Page 11 of The Devil's Dilemma

He pulled a pack of cards from his waistcoat, a strange-looking deck like nothing I’d seen before.

“What are those?”

He shuffled the cards quickly, split the deck several times, and fanned them out on the counter.

“Tarot. Choose a card.”

“I’m not into parlour tricks.”

“I assure you this is no parlour trick. Humour me, young man.”

Where was that accent from? I couldn’t place it.

The backs were black, silver stars twinkling, blinking on and off the more I gazed at them. Did one call to me more than another?

I reached out my hand, then pulled it back again. This was stupid.

“Take a card. What harm can it do?” He smiled broadly.

Ah, fuck it. If it kept him happy.

I snatched a card from the counter and held it to my chest.

“Hmm, being coy. What are you expecting to see?”

“Something that’ll bring me luck.”

He tilted his head. “I think you have that already. I sense something in you, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Human parents?”

“What? Of course. What else would they be?”

“I’m just commenting on what I feel. What I sense from you. If you say so, young man. Now let’s look at your card.”

I pulled the corner back and sneaked a peek. What the actual fuck?

I presented it to him.

Of course it was the Devil.

“Ah, so many questions. So many answers. So much in your future.”

“Good or bad?”

He sucked in a breath. “I can’t tell you that. It’s not what this card is about.”

“What is it, then? What does it mean?”

“In a nutshell? Addiction, obsession, secrecy, cheating, sexuality, entrapment. The list is endless and so much more.”

Nothing to do with Dante, then. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved or not. Even so, the card’s description didn’t sound good.

“I get the impression that’s not what you wanted to hear.”

I didn’t know what I’d been expecting from my visit. Certainly not a tarot card or the casino chip now sitting in my coat pocket.

“I’m not sure what I wanted. For a start, I didn’t know if this shop was even real. My grandpa used to tell me stories.”

“Ah yes. I remember him well.”

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