Chest of Tricks

A Story by Que

This is a short story...kind of.

An old woman with a limp in one leg and a twisted cane in hand was hobbling on the sidewalk at a good clip for her age. While her patchwork of a coat dragged on the ground, it had always been much too big for her since she found it many experiences ago, she adjusted the straps keeping a small chest on her back.

She liked to call it her Chest of Tricks but she had many tricks in her coat, her too short, cut-off pinstriped pants, her mind and even one in her shoe, falling apart though it was. Her tricks where nothing spectacular, just things to get the necessities and once in a while a smile out of a stranger even though at her age no one could be labeled a stranger. Not that she knew everyone, far from that, but that she just didn’t care who anyone was. “Everyone’s just people and why should people be strange? Hardly makes sense and you got to be my age, or older god forbid, to understand.”

On her side of the street, not too far ahead and slowly being caught up to, was a young button of a red head. Now, usually she would avoid crowds of two but this one walked the walk of the worried sick but still hoping for just about anything to turn out right. She had seen the walk many times before, and walked it, so she hobbled a little faster though her breathe was short.

The old woman fell into step with the slightly-less-buttony-up-close red head. Before anything was said she swung her Chest of Tricks to her front and began digging around. With a triumphant, “Ha!” she pulled out a stick of incense.

“Do you see this here, young lady?” She waved it in front of the girl’s face, grabbing the proper amount of attention, “It’s said to smell like hope.”

“I didn’t know hope had a smell.”

“Sure it does, just like worry,” the old woman watched the younger nodding half-mindedly, “just like it has a taste a sound, a look…”

She smothered a crooked grin as the red head finally caught on quite slowly too. At the proper moment, which took longer still, the old woman of old tricks, old wisdom and young wits said, “You know what helps to hide a worry? A tarot reading by an old woman.”

“Does it?”

“You bet your fiery hair it does, and I’m gonna give you one.”

“Going to pull a deck out of your Chest of Wonders, are you?”

“’Chest of Tricks’ and, as a matter of fact, I am not.” The old woman opened her coat instead and rummaged around in many different pockets before pulling out an old wooden box with a Celtic knot carved on the lid.

“What’s your name?”

“Oh, I suppose I’ve gone by many names in my long life. The name my mother gave me was Mildred. An old hobo called me Aldi. A dog called me Ruff…”

“It was only barking.”

“You’re wrong on that count. Dogs say, or at least this one did, ‘woof’ when they’re barking. When it wanted my attention it said ‘Ruff,’ the name it gave me. Would you like more examples or have you found a name you like?”

“Could I call you Wini?”

“Like the yellow bear?”

“Yeah.”

“I do suppose you can.”

“What’s in the box?”

“You ask a lot of questions but I guess that’s nor mal for a child.”

“I’m 20, not a child.”

“If you say so. Do you want the reading or not?”

“Sure, I have time.” So the two wandered until they found a suitable place in a well gardened park by a bubbling creek at a picnic table, weathered grey long ago beneath a tall oak.

“What would you like? A Celtic circle perhaps? Or maybe just the standard. I have a book, you’re welcome to choose whatever you will.” A small book, bound in aged leather, was pulled from another hidden pocket and handed to the red head.

She hadn’t looked long when she smiled, “I like this one, the Horseshoe Spread. It looks simple and to the point.”

“No tarot reading is simple and to the point.”

“It’s still the one I want.”

“Fain enough.”A card slipped from mid deck and with a flourish Wini held it out to the red head, “Madie, take this card and put your troubles to it.”
“How did…”

“Do it. And when you’re finished place it before you.” Madie, the almost-button red head, closed her eyes and held the card in her hands gingerly before she set it down. Wini, having shuffled while the troubles were traveling from one point to the next, placed seven cards, face down, creating a horseshoe-like shape around Madie’s trouble card.

“The first card,” Wini placed her wrinkled and spotted hand over the one to Madie’s far right, “is your past. Not your whole past but some place recent is my guess.” When it was turned over The Horned One was revealed to be reversed.

“Ah, you lived a false life through momentary bliss, bringing yourself to an unexpected halt. While we both can guess as to what caused that I’m not sure where it left you after. How’s your situation then?” The second card was flipped.

“I’ll be, another major arcana and reversed too. Surprising me is hard work Madie, you should be proud.” Madie, stricken by the cards name only tried to smile but failed. “Death does have a habit of carrying the wrong impression. What I see here is both the longing for and the fear of change but the emotion this causes does nothing to aid you, now does it? What is it you’re trying to reach then?

The third card revealed yet another reversed major arcana known as The Tower. “My, my, haven’t you any hope darling? This tells me you’re quite frightened of being trapped as you are now. Forever haunted by past failures and fearing failure in the future. Hardly healthy, what could be a better way to go about getting a good life? Shall we?

“At least it’s not reversed, but still, to have two major arcana in such a small reading is astounding but four in a row?

“Have you any passion? That could be used to your advantage. Or so says Strength. You must dig deeper within yourself to resist the temptation of reverting back to your old ways. Have confidence for a change, in other words.”

“Wini, I know all of this.”

“Be patient child, there are still three more cards. Let’s see what card number five reveals.” When the card was flipped Wini’s eye brows shot up in astonishment, “Five cards, and all major arcana. I’ve never seen the like before.” After the initial shock had passed Wini gathered herself to finish up.

“A reversed Universe, a sad sign. The fifth card is to show the attitudes of those surrounding you and this says you’ve lost them and what support they gave. Don’t fret my dear, there are two more cards to read.”

The sixth card came up as a reversed Fool telling Wini this young Madie would come to face yet another obstacle called herself, “You need to learn to follow your heart no matter the trail. An easy route doesn’t always end at an easy life.”

Before she flipped the final card she sat and looked intently at Madie, “This card is the outcome. I don’t know if it can be a way of foresight but if it’s believed to be true then it may become a self fulfilling prophecy. It is your choice whether or not you see this card. Think long and hard.”

“I think…” Madie paused looking deep within herself, “I think I’ll not see it. Every atom of my being is screaming no and to leave with what hope that’s been given to me. Thank you, how can I repay you?”

“A thanks is all I need but that ribbon is quite lovely.”

“Consider it yours,” she smiled as she worked the long, deep sea blue ribbon out of her braid and handed it to the old woman of many names and owner of the Chest of Tricks.

With hope making her a little buttonier the red head named Madie walked away with a wave and a grin to anyone who went by but especially to a woman who gives hope for a ribbon and a thanks.

“What a nice child, a shame she’s got it rough. So what does her future hold?”

The last card was turned to show the Five of Cups and the old woman sighed, “Maybe the tarot cards are wrong,” because the card read of loneliness, disappointment and sorrow in not-at-all-buttony-but-turned-somewhat-buttony-with-some-help-by-hope Madie’s future.

“Yes, let’s hope that today the tarot were wrong.” With her stuff back in their places the old woman with tricks in her coat, her too short, cut-off, pinstriped pants, her mind and even one in her shoe, falling apart though it was, began hobbling once again to nowhere.