83. Reading the Future

The Gypsy Witch - Her hut
My nose scrunches. A sweet smell permeates the air, like a mixture of old spices and fresh herbs. There’s a slight vibration below my feet; the ground seems to shake with every step I take. Something will happen soon. Hehe!
I should better ask the key. I reach into my pocket and take out the instrument of my favorite art. The key is a simple piece of metal for any ungifted person. But for me, it is a tool that can open the secrets of the future. I turn it over in my hand, feeling the smoothness of its surface.
Cleidomancy is one of the most powerful and ancient forms of divination. It is the art of reading the future by observing the movements of a spellbound key. Some say the spirits of the dead are the ones who turn the key and direct the motion. Hehe!
A witch never looks directly at the key. Instead, she always studies it from the corner of her eye, making sure she isn't seen peeking. Otherwise, the key won't move.
My fingers are tingly as they seem to become one with the key. I feel it vibrating. A simple yet powerful energy reaches out toward the spell placed on the tool.
With the bow supported by two fingers, one on each side of the key, it starts to spin slowly. The movement is subtle, yet the key seems to have a life of its own. The clockwise rotation fills me with joy. The key seems to be dancing to another tune today.
I’ve been doing this every morning since I was little. Today is the first time it spins in this direction. Something will happen, and I must be ready to say more than I’m inclined to share. Destiny has spoken, but I need confirmation.
“Sorry, honey,” I apologize to my last chicken as I prepare for the second divination of the day.
I cringe at the thump of the knife on wood when the squawking chicken goes silent. Even though I’ve decapitated countless chickens throughout my life for the bone-throwing reading, I still have a soft spot for the little buggers. Hehe!
After scrubbing all the needed bones, I grab them and chant the ancient incantation. I ask the spirits to help me understand the meaning of what is to come.
Only the last part of the incantation is said aloud.
“O spirit of the bone, you are the key to the mysteries of life,
You are the truth of things we cannot know.
Please guide my thoughts so I may read the future clearly.”
The small bones rattle as they scatter over the table, the answer to my question now clear.
A knock at the door comes along with the words, “Madam, it’s me, Laura. Please open up!”
Hehe! I open the door and let her in. Then, I brush past Laura and fetch the spellbound key I left on the table.
Is this the one I need to help today? My inner voice asks the question, and the key responds with a clockwise rotation. Hehe! I feel a tingle in my fingers, and I know what I have to do.
“Don’t tell me,” I say as I put the key in my pocket. “You decided to return to your old ways and find a way to die once and for all.”
Laura’s silence comes as a confirmation.
I grab a small bowl and fill it with water. Then, I place the chicken meat in it and put it on the stove. A soup sounds great, and I’m not particularly eager to waste anything.
Without turning around, I ask, “Have you considered how Paul will feel when he finds out you still want to die?”
“Maybe he’ll hate me so much for leaving that he won’t come after me.”
“If that happens, will you regret it?”
Laura replies without hesitation. “No. It’s better for him to hate me. This way, the good times we spent together can be buried and forgotten beneath hatred. This is how it’s supposed to be.”
I shake my head in disapproval but don’t try to convince her otherwise.
Adding salt to the soup, I say, “There’s a forest around The Pond Between the Firs in the Retezat Mountains. You’ll find there the wolf able to end your curse.”
“Thank you,” is all she says, and I hear the door closing behind her.
That was easy. I would never expect anything else from her. Now, all I have to do is prepare myself for the worst part.
After Laura’s departure, I take a few minutes to meditate. Time for my rest is short since he’s already on his way here, Laura’s other half.
Even though I know exactly who it is, I still cringe when he storms into the room. I didn’t close the door; otherwise, he would have shattered it.
“Do you seek my help, nonbeliever? How can an old fraud like me help the Dragon?”
Of course I will help him, but I want to play with the handsome wolf a bit first. Hehe!
“Laura has been here.” His nostrils flare, and his eyes darken as they dart across the room. “Where is she now?”
“Would you believe me if I were to tell you?”
“Don’t test my patience!” he growls, anger radiating from his aura like a furnace of smoldering coals. “I don’t have any to spare. It’s up to me to decide if I will believe you or not.”
“I’ll tell you. But I have to say something important first. Here’s another thing you won’t believe, Dragon. True love’s kiss is true. Well, not in the way you think. Its symbolism is more literal than you can imagine. The love between two people whose souls are in sync is more powerful than any magic.”
While taking a deep breath, Paul relaxes his arms, letting gravity pull them down. “If this is what it takes to find Laura, then I’ll believe. Now tell me where she is.”
“In the forest around The Pond Between the Firs in the Retezat Mountains. Her curse will end there tonight.”
“It’s a bloody full moon tonight.” His hand brushes his head, messing his hair. “What if I don’t find her before I turn? I won’t be able to sway her when my wolf takes over.”
“It’s up to you what will happen tonight. It’s until death sets you two apart, or you can face it together head-on. Laura made her choice. What do you choose?”
Paul shakes his head, disbelief written all over his face. “But there’s nothing there, no Dacian Draco. I’ve been through those woods a thousand times. I would have seen it.”
“Hehe!” I let my chuckle out loud for the first time. “Indeed, there’s no Dacian Draco, but there will be you.”