The Magical Tarot Deck

by Marieke Lexmond

  Ceri extends her hand, and Lucy grabs it so Ceri can pull her upright. They slosh through the water and onto the land. ‘Damn it! Look at me!’ complains Lucy.

  ‘Come on, Auntie, we have a Fairy Queen waiting for us who isn’t very patient.’ Without looking back, Ceri walks into the wasteland, sure that Lucy will follow.

  NEW ORLEANS

  Emily sits quietly in a corner while she is observing the family. Her cousin Maeve is the heart of the kitchen, always making sure there is enough food. This is the first time she’s actually spending a longer time with her family. They have birthdays and stuff, but she realizes most of her nephews and nieces are almost strangers to her. Like Bridget and Wes whom she had never even met before. They are in a lively conversation with Gwen, the witch from up North, and Uncle Ron, and Aunt Selma. Who had shown up with their family. It’s clear that Grandma is enjoying the buzz, walking around having little chat with everybody, while she touches an arm, hugs someone, or quickly brushes a kiss on a cheek. As if these little familiar gestures knit the group together. The magic of touching, her mom calls it. Her eyes immediately fill up when she thinks about Ceri. How she misses her touch. Immediately, the Wheel of Fortune card flashes before her eyes. That Tarot Deck looked amazing, and she was sure it was her mother on that card. A quick scan around the room confirms nobody is paying attention to her. Very quietly, she sneaks out of the kitchen and heads up the stairs. That Tarot Deck is like a magnet, she just needs to see it. Gran probably won’t mind if she studies it in her room. At the top of the stairs, she takes another look around. Nobody, only the chatter from the kitchen. Gently, she feels the doorknob to Tara’s room. It gives way, pfffft, it’s not locked. Inside the room, it smells a bit musky, strange, as she always thinks of daisies when she stands near Tara. This smell feels slightly oppressive as if there is a weight to the room. Seamus is intrigued to see Emily. She throws him a nervous wave. The portrait makes her uneasy. Her grandfather had passed away a couple of years ago. And she doesn’t really know if it’s really him in that magical portrait. For a moment, she hesitates. If Seamus can see what she’s doing…maybe she should leave. Then Ceri’s card flashes before her eyes again; she misses her mother so much, and the image on the card urges her on. She feels the desk drawer; it’s locked. An unlocking spell falls automatically from her lips. One of the first spells her mother taught her. Click, the drawer pops open; she can’t believe her luck! Quickly she searches, and she doesn’t need to open the tarot bag that jumps out to her, to know the Deck is in there. It practically is humming! Excited she takes it; she unties the strings and stops. She can feel Seamus’ disapproval from across the room. Without looking at him, she lets the Deck glide into her pocket. She will go to her own room to look at it and then bring it back. In the hallway, a sigh escapes her. That portrait is so creepy. The kitchen door opens, and she jumps a little. Her nerves are playing with her. Ron appears at the bottom of the stairs. ‘Emily, do you want to come with us?’

  Her first reaction is to say no; she wants to see the Deck, but that would probably be suspicious, so instead, she answers ‘Great. Are we going to the Hat?’ That’s her favorite place in the world.

  ‘Yes, for a little while.’

  This brings a smile to Emily’s face as she skips down the stairs. Their family business is cool. Magic is all around, entertaining normal people without giving away who they really are. It’s incredible what normals manage to explain away. It’s sad if you think the world has forgotten about magic. That is one of the hardest things of being a young witch—Emily is not allowed to tell her friends. Her magic is stirring within her; sometimes she almost forgets, and it simply bubbles out. Thank Goddess for her friend Rosie, her mother is a voodoo priestess, and they can share stories. She can look at the cards in Under the Witches Hat, plenty of dark corners there.

  FAIRY

  Ceri and Lucy are making their way through the desolate landscape. The smell of sulfur is nauseating, the temperature overwhelming, and sweat is dripping down their bodies. No other living creature in sight. Nothing alive, period. Makes you wonder, maybe a long time ago, a human got trapped here and that’s where the stories about hell came from. This road feels like punishment to her. It’s time to ask Mab how to make a portal in Fairy. This sucks.

  Lucy, however, sees this as an opportunity to try to get under Ceri’s skin.

  ‘Ceri? Have you ever wondered why you fit in so well in Fairy?’

  Ceri glances over her shoulder, ‘Let’s talk later. It’s too hot and dry.’

  ‘Please, it helps me keep my mind off all this.’ Lucy waves her arm around over the endless wasteland. ‘I’m old.’ Lucy stumbles, Ceri’s arm reaches out to support her.

  ‘Thank you.’ Carefully, Lucy tries to navigate the rocks. Putting some extra weight on Ceri.

  Who instantly feels bad; maybe she’s been too hard on her aunt. She’s way in her seventies after all, and this heat is murderous. No harm in distracting her. ‘I’ve always felt close to nature; it probably helps me here.’

  ‘If you feel deep inside you. Don’t you feel that you’re connected to Fairy?’

  Ceri turns around, ‘What are you trying to say?’

  Lucy looks away as if she doesn’t really want to say anything.

  ‘What do you mean?!’ insists Ceri.

  For a moment, Ceri sees pity in Lucy’s eyes before she continues ‘Do you know why Tara and I are not welcome in Fairy?’

  ‘Stop with the questions and just say it!’ Ceri starts to get a feeling of dread and let’s go of her aunt.

  ‘Tara and I flirted with Felaern, a consort of Mab. One night, Tara was here alone, and they had a romantic evening. She was only sixteen, but very soon, we noticed she was pregnant.’

  All color has drained from Ceri’s face. This woman must be lying, this can’t be true.

  ‘Sarah, our mother, was a fragile woman and spent a lot of time in her room. And with the help of magic, we managed to keep it a secret.’

  ‘I don’t believe you. Seamus is my father.’

  Lucy ignores that and goes on, ‘Once the time came for her to deliver the baby, we went to Fairy. We had no choice. Mab said she would help us. But she was angry, and once you were born, she turned on us. Mab threw us out of Fairy, threatening us that if we ever came back, she would punish us for ruining her consort. She kept you. Tara was devastated.’

  ‘You’re lying!’ Ceri feels bile coming up; this sulfur smell finally is getting the better of her.

  ‘We were young, and we didn’t know how we could save you. Somehow Tara must have managed to get you out. And now you’re her youngest child. Everything is possible as time runs differently here…’

  Ceri can no longer hold it and pukes all over Lucy before she manages to jump back. ‘SHIT!’ Lucy looks disgusted. Ceri heaves and a second wave comes out. This time Lucy is at a safe distance. Not exactly the reaction she hoped for. Ceri keeps retching up until she dry heaves, and there is nothing left in her stomach. She bends forward, and she holds herself upright with her hands on her knees. This woman is evil. What a horrible lie. But deep, deep down there is a voice that says, ‘there’s truth to this story.’ Expertly, she squashes the voice. Finally, she manages to stand straight up. She feels a bit shaky but is determined not to show Lucy any more weakness; she turns around and starts walking again.

  ‘Can’t you clean me up with some magic?’ complains Lucy.

  Without looking at her, Ceri keeps walking. ‘That’s what you get for spreading lies.’

  ‘It’s the truth.’ But Ceri ignores her.

  Ceri’s head is spinning. Seamus loved her. He was her father. But what if he wasn’t her real father? She tries to search within herself, thinking back. She did feel different since she’d been here. Her magic felt at home and had definitely improved. The fairies must have done something to her. But what if they hadn’t and she was half fairy? It would explain how she had always felt the odd one out in her family. No. Don’t go the
re. This woman is trying to get in your head. Then again, she used the same name as that fairy who gave her that collar. Lucy must have heard that and is using it now against her. Right. That must be it.

  NEW ORLEANS

  Cal has found a quiet seat in the corner of Under the Witches Hat, the Madigan’s family bar. He feels slightly queasy; he must have had too much to drink so early in the day. Never a dull moment in the French Quarter. Any time of day, there is a party going on. But now it’s time to see if the Madigans know anything about Lucy. Not like her at all to disappear. He had never seen Mara worried; this time she was seriously freaked out. If he could locate Lucy and bring her back, then they would finally have to acknowledge him as a competent witch.

  The Hat is full of families. Apparently, this is an approved place to go with your family on a Sunday afternoon. Fun for everybody. Parents are having a cocktail and kids have a fruity drink with a twirling umbrella. There is gentle music playing in the background; the whole place smells of flowers and spices. The floating light bulbs and twinkle lights throughout the bar make it a magical place. They did that well. Such a great place to hang out for normal people and for those who are different. It’s an inviting place. Cal is acutely aware that witches are not the only different people around here. Behind the bar are two young men. They are having fun and chatting with the customers while they work their magic making drinks. When the door opens, a family comes in. A man and a woman with two younger children and two teenagers. Cal recognizes Ron; he had seen him at the house in the Garden District before. Must be one of the Madigans. He can clearly see a family resemblance. Unconsciously, he backs away further into the shadows. The teenage girl spots a friend when she comes in. With a little yelp, she rushes past the rest and greets her friend. The girls chatter away, and slowly they move toward Cal, finding a quieter spot as if they need to share some secrets. The man and woman know almost everybody, and while they make their way to the bar, they chat and laugh with most customers. There must be a lot of locals here on a Sunday afternoon. But Cal’s attention gets drawn to the two teenagers who sit now at the table next to him.

  Emily was so excited to see her friend Rosie, she couldn’t wait to show her the Tarot Deck. Rosie’s family live in the French Quarter too and run a voodoo shop. Magic also runs in their family, and Rosie has been Emily’s friend since kindergarten. Quickly, Emily spots an empty table in the back, perfect for sharing her adventure.

  ‘What is it?’ Rosie is always excited to see magical things. Her appetite for learning is insatiable.

  With a last quick look around, Emily draws the Deck from her pocket and gets it out of its pouch. At the other table, Cal has to restrain himself. The Deck has a strong magical pull. He forces himself to stay still and not alert the girls. Could he chance a little eavesdropping spell? It will most likely go unnoticed with all the magic whirling around in this place.

  Emily gently spreads the cards face up on the table. Both girls are mesmerized. The images are so lifelike. A lot of the imagery even seems to be moving through the card. ‘Ohhhh, this is so cool,’ whispers Rosie. ‘Is that you?’ Rosie points at the Star card.

  ‘Yes,’ says Emily picking it up. She sits in a dress next to the waterside and stars float upward toward the sky from her hand. ‘Wow. This is crazy.’ She lets her hand run over the card and at the same time feels a tingling down her spine. She does it again. And again. ‘So lit.’

  ‘Can I try?’ Rosie eagerly extends her hand, but Emily is very protective.

  ‘I took it from my granny’s desk, better to keep it close.’ Honestly, she doesn’t like Rosie’s eagerness. How weird, she never felt like this before. So protective. Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea after all. Again, she scans around the room. Nobody is looking at them, the man behind them is engrossed in his herb tea. ‘I should take it back.’

  ‘Come on, we can play with it a little.’

  ‘No. No. I should go back to the house.’ Emily gets up. The feeling of doing something very wrong is growing by the second. This was a bad idea. She lets the Deck slide into her pocket. ‘I’ll see you later, Rosie.’ When she goes to turn around and head toward the bar, she bumps into the man who was sitting behind them. ‘Sorry’ she mumbles and pushes forward.

  Cal has reacted on impulse; this Deck is essential. He decides to snatch it. After all, he didn’t learn to pickpocket for nothing. He bumped into the girl, and now the Deck is in his pocket. Quickly, he makes his way outside and disappears into the Sunday crowd.

  Emily sees Uncle Ron and pushes her way through the people toward him. ‘Uncle Ron, I want to go home.’ Ron looks pained. ‘You mean Grandma’s?’ Emily nods. When she feels in her pocket, a rush of anguish shoots through her. Noooooo. Frantically, she starts to pet herself. ‘Are you okay, honey?’ Ron whispers a small privacy spell and the people around them adjust and give them a little more room. Emily bursts into tears. She’s far from okay. She has lost the Magical Tarot Deck.

  PART 2

  Ten of Swords ‘Betrayal’

  ‘Each betrayal begins with trust.’

  —Martin Luther King

  NEW ORLEANS

  Tara is feeling recharged as she makes her way upstairs. Even though she worries about Ceri and Lucy, it’s good to have the family around. This happy feeling is immediately erased when Tara opens the door and gets hit with a wave of anxiety. Something is wrong. Quickly, she scans the room and sees Seamus in a total state of panic. When Seamus sees Tara, he rushes toward her and stretches as far out of his portrait as possible while pointing frantically to somewhere in the room. Trying hard not to feed off Seamus’ fear, she looks toward the spot he’s pointing at. ‘Calm down, honey. I’ll look.’ This seems to have minimal effect on Seamus. Quickly, she crosses the room pointing at different items while Seamus shakes his head. No. All of a sudden, she feels a chill running up her spine when he points at her desk. No, please no! Seamus nods ‘Yes.’ When she sees the open drawer, she immediately notices that the Magical Tarot Deck is missing. A feeling of dread washes over her. Right then, her cellphone rings.

  ‘Please tell me you’ve got it.’ says Tara.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ answers Ron. ‘But I’ve got Emily here in tears, rambling on about a tarot deck that got stolen.’ Tara feels her legs start to give way and barely manages to stay upright. Her hand finds support on the desk. Her mind races; this is bad. Who got it? Gosh, she’s been so stupid!

  ‘Mom?! Are you there? MOM!’ shouts Ron through the phone.

  ‘Yes. Yes. Stay there, we’ll come over as soon as possible.’ She quickly hangs up before Ron can ask any more questions. With tears in her eyes, she looks at Seamus. ‘Somebody stole it. Goddess helps us, we’re in trouble now.’

  Cal makes his way through the crowd in the French Quarter. The power of the Deck is humming in his pocket; he thinks it’s the best to get the hell out of here. They will be coming for this. His witch sense tells him this is an important magical item. Thoughts race through his mind. Should he go back to Utah? No. Mara will want to have it. Keeping this secret from her is hard. Where can he go? Their Boston home burned down. Sad really, that he still lives with his grandma. Come on, he should be able to think of somewhere safe to go! Then something crystalizes in his mind. Yes, perfect, nobody will be looking for him there, and it’s only a day’s drive. That will also give him some time to think this through. He flags a cab and slides into the back seat. ‘The nearest car rental place. Hurry!’ Gosh, he can’t wait to see the surprise on his mom’s face when he knocks on her door.

  Tara, Bridget, Maeve, Gwen, and Wes burst through the back door of Under the Witches Hat. Emily is sitting behind a steaming mug of tea, still crying, and Selma sits opposite her. When Emily spots Wes, she rushes over and hugs him fiercely while she sobs. No longer an adventurous teen, but a frightened child. For a moment, Bridget feels touched that her boyfriend is a refuge, but that is quickly replaced by irritation at Tara, who doesn’t miss a
beat and starts at the young girl.

  ‘What were you thinking?! I told you it was special. How dare you take it from me!’ This sets off a new flood of tears. ‘Crying doesn’t help. You have no idea what you have done!’

  ‘That’s enough!’ Bridget steps in. ‘It’s hardly her fault that you and Seamus made such a dangerous tool. Back off. We need to find out what happened.’

  Next to Bridget, Gwen’s eyes shoot daggers at Tara. Bridget is grateful though that Gwen has contained her anger for now and she crouches down in front of Emily. Gently, she peals Emily away from Wes. ‘Emily. Can you tell me what happened?’ Emily hiccups and keeps her eyes down.

  ‘Come sit down. Take a deep breath.’ Reluctantly she sits down, and Bridget sits next to her.

  ‘Now, can you tell us from the beginning.’

  ‘We don’t have time for that. Who took it?’ Bridget looks angrily at Tara.

  ‘This is not helpful. Who’s the police officer here? Go do some witchy stuff. Try a tracking spell or something if you want to be useful. But stop panicking and give us some space.’ After all that has happened in the past couple of weeks, it’s interesting that this makes her grandmother panic. She squashes that train of thought, and she’s thankful to see that Maeve is taking Tara and Gwen into the bar. Wes sits down too, and Selma, who didn’t say one word, is always a calming presence.

  ‘Okay. From the beginning.’

  Emily wrings her hands; she knows that she has done something wrong. The strong reaction from Tara had rattled her. It must be even worse than she imagined.

  ‘Emily?’ prompts Bridget.

  ‘I…I saw Gran this morning with the Deck; it had a card with Mom on it. It…it…looked so life like, as if she was moving. I miss her so much. I wanted to see her.’ Wes gives her an encouraging nod to continue. ‘So, when you were all down in the kitchen, I sneaked into her room. But the portrait of Seamus…It’s scary. He looked upset. I took it and wanted to go to my room when Uncle Ron said we were going to the Hat. I thought…you know…I’d put it back when we got back to the house.’ Emily is still staring at her hands and tears slowly drop down on them.