Just one look at the caller ID has Julien’s gut clenching. Dad.
He stares at the screen. Frozen like one of the many statues surrounding him in the Jardin des Tuileries. Blind to the blooming magnolia and impeccably trimmed hedges. A full minute passes before he taps decline. As he pulls up the meetup directions of his best friend, Cassandra, messages flit across the screen.
“We need to talk. You are not dropping out, Julien!”
Julien ignores the string of no-doubt clinical arguments that follow. The financial risks, how he was throwing away his talents, and the sacrifices his parents had made. And how, if he just applied himself, he could be happy in any career. As a doctor or an engineer. Something career-worthy.
Damn it! I came here to get away from all that. Julien stomps off.
He reaches the Grand Bassin Rond. No Cass. Just a multitude of tourists. In his beige shorts, white t-shirt, and small backpack, Julien blends in easily. The print on his t-shirt – a spiky-haired boy with a golden, upside-down pyramid on a necklace – suggests a certain level of nerdiness. Julien’s light brown skin has missed the sunlight currently embellishing his jet-black curls with a reddish sheen.
Closing his eyes, he tries to enjoy.
A light tap on his shoulder startles him. Just as he turns, a rapid poke in his left side causes him to nearly jump out of his skin.
“Ahh! Cass, I told you to stop doing that!”
He turns around to see the culprit – his friend hunched over in the middle of a laughing fit. “I can’t help it. It’s just too funny.” Suddenly, she stops. Her previously twinkling eyes now awash with concern. “Are you alright, Jules?”
“Dad called.”
“Merde. Do you want to talk about it?”
“No.” Julien sighs, shaking his head. “Why are we here? Why are we going to the Louvre, Cass? I thought we’d come to Paris to distract me from my academic…problem.” Julien frowns at the young, raven-haired woman as they start walking to the end of the garden.
Cassandra, Julien’s near-life-long friend, smiles. “Don’t worry. I didn’t bring you here to rekindle your passion for art history.”
“Good,” Julien mutters. “While considering another switch in my major, I don’t need to be reminded of my first.”
He doesn’t add that her enthusiasm had been an important motivator for him to explore his inner artist, only to discover that he enjoyed experiencing art to his taste but not the seemingly endless debate of cultural, social, and political relevance.
Ignoring Julien’s misgivings, Cassandra continues as they pass several visitors, “We’re here for a special exhibition.” Just then, they reach the Arc de Triomphe. Cass points out the collection of wooden wagons arrayed in front of the Louvre’s famous glass pyramid in a semicircle. “It’s a very interesting one. Its main focus is the occult.”
“Ah.” Aware of the incredible pull the occult has over Cassandra, Julien is quiet for a few seconds. “Cass? Not to be ungrateful or anything, but why did you think I would like this?”
“Gee! Have you no faith in me at all?”
“Yes…”
Julien’s drawn-out response triggers an eye roll. “I know you’re mad about card games, alright? I know all about the endless hours you’ve put into those Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic competitions. Do you know what happens to be the oldest card game in existence?”
Julien shrugs.
“Tarot, genius.”
“You don’t say.” Then Julien whirls towards Cassandra. “You knew this when you convinced me to go on this trip!”
She grins. “Possibly.”
“How?”
“It’s not like you couldn’t have figured it out if you’d managed to focus less on brooding and those cards of yours–”
“It was a high-stakes tournament, Cass. But I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Yeah, yeah. But if you had looked around a bit, you would have spotted the flyers in the hostel or the banners throughout the garden. Anyway, to answer your question, I had inside information.”
“What?”
“My grandma told me. She’s involved with the people who created the exhibit. She’s here with other readers.”
“Readers? You mean fortune tellers?”
“It is a bit tacky if you say it like that. It’s more that they have a gift for sensing parts of the universe’s intentions. At least, that’s what Grandma always told me when I was young.”
As they cross the Place du Carrousel, a neighing pulls Julien’s attention to several corrals. He sees families standing in line waiting for their child’s turn to ride one of the horses bedecked with rich cloths and tassels. The gentle beasts take the children’s boundless energy and enthusiasm in stride as they are led by dark-haired men wearing colorful pantaloons and open vests.
Approaching the caravan wagons, Julien can’t help but wonder whether they’ve stumbled upon a lost section of a Renaissance fair. A bustle of visitors gawk at people wearing garb from a bygone era. Banners fly in front of the painted wagons.
Cassandra gushes, pointing one out, “There she is!”
She rushes forward. Julien glances at the banner as he follows – an open hand sewn onto a deep purple fabric. Within it, concentric circles of cards surround an open eye. Arcane symbols are woven into the design adorning the palm.
At the designated caravan, a sprightly woman steps around a carved, wooden table. Her silver hair shines in the sun, and as she embraces her granddaughter, her eyes sparkle. Julien awkwardly tucks his hands into his pockets.
After introducing him to her grandmother, Delphine, Cass turns towards the table. “I see that you’re doing readings, Grandma. Can you do one for Julien?” She looks around, then continues, whispering, “And can you make it a real one?”
The old woman looks surprised. “Why, my child? You know I don’t do those anymore. It’s tiring. Besides, it’s usually not worth the risk.”
“Please? It can’t do that much harm, right? I just want him to experience the real thing.”
Delphine shakes her head. “You know those are only for very special cases.”
“But–”
“Cassandra, no.” She regards Julien with piercing eyes. “You will just have to be satisfied with a normal reading. I’m thinking a simple three-card spread.”
Julien retrieves his hands from his pockets and raises them apologetically. “That’s more than special enough for me. I’ve never had a reading.”
“Hmmm. Very well.” Delphine takes out a deck of cards from one of her sleeves. “What type of reading will you be wanting today then? Love? Career advice?”
Not sure what to expect, Julien decides to let his curiosity take the lead. He thinks for a bit, then smiles. Let’s see what an oracle can tell me. “Can I ask a big question?”
Delphine grins. “Well, those are the only ones worth asking.”
“I feel stuck at a crossroads. I wish to know what I’m supposed to do with my life.”
“That is a big one indeed.” She cups her chin. “Alright. Frame it as a question in your mind. Then touch the deck.”
Julien closes his eyes. After toying with several questions, he ultimately frames one to his satisfaction. Following my true destiny, what will my life look like? He briefly lays his hand on the cards and looks at Delphine expectantly.
The old woman takes the deck in hand and shuffles it rapidly, chanting under her breath. Then she spreads it onto the table in an oval fan.
“Draw your first card,” she says.
Julien draws a card and places it at the center of the table.
The first card is set. Seven ornate beakers stand on silver-lined clouds. From each, a different figure rises.
“The Seven of Cups. You have been gifted many talents. Enriched but overwhelmed with these options, you feel the strong need to make the best choice.”
“Alright, now wash the deck. Breathe evenly. Imagine the breath going to every fiber of your being, especially your fingertips, as you do so. When you’re done, put the deck together again.”
Julien gives Cassandra a sideways glance. “Shuffle them back together on the table,” she whispers.
Julien does as he is bid and, when the deck is reassembled, Delphine draws the second card.
“The Devil.” Julien examines the figure – a grinning goat’s head and leathery wings. His arms hold chains binding a man and a woman, both naked. “Overpowered by this need for perfection, you often refuse to act. Bound, as it were, by indecision.” She points at the chains. “But only action shall set you free.”
Recognition sparks inside Julien. He looks at Cassandra sideways. Did she…? He dismisses his suspicion immediately. His best friend would not betray his trust. He turns his attention back to the tarot reader.
“Now your final card.” She smiles at Julien. “Are you ready?”
He nods.
Delphine draws and places the final card. It shows a skeletal rider on a pale horse, a fallen man at the horse’s feet. In the background are two rivers. One snakes into a cavern. The other winds over a cliff towards two towers. Between them, a radiant sun rises.
“Hmm, Death!” she declares. “Transformation. Change. Only by the death of the old can something new be born.”
“That does not look too promising,” Julien mutters. “The Devil and Death?”
Delphine raises an eyebrow at him. “Whatever makes you say such a silly thing?” She places one hand on the deck. “The cards are open for several interpretations. I merely try to feel which one suits the occasion. Besides, I think the message you received is a hopeful one that holds true for every person. If you but rid yourself of what binds you, you can shape your own destiny.”
Julien does not respond. An answer, yet not an answer.
Delphine moves as if to put away the cards, but her hand doesn’t move. It is frozen to the deck.
A sudden silence, absolute in its presence, drowns out the noise of the square. Delphine’s eyes glaze over. Her hand picks up another card, seemingly beyond her control.
A fourth card lands on the table. A tower struck by lightning.
Delphine speaks in a raspy voice. “The Tower! Your life as you know it will come to an end. Your world will crumble around you. You will lose everything.” She draws a labored breath before taking out another card and placing it at an angle askew to the Tower.
“The Fool! New beginnings. A sudden journey into the unknown.”
Julien sees his confusion mirrored in Cass’s features. It quickly gives way to awe, as a crowd starts to gather. The first few spectators are drawn inexplicably towards the extraordinary. The rest, mostly tourists, follow as if by some instinct.
As the next card lands on the table, a strange current races through Julien. On the card is a large singular sword, a winged crown floating above it. “The Ace of Swords! You will take part in the Ultimate Game. To rise and raise in freedom or fall in captivity.”
Delphine’s eyes open grotesquely wide as she draws the next card.
Suddenly, a woman cries out, “No! This cannot be!” She pulls on the sleeves of two men in pantaloons and vests. “This reading is not for him. He is an outsider. Get him out of here!”
The swarthy men – Julien recognizes them as the ones leading the horses – step forward only to be blocked by three others. The protest quells resolutely.
“No reading is to be disturbed,” says one. “He must remain. Outsider or not.”
Delphine’s hoarse voice effortlessly calls Julien’s attention to the small altercation. Frozen, he stares as another card lands on the table.
“The Wheel of Fortune stands in neutrality. It has spun again. One Cycle has ended. Another begins.”
With a final gasp, Delphine collapses on top of the table. As if released from some spell, the crowd devolves into chaos. People filming with their phones are pushed left and right. Julien is caught in a wave of spectators. They are forced away from the wagon by the men from the impromptu encampment. Being jostled back and forth, he sees how one of them, wearing a stained coffee-coloured cape over a colorful attire, carries Delphine into the wagon. Cassandra manages to slip in after him.
Fifteen minutes turn into half an hour as Julien paces, waiting for Cass.
When she does return, she looks quite serious.
“Is she alright?” Julien asks in a small voice. “What was that? It was nothing like the beginning.”
“That was a true reading,” Cassandra whispers in awe. “Far beyond the ‘real’ reading I asked for.”
“That was…? What even is that? Magic?”
Cassandra smiles. “I know, it’s quite something. But I’m not sure I’d call it magic. The gift sometimes rises unbidden, according to my grandmother. She said something like this had happened before. The last time was over twenty years ago.”
“She’ll be fine, right?”
“Yes. She’s resting now. Before Grandma sent me away, though, she asked me to give you this.”
Cass hands Julien a card.
It is a unique piece of art. Despite being a card game fanatic, Julien has never seen anything like it. Beneath a golden sun, a child rides a winged unicorn. The card is warm to his touch. “Why? Why would she give me this? It seems like a rare collector’s item.”
“No idea. That card has been in the family for decades, and she never used it once in a reading. My aunt, the woman who tried to have you sent away, would probably have a fit if she knew it left the family. I have to admit. I’m kind of jealous.” She pouts. “Anyway, what did you think of the reading?”
After an awkward silence, Julien says, “I’m not sure what to think. It feels like a lot. Shall we have a look at the exhibit?”
Cassandra shrugs, radiating disappointment. “Sure. That’s why we came after all.”
Julien’s mind has a hard time absorbing everything. Delphine’s words echo in his mind as he wordlessly passes display cabinets. All he can do is admire the amazing art and visuals, viewing pictures, old prints, books, and artifacts on divination and tarot in particular. None of the carefully laid-out information actually sinks in. After traversing the same hall for the second time, Julien gives up.
“I’m going outside. Can I have the key to our locker?”
Cassandra nods absentmindedly as she hands him a key. “Sure.”
Looking at the card he was given, Julien makes his way to the locker room. Just as he is about to leave the exhibit hall, he finds his way barred by a tall man wearing a cape over a colorful vest. Long, dark hair frames his narrow face, which holds a crooked nose and amber eyes. Within them, Julien sees sorrow and pity. And a timelessness he cannot begin to understand.
“So, you are to be my replacement,” the man says. “Just as your sun is rising, mine has set.” He nods to the card in Julien’s hand. “I can’t believe that after all this time, just as I was about to complete the Major Arcana, it is over.”
Julien is speechless. Was this man at the reading? Is he making fun of me?
“I sincerely hope you succeed where I have failed,” he continues. “I wish there was some time to prepare you for all that is about to come, but I am afraid you will have to find your own way. As all of us have.” The man gently takes Julien’s left hand and places a leather pouch in it. “The best of luck to you,” he whispers.
As soon as the pouch makes contact with Julien’s hand, the man in front of him starts coughing up blood and falls to his knees. Shocked, Julien flinches back. A multitude of swords piercing the man suddenly becomes visible. Curved blades and straight ones jut out from his chest at various angles. Julien stares in horror at the blood that is spreading out from the body. With a stutter, he finds his voice.
“H-help,” he mutters. “Somebody!”
He tries again, louder, as he steadies the dying man, looking around for assistance.
“HELP!”
Then another voice pierces the relative silence of the museum. “Thief!” A man wearing a grey suit, sporting a black motif with the number ten in the upper right corner, points at Julien. With a fierce look in his eyes, black as coals, he addresses the bystanders. “This young deviant snatched something from the gentleman’s hand as he collapsed!”
Julien looks at his accuser incredulously. He is struck by the sharp facial features emphasized by the styled mustache and goatee framing a sardonic smile. What? How? No!
“That’s not what happened! I swear that’s not what happened!”
His words are lost as visitors back away, screaming for assistance. But as the museum’s security rushes in, a strange light emanates from the pouch in Julien’s hand. And in a flash too bright for his eyes, the walls of the Louvre disappear.
Het verhaal pakt je gelijk bij het eerste hoofdstuk. Heel spannend, ben benieuwd naar het volgend hoofdstuk.