Rachel was already starting to feel a bit cheesy, so she went with the first question that came to mind. I have a sick grandmother, she said, making sure not to reveal the ailment. Id like to know if her last year or so of life will be a happy one.

With her eyes still closed, Margo took yet another deep breath and this time flipped the card over. She then laid four more cards on the table, facedown. She opened her eyes and looked at the first card shed set down, already turned up and facing them. Rachel also looked at it and saw a simple illustration of the moon.

The Moon card, Margo said. Quite simple, but it could mean any number of things.

She then ran her fingers slowly across the other four cards shed laid facedown. Her fingers slowed, and she paused on the one all the way to the left. She flipped it over, tilted her head, and made a hmmm sound.

This is the High Priestess. For women, it is often a good card to have but if you are talking about sickness it can be the very opposite. Do you know if there is some sort of hidden sickness your grandmother is not yet telling you about?

Not that Im aware of. She just told me about this sickness yesterday.

I see, Margo said, studying the High Priestess card a bit longer before turning over the one beside it. When she did, her eyes went wide for a moment. Rachel could not deny that she, too, did not like what she saw. This is the Devil, Margo said. I know it can seem scary, but it is not always a portent of evil. It can often simply refer to struggles or secrets. With the Moon and the High Priestess…I feel something akin to trickery involved in this sickness. Maybe she is not telling you everything. Lets see…

Rachel knew it was silly, but a little flicker of dread passed through her. It wasnt fear, but a general sort of uneasiness.

Margo flipped the next card, leaving only one more. The newly flipped card was no better than the previous one. The skeleton holding a scythe on the front told Rachel all she needed to know. And although she did not believe in any of this, it still made her very uneasy.

Death Margo said. This sickness… She ran her hand back to the High Priestess and hovered there for a moment. Is it cancer? Is she expecting to die from it?

The accuracy was spooky, and a chill went up Rachels spine. She only nodded, not allowing herself to speak. In a strange way, she felt like shed be almost gossiping about her grandmothers illness if she spoke it out loud to this woman she did not know.