It's Not in the Cards

Arianna flipped the oracle card and placed it upright in front of Yasmin. The psychic leaned forward, both hands on the table. Arianna lowered her glasses and peered down her nose at the card.

“The owl,” Arianna croaked. She drummed her fingers against the table’s edge. Thin plumes of smoke slithered up into the air as the frankincense sticks burned silently.

This oracle deck had been in Arianna and Yasmin's family for years, and the cards showed it. The card Yasmin pulled showed it, at least. The once vibrant red, wooden barn stationed behind the owl had faded to gray long ago. The owl's outstretched white wings were more of a suggestion: a ghastly silhouette, not a living creature captured in time by the artist's ink. It seemed as though the oracle card had siphoned all the pigment it had left into the owl's eyes. Two black dots, unscratched, perfectly aligned.

Arianna traced her wrinkled index finger across the bird's flattened wingspan. She tapped each of its eyes once.

"Do you see how her eyes glow, even when all else is foggy?"

“I guess," said Yasmin. "Does that mean anything in particular?"

Arianna's bushy brow furrowed. She pushed her glasses back up her nose and snatched the card off the table, clutching it tightly to her chest.

“Why did you come to me today?” the older woman asked. “You said you seek clarity, but I sense you already know the truth.”

Yasmin's eyes darted to the left. She sighed.

“I'll tell you, but I'm keeping it vague, and you have to promise you won’t ask for more details," Yasmin demanded. "Okay?”

“Fine,” Arianna said. “Spill.”

“I feel like someone I love is lying to me. Like they're trying to hide something or cover it up, you know? But I have no proof." Yasmine paused. "Well, I have no tangible proof anyway, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. The thing is, I’m scared to confront them about it because... Well, because,” Yasmin paused. She folded her hands in her lap and looked down at her thumbs. Her throat tightened.

“Because?”

“What if I’m wrong?" Yasmin’s voice trembled. "What if I'm wrong, and I ruin everything?"

Yasmin blinked back hot tears. She would not cry in front of Arianna. Not today. Not over this.

Arianna place her fingertips beneath Yasmin’s chin and gently lifted her niece’s head until their eyes met. The reflection of the candlelight flickered in the tears welled in Yasmin’s eyes.

“The owl is intelligent and capable. Her gaze cuts through the faded fog to discover hidden prey, sneaky things that think they are well-concealed. Her movements are swift and decisive. She trusts the truth of her trajectory, the truth of her instincts. The owl does not question whether she is wrong or right before she descends. She just dives. Only then does she know the outcome,” Arianna said.

“And what does she do if her instincts are wrong?” Yasmin whispered.

“Then she learns, dear one,” Arianna lowered her hand. “And she tries again. You cannot control anything or anyone except yourself. You may not think you know the truth in your head, but you know it in your heart. What you do now is up to you.”

Arianna dragged her thumb and index finger across the tip of her tongue and pinched the wick of the candle. The flame hissed as it died. Yasmin watched the wisps of smoke twirl up into the rafters.

“Do you think we should pull another card just to see if-”

“No,” Arianna cut Yasmin off. “I could pull every card in this deck for you and that wouldn’t change a thing. The answer is not in the cards. The choice is, ultimately, yours. You will do what is best for you at this time, and you will grow and learn no matter what you decide."

Arianna leaned over the table. She smushed both sides of Yasmin's face between her hands and kissed her forehead.

"You are wiser and stronger than you think," Arianna whispered. She pulled back. "Now, go. I have other customers, paying customers, you know."

Arianna winked before collecting her frankincense, Yasmin's card, and the oracle deck. She waddled off into the back of her store, disappearing behind a scarf tangled over an ancient door-frame.

Yasmin examined her hands. Could she be like the owl? Could she truly trust her gut? She'd been wrong so many times before. What made this time any different?

Arianna's words echoed in her ears.

"You know it in your heart," Yasmin mumbled.

She knew what needed to be done. Yasmin would not choose whether or not she should act based on what she knew.

Yasmin chose to trust the truth of her instinct, and so she chose to grow.