As a young adult and graduate of architecture working at a call center, Joey had always been skeptical of the supernatural. He never believed in ghosts or anything remotely related to the occult. He had been very clear about this phenomena after shifting to America. One day, when his friend dragged him to a fortune-teller's booth at a carnival, he wasn't expecting much.
The woman named Zulaikha sitting behind the small wooden table had a tired look on her face. She clearly looked weary. Her long black hair was braided neatly and she wore a scarf over her head. She introduced herself and without much of an introduction, she flipped over a tarot card. Meanwhile, Joey looked totally uninterested.
"The Four of Cups," she said, her eyes closed. "You're feeling unfulfilled, like something is missing in your life."
Joey scoffed. "Isn't that what everyone feels at some point?"
Madam Zulaikha ignored him and continued shuffling the cards. She laid out the spread, and her eyes narrowed as she examined the cards. She looked confused at first, but then looked at the boy and said:
"You have a long journey ahead of you," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "One that will change your life forever."
Joey rolled his eyes. "Can we just wrap this up?" Making her sound silly and pointless
Zulaikha ignored him again and pulled out a single card. "The Devil," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You have a choice to make. One that will either lead you to enlightenment or destruction."
Joey laughed. "Enlightenment or destruction? That's a bit dramatic, don't you think?", and started making fun of her.
Zulaikha didn't respond. She simply took the money the boy had placed on the table and dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
Joey didn't think much of the experience, and he forgot about it almost as soon as he left the carnival. But a few weeks later, he received a call from his boss. The company was downsizing, and he was being let go.
At first, Mark was devastated even though he hated this job. But this was his only source of income and his passion was engraved in architecture. He was shattered to the core. He thought that he had to live the rest of his life in misery. He had been with the company for years, and he didn't know what he was going to do next. But then he remembered Madam Zulaikha's words, and he started to wonder if this was the "long journey" she had spoken of.
He decided to take some time off to think about his next move which was the right thing to do. He took his savings. He went on a road trip, driving through the countryside and exploring new places. And then, one day, he stumbled upon a small town nestled in the mountains in Albuquerque. The town was quaint and charming, with narrow streets lined with colorful houses. Joey decided to stop and take a closer look, and that's when he saw her again: Zulaikha, sitting behind a table at a local market.
"Madam Zulaaikhaa!" he exclaimed, surprised to see her again. "What are you doing here?"
"I live here," she said, her expression unreadable.
Joey hesitated for a moment before he finally asked, "Do you remember me?"
Zulaikha's eyes narrowed. "I remember everyone who comes to see me."
The boy felt a shiver run down his spine. "Can you tell me more about that journey you mentioned?"
Zulaikha smiled cryptically. "You'll find out soon enough."
Joey left the market feeling more confused than ever. But as he continued his travels, he started to notice strange coincidences happening all around him. He would run into people who had just the advice he needed, or stumble upon opportunities he never would have expected.
And then, one day, he found himself back in that small mountain town. He was drawn to Madam Zulaikha's booth again, and this time, he didn't hesitate to ask her for a reading.
Madam Zulaikha shuffled the cards and laid out the spread, just as she had done before. But this time, the cards were different.
"The Tarot," she said, her eyes alight with excitement. "You've made your choice. You're on the path that will fill the void in you.
From then on, Joey was clear about his next move. He decided to follow his passion and facilitate the people of that small town using his talent and skills of architecture.