“FORTUNE” An Inktober Short Story

Written and Illustrated by Luis Roding
Reading time: 10 minutes

Purple was the color the lady chose to wear that evening. She needed to maximize her theatrical impression, considering such a customer had decided to pay her a visit at last.

She looked at herself in the mirror and thought she’d never been so pretty and young.

– And now, for the show. Which one should we use? – She asked, opening a wooden vault where four beautiful crystal balls lay.

– The blue one? Or the red one?

A white rat stood on the round table, smelling the air and shoving its nose, or at least, that would have said anyone watching the scene from the outside.

– What?

The lady contorted her face.

– I can do it with these.

The rat made a single squeal.

– Are you sure?  This one complements my cloak – And she grabbed an orange crystal ball instead.

The animal ran in circles and stood up again.

– Why? He’s not that strong. Is he?

The rat was now stomping the table.

– Oh, come on. Have a little faith in me, will you?

The rat continued and looked as if it was doing some push-ups.

– I’ve made my decision.

She carefully placed the ball on its holder, right at the center of the table. When she turned her back to it, she heard a heavy noise from behind.

– What in the seven hells! – She quickly crouched to catch the ball rolling off the table.

She stood up gasping; her veil had been pulled back, and the vein on her side was pumping mad. The animal stood up on its rear legs again. The lady cleared her throat and went back to the vault with the orange ball, whispering.

– Alright, we’ll do it your way.

She put away the ball and then walked behind a curtain. After a minute, she reappeared, holding an old and stained rag. The rat squealed a few times and ran off the table.

The woman approached and placed the rag on the holder. She left it there and looked around for her little pal.

– You better stick around.

She then removed the rag and revealed a spherical gray object that, in an instant, sucked space from the room, or at least, anyone there would have described it that way.

The rat emerged behind a jar of strange seeds and tiny rocks on a shelf.

– I know how to handle myself! Unlike you… – The lady looked at the rat, who seemed to bow – I am sorry. I didn’t mean it.

The second after covering the ball with the rag, the doorbell rang. She checked her gold wristwatch.

– I don’t have any appointments right now until…

Now the door was being knocked.

– Could it be? – She walked to the door – Who is it?

– Madame Rada! Your appointment of six.

– Wait a minute!

She checked her watch and took it off. She returned to the mirror, covered her face with the veil, and whispered.

– Stick around.

The rat hid behind the jar. The lady went and opened the door, which made a loud and sharp noise. Outside stood a young man with a hat so low that he almost covered his eyes. He made a brief nod.

– Your honor will see you now.

– I was expecting him a little later.

– Your honor is aware, but something came up on his agenda, so he will see you now, or you can forget about it – Said the man, whose feet couldn’t stay put.

– Of course, I can see him now.

The man made a signal with his hand to a horsecar parked in the next block.

– Listen, Madame, you better do a good job. The mayor is a serious man; he doesn’t have time to waste with hocus-pocus crap.

She crossed her arms and looked at him with her deep gray eyes.

– The mayor is a grown-up gentleman. He knows a good service provider when he sees one. Don’t you think?

The man just stared at her with his hands in his pockets.

– Consider it a warning.

He then left and went to the car that had just stopped in front of “Madame Radamanthys. Fortune-telling and More”.

He opened the door, and a man wearing a long black coat and a tall hat walked out, aided by a silver handler cane. His beard was long with no mustache, and he wore round dark shades, too.

When the man reached the lady’s door, she made a reverence. He then nodded by grabbing the edge of his hat and gave her a smooth smile.

– Please, come in – She said.

The mayor entered, and the young man was about to follow him, but Madame blocked the door.

– The appointment is personal. Wanna get in? Book your own.

The young man chuckled, but the lady did not move. He then looked at his boss, who just dismissed him with a wave. Madame stood like a statue by the door. The young man groaned and turned around, headed to the car.

The door closed, making the same theatrical noise.

– Welcome, your honor, to my humble place.

The man took off his hat and coat and gave them to her. The rat was peeking at the scene from behind the jar.

– Nice place you have – Said the mayor.

– Oh, thank you. Would you like something to drink?

The man just raised the palm of his hand.

– Let’s start right away, please.

– Of course, you must be very busy – She pulled a chair for him.

– What can I do for the mayor? – She said, in the sweetest tone she could.

He sat at the round table and looked around, still wearing his shades. She sat too, opposite to him, separated by the old rag. She palmed her hands together, and the lights of the lamps turned off; just at the moment, a few candles on the table lit up. The mayor raised his head but showed no sign of being impressed.

– There is this woman – And he paused – I shouldn’t have mixed with her. She is from a powerful family. Typically, this would benefit me, you know what I mean?

She nodded.

– But this girl is crazy and discovered a few things about me that… If revealed to the public… well… the elections are in a few months, which could be the end of my career. I don’t know what to do.

A low squeal was heard behind the shelf. Madame Rada cleared her throat.

– You need to know what to do?

– Madame, you don’t know this woman. It’s her family; my range of action is no good this time. I came to you because…

– … You’re desperate?

– Listen, I do not mean to offend, please. I really don’t know what else to try. I know this is the first time I have visited you since I was elected.

– I am not easily offended, your honor. In fact, you are the first mayor who visited this establishment in over three decades of being in the business.

– Can you help me?

– Sure, I can, but it depends on how much of my help you are willing to accept.

– Well, I want all the help you can give me. I can pay for it.

– Of course, but some things require another type of payment.

– Like what? You name it.

– How about a bit of bravery?

– Don’t play games with me, woman. This is serious!

– Oh, I know, but do you know? – And as she said this, she removed the drag from the center of the table. The crystal ball looked at him.

The mayor held back. He tried to accommodate himself on his chair.

– What are you planning to do?

– We need to see your fortune, if there’s any, of course.

– What do you mean? I came here so you can change things! – He tried to adjust his tie, looking around in discomfort – It’s a little too narrow in here. Can you open a window?

– Show a little bravery, your honor, please.

– Alright. How does this work? You say some magic words, and the ball shows you things?

– It’s pretty simple. I will ask you a few questions to understand the situation. Then, I will peek into your future, and based on that, we will move forward.

– Let’s do it then! What do you need?

– Tell me. This woman you mixed yourself with. Has she blackmailed you?

– Yes.

– Don’t lie, or I will know.

– Well. Not yet, but she will. I am pretty sure.

– Can we persuade her? Is there something you know about her that we can use against?

– Well, she’s crazy, but her family is no different. I think all of them know how she is.

– Don’t waste the ball time, your honor. Is there anything we could use?

– She speaks alone as if she’s talking to someone, but there’s nobody around. She also takes something regularly. Probably some medicine for her insanity. She carries a small white bottle shaped like a fish with her.

– So you mixed with a wacko? How come?

– I didn’t know she was crazy! I found out that later. She is gorgeous, just like… can we give her something on her medicine? Arsenic or any poison?

– Uhh, you wanna get rid of her then?

– Can you cover that thing? Please – The mayor was trying not to look at the gray crystal ball.

– No, if we want to come up with something.

The mayor started to sweat. Madame Rada got closer to the ball, and the ornaments of her veil shone.

– Killing people is not really my business, your honor.

– Can we give her a potion, so she forgets about me?

– That is more likely. But you need to tell me when you started to see her. If we made her forget everything, it would be like killing her.

– Alright. I met her last year, at the city hall festival.

– Are you sure you have not seen her before?

– Well. I had met her older sister two years before that. I saw her a few times then. Hard to tell.

– Was the sister crazy, too?

– No, she was normal. Maybe far too normal. She was a brute, in fact, but she was beautiful.

– So you mixed with the older sister first?

– What does that have to do with it? Can you make a potion? And when is this ball going to show you my future?

– Oh, I am looking at it right now. I just need one more detail.

– What? Just tell me and cover that horrible thing, please.

– What happened to the older sister?

– She died. Can we leave it at that?

– Were you involved?

– You don’t want to know. Just get over with this, OK?

– Your honor, we are very close to finishing. Just tell me if you were involved.

The mayor squirmed on his chair.

– Yes. But I made it look like an accident. I control the newspaper, so it was reported that way – The mayor’s mouth trembled, and he touched his lips with his finger, like trying to feel it.

– Are we over now? What is my future? Are things going to be alright for me?

– Oh, they will – Madame Rada said – But before, you need to take something.

– What? Why me?

– This is how this works, your honor.

– Ok, let’s do it! But do it now.

The rat squealed.

– Oh, don’t worry. That’s all we needed  – She said, looking back at the jar on the shelf.

– What? – The mayor said.

She then introduced her hand in her cleavage. Her hand came out, holding a small bottle in the shape of a fish.

– What is happening? – Said the mayor. Who tried to get up.

– Oh no, you can’t go right now. We are not over yet – She removed her veil and looked at him with her gray eyes.

– You?

– Admit it, please, that I’d never looked younger or more beautiful than today.

– Heeeeelp! – The mayor screamed in his chair, but his voice started to fade.

– You will drink your medicine now.

He shook his head, but his hand was already extending forward.

– How do you? – But his voice was now less than a whisper.

– She was an ordinary girl, you’re right about that, but my sister was no brute – And she placed the bottle in his hand, which he grabbed.

– She was beautiful and innocent, the only person in this crazy town I could speak to freely – At that moment, the rat climbed up on her shoulder.

– Now, I speak to her this way – And she pet the white rat – That’s the best I could do after what you did to her.

The mayor’s face turned pale as his hand holding the bottle reached his face.

– You will drink that now. It will make you forget.

His lips moved, and anyone looking at his face would have read them saying – “What will I forget…?”

Madame Rada and her rat stood there, looking, and she said.

– Don’t worry, just… everything.