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The Hunter's Tarot A little while later, Diana returned, carrying something wrapped in a black velvet cloth. She sat down at the table and opened the cloth, revealing a deck of colorful oversized cards with unique pictures of them.
“Alright, I’ll consult the cards. What’s the question?” she asked as she took the cards and began shuffling them slowly on the velvet cloth she spread out. Everyone looked at each other. Finally Colt spoke up. “Alright, I’ll ask the most general question: What will our future with the NeoPhytes be like?” he asked. Diana stopped shuffling the cards and began to lay the top six ones face down on the cloth. One by one, she opened the cards. The first showed a black-clothed lady with three faces. The Moon. The second showed a young man riding a chariot drawn by two horses, black and white pulling in opposite directions. The Chariot. The third showed a man and a woman intertwined together in a romantic pose. The Lovers. The fourth showed a woman holding the jaws of a lion open. The Strength Card. The fifth showed three women, young, mature and old, beside a wheel. The Wheel of Fortune. And the sixth showed a black clothed Grim Reaper atop a skeleton of a horse, wielding a menacing scythe. The Death Card. Reactions sounded when the last was revealed. Clearly, Death held some sort of scary meaning to them. Diana let the feeling sink in before explaining the meanings. “Okay, the first card. The Moon stands for hidden dangers. All is not what they seem to be. Unforeseen perils, lies and terrible risks are around. Hidden enemies lurk and we should be very careful.” “Second card. The Chariot. Mon Dieu! Maybe this is the card you are waiting for. This is the card for war. The black and white horses pulling in the opposite directions stand for opposing forces.” Colt let out a whistle, “Shucks, maybe we should get ready for whoever is comin’.” Saber shrugged, “You never know, Colt. You control your own destiny, the cards don’t” Diana nodded, as she explained the third card, “The Lovers. Okay, most people take this card literally. And I mean literally. But it can mean other things. The Lovers represent decision. A decisive point will be reached. An important choice must be made with reference to true desire rather than duty. In other words, use your heart not your head in making a decision.” She went on to the fourth card, “Strength. This is a good sign with the Chariot. Strength represents physical strength, courage defeating mean attitudes and hatred. Good chance that you will triumph over your enemies if you have the will. See? Good, non?” Brent leaned forward to get a good look at the cards, “So you’re saying we’re a cinch to win when enemies come along?” Diana shrugged, “As Saber Rider said, it’s up to you, not the cards.” She went on to the fifth card. “The Wheel of Fortune. It represents something like “a turn for the better”, the end result of past actions and the workings of destiny. An end to current problems and some marked strokes of luck.” She took a deep breath, and continued, “Last card. Death. This card has most people freaking out. But Death does not necessarily mean, death as in ‘you’re gonna die!’, spooky stuff, and all that. The Death card originally represents the end of something, the clearing out which will make way for something better and good.” She sat back and smiled up at the others, still speechless with her predictions. Finally, Pathfinder swallowed and rolled his eyes at the others. “Gaaf…Wonder if you’re predictions are going to come through.” Colt snorted, “I’ll believe it when it happens.” He yawned, “But, right now, this cowboy’s going to get some shut-eye. G’night y’all.” He walked out of the room. Saber stood up and checked his watch, “Yes, Colt is right. You, NeoPhytes had better get some rest. We start tomorrow.” April, Fireball, and Pathfinder stood up slowly and filed out of the room. Diana stayed behind and started arranging her tarot deck. She had already wrapped them gently in the velvet cloth when she sensed someone behind her. Diana turned around and bumped into Brent, dropping her cards. “Mon dieu! Brent, sorry didn’t see you there.” She said, kneeling down to pick up her wrapped up cards. “Oh, sorry, ma’am. Just wanted to ask where did you learn how to do that card thingy. That was pretty cool.” He said. “Well, merci, mon ami . I learned how to predict fortunes with my adopted family in France. Maybe some other time, mon ami? We really need to get some sleep for tomorrow.” Brent nodded, “Fine, Hunter. Let me escort you to your room and may you sleep well.” He tipped his hat a little to her. Together they went out of the room. ___________________________________________________________ End (for the time being) Author’s Notes: terms used: Salamat -Thanks Cest’ magnifique – this is magnificent Bon – good, okay Oui – yes Gaaf – cool Cest’ fantastique – this is fantastic Ja – yes Non – no Mon petite ami – my small friend Mon ami – my friend Mon dieu – exclamation in French; my goodness Merci – thank you Merci beaucoup – thank you very much Non – no **Filipino, French and Dutch terms. I tried studying French, Dutch and Japanese a while back...** ***Look back at this short fic to see if her predictions are correct at the end. Those tarot card figures are the true meanings of the cards. Believe me, I'm a fortune-teller so I ought to know...=) *** |
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