Natalie stepped hesitantly through the curtain of beads covering the entrance to the strange tent, and found herself standing in front of a small table. Seated behind the table was Madame Zonia. Her name was on the sign outside - Madame Zonia, Fortune Teller extraordinaire! Be warned: her magnificent powers can even warp reality itself! Her fortunes will change your world! Not that Natalie believed in such things. At least, she hadn't thought she believed. But then, why was she here? She'd been walking home from work, and had come across a small tent made of dark, purple cloth, tucked away in an alley. It had looked quite suspicious, but something had possessed Natalie to take a closer look. She'd seen Madame Zonia's sign, and on a whim had decided to get her fortune told. She wasn't sure why. The instinct had just come over her all of a sudden.
"You are here for your fortune?" Madame Zonia asked. She spoke with a soft Eastern European accent that was quite pleasing to Natalie's ears. Natalie couldn't see the fortune teller clearer. She had a rich and finely woven shawl wrapped around her and her face was hidden beneath a dark hood. For a moment, though, as Natalie entered, a light breeze inflamed the candles that lit the shadowy tent, briefly illuminating Madame Zonia's face. Natalie got the brief impression of a fairly young, extraordinary beautiful woman with sharp, piercing eyes and strange, vine-like tattoos winding across her skin. Natalie sniffed at that. She hated tattoos. She couldn't imagine why anyone would ever get one.
"I... suppose so," Natalie replied. She felt very foolish, having walked in for no real reason. Nervously, she brushed her long, brown hair out of her face. She really should tie it back, or get it cut. "How much does it cost?"
"No charge." There was rich humour in Madame Zonia's voice. "It will not cost you any money at all. I have a good feeling about you. Sit down, and we can begin." She gestured to the stool on the opposite side of the table.
Natalie moved to take her seat. "What kinds of fortunes do you do?" she asked, more than anything just to fill the silence.
"Tarot cards." From up her voluminous sleeve, Madame Zonia produced a deck of cards and started shuffling it with blinding speed. "The cards reveal the truth of things. They have power. Some say they can even rewrite the threads of fate itself! I can tell you do not believe. But you will."
"I guess we'll find out." Natalie smiled politely and settled herself. Part of her still wanted to leave but she reasoned that since it was free, she might as well stay. "I suppose... I'd like to find out about my career prospects, please."
Natalie spent most of her time working. She'd just been walking home from the office, even though it was after eight o'clock in the evening. Her career was everything to her. Her parents had mostly been pretty liberal, but they'd always taught her that you had to pay your way, and you had to be going somewhere. Natalie had taken those lessons to heart. She'd gone straight into a serious career right after college, and now, twenty years later, she was a senior manager at her company. In terms of her clothing, she was every inch the consummate professional with her knee length skirt and neat-fitting jacket. She was good at her job, but she had to admit that the other areas of her life had suffered a little. In particular, she'd struggled to maintain serious relationships. She'd been going out with her current boyfriend, James, for about six months now, and things were a little strained between them. He wanted more time than she had to give. She wished she could compromise, but her career had to come first. He was a nice guy and the sex was OK - her needs were one of the main reasons she bothered with relationships at all - but she needed to keep her priorities straight.
"No career," Madame Zonia said firmly. "I only read for one thing. Your sex life."
"My sex life?" Natalie frowned. That seemed a little intrusive, although she also felt like it could be a bit of fun. Besides, she told herself again, it was free. "Sure, why not?"
"Then let us begin." Madame Zonia stopped shuffling the tarot cards. "Five cards, I will reveal. These five cards will reveal the truth that the fates have in store for you. We begin with the significator, the card that represents you." Madame Zonia flipped over the top card of the deck and placed it on the table, facing Natalie. The card showed a man seated on a throne, with his arms raised. He had a papal crown on his head and in one hand was an upraised staff. A series of crosses lined his robes. The word 'hierophant' was written on the bottom of the card. "The Hierophant. For you, this card signifies orthodoxy. You confine yourself to traditional expectations. I take it you have yet to have sex with your boyfriend?"
"Of course! Not that it's any of your business." Natalie tugged uncomfortably at her loose, ankle-length skirt and shapeless, over-sized jacket. She wasn't comfortable discussing sex, and felt the urge to make sure she wasn't showing any skin. Besides, there wasn't much to discuss. She wouldn't have sex with James before they married. She was very insistent about that. It just wouldn't be decent.