Author's Note 1: These short fantasies started off as weekly mini-stories for my readers, but the newsletter was shut down because autoresponders do not accept adult content. I thus decided to publish these fantasies for free for my readers to enjoy. It is meant to entertain, so please do not leave hateful comments if everything is not perfect. I am only human after all.
***
Have you ever had one of those fantasies? You know, the ones that feel so real you begin to wonder if you are actually imagining them. Well, I do... because I have them all the time! Sometimes, they turn into a story, but mostly they remain trapped inside my brain. That is, until now...
I believe in aliens. I know how it sounds, but before you go calling me nuts, take a second to think about it. Can you realistically believe that, out of the billions of planet in the universe, earth is the only inhabited one? I don't.
All this talk about aliens is simply my way of telling you I am quite open minded. However, I have yet to see any proof that ghosts or demons—or any other supernatural beings—exist. Because of this, I have never believed in fortune telling. Perhaps there are some people out there that truly have a gift, but I can say without a doubt that most—if not all—fortune tellers are fakes.
Still, I have recently started expanding my horizons and exploring the vastness of the world—I know that sounds quite deep, but it simply means doing all the things I told myself I would one day do but kept putting off until later—so I felt like it was my duty to accept my friend's offer to join her for a free palm-reading session. Deep down, I knew it was ridiculous to believe someone could tell my future just by looking at my hand, but I kept my mouth shut and went along.
The shop—at least I think that's what they call it—was pretty much as I expected. Filled with crystal balls, tea leaves that were said to be ideal for interpreting the future and a wide variety of other overpriced items that in my opinion were nothing more than a total and utter waste of money.
The fortune teller was exactly as I pictured her. At least for the most part. The clothes she wore seemed to belong to a gypsy and the way her makeup had been applied gave her an almost comical appearance. Everything about her was exactly as I had pictured. Well, almost everything. Unlike the average-looking, middle-aged woman I imagined, before us now stood a gorgeous young woman. She appeared to be in her early-to-mid-twenties and, had it not been for her silly outfit, she would have been breathtakingly beautiful.
We were asked to follow her into the back room. At least that's what I thought until I was asked to stay in the storefront while she took my friend in the back for her consultation. I didn't understand the need for privacy, but chose to play along. I am not exactly a fan of confrontation and my friend had been looking forward to this all day.
It took roughly fifteen minutes for my friend to emerge from the back room. By then, I had time to scan every single item in the store. Twice. As expected, not a single one of them was of any interest to me, though a few of the crystals on display were quite beautiful.
"How was it?" I asked my friend, doing my best to sound excited.
She didn't look happy. I assumed it had something to do with what the fortune teller had "discovered" about her future. I wanted to tell her not to worry, but doing that would have forced me to dispel my friend's beliefs. I remained silent.
"She's waiting for you," was all my friend said.
I gave my friend a questioning look, but she forced a smile upon her lips. It was her way of telling me she would be fine. Shrugging, I made my way to the back room.
The lights were dimmed and veils were draped over most of the furniture. Many of them also hung from the ceiling. The table was small and around and a large crystal ball stood at its center. There were only two chairs. One was empty. In the other sat the fortune teller.
"Have a seat and let me tell you about your future," she said in a voice that could only be fake. It took all the strength I had to keep from laughing. It was all so silly.
I sat across from her. She stared at me for the longest time until it made me so uncomfortable I decided to leave. But right before I stood up, she reached out and grabbed my hand, which had been resting atop the table. Even though the air was hot, her hands were freezing. A shiver ran down my spine as she turned it over.
The palm reading began. I had expected it to be cheesy, but this was far beyond anything I could have imagined. Everything she "predicted" was so vague it was impossible not to come true. She said things like: "You will meet someone soon." No duh, we all meet people each end every day! She also said something about my boss giving me a raise, but I was already too bored to point out I didn't have a boss.
My mind started to drift. The heat of the air was putting me to sleep and keeping my eyes open was a constant struggle. The fortune teller continued speaking, but her words were nothing more than background noise. All I could do was focus on the coldness of her fingers and hope it would be enough to keep me conscious. But then she said something that made me forget all about my drowsiness.
"I see sex in your future," she said.
It took a few seconds for my brain to interpret the words. "Sex?" I asked when it finally did. "When?"
An odd smile curled her lips.
