Page 68 of Spotlight on Poppy

"No, I didn't even know it was filled. It has been vacant ever since the video rental store closed years ago," Lexi said looking in the window.

"Do you want your tarot read?" Josh waggled his eyebrows at her.

"What? No." she said, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Come on, it will be fun,” Josh said, egging her on.

"Since when did you get into all that stuff?"

"I wouldn't say I'm into it, but I met the woman who owns it when she moved in. She's really nice, and Poppy loves it there. Give it a try. It could be fun.”

She finally gave in, and they went into the store. The bell above tinkled as they entered and Bridget made her way out from the back room.

"Oh, Josh, hello dear, what can I do for ye?"

"She knows your name?" Lexi said under her breath looking at Josh amazed.

"Of course I know his name, he and Poppy have been in here quite a bit." she said.

"Yeah, this is my sister Lexi,” he said.

“Aye, I remember ye lass, we met at the market a ways back, if ye recall,” said Bridget with a warm and welcoming smile.

“I do remember that. How are you liking Mystic Falls?” Lexi asked.

“I like it quite a bit, it is a lovely little town ye all have here,” said Bridget.

“I’ve been telling her, she should have her tarot read,” Josh said as he playfully nudged his sister.

"What do ye say dear? Should I read yer cards?" she said with a magical wink.

"Why not?" resigned Lexi.

Bridget guided her way over to the table and sat on one and Lexi sat down on the other. Bridget picked up the well loved tarot deck and began to shuffle them a bit in her hands.

“All right my dear, clear yer mind for a moment,” she continued to shuffle the cards. Lexi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Bridget set the deck on the table and cut it.

“All right, let’s see what the cards have to say today.” She flipped the first card, Nine of Swords. The picture on this card had a person sitting in bed hiding their face in their hands with nine swords above them.

“Oh dear, this card symbolizes your past, Nine of Swords is a card of major stress and mental anguish. It seems as though ye’ve had some hard times. But the card is reversed which means it is time to put that past behind ye and move on. There is a time for everything, and it looks like it is yer time to heal.”

Bridget turned the next card. It was the Death card. Josh couldn’t stop the panic that gripped his heart at the sight of that card. He took a moment to remind himself, this was just a tarot card reading, but it did not feel good. Maybe he was starting to hold as much stock in all of this as Poppy did.

“Do not be alarmed, The Death card looks and sounds scary, but I believe it to be one of the best cards in the whole deck. It is a card of transformation. This card represents yer current situation. This card is about letting go. It means ye will shed your metaphorical skin and emerge anew. This card is not the omen people believe it to be, rather a second chance.”

Well, that sounded better than Josh initially thought, he wished he could see Lexi’s face. He was standing behind her and she was sitting still as stone. But if Josh knew his sister, and he did, she was skeptically taking everything in.

“Now onto the future, let’s see what the cards have to say about what is to come,” said Bridget. She flipped the last card and laid it next to the others. Ace of Cups. On this card was an outstretched hand with an overflowing chalice sitting in it. “Now this is interesting my dear, the Ace of Cups is a card of joy and fulfillment, this card can bring about so much healing and maybe even a new relationship if I am not mistaken.”

A little bud of hope started to bloom inside him. He wanted more than anything for his sister to find happiness. She had too much put on her at such a young age. She deserved joy and happiness in her life more than anyone. Lexi had been Josh’s touchstone since their mom’s accident. She took care of them. It was time someone took care of her. Josh had tried, but it seemed like the roles in their relationship were set and Lexi was stubborn. It was time for her to find happiness and let go of all the heaviness that had bogged them both down for so long.

“What do ye say? Do the cards ring true?” Bridget asked with a smile and magic dancing in her eyes.

“Here’s hoping. Thank you for the reading,” Lexi said, giving nothing away about how she felt about the cards.

Josh settled up with Bridget and they started to head out.

“Don’t be strangers, I’m interested in seeing how yer stories pan out,” Bridget said with a twinkle in her eye.

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