A/N: Written for the Mega Prompts Challenge, word prompts 457 – smoke.
Fortune in Pipes
Were there really futures written in the smoke? She wasn't sure if she was supposed to believe that. Fortune telling, precognition – all that stuff was a sham after all. They only said the sort of stuff they could get away with, because it was so terribly ambiguous no-one would work out it was a fraud.
But some of her friends told her about this old lady who really did see things in smoke.
So she went to see.
The woman laughed. 'I can't see the future,' she said, puffing away at her pipe. 'This is a shop that grants wishes, not fortunes.'
Well, that seemed even less believable to her.
'Though, the fact that you've been able to come here means you have a wish.'
She snorted. 'Well, of course. Doesn't everyone?'
'Not all wishes can open the door to my shop,' the woman replied, her tone serious.
'Well…' That caught the girl off guard. 'My wish…uh…'
'Hmm…' The woman put down her pipe. 'Why don't we have a cup of tea first?'
The girl didn't see how that would help. Everyone knew the fortune telling by reading teabags was a sham. And she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at the suggestion.
'Just to set the mood,' the woman explained. 'And meanwhile, you can think of the words to explain your wish.'
Her wish… Maybe it had to do with knowing the future. Or finding a fortune teller who really could tell the future.