draped in deep burgundy velvet, the fabric embroidered with moons, serpents, and protective symbols.

On it rests - A crystal ball, faintly glowing as if lit from within.

A deck of tarot cards, edges worn from years of handling.

A small bowl of polished stones - amethyst, obsidian, rose quartz

A brass bell, delicate and waiting.

🌙🌙🌙🌙

Behind the table, the fortune teller’s chair rises like a throne, carved with swirling patterns. Opposite it sits a simpler chair for the seeker, cushioned but slightly lower, as if encouraging humility before the unknown.

Around the perimeter of the tent - Shelves hold bottles of colored liquids, each labeled in looping script.

Strings of beads and charms hang from the ceiling, chiming softly when the wind nudges the tent.

A handmade tapestry depicts a star map, more constellations and galaxies held together by glowing silver thread.

A small wooden chest sits half‑open, revealing bones, feathers, and folded scraps of parchment.

But what fascinates and terrifies Milo, is the closed, red miniature wooden coffin in the corner, which rattled every few minutes.

The atmosphere is subdued, but not silent. You hear the faint rustle of fabric, the whisper of incense, and the soft cadence of something unseen - an energy, a presence, or simply the weight of anticipation.

The fortune‑teller’s tent glows like a suspended moment outside of time, its velvet walls breathing with lantern‑light and possibility...depending on the mind of the beholder.

It feels like a place where secrets are not just told but coaxed gently into the light.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Mynerva invites Milo to sit. Then she sits. He sips his tea and places the cup back in the saucer.

"Let's see what the cards hold for you today"

She picks up her cards and shuffles: She begins to choose, flipping the cards over one by one.

Mynerva explains each card as she places them on the table.

Milo gasps - The first card reveals...

The Devil:

Represents unhealthy attachments, shadowy aspects, or self-limiting behaviors.

Flip. Turn...Ten of Swords:

Symbolizes betrayal, painful endings, or hitting rock bottom.

Flip. Turn. Three of Swords:

Often associated with heartbreak or emotional pain and trauma.

Flip. Turn. Five of Pentacles:

Indicates hardship or financial struggles.

Flip. Turn. The Tower: Sudden Upheaval

The Tower card is another card often considered the worst due to its depiction of a tower struck by lightning, with people falling from it. It symbolizes sudden, unavoidable change, chaos, and the destruction of old structures. While it can feel alarming, The Tower encourages adaptation and rebuilding on a stronger foundation, offering opportunities for transformation and personal growth.

The final card felt like a slap in the face.

A slow flip. A slow turn. The Death Card.

Why The Death Card Is Feared.

It is traditionally seen as ominous because of its imagery, featuring a Grim Reaper on horseback and symbols of endings. Many people mistakenly associate it with literal death, but in tarot, it primarily represents the end of a cycle, transformation, and new beginnings. It signals that something in your life is concluding, making space for growth and change, rather than predicting physical death

Milo breathed a relieved sigh. He could use transformation and new beginnings. It was quite acceptable if something old in his life was concluding, making space for growth and change.

Mynerva was a bit concerned for this man. Something was not quite right with him. She could feel it in her bones, see it in his eyes.

She laid her open palms on the table, inviting him to have his palms read.

Milo was reluctant to do so. But he finally, hesitantly, agreed.

The moment she touched his hands, the red coffin started to shake and groan awfully. Mynerva's eyes changed to a dull opaque shade and she sprang from the chair, almost knocking the table over. The teacup rattled...the coffin jerked madly, as if something wanted to escape.

Milo was too frightened to move. DID SHE KNOW!!!!

"Man blames nature and fate, yet his fate is mostly but the echo of his character, mistakes and weaknesses". She was quoting someone...Mynerva forgot who it was.

"We swallow greedily any lie that flatter us...but sip only little at a a truth we find bitter". Mynerva wailed.

"Get out. GET OUT NOW. You don't belong here". The woman shouted, her eyes returning to their natural blue-green shade.

Milo ran out the door. He did not stop running until he got home and started to pack his bags.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

"I told you mom". Adelia said, coming in from the other room.

"We needed proof - and it is right there behind his house". Mynerva picked up the teacup, reading the tealeaves and true nature of the man. Then she made some urgent phone calls.

The authorities had searched his home many times before and found no signs of his missing family. For many years there had been speculation about their disappearance. But who could believe that this mild mannered and kind teacher could do anything unkind or untoward. Everyone loved him.

Adelia had inherited her mother's gift. She was the one who recommended the gypsy to Milo. She said she was sending him to Mynerva with hopes of them dating each other. Her mother was lonely and father had long ago left them on their own.

Jakob, the father, emerged from the other room.

"So, why do I always have to be the dead guy or the guy who abandoned his family. I'm afraid that one of these days, you two may really see me make good on that promise".

"Aw Dad, you know we love you".

"Hmmm! Sometimes I wonder", her father said, smiling, as Mynerva smiled too, although a bit sadly. The task at hand was very disturbing.

....

Poor misguided Milo. He, the one who helped the bullies and tried to reform them...but that never worked out. The kids these days are beyond help, still he tried...because it salved his conscience.

They found the family beneath the lovely flowers in his backyard.

Adelia was lucky. Everyone who previously suspected him was either dead or missing.

How he managed to get away with his crimes all those years ago, remains a mystery.

They gave the bones a proper burial at his expense.