WHEEL OF FORTUNE, A REVERSE FIVE OF RODS, AND THE KNIGHT OF PENTACLES

Story time

Ella slumped back into the Adirondack chair and watched the flames leaping up from the large fire pit. She was the only one out and had the patio all to herself. Tucking her feet up under her, she let her shoulders relax and she sighed, looking up at the night sky. It really was beautiful here, even better than the pictures in the brochure. Ella reached down for her metal water bottle and took a swig of the vodka she’d filled the bottle with. She winced and thought she should have filled it half with vodka and half with grapefruit juice. Instead, she’d filled the bottle to the top. Ella shrugged, took another gulp and savored the warmth of the alcohol as it travelled down her throat. The fire continued to crackle and pop. An owl hooted in the distance. Ella took another sip of vodka.

The vodka was contraband. The brochure had strictly prohibited drugs and alcohol of any kind. This was a health and spiritual retreat with a strict vegan meal plan, morning meditation and yoga, and mindful nature walks. When Ella arrived, she had been handed a journal of handmade paper and a rubber band bundle of colored pencils. The woman at check-in, Rain, had handed them to Ella with a smile and said “it’s for writing and sketching your visions.” Ella had taken the journal and mumbled a ‘thank you’ as she gathered her bags to head to her cabin. “You have free time until six. Then we’ll have our opening ceremony with our evening meal. I so hope you enjoy your time here with us.” Rain said, her focus already turning to the next guest in line. Ella had then followed the path that led to her cabin, which looked a little run down. Once inside, Ella threw her bags on the bed that was covered with a calico quilt of blues. She was pleasantly surprised to find the inside did not match the outside. The place was rather nice in a rustic sort of way. It was clean and she had her own private bathroom with a beautiful copper soaking tub. Ella thought this completely met the definition of ‘glamping’. Ella wasn’t much of an unpacker, but she had taken the time to empty out the small bag of groceries she’d brought with her, putting things in the mini-fridge and setting stuff out on the little kitchen counter. Then she had taken a look at the things she had brought, particularly the bottle of vodka and the family size package of Double Stuffed Oreos. She gathered those up and shoved them into the cabinet under the sink before heading out to explore the rest of the camp.

Ella took another drink from her water bottle. She was going to have to pace herself if that bottle was going to last her the week. Her stomach grumbled. Dinner had been lacking in substance and mostly kale. Ella fished an Oreo out from the pocket of her hoodie and was just about to take a bite when she heard the sounds of footsteps. Ella shoved the whole cookie into her mouth just as another camper walked into the light from the fire. “Oh! I didn’t expect anyone else to be out here for some reason. Is it okay if I join you?” The woman asked Ella, whose mouth was still full of cookie. Ella nodded her head while trying to swallow down the chewed up cookie that had by now turned itself into a ball of mush. She took a large drink from her water bottle, forgetting that is did not contain water and nearly choked before managing to squeak out “sure!” Ella noticed that the woman had her own metal water bottle and wondered if it was also filled with contraband like her own. “I’m Diane.” she said as she started to take a seat next to Ella. “Ella. Please to meet you.” Diane leaned back into her chair, opened her water bottle and took a sip of some dark red looking ‘water’. “Cheers!” Diane said as she held out her bottle for a clink. Ella chuckled and raised her water bottle, clinking it against Diane’s bottle. “Cheers!” Diane was wearing a pretty stylish wool poncho. She fished around in the front pocket and pulled out two Snickers bars. “Want one? I don’t know about you, but I’m starving after that bowl of grass clippings they called dinner.” Diane said as she waved one of the candy bars, eyebrows raised. Ella pulled the sleeve of Oreos she’d stashed inside her hoodie pocket. “I’d love one. How about some Oreos?” Diane grinned as she pulled two cookies from the sleeve. “I think we’re going to be friends.” Ella smiled and replied “I think so too.”

The two women sat quietly for a moment and then Diane asked “What made you decide to come to this retreat?” Ella groaned “It’s a long stupid story involving a boy. Or a man child. It was a bad relationship that ended just as badly. I saw the brochure at my corner coffee shop and for some crazy reason thought this was exactly what I needed in that moment. What about you?” Diane took a sip from her bottle. “My last kid has just left for college. Empty nester. That and I found out my husband has been sleeping with his dental hygienist for the last seven years.” Ella winced and said “ouch.” They both took drinks from their water bottles. Ella looked at Diane. She did not look old enough to have a kid in college let alone multiple adult children. Ella handed over the sleeve of cookies and said “I would never have guessed you were old enough to have adult children.” Diane took another cookie. “My husband, soon to be ex, is a very popular dentist. I haven’t had any major plastic surgery, but I usually spend a week at a particular spa every year and I have a personal trainer. Who I should totally start boning.” Ella laughed and agreed “Yes…yes you should.”

The two women were quiet for a bit, both staring at the flames that were beginning to die out. “What do you expect to get out of this week?” Ella asked. Diane made a face and thought for a minute. “You know…I’m really angry at Allen, my husband. I worked a crappy job to help put him through dental school, had his children, gave up my own hopes of furthering my education and having a career of my own because he thought it would be best if I stayed home and took care of the home. I love my children, I really do, but I also wanted something of my own and I’m really angry that I let him take that away from me. I guess, if I get anything out of this week it would be figuring out a way to let all of that anger go.” Ella nodded thoughtfully. “Wow. I’m just hoping to lose ten pounds and have some nap times.” Diane laughed and said “I’m hoping for those things too, but I doubt that’s all you expect from the week.” Ella stared at the glowing embers of what was left of the fire. “That terrible relationship? Well…for a while I let that boy make me believe that I was worthless and lucky to even have him notice me. He made feel small and he crushed every artistic endeavor that I came up with. I was talentless. I was nothing. The stupid thing is that I knew none of that was true, but I let him do it to me anyway. I probably could have let him emotionally abuse me for a really long time, but not the physical abuse. He beat up pretty bad. That’s what it took for me to leave. The leaving part made feel strong and brave for a very sort amount of time, but I’m still afraid. I’m still hanging on to that fear of being talentless and nothing. So…maybe this week will give me some sort of roadmap to bravery.”

Diane raised her water bottle and said “Here’s to a week of angry bravery!” Ella laughed and clinked her water bottle with Diane’s and shouted “Angry Bravery!” They each ate another Oreo and watched as the fire finally died out.

ACE OF SWORDS, KING OF SWORDS AND THE NINE OF PENTACLES

Today's short story

Carrie adjusted the collar on her blouse and smoothed her hands down her skirt as she turned sideways in front of her full length mirror. Her roommate, Martin sat cross legged in the middle of Carrie’s bed. He had wrapped one of Carrie’s silk scarves around his head and was flipping through an old deck of tarot cards. “Where did you get these old cards? And why do you of all people have them?” Carrie pulled off the blazer she had just tried on, flung it over her shoulder and struck a pose. “They were my grandma’s. I guess you can say they were my inheritance. And what do you mean me of all people? Blazer? No blazer?” Martin looked up from the cards. “No blazer. And I just mean, you’re very practical and don’t go in for lala shit.”

Carrie looked at her reflection in the mirror. She had on a teal blouse with a high slightly ruffled neck and cap sleeves. The blouse was tucked into a pin striped pencil skirt. Carrie was now standing on one foot which was sporting a black, low heeled dress shoe. She set her other foot down which was wearing a high heal the same color as her blouse. She continued to alternate between the two like a flamingo. “Girl, you know the high heel looks the best.” Martin said this without even looking up. Carrie sighed and plopped down on the bed. “I just want to look professional, yet feminine. I am also really nervous. What if Roberts is calling me in to fire me? Or demote me? What if this meeting is a disaster?” Martin held up a card with an image of a beautiful woman wearing an elaborate necklace of pentacles. Martin raised an eyebrow and said “Do you know who this is?” Carrie snatched the card from his fingers. “Of course I don’t know who this is. My Grandma Ester was crazy pants. Did I tell you she left all of her money to her cats? Dad was furious. Still is. Any way, Grandma could tell you who this is, but we both know I don’t go in for this crap.”

Carrie tossed the card back into the pile that was forming around Martin. She absently started picking at a cuticle and worrying about this meeting her boss had called. Carrie had worked her tail off at this company for the last five years. She stayed late, worked weekends, said ‘yes’ to every project, even the ones she thought were pointless and stupid. If her boss Jason Roberts, asked her to summersault through flaming hula-hoops, Carrie was prepared to tuck and roll. There’s no way he was calling her in for this special meeting to fire her. Not when she had worked so hard. Yet, Carrie could not allow herself to hope that this was something good, like an important promotion. She just couldn’t. For one thing, Carrie was a woman and from what Carrie witnessed at this company was that women did not move past administrative assistant. Carrie was the only woman on her floor that worked on client projects and did not schedule executive lunches. Carrie hadn’t really paid attention to this during her first week at the company, but then there had been meetings where Carrie had been asked to bring coffee or pick up donuts. To which Carrie had put her foot down and told them that was not in her job description, but she would be happy to ask one of the AA’s to assist them. Carrie thought about all the events and activities she had been excluded from for not being ‘one of the guys’. Though she had zero interest in hanging out in a sports bar watching basketball tournaments, she probably should have gone anyway just to boost her career. Instead, she had stayed at the office, working. What if Roberts saw this as not being a team player?

Martin picked up the card Carrie had just tossed aside and read the description. “Well! This is the Nine of Pentacles and she represents financial power, material domination and family inheritance. Think about it. It’s a card you inherited talking about power and domination. I bet you’re getting a promotion.” Carrie smiled and checked the time on her phone. “Well then, have the champagne ready.” She stood up, smoothed out her skirt and slid on her high heels. Then she grabbed her briefcase and confidently walked out the door.

THE DEVIL, THE THREE OF SWORDS AND AN UPSIDE DOWN ACE OF RODS

I have this little project going where I write a short story based on the random Tarot Cards I draw from a shuffled deck. Today's three cards are a doozy and I have no idea what I'm going to make from this mess. There's no happy ending here.

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It was so hot inside the cramped chapel, with barely a breeze floating in through the open windows. The ceiling fans and the personal fans held by every other parishioner only managed to shift the hot air back and forth. Ella could feel the sweat trickling down the back of her church dress. Her hands were sweaty inside her lace gloves. Her spine ached from sitting tall on the hard wooden pew. Every time Ella started to lean back to rest, her grandmother swatted Ella’s thigh with her fan. Ella half listened to the pastor yelling his sermon of fire and brimstone. She was certain that there was a hell and that she was currently in it.

“And the Lord says: Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone and a horrible tempest!” The Preacher cried out and then slammed his open palm onto the pulpit. The congregation responded with amens and praise jesuses. Ella shifted her eyes to the side to take a peak at her grandmother who was now swaying in her seat with her hands held up, eyes gently closed in prayer. Ella took this opportunity to slowly lean her spine onto the back of the pew. She had just barely felt her vertebra touch the wooden back when she felt the sting on her thigh from her grandmother’s fan. Ella sighed, straightened herself back up and wonder how much longer the preacher was going to go on. They’d been sitting in that sweltering chapel for well over an hour now. Ella’s thoughts began to drift to the wicked and how she had yet to see anyone suffer from fire and brimstone. Why just the other day, Billy Thompson had thrown a sizable rock at Ella, just barely missing her head and there he was fidgeting next to his mother, tugging at the tie she’d made him wear for Sunday service. Billy’s sins were nothing compared to the men who had dragged her daddy out of the house two years ago. Daddy still walked with a limp from the beating they’d given him for walking down the wrong sidewalk.

Ella wondered what the Lord’s timeframe was for administering his punishments to the wicked. It seemed to her that he was taking his own sweet time. The more she thought on it, the more agitated her thoughts became. She felt anger rising in her belly at all of the wickedness that she had witnessed just in her short lifetime. Like her momma dying while trying to give birth to Ella’s baby brother because the only doctor available had been the white doctor who refused to come to their side of town. Ella had watched the blood flow from her momma as she held the tiny baby. Ella had named the baby Jordan, but he’d only lived for two days after his birth. Daddy had lost his job at the factory after having to take time off to recover from the beating from those wicked men. Ella’s hair was just now growing back from the time her teacher had taken it upon herself to shave Ella’s head. “There’s no way you can do any proper learning with that nappy head of hair.” the teacher had said. If there had been a lesson to be learned from that, Ella had yet to understand it. Hair or no hair, she had still beat Lily Elliot in the math-a-thon.

Yes, Ella thought, the Lord sure did seem to take a long time to punish the wicked. She paused in her thinking to take a moment to listen to see if the preacher would say something on this matter in particular. He was currently going on and on about turning the other cheek. Ella made a face and thought that she’d been turning the other cheek her whole life and it hadn’t gotten her very far. Ella sighed, bowed her head and closed her eyes. Maybe if she looked like she was praying, her grandmother wouldn't notice if her back rested on the back of the pew. She let her body sway from side to side as if she was deep in prayer and the gently rested her spine on the back of the pew. Smack! Ella snapped to attention and gently rubbed her stinging thigh. There was no fooling her grandmother. Ella shifted in her seat a little and then stopped thinking on the wicked and punishment. Instead she started to dream about her future and how one day she would be a doctor or lawyer. Maybe she’d be both! Delivering babies and justice! Like a superhero! Ella pictured herself wearing a smart business suit with a swaddled baby in one arm and raising a book of the law with her other hand, beams of light radiating behind her.

Ella smiled at the very idea of it as she sat sweating in that chapel while the preacher railed on.