“Are you sure you want to go in there?” Mabel asked Leaf. The two were standing outside of a fortune teller’s shop in downtown Aston Cove.

“It’ll be fun!” Leaf said, “What if we find out who we end up marrying?”

Mabel rolled her eyes and looked at the façade of the building. It was like all the other storefronts on main street: light brick walls with grey cornerstones and grey cornices. Where the other shops and cafes had adorably decorated windows, the fortune teller’s shop had blacked out windows and neon lights that would’ve looked cool somewhere else, but were considered gaudy by Aston Cove standards.

“I guess that would be fun,” Mabel relented, pulling the door of the establishment open.

Though it was midday, as the pair walked in, it was as if they were stepping into the night. Dark velvet curtains were draped over every window and the only light source was the multitude of candles in vintage chandeliers and wall sconces. Plants of every kind covered nearly every surface, and on the fortune-telling table were stacks of books and what appeared to be a cup of some kind of black tea. Strangely, there was no crystal ball.

“Hello?” Leaf called, “Anyone here? Are you guys open?”

“Just a minute!” A husky female voice called from a back room, “Why don’t you have a seat? I’ll be out in a sec.” The two looked at each other—Leaf in excitement and Mabel in apprehension—and took their seats at the table. Moments later, the fortune teller stepped from behind a heavy velvet curtain behind the table.

“Sorry to keep you girls waiting. I’m Amity, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you,” Leaf said, awestruck by the tall woman.

“So you’re a fortune teller?” Mabel asked.

“Well, not technically,” Amity said, removing the stack of books from the worn wood table and sitting down, “I just do tarot and palm readings.”

“So you can’t tell me who I’ll marry?” Leaf said.

“No,” Amity said with a giggle, “Is that important to you?”

“Not really,” Leaf lied, “I just thought it would be neat to know.”

Amity sat back in her seat, and Mabel noticed her eyes were a strikingly bright, almost peach color. “What can I do for you ladies today?”

Leaf began to speak but Mabel interrupted her. “How much will it cost?”

“Tarot readings are five dollars and palm readings are ten.”

“Tarot!” Leaf said excitedly, looking at Mabel. “It’s just five dollars! Please?”

“Alright,” Mabel said, fishing for the wallet in her pocket. She got out a crisp five dollar bill and handed it to Amity.

“I’ll be drawing from the major arcana,” Amity said, taking a deck of cards from the shelf behind her, “I’ll shuffle them once and then draw a card.”Both Mabel and Leaf watched in awe as the fortune teller deftly shuffled the cards and placed one face down in front of Leaf. “Are you ready?” She asked.

Leaf nodded eagerly, and Amity flipped the card over.

“The lovers.”

“What’s that mean?” Leaf asked eagerly.

“Well, it could mean a few things. Are you currently with someone?”

“No,” Leaf said, blushing.

“That’s good news, then,”Amity said, “Your luck could turn around very soon. Don’t give up hope just yet. Sometimes, it pays to be patient.”

“So like, ‘Good things come to those who wait’?”

“Maybe not waiting. Patience,” Amity said, “Sometimes people need a while to open up and accept love, and you have to be patient and understanding with them.”

“Oh,” Leaf said, growing quiet.

“What about you?” Amity said, turning to face Mabel. “Perhaps a tarot reading?”

Mabel shrugged. “It can’t hurt,” she said, fishing another fiver out of her wallet.

Amity reshuffled the deck and pulled a card, placing it in front of Mabel. “Temperance.”

“Temperance?”

“You seem like a calm person,” Amity said, “Do you two live together?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s that like?”

“Well,” Leaf interjected, “Mabel is really the only one keeping the house together.”

“I’m not the only one.”

“Well, I would say so. You know, when we were in school, she would be the one to break up the fights between me and our other friend. She still kinda does it now.”

Amity was silent for a moment. “Peacekeeping is one of your strengths, and the people around you definitely benefit from you being in their lives. If you could keep that up going forward, then perhaps the people around you will begin to appreciate you more.”

“Huh.” Mabel felt strangely calmed by Amity’s words.

“So, I have a personal question,” Leaf asked, knocking Mabel out of her calm fog, “Are you an actual witch?”

“I am,” Amity said, putting away the deck of cards.

“So you can cast spells and stuff?”

“Leaf,” Mabel warned.

“It’s okay,” Amity said, “To answer your question, not really. I only know basic healing spells, but that’s about it. I never really studied much of anything else.”

“What can you do, then?” Leaf asked.

“I can offer people inner strength and calmness. If they’re stressed out about something, I offer my reassurance.”

“How much does that cost?”

Amity smiled. “I don’t charge for it.”

“So could you cast a calming spell on me?”

“I already did,” Amity laughed, “It’s kind of a trade secret, but I do them during my readings. Usually people come in here because they’re stressed out and just want someone to tell them it’s going to be okay. That’s mostly what I do.”

“That’s generous of you,” Mabel said.

Amity shrugged. “I’m just doing my part in showing that not all witches are evil hex-casters.”

“I think it’s time for us to go,” Mabel said, rising from her seat, “I’m Mabel, by the way.”

“It was nice to meet you two,” Amity said, waving goodbye.

The pair walked outside, the crisp ocean wind stirring Mabel’s chestnut hair.

“She was so pretty!” Leaf said, breaking the silence.

Mabel chuckled. “You just like her because she’s tall.”

“That’s not true!” Leaf squealed, “You saw her too! She’s gorgeous! And I love her aesthetic. She’s wife goals, honestly.”

Mabel cringed slightly at wife goals. “Let’s go before you get some ideas.”

“What?” Leaf said as they walked along Main Street, “You mean to tell me you wouldn’t want a beautiful, tall witch in the family?”

“Honestly, Leaf, I don’t think you’re courageous enough to ask her out.”

Leaf was silent for a moment. “I mean, you’re right, but I can dream, can’t I?”

Mabel smiled at her tiny friend. “Of course.”