"My ears strain to hear a call back to me
But all I seem to hear is the calling of the sea..."
Chapter One: The Fool's Journey
"You need your rest." There was a gentle urgency in her mother's voice. "Lie back down, honey."
"The same..." She whispered, staring at the deck of cards in her hands.
The older woman frowned. It's been like this... ever since the accident... "You're still in the hospital, sweetie." She tried again. "Please don't sit up so often. Even the doctor said it's bad for you."
"I am fine." Sh spoke with an almost chilling certainty. But her mother, who knew her better than anybody else, could tell that behind the ice-cold facade, she was perturbed.
And despite that, her mother could still see the desperate urge to sleep beneath her eyelids. She was fighting it.
"The Moon."
She laid out a card that depicted the celestial body on the thick blanket that covered her lap.
"The Tower."
Another card joined the first. As she reached for the third, there was a prominent frown on her face; an unusual emotion for her. Her eyes fluttered half-close, and she struggled to keep them open.
"The Hanged Man."
Her mother couldn't help the slight shiver that went down her spine. An ominous feeling settled around the room, like there was an unseen evil that was silently watching over them. Maybe buying those tarot cards for her, ten years ago, had been a bad idea.
Calmly, she drew another card from the deck. She looked thoughtful.
"Honey...?"
"It's the same." She murmured, placing the third card down. "No matter how many times I draw, the sequence of cards is always the same." She paused, then continued. "The Moon, the Tower, The Hanged Man and after that..."
Was it just her imagination or was her daughter acting strangely today? More than usual, that is.
The young girl had closed her eyes as she drew the last card.
"The Wheel of Fortune."
After what seemed like an eternity, her eyes opened again. But this time, it wasn't the smell of sickness and medicine that woke her.
It was the salty smell of the sea.
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