CHAPTER 34: TAROT READINGS

A great feast laid at the table, stretching from the head to the end of the long rectangular table with enough food to feed at least fifty people.

It was a fusion of east meets west with a delectable stuffed turkey in the middle of the table, a hot piping pepperoni pizza next to it, followed by an aromatic shepherd's pie, steak and kidney pie, spicy kimchi stew, samgyeopsal served with barbequed pork strips wrapped with lettuce, perilla leaves and raw garlic kimchi.

Thomas was already at the table, helping himself to a big pot of chicken curry. The twins were tucking into their food as well, one polishing off a plate of chocolate fudge brownies and the other digging into a combination of steamed basmati rice and fries.

“You know, this feels a lot like the last supper,” Thomas said between mouthfuls. The twins ignored him.

Hans sat at the head of the table, picking at his food with a pair of stainless steel chopsticks. He shrugged,” I wanted to order takeaways but with the current situation, most of the shops are closed.”

Thomas looked up from where he sat, “Where’d you get the food then?”

Hans chuckled, “From my fridge, I cleared everything out. Some of them were expired by the way.”

One of the twins spat her food out, “Hans! Eeww!”

Thomas waved his hand and kept on eating, “They taste fine to me. Where’s Marcelino and the lovebirds by the way?”

At that moment, Marcelino walked into the dining hall carrying a little duffle bag with him. He plonked himself next to Hans and started to eat.

One of the twins giggled, “Suzanne and Tom are probably occupied…”

The other blurted out, “They’re getting married! He was proposing to her on bended knee!”

Her twin chipped in, “I swear it was the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen!”

Thomas whistled and cheered before slurping down his mocktail.

No one noticed, but Hans dropped his chopsticks on the table and closed his eyes briefly upon hearing what the twins said. He then forced a smile, “Let us not interrupt them then.”

Marcelino looked at him for a while and then reached out for his duffle bag, pulling out a stack of tarot cards.

The twins squealed upon seeing it. Marcelino was a legend when it came to tarot card readings. They pushed aside their plates and scooted closer to Marcelino. Thomas pulled out a drumstick from the turkey and shuffled closer as well.

The twins raised their hands, “Give us a reading first!”

Marcelino nodded and cleared the table before him and opened his palm, signalling for them to present their question.

“Ma and Pa will be alright won’t they?” one asked on behalf of her sister. They had been holding up an upbeat front, but deep down, they were worried for their ageing parents back home.

Thomas patted them on the shoulders as Marcelino proceeded to shuffle the deck of cards.

“They’re retired, they no longer pose any threat to the mist,” Thomas said. He for one had no one left at home to worry about.

Marcelino began to spread out the shuffled deck of cards in the shape of an arc. The cards were old and the colours were somewhat faded, having been used for many years but were otherwise still in mint condition.

He smiled at them warmly and tapped the table, the twins reached out and pulled out three cards. Gently, he took it from their hands and to reveal the cards one by one. The first was the Tower Card. On it was a picture of a castle tower struck by lightning as people plunged into the unknown below.

Marcelino’s lips pursed into a straight line and made a sign language. Hans popped a piece of strawberry into his mouth, “It means that a change has come, a crisis.” Marcelino nodded, as did the twins.

The second card was The Magician to which Hans interpreted for Marcelino, “ This one shows great potential and determination. Guess your parents can still kick ass if the need arises.”

The last card revealed a woman looking calm and gentle, yet standing dominantly over a seated lion next to her. “This is the card of Strength, it symbolizes success and honour. These are all good readings. You both have nothing to worry about.”

The twins smiled and whipped out their phones, eager to share the good news with their parents. Marcelino looked over to Thomas who shook his head, holding his greasy hand up in mock defeat, “I’d rather not know, thank you very much.”

“What would you rather not know?”

It was Suzanne. Tom followed from behind and they sat themselves down at the table.

“Oh, Marcelino’s giving us a tarot reading. You guys should try it out. Congratulations by the way,” Thomas said.

Suzanne flashed an embarrassed smile, “Marcelino, if you don’t mind…”

The middle-aged man did not mind at all, prompting Suzanne to ask her question, “How will it be like for us in the end?”

Tom took her hand in his and Marcelino proceeded to shuffle the cards. Suzanne pulled out the cards from the spread and handed them over to Marcelino who laid them out one by one, face down. He started to unveil the first one, it was the Fool.

Hans acted as the translator again, “The Fool represents new beginnings, having faith in the future, being inexperienced, and not knowing what to expect.”

*Alright, sounds legit.*

The second card was The Sun. Hans nodded his head at Marcelino’s sign language, “These are powerful cards, Suzanne. The Sun portends good fortune, happiness, joy and harmony. It represents the universe coming together and agreeing with your path and aiding forward movement into something greater.”

*That sounds good*, Suzanne thought to herself.

Marcelino was about to unveil the last card when his brows furrowed. He covered the card with both hands and Thomas drummed the table in anticipation. Everyone else went deathly quiet.

Then Marcelino pulled out the card. It was the Wheel of Fortune.

“This is the most symbolic card in the deck. It represents an element of change, there is a great opportunity in winning.”

It was exactly what everyone needed to hear.

*That’s all I need to know*, Suzanne smiled.

That evening, after the table had been cleared and everyone had retired for the night, Marcelino sat alone in the dining room. Unbeknownst to everyone, Suzanne had accidentally pulled out four cards instead of three, the last of which had been stuck with the Wheel of Fortune.

Marcelino held the card in his hand, flipping it back and forth before closing his eyes with a long, haggard sigh. The last card was the card of Death.