Page 31 of The Neighborhood Witch

Madame Sophia secured the crystal ball as it rocked back and forth.

Alice grabbed his arm, beckoning him to sit down. “I made it through mine; you can make it through yours,” she said, looking up at him. “Besides, we need to figure out what happens next.” Alice smiled as she released her grip.

Hugo locked onto her eyes—begging, hoping, pleading for the support to continue. She gave a small nod. He sat back down in the chair. He extended his hand, beckoning for hers. She interlocked her fingers with his as their hands cupped together. She gave a quick squeeze, letting it linger before releasing.

Madame Sophia flipped over the next card. The Two of Swords. “It looks like you’ll have to make a difficult decision. One that could be very painful.”

Hugo’s eyes fixated on the first card. The words echoed through his mind. Grief. Loss.

She flipped over the concluding card, placing it at the end of the row. The Four of Wands. “This is very good.”

“It is?”

Sophia’s fingers guided Hugo’s eyes across the three cards. “A great, painful loss in your past,” she explained as she moved onto the other two cards. “You will be forced to make a difficult decision. If you make the correct decision, then you will find a joyful celebration in your personal life. These are the cards as I interpret them.”

Alice squeezed Hugo’s hand. His solemn face froze at the sight of the cards. Madame Sophia snatched the cards up and shuffledthem back into her deck. She turned her attention back toward Hugo, staring at the empty space on the table. A blank expression on his face.

“So, I’d save up for that ring if I were you.”

Alice and Hugo snapped their gazes at Madame Sophia before looking at each other. Alice let go of Hugo’s hand.

“I’m sorry. Why a ring?” Hugo asked.

“Based on both of your readings,” Madame Sophia responded. “I see potential love in your future.”

Alice and Hugo scrambled to find something to say next. Anything. They locked eyes. Knowing glances turned to half smiles.

“Thank you for the reading,” Alice said. “It’s been very—”

“Enlightening,” Hugo finished.

They both stood; Hugo was careful to not knock over the contents of the table, and they exited the tent.

“So,” Alice said. “You going to save up for that ring?”

Hugo lowered his head and chuckled. “The night’s still young. There are plenty of chances for you to change your mind…”

Hugo’s voice trailed off as his shoulder slammed into a smaller, more diminutive body. Hugo grabbed the other person’s shoulder to stabilize them both. A dance of two people colliding, trying to not fall over onto the pavement.

“I’m sorry. My fault. I wasn’t looking,” he explained. His eyes locked with the unsuspecting soul. “Johanna, I wasn’t expecting you to show up.”

“Johanna. What a wonderful surprise to see you,” Alice said in a low, sarcastic tone. Alice’s eyes fixated on Johnna from beneath the brim of her hat.

Johanna Newes brushed back her displaced ponytail. She tugged at her trench coat like jacket, giving two taps to the ringed cloak clasp before composing herself. “Sorry to run into you, Hugo. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

“I’m sure it was an accident,” Alice added.

Hugo arched his eyebrows as he gave her an inquisitive look.

He turned his attention back to Johanna. “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Johanna replied. “No harm done.”

“I thought you didn’t enjoy coming to this event,” Hugo said.

“I thought, why not head down and see what all the fuss was about?” Johanna replied.

Hugo motioned off into the distance. “We were going to try our hands at bobbing for apples, if you’d like to join us.”

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