I sat in a limousine that was driving through a thick fog. Everything was covered in blue. In front of me sat a tuxedo-wearing, balding old man with a very long nose. He reminded me of Pinocchio, only he was hunched over, as if his back was broken. His black eyebrows above his huge, bloodshot eyes were like fluffy caterpillars. A small blue table was in front of him. Next to him sat a woman with long, flowing white hair and golden eyes. She wore a blue dress with eight large, yellow circles going down the front.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," the old man said with an eerie smile. "Ah… It seems we have a guest with an intriguing destiny," he said, chuckling. "My name is Igor…. I am delighted to make your acquaintance.
"This pace exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room that only those who are bound by a 'contract' may enter. It may be that such a fate awaits you in the near future. Now then... why don't you introduce yourself?"
"I-I'm Misaki Ishida," I said.
"Hm…. I see," he replied. "Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we?"
He put his hand over the center of the table and cards appeared.
"Do you believe in fortune telling?" he asked. He waved his hand and the cards spread out, facing down. Six on the edge of the table and one in the middle. "Each reading is done with the same cards, yet the result is always different." He chuckled. "Life itself follows the same principles, doesn't it?" He gestured with his hand and the card on the bottom right corner flipped over. It looked like a tower being struck by lightning with a bunch of people falling off the top of it. On the bottom was the Roman Numeral XVI. "Hm... The Tower in the upright position represents the immediate future. It seems a terrible catastrophe is imminent." What? That's bad.
"The card indicating the future beyond that is…." He gestured again and the card on the bottom left corner flipped over. It was a crescent moon. "The Moon, in the upright position. This card represents 'hesitation' and 'mystery'…. Very interesting indeed.
"It seems you will encounter a misfortune at your destination, and a great mystery will be imposed upon you," he continued.
Oh great, I thought sarcastically, Just what I needed. More trouble.
"In the coming days, you will enter into a contract of some sort, after which you will return here. The coming year is a turning point in your destiny…. If the mystery goes unsolved, your future may be forever lost." Why is he telling me all this? He's adding to my stress and anxiety….
"My duty is to provide assistance to our guests to ensure that does not happen," he said. How is he going to help me…? I wondered. He waved his hand over the table and the cards disappeared.
"Ah! I have neglected to introduce my assistant to you," Igor exclaimed. He gestured to the woman. "This is Margaret. She is a resident of this place, like myself," he explained.
"My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you through your journey," she informed me.
"We shall attend to the details another time," Igor said. "Until then, farewell." Everything faded into black.