The Tarot Deck

Just another boring day in Winona. Amber sighed. It was a chilly, overcast day and, as usual, there was nothing to do. She hated living in a small town. The mall was a joke, the bowling alleys were on the other end of town and too damned expensive anyway, and the bars were all the same. BORING!

She had lived here for nearly twenty years and wished she had a good job that paid really well so she could afford to pack up and move. She didn't really know where she'd go, but anywhere had to be better than here. She kicked a crumpled beer can and it skidded off the sidewalk into the grass.

"Nothing but drunks in this town," she muttered. "No good losers."

She kept walking, her head down, not paying any attention to where she was going. A cool wind picked up and nearly blew her Packers cap off her head. "Shit!" She put her hand on top of her cap and held it down. Looking around, she realized she had wandered quite a bit farther than she intended. She was all the way down on the west end of town now, and didn't recognize the store she had came to a stop in front of.

It looked deserted. Only a small sign on the door gave any indication as to what might be inside.

NEW AGE HORIZONS

Looks interesting, Amber thought, trying the door. Though the store was dark, the door opened easily. She poked her head inside.
"Anyone here?" she called.
"Come in, my dear. I've been expecting you." A short, old lady dressed in a long, purple gown, appeared before her. "Don't be frightened."
"What do you mean, expecting me?" Amber felt a little frightened. Maybe she should leave.
"Don't go. I'm a little psychic, that's all. Please, have a cup of tea."

Amber hesitated. The woman did look harmless enough. Probably a little nutty, but who wasn't? This town was full of weirdos.

"Alright, I'll have one cup. Then I really should head home. I have work tomorrow."
"Not until eleven, dear," the woman laughed, pleasantly. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."

The old lady poured them each a cup of tea and motioned for Amber to have a seat at a small, round table. They sat down across from each other and sipped their tea in silence.

"What kind of tea is this?" Amber asked. "It's different."
"Mugwort. It's an acquired taste, but it's got wonderful magical properties."
Amber took another sip, politely. It tasted kind of funny, but she didn't want to hurt the woman's feelings.

"I know why you're here," the woman finally spoke after a few minutes of silence. "You are dissatisfied with your life. Not sure where you're going or what you want to do. I can help you."
"How?" Amber was curious, though still a little nervous.
"I have something for you. It will help you to make decisions, to learn about yourself and your future. It's a gift. From me to you." The woman pulled a black velvet bag from within her long robe and handed it to Amber.

"What is it?" Amber took it, tentatively.
"Open it."

Amber opened the bag and found a strange deck of cards. They had beautiful artwork on them and strange names like "The Fool" and "The Hanged Man" She wasn't sure what to say.

"It's a Tarot Deck. Here's a book that will help you to learn all about it." A book materialized in the old lady's hand. Amber took it and stood up.

"Well, thank you for the tea. It was...lovely. I really shouldn't accept..."
"Nonsense. Just take the cards and the book. You'll love them." The woman chuckled and disappeared through a door into the back of the store.
"Wait? What's your name?"

There was no answer.

Amber looked through the door, but the woman was gone. Still feeling a little strange, she left the store and slowly headed home.

The next morning, Amber awoke with a mild headache. "Must have been the tea," she muttered. "Strange tasting stuff."

She looked at the velvet bag and book that she had left on her desk since she arrived home the night before. Curiously, she picked up the book and glanced through it. It did seem pretty interesting and she spent the next couple of hours studying it carefully. Apparently, the cards could help her to see into the future.

While she usually prided herself on being a logical sort of person, she decided it couldn't hurt to give them a try. Might be fun, at least, and god knew she could use some of that.

She removed the cards from their bag and shuffled them a few times. Then, as the book had said, she cut them three times. After studying the Celtic Cross layout in the book, she laid the cards out in an identical pattern on the desk.

She looked at the first card. "The first card represents you," she read from the book. "The Fool. That figures, I'm a fool for playing with these stupid things." Still, she looked up "The Fool" in the book and it said, "At #0, the Fool is the card of infinite possibilities. The bag on the staff indicates that he has all he needs to do or be anything he wants, he has only to stop and unpack. He is on his way to a brand new beginning. But the card carries a word of warning as well. Stop daydreaming and fantasizing and watch your step, lest you fall and end up looking the fool."

"Well, that's good advice," Amber mused. "A new beginning sure does sound nice."

She checked the second card: "What surrounds you. Death!" She felt nervous. Then, felt silly for feeling nervous. They're only cards, idiot. You really are a fool!

The book's description of Death was: "Yes, the Death card can signal a death in the right circumstances (a question about a very sick or old relative, for example), but unlike its dramatic presentation in the movies, the Death card is far more likely to signal transformation, passage, change. Scorpio, the sign of this card, has three forms: scorpion, serpent, eagle. The Death card indicates this transition from lower to higher to highest. This is a card of humility, and it may indicate the Querent as being brought low, but only so that they can then go higher than they ever have before. Wang notes that Death "humbles" all, but it also "exults." Always keep in mind that on this card of darkness there is featured a sunrise as well."

"Well," Amber spoke aloud, again, though no one was there. "That's not so bad. I like that."

She continued her reading and found that it really did seem to fit her circumstances. Maybe the old lady was right, maybe these cards really could help her to make some much-needed changes in her life.

She put the cards back in the bag and slid them into her coat pocket. It was a beautiful day and she decided to go down to Lake Park for awhile and watch the ducks.

As she sat, staring out over the peaceful lake, she began to feel a strange tingling sensation in her spine. She looked around, but saw no one.
Shaking her head, she leaned back against a large oak tree and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, it was pitch dark out. No one was around, not even the ducks.
She glanced at her watch and discovered it was after ten p.m. She had slept the entire day away, missing work, and she had never done that in her life! She jumped up and began to jog towards home.

When she got home, she called work and apologized for not showing up. She told the manager that she had felt ill and had fallen asleep and slept through the entire day. Luckily, he was understanding, but warned her not to do it again.

Amber sat on her bed, she felt queasy and strange. What on earth had happened? How could she have fallen asleep like that? She pulled the cards from her pocket and shuffled them. Maybe they would have an answer.

She turned up the first card. "Death". She frowned, but reminded herself that it was not in itself a negative card. She turned up the second one. "The Devil". That tingling feeling ran up and down her spine again. Something was not right. She could feel it.
Third card: "The Hanged Man"
Fourth card: "The Tower"
Fifth card: "The Moon"
Sixth card: "Ten of Swords"
Seventh card: "Judgment"
The Eighth through Eleventh cards were blank.

She felt shaky. She was afraid to look up the meanings. Something was very wrong here. There shouldn't be blank cards in the deck. She felt cold, as if a goose had walked over her grave.

"Death just means change or transformation," she admonished herself. "And the Devil just means you have to beware of trickery or deception. No big deal." She studied the other cards carefully.
"The Hanged Man is suspension. Things aren't changing as quickly as I'd like, that's all that means. Nothing sinister, silly."

But, "The Tower"...that one disturbed her. It means crisis, danger...it's a warning. She knew this and it worried her. The cards were obviously trying to tell her something. But what?

"The Moon is behind me," she spoke quietly. So, all the darkness and danger is in the past. It's going to get better. That must be what it means. Things are going to get better soon."

She wanted to believe this, but something was gnawing at her. Something she had forgotten. She shook it off, and continued studying her reading.

"Ten of Swords, Ruin..." She paused and took a deep breath. She felt even colder now. Like all the heat had been sucked from the small room.

"Judgment" ...she didn't want to look it up. It all suddenly became clear to her.

She knew something was wrong, but hadn't wanted to admit it. All this time, feeling cold, frightened, she should have felt her heart racing, pounding...but no, nothing. Her heart was as still as the lake on a calm day. She had run all the way home without gasping for breath.

She hadn't fallen asleep. She had died. She was dead. She wailed. But only silence responded.

The old lady appeared in her bedroom, a sad smile on her face. "I'm sorry, dear. I wasn't allowed to tell you. So, I gave you the cards. Come along now, you still have so much to learn."

Amber followed her. What else could she do?