𝘖𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴, 𝘰𝘩 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶...
Strange dreams haunt her at night. Even stranger is the fact that the man of her dreams just happens to resemble her new neighbor. But she had...
Rea bit down the inside of her cheek as she stood before a considerably suspicious-looking building where a huge dusty signboard hung.
"Divination. Know your past. Know your future."
She gave the signboard a skeptical look. Rea wasn't necessarily a huge believer in Shamans. They were all frauds, who lured in unsuspecting citizens and scammed them for money. No one could know their future. It was at the hands of fate, she believed. But now, Rea didn't know what else to do.
She mentally prepared herself before pushing the heavy door open. The harsh stench of incense invaded her nostrils. The rooms were dimly lit with yellow talismans and weird dolls hung here and there. Various colored curtains and beads hung from the ceiling disrupting her course and Rea stood there in awe, taking in the view, fascinated by the weird artifacts nailed all over the walls.
"Come in." A raspy delicate voice called out from somewhere, startling her. She followed the voice deep into the building until she finally reached the clearing where the alleged Shaman sat wafting the lit incense stick into the room. The smoke created a small foggy atmosphere that contributed to the ambiance of the room.
When she finally reached the center, she was a little surprised to find out the Shaman was, in fact, a man. Not that it was unusual. But it was very rare. The Shaman looked up, his plump lips stretched to a wide smile on his youthful round face. He was a young man, dressed in long traditional hanbok that was a size or two, too large for him. Now, that was definitely unusual. Rea could tell from first glance that it was a fraud, but since she was already inside, she decided to give him the benefit of doubt.
He was waving a traditional handheld fan rapidly against his face as he spoke, pointing a little index finger to the cushion in front of her. "Sit down, sit down."
Rea gingerly took her place on the cushion and looked back at the shaman, who had now fixed his gaze on his customer with an expression that looked mischievous. "What would you like to know?"
Rea hesitated for a moment. What did she want to know?
"Can I know both? My future and the past? Most importantly my past."
"Hmm, let's see." The shaman narrowed his eyes as he rubbed his fingers against his imaginary beard. "I can." He simply replied.
Rea waited for him to go on and the shaman was looking at her expectantly. A minute passed and the shaman still hadn't spoken a word. Rea furrowed her brows in confusion. The shaman cleared his throat, his eyes subtly looking towards a box that read: Fee= $20.
Oh...
She quickly fished out a twenty-dollar bill and placed it in the box and the shaman smiled back contentedly. Rea herself suppressed a smile at the antics.
"Haaa, let's see...," The shaman closed his eyes and picked up a bunch of huge bells and began furiously jingling them, creating an annoying noise throughout the room. Rea slightly squinted the sound that grated against her ears.
Suddenly his eyes shot open, startling Rea.
"I see a brilliant future ahead, one filled with happiness and prosperity!" The shaman declared dramatically waving his hands.
Of course, the kiss-up-to-your-customer-to-get-a-high-tip tactic.
"And what do we have here?" The shaman held up a hand towards her and Rea reluctantly placed her hand in his. Fishing out a magnifying glass from literally nowhere, he observed the lines. "Oooh, and I see a man." The shaman looked up with an amused smile. "He's handsome." He stated, shooting a wink and Rea had to physically suppress an eye roll. The shaman went back to his observation and gasped, eyes lighting up with an excited glint.
"You were Queen in your past. A very fair and just one at that." Rea nodded her head with an awkward smile. Queen, my a**.
The shaman spoke up with a dramatic flair. "Oh, but there's something... There's a shadow blocking your existential light."
My what light, now?
"And..." The shaman's eyes suddenly widened as large as saucers and he pressed a hand to his heart. Lowering his voice to an ominous tenor, he whispered. "Death."
Silence hung in the air and this time, she couldn't help skepticism appearing on her face. The shaman went on, "Death is near. I can see him looming right above your head like a curse- "
"Alright. That's it," Rea pulled back her hand from the Shaman's with a quick tug and she got up.
"Thank you for your...um, revelations. They were interesting. I will see you another time then."
Rea gave the shaman a brief bow though she was not sure if the shaman was older than her or not. With a polite smile, she turned around ready to make her exit when he called.
"Andrea."
Rea froze.
"You must remember... and you must be cautious. For he has come."
She ran.
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