The Box

Lexi sighed as she stared at herself in the full length mirror. Her hair was wrapped in a flowery turban, matching dress with long, flowing skirt and sleeves, and a cincher nearly cutting off circulation at her waist. This is what her next client expected, along with the crystal ball already sitting on a table downstairs. “Stefan, are you here?”

He appeared in the mirror beside her. “Are you trying to look like a gypsy?”

She shrugged. “It’s what Mr. Carter expects. On a scale from one to cultural appropriation accusations, how bad is it?”

Stefan looked her up and down in the mirror. “It actually looks like something right out of Luci’s closet. I think if she wears it, it’s fine for you to wear it too.”

“Who is Luci?”

Stefan looked confused. “Your father. Lucifer? Luci for short?”

“But you said she. My father is a woman?”

He sighed. “Yes, she’s a woman, but sometimes she can be a man. Or maybe that’s the other way around. Things aren’t so black and white when it comes to gods. It's complicated.” He put a hand on her back and motioned towards the stairs leading down to the main floor. “You’re going to be late. He’s already here.”

Walking down the stairs, she found him standing next to the table, inspecting the large glass ball in the center.

“You know, I don’t really know what I was expecting, but all this seems a little too on the nose.” He wore a satchel over his shoulder.

Lexi cleared her throat. “Maybe it’s just accurate?”

He seemed to ponder that for a moment before nodding. “Listen, we didn’t really discuss pricing.”

“Oh, I think you’ll find my pricing to be fair. $50 for a consultation, but the actual work may cost extra, depending on what you’re looking for.” She eyed the satchel. “In some instances, I also barter for other things in lieu of money, which I suspect is what you were getting to.”

He nodded and opened the satchel. “I don’t have cash for you today, but I thought I might be able to entice you with a mystery box instead.” He placed a small box wrapped in brown paper on the table next to the ball. It could be cash or something worth more than your fee.”

Lexi nodded. “Or something worthless like scraps of paper.” She nodded. “I accept the box as payment, so you can relax. Tell me, how can I help out?”

He took a seat at the table, followed by Lexi, the ball sitting between them.

Where these chairs here before? Even I can’t remember, she thought, but she didn’t say anything to her client about it.

Mr. Carter took a deep breath. “So things have been a bit rough for me. Nothing I can’t handle, but I want to love. To be loved. Is there anything you can do to help my love life along? Maybe make me look like him.” He motioned up to the loft where Stefan was watching over them.

Scaly skin, demon. Maybe not such a good idea, though the magic would be a plus. Maybe humans can’t see his real appearance. “I don’t think making you look different is the right approach. Let’s see what the spirits show me.” She waved her hands over the crystal ball and stared deeply into it. She felt ridiculous. She tried to sell visions from spirits, but all she saw was an upside down reflection of Mr. Carter. The real magic happened in her mind. “I see it. Your destiny is set in stone. There’s nothing for us to do, if you want to take your box back. You’re on a collision course with love even as we speak. She’ll be falling into your arms before you know it.”

He was smiling, but it seemed sad. “You can keep the box. What you’re telling me is that I just have to be patient.”

“All you have to do is leave and you’ll be back on the path.”

He nodded and stood up from the table. “Thank you. I’m sure you did your best.” He dragged his feet all the way to the door and push his way out.

Stefan was behind her again. “So we can open the box now?”

Lexi shook her head. “No. Watch.”

Mr. Carter looked back through the glass door as it closed, not noticing the woman crossing his path. They collided, but Mr. Carter somehow managed to catch her as they fell, the woman landing on top of him.

“Is that her?”

Lexi nodded. “I told him all he had to do was leave to be back on his path.”

Stefan chuckled. “It amazes me how you can just change destiny like that. When we try, it makes no difference.”

“I didn’t change his destiny. This is how it was always meant to be. The best part is that she’s an heiress. Not only is he getting love, his money troubles are over too. I don’t really understand it yet, but destiny is already accounting for my presence, it seems.”

“So now we can open the box?” He snatched it from the table and shook it, the paper crinkling but no other sounds from within.

“There’s no need,” Lexi said plainly. “It’s empty. I’ve known since I scheduled his appointment. Sometimes, we just have to help people.”