He walked up the steps and opened the front door. It was a good night for fishing. Down on the table clanged his keys, and into the parlor he crept. In his trouser pocket wallet was a twenty dollar bill. In his jacket's breast pocket was a hundred. The old lady couldn't help but snicker to herself.

"Alright, alright, " she said as she was reaching out to accept his gratuity, "I can do it for twenty, I suppose." ((Was this man really so foolish to believe she, being a fortune teller, didn't know about the hundred he was attempting to keep quiet?))

"Ask your question, dearie. You're just in time. I was about to lock the door. There's a storm brewing in the east, and I, being a lonely old woman, want to batten down my hatches before the wind begins." She started to shuffle the deck. The burgandy candle on the ivory table flickered. The old fortune teller moved her lips yet no words came out.

"Mother, what do the cards have to say about love?"

"My dearest Son, the first card is the Nine of Swords. This means you will catch a girl, out of the corner of your eye, staring at you. This card warns you not to look back. The second card is the Seven of Cups. This means you will drink from her wine glass and on the seventh night, after drinking from her glass, you will ask her to marry you. Now, Sonny, you draw the third and final card from the deck. Be very careful for it will represent the worst." She closed her ancient eyes as he reached for the deck. Off in the near distance, thunder rumbled.

He reached out an untrembling hand and drew a card from the deck. After placing it face down on the table his mother opened her eyes. She turned the card over and placed it in position. "Oh, dear! It's The Chariot. This means she will decline your proposal. Now get out of here, your future awaits you."

The old mother blows out her candle, leads her Son out of the parlor and back to the front door. "Don't forget your keys."

I dedicated this to my daughter, Buttney, and my ~fairy princess~ soul sisters.