Epilogue: Approach

          Fireworks kicked off the evening as colors lit the night sky with lights like glitter. Performers danced on a stage and magicians attempted to amaze their crowds. Anymalis, giants, elves, and humans strolled around and enjoyed the festival. They played games and had a good time. The smell of foreign foods traveled through the festive air. Sweetbreads with a scent like cinnamon and White Trout kabobs with a scent like fried chicken made Brooke’s stomach howl. She walked comfortably in her red and yellow kimono. Shawn stood to the left of her and Meredith stood to the right of her, wearing a blue and yellow dress for the spring evening. She loved the new color she chose for the kingdom. Brooke was glad she was happy with her choice.

Meredith’s hair was wet as her drenched curls clung to her side. She just finished bobbing for apples. She had one in her hand, tossing it into the air. When she caught it, she took a big bite. She sighed and she began to miss Ross as she watched Brooke and Shawn. They were a beautiful couple. Now that Meredith was queen, she wondered how to handle her engagement. She wanted to call it off, but feared a war. She had never led a war before. It might have to come even faster now that she must marry Ricky. Meredith shook her head and decided to focus on more pleasant things. She noticed the decorators did a marvelous job. The stalls for games and booths had dressage in the colors she picked, blue, and yellow. She thought the mix gave the festival a peaceful atmosphere.

A tarot card booth caught her eyes. Its blue and yellow color set on the curtains that fell over the booth moved in a mesmerizing swirl. The real part of it was probably set up inside and she felt a sudden curiosity.

Brooke turned to see what the queen had stopped to view. Shawn followed Brooke. They found themselves mesmerized by the swirling mystic colors. Meredith entered the booth and saw that it was larger from the inside. A lot larger. It was like an average size room. Meredith, Brooke, and Shawn walked around. There were shelves of strange bottled liquids. Meredith recognized some and the rest she figured was magic beyond her knowledge.

One wall had a shelf of books the size of bricks yet they contained a certain gravity of curiosity to them. It was as if the bindings could’ve captivated the trio to read their pages for eternity. The text on the spines were in a language no one understood.

Brooke stopped at a painting. There was a serpent wrapped around a fighting Pegasus hovering above a sad sea, below an angry sky. She didn’t know why she thought the sea sad or the sky angry. The serpent looked as if it slithered lively. Brooke stepped back, shook her head and Shawn tapped her to make sure she was okay. She nodded and they continued looking around.

A particular odor of crayons filled the tent. What an odd smell. Brooke and Meredith felt as though they had stepped into a new land, a new world of sorts. The room was dark with the highlight of stars on the square ceiling mimicking a starry night. Someone cut on a radio. Brooke recognized the chant, that language! That weird language she did not understand. What was that?

Sets of candles alit and lighted a table. Four chairs of timber wood stood before the table. A deck of cards laid in the middle decorated with scrolls and circles on the back of them. A tall, dark skinned woman pushed a beaded curtain aside to pass. She wore a black dress that complemented her dark skin tone. She had an exotic look to her face. Her almond shaped eyes looked like those of an intelligent cat. She rolled her long, black hair into a bun and sat at the chair opposite of her visitors. When she finished with her hair, she smiled to them. “It seems fate has brought us together, eh?” By her voice, Brooke could tell she wasn’t from around Alagracia. It was enthralling, inviting, and warm. Meredith, Shawn, and Brooke sat down. The woman smiled at Meredith. “Eyes of passion, I see.” She chuckled, and then glanced at Shawn. “Eyes of a gentleman.” She laughed. The woman’s eyes narrowed and then cast a sharp glare at Brooke. “It seems fate has brought me ill fortune,” she muttered.

Brooke arched her brow at the comment. The woman cleared her throat. She picked up her cards, standing at the table. She began shuffling them, but they fell out of her hand and onto the floor. Four of the cards landed face down on the table. The woman gasped. Meredith and Shawn motioned to help pick up the cards. The woman abandoned the cards and flipped the ones on the table. She met eyes with Brooke and the woman seemed to cower, afraid, alert, and cautious. “So, what do the cards say about my future?” asked Brooke without looking away.

She read their titles. One card had an upside down man, hanging from the air. It said HANGED MAN. The one next to it had a red creature on it with curved horns sitting on a throne chair. It read DEVIL. Another had what looked like an old wizard wearing a cloak, lifting up a ball of light. It read MAGICIAN. The fourth one had a masked woman wearing a nightgown pulled through the night. It said HIGH PRIESTESS. “You, bearer of a cursed power, bring me ill fate! Leave at once!”

“Wait, what do these cards mean?” Brooke asked, a thick air of tension laying about them.

“Get out!” she yelled, desperate, angry. Brooke didn’t understand where this came from.

Meredith grabbed Brooke’s hand. She, Shawn, and Brooke left the booth. “What was that about?” Shawn asked. “You okay, Brooke?”

“Just a little freaked out.” Cursed power? What did she mean…? She looked at Shawn and smiled to show she was okay. He wanted to kiss her or at least hold her hand. She read his mind and entwined her fingers within his fingers. Shivers crawled into her skin and it felt strange. She let go and sighed.

“It’s okay, Brooklyn,” he assured.

“No, it’s not, I can’t-”

“Look!” Shawn pointed to a firework that took the shape of a blue heart. “I remember when we were about five; your mom first introduced you to me. I thought you were the prettiest girl I’d ever seen.”

Brooke smiled and she remembered, a memory she repressed, but she remembered now as she gazed into his familiar eyes. She forgot all about that woman and focused on sharing fun times with two of her favorite people. As they walked, a stranger bumped into Brooke. She frowned. “Hey watch it!” she yelled.

He turned to her and she saw deep-set, clear eyes. They tightened and Brooke felt a chill intrude within her spine, foreboding. Meredith felt it too. They exchanged glances as the stranger continued onward. As the two friends were bold, fearless, and unafraid for whatever come their way, they sensed something was definitely coming their way.

 

Author's Note

Dear Reader,

I don't know if there will be a trilogy, but there is a sequel to this because there are still some unasnwered questions that just can't be put into this one novel. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. If not, feel free to tell me it's downfalls. This was an experiment after all.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely JazzSoulKeke,

God bless

Reviews

[Night]

Whew! I can not believe I read that in one go! I don't know what to say! I really like the flow of your writing and even though I don't usually enjoy Books...I gotta say...I can not wait for the sequel!

[Cath]

This is a good piece of writing . It has good aspects to it , I hope to se the sequel !

[Kianna]

Did you read the whole novel?

[Larry Dyson]

amazing writing , you appear quite young in your picture ,only to mention a good insight into writing these types of stories and the manner in which you weave your tales...is it published yet?..oh and I live in Tomball Texas north west of Houston...im 63 yrs old...