A Twist in the Tale (2011) by Mel Comley

 
     
     
    Help
from the other side
    “Oh
come on, Claire, what harm can it do?”
    “I’m
afraid I just don’t believe in all that mumbo jumbo, Sara.”
    “But
this one is supposed to be ‘the best’ ‘the real deal’, a genuine psychic medium.
    “I
don’t care if he’s a medium, small or large. I’m still not stepping foot in
that place.”
    The
next thing I knew Sara’s hand was in the middle of my back thrusting me through
the shop door.
    The
waiting room, I suppose you’d call it, was so tiny, a cat would have a hard job
swinging a mouse around in it.  The walls were plastered with pictures of the
medium’s celebrity clientele.
    Mystic
M, thanks for all your advice, marriage and work still going strong! One famous soap-star
had written across her photo.
    Mystic
M, changed the wife, the dog and my way of thinking thanks to you. Was penned at
the bottom of a photo of an actor from a famous TV crime show.
    When
I saw the final picture I pointed and nudged Sara. “What do you make of that?”
    Before
she could answer, the door on the right was wrenched open and a man I his early
thirties poked his head into the waiting room.
    “Ah,
ladies, do you want to have a reading taken together or separately?”
    “Together…”
I shouted.
    “Separately…”
shouted Sara at the same time.
    Daggers
were still shooting from my eyes at her when Mystic M took me by the elbow and
lead me into the dark room he called his ‘inner sanctum.’
    “You
appear shocked. I take it you’re not pleased to be here.” Mystic M smiled and
pointed at the chair opposite.
    I
sat down with a bump and clutched my handbag in my lap. “It’s just that…” I
paused not knowing what to say without offending him, “well, put it this way, I
wasn’t expecting Mystic M to be a man .”
    “Oh
I see. You’re one of those women who think only women psychics have a divine
gift to enhance and enrich another person’s life.” He gave me a challenging
smile.
    “Not
at all,” I bit back defensively. “Look, I think I’ve made a huge mistake coming
here. I only came to keep my friend company. I’ll send her in now.” I rose from
the table but his hand grabbed my arm.
    “I’m
sorry. At least give me a chance. How about I do your reading for half price to
make amends for my rudeness.”
    “You
don’t have to do that. Really, it’s nothing personal. I’m just not in the right
frame of mind for all this.”
    “I
understand. I get a lot of skeptics through my door. Come on, what harm can it
do? Shuffle the cards, choose three and lay them face down on the table.”
    I
sat down again and shuffled the cards almost dropping them at one point because
my hands were shaking so much.
    “There’s
no need to be nervous.”  His voice was as sultry as the surroundings.
    Huh, easier said than done, mate, you’re the one
with all the answers!
    I
placed my chosen cards in front of him. He turned them over one by one, a range
of expressions covering his face. I couldn’t help wondering which card matched
which expression.
    Silenced
filled the room for several minutes until I finally asked, “Well?”
    “Ah,
I see patience isn’t one of your virtues.”
    Cheeky sod.
    “Which
card tells you that?” I asked my tone full of sarcasm.
    “It
was merely an observation.”
    Feeling
like a chastised schoolgirl I waited some more.
    “The
upside down ‘death card’.” He paused before he continued. “To put your mind at
ease, the definition of this card simply means a death of a situation.”
    I
nod and glance down at the table urging him to say more.
    “Past
relationships have been fraught and disillusioning. Am I right?”
    Again
I nod and remain focused on the cards.
    “I
don’t want to dwell on your past as this card here, the ’full moon’ tells me
that you’ve moved on with your life, even though it’s taken you months to get
over a pointless relationship.”
    My
mouth dropped open amazed at the accuracy of his