Martin: Back by popular- erm, you're- demand the rhyming titles will
prevail. Oh, sorry, not having brothers myself I don't exactly know what
they'd act like, I'll try to make them more lovable...
Songbreeze Swifteye- Yeah, that was the general idea- to make people think Jyda was being attacked- I'm not that swell at cliff-hangers... I'm still glad that you're enjoying my story, and I continue to enjoy your poems! Thanks again!
Acoustical Ferret- WOW! Thanks, author god... WOW! Umm, woops, I was going off of the definition we got in Art class- which now thinking of it- should be different from English class. The confusion is now cleared up- I know what surrealism is thanks to you. Oh the 'stupid' thing- sorry heat of the emotion I just wrote it in, I'll make sure I keep aware of that from now on though. Ionizing- mom said something about it over dinner (real cool story) and I just decided to write it in. I think it's cool so you can just back down and get off my case! ... j/k. Oh, Friga being knocked out by a sail- well it was actually the boom of the sail... that part got lost in editing... thanks ever so for rubbing it in. Yes, a bit of backstory is yet to be revealed. More about the tunnels coming soon... WOW! Thank you thank you- this will all come in extremely handy. Thank you Thank you ~bows~
Of Tarot Cards and Quiet Regards
By: Catty Engles
Nanda woke groggy, afraid, and coughing in a cold, wet, and hard galley. The undersized mousemaid blinked owlishly, sputtering a little. The hard, metallic tang of blood still lingered in her mouth. She gasped slightly as her unfamiliar surroundings began to sink in. A galley! A searat galley! Did that mean...? Nanda glanced down at her paws. Chained to an oar.
Nanda sobbed softly, suddenly feeling very small and alone. Where was Kessy? Friga? Jyda? Auntie Enn? Tears welled in her eyes as she frantically scanned the sleepy galley. She stopped as she noticed Twyler slumped next to her, moonlight playing across her matted fur. Two ropes were lashed tightly around her neck. Nanda squeaked in surprise and set about deftly loosening the suffocating tethers.
Twyler's breathing became less labored, and she fell forward onto the oar. Nanda's chest went tight with swelling worry. She felt weak and nauseous. Coughing drove a knife into her lungs and breathing rattled needles around her throat.
An overwhelming fear possessed Nanda as she too lowered her head to the oar, eyes wide. She huddled alone and trapped next to Twyler. Nanda sobbed softly to herself, letting the peaceful lapping of the swells against the ship's hull soothe her. She listened for a moment then sat up suddenly.
Unmistakably, they bobbed at anchor in port. The small mousemaid craned her neck to better glimpse her surroundings through a tiny porthole. An island with an ominous castle perched high on a flat-topped escarpment reached her eyes. She stifled a whimper.
"Wake up you dozy layabouts. Let's get these chains off'n you." A pine martin strode into the room, trailing an irate Milkeye.
"Half of these creatures won't remember how to walk, not to mention clean house!" Milkeye protested in a half mutter.
"Ira's orders, ferret, you don't want to answer to her do you? She may play a game with you. It might be fun." Ublaz's eyes cold and emotionless, bored into Milkeye. He felt as if his insides turned to ice.
Milkeye shuddered and looked away from them. Something about the pine martin's eyes was unnerving. Satisfied that he had quelled the captain of the Bloodrut, Ublaz returned to command, "You heard me. Off with the chains."
***
Jyda's father gripped her in a bone-crushing embrace. His big, scarred face split into a beaming smile. "Oh Colfen, she's here. She's alive. Oh Jyda!" Aster, Jyda's mother, further hugged and kissed her daughter. Jyda's three brothers, laughing heartily, soon joined them.
"I knew we'd get a hug out of 'er!" Pipster yelled. Jyda obliged wholeheartedly, too delighted to care.
Ren smiled at the happy scene, standing awkwardly at the cave's entrance. A huge hedgehog soon pulled him into the hall exclaiming cheerfully, "Ren m'boy, glad ta see you." He said in a deep rumble.
"Glad to be seen, Buck." Ren returned, smiling jovially.
"Come, have something to eat, we've made tons- too much for anybeast here." Buck announced with a chuckle. Ren shot a sideways glance at Chorls and Ashlyn.
"You better leave room for afters because I've a feeling you're going to eat your words." Ren grinned. "But look at the size of this place! Is it really underground? Does Ira know it's here? Where did all these beasts come from?"
"Yes, no, and they're escaped slaves, all from the castle. We banded together one night and took off. Colfen found this hideout while on cellar duty. Right below the castle, it is, directly underneath. But stop using your mouth for talking. Let's try some more profitable uses. Do you like blackberry crumble?"
Ren's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he sighted the loaded tables, "Do I!"
Before Ren could fall to, Jyda's mother Aster swept him into an embrace. Ren's mouth was full of blackberry crumble as Aster wept over him like a doting mother hen. "Ren, Ren, oh Ren we though we'd lost you too!"
With difficulty, Ren swallowed the crumble and spluttered a little as he patted Aster's tiny frame, "I 'cough' missed you 'cough' too, Mrs. Saltbrush."
"Oh please Ren, how many times have I got to tell you, it's Aster." She said, wiping bits of blackberry off of Ren's chin with the corner of her apron.
Embarrassed Ren said to his footpaws, "Sorry, Mrs. Sa... Aster."
Jyda's father had not let go of his daughter since he had first hugged her. He swaggered over to Ren, still smiling for all the world like his face had been made that way. Two rough looking otters, a male and female, had followed the Patriarch and his daughter. "Ren." Colfen shook Ren warmly by the paw, still smiling.
"Colfen." Ren said amiably. "Duweyla, Roader." Ren addressed the other two otters. The female, Duweyla, inclined her head, smiling slightly. Jyda beamed at Ren and then turned to Buck, submitting to his numerous head pats because the hedgehog could not hug for fear of spiking somebeast.
Roader, the male, grasped Ren's paw and shook hard, jiggling the squirrel's head. "Ren, good to see you back, mate." He lowered his voice, "Have you seen my sister, Twyler, Jyda tells me she's her first mate?" Roader asked pleasantly.
Ren's eyes widened, "Roader, I-"Ren was cut short as Pipster, Teeko, and Nutpaw descended upon him.
"C'mon Ren, we've yet to introduce you to some very important people." Ren let himself be led away, giving an apologizing nod to a confused Roader. Pipster kept a tight hold on Ren's forearm as they weaved in and out of beasts.
Some Ren recognized as original Riverglen clan members. These he nodded and smiled to, occasionally exchanging a few words before Pipster would get impatient and tug hard at Ren's arm.
The hall was packed with multitudes of different beasts. Most Ren had never seen before. Ren was staring around, trying to estimate how many creatures could possibly be crammed in here when Teeko tapped him on the shoulder.
"Ahem, Ren this is Tisily." Teeko pronounced.
"This is Calyr." Pipster added.
"And this is Laradon. These gals are escaped slaves from under Ira's cruel rule, and now are our... dear friends." Nutpaw said awkwardly. Ren turned his attention to the three squirrelmaids he had just been introduced to. All of them were extremely pretty and each was hanging on their respected brother.
Tisily giggled, something Ren thought she must do a lot, "Is that the Ren we've heard so much about?" She whispered to Teeko.
Teeko nodded happily. A panflute, drum, and tambourine struck up a bouncy rhthym in the center of the hall. Nutpaw bowed to Laradon, motioning with his paw, "Lara, may I have this dance?"
The pretty squirrelmaid took his paw and daintily let herself be led out to the dance floor. "You should go find Jyda, Ren." Tisily giggled, Calyr tittering behind her. Ren arched an eyebrow at the two pretty maids, not noticing Teeko and Pipster exchanging dark looks.
Ren watched as the three brothers and three squirrelmaids jigged happily in the middle of the floor. Getting bored, he noticed Chorls and Ashlyn laughing with Jyda at a nearby table. He moved to join them.
Pipster kept dancing as he posed Calyr a query, "What did you mean- about Ren finding Jyda."
Tisily tapped over, trailing Teeko, "Isn't it obvious? Didn't you see them when they came in-"
Calyr interrupted, "Holding paws." She said ominously.
Pipster turned an ashen face to Calyr, "And that means?"
She opened her mouth to speak but Teeko beat her to it, "It means nothing. Stop it you two, you know how Pipster's like, taking everything seriously. This is getting way out of proportion." He shot a glance towards Jyda, Ren, Chorls, and Ashlyn laughing happily at the table nearby.
Tisily pouted a little, "Maybe it means nothing to the unobservant perspective of a male but to a female... that is a whole other matter. Holding paws- especially from what I hear of Jyda- is very meaningful."
"Unobservant?!" Pipster protested. "I'm not unobservant!"
Calyr covered her eyes with a paw, "Oh yeah, what color are my eyes?"
After a moment of silence Teeko leaned toward Pipster, "I think she's made her point. We're going to have to tell Da."
***
Ira bounded up the stairs four at a time, snarling at a few hordebeasts as she went. A flicker of amusement glimmered in her eyes as they cowered in fear. She veered off into another passageway leading down a dark hall. Stopping at two fading velvet curtains, she regained her breath and inhaled the sickly sweet aroma of incense filtering out of them.
"M'lady, enter." A singsong voice beckoned Ira.
She growled as she brushed aside the moth-eaten velvet and entered a tiny, dimly lit, circular room, "I'm the only one who gives orders here." She addressed the shrunken vixen that sat at the far side of a clearing in the jumble of artifacts that littered the room. Skulls, bones, bolts of cloth, tables, incense, gruesome looking instruments, and varying torture objects graced the room like gold although cob webbed and tarnished.
Amid the clutter the shrunken vixen with a translucent cloth tied around one ear and eye motioned for Ira to sit across from her. Ira positioned her cloak around her sitting figure so that she was half concealed.
Wordlessly the vixen began shuffling a deck of cards she pulled from within the confines of a violet damask cloak. They were emblazoned with a large eye on the back of each, accentuated by a black background. Ira watched for moments before becoming fractious and knocking them out of the vixen's paws. "Get on with it, Moonshade."
With no sign of fear Moonshade calmly collected the cards and began to shuffle them again. "The Tarot will only predict when adequately ready."
Ira's lip curled in disgust, "Ask them of my future."
Moonshade lowered her eyes to the cards. Ira's always asked the same question. Impatient in the present, Ira would fantasize of a more satisfying future, and to disappoint her was to court her deadly rage.
Collecting the cards in one pile before herself, Moonshade took three quarters of the them, leaving the rest in a pile closest to Ira. Her Majesty Ira Scinci turned over the first card. Upside-down, it depicted a badger holding a tiny mouse in his paws. The roman numerals XI was drawn at the top, wreathed in brambles.
"Ah, a Major Arcana card, Strength. Tarot has looked favorably upon us tonight. This card tells of a coming of weakness, but it is reversed so in another creature we will behold it." Ira's eyes lingered on the tiny mouse. A bow was placed on its head and its big glassy eyes stared at Ira as if piercing her through.
Ira did not even notice her seer turning over the next card, so intrigued by the mousemaid she was. The new card was a ferretmaid with a hand over her heart and two stars above her head, "The Two of Pentacles tells us to release that which burdens us. Cleanse yourself and be rid of worries." Ira eyed the card, but quickly returned to the little mouse in Strength.
Flipping over another card, the vixen considered for a moment, "The High Priestess, a Major Arcana, is reinforcing future actions of spontaneity." It depicted a squirrel carrying a basket-full of skulls. Ira didn't even bother to look at it, keeping her eyes on the tiny, but mysterious mousemaid.
"The last and final card of your prediction is the Eight of Cups telling us to nurture those that need nurturing and to-"Moonshade stopped abruptly as the curtains ruffled with somebeast's paw.
"Yes, what?" Ira called irritably. Ublaz held the velvet aside as he revealed Milkeye accompanied by Splitear and the snaggletoothed fox called Jixt. They trailed a line of slaves, looped together with rope by their necks.
"Milkeye and the slaves." Ublaz announced.
Ira smiled cruelly. "These are now my house slaves since I have been left without any since their grand escape. I trust that each of my captains will now readily help in the search because-"Ira stopped abruptly as she glanced at the slaves, which included a tiny mousemaid with a bow and big glassy eyes, identical to the one on the card.
***
Hope you guys liked the Tarot Cards (cough- Acoustical Ferret- cough) The meanings are pretty accurate as how they could be translated. The Tarot is set up with 4 suits (pentacles, swords, wands, cups) all meaning different things and 21 Major Arcana (High Priestess, Strength, etc.) cards that are more meaningful and important. The first card flipped over should tell the problem- 2nd past references- 3rd what to keep in mind 4th what to do. This is the main interpretation of how to most profitably predict though there are many varieties. (Just a little backdrop! Now see that review button down there... I know you want to press it... come on tell me what you thought!)
Songbreeze Swifteye- Yeah, that was the general idea- to make people think Jyda was being attacked- I'm not that swell at cliff-hangers... I'm still glad that you're enjoying my story, and I continue to enjoy your poems! Thanks again!
Acoustical Ferret- WOW! Thanks, author god... WOW! Umm, woops, I was going off of the definition we got in Art class- which now thinking of it- should be different from English class. The confusion is now cleared up- I know what surrealism is thanks to you. Oh the 'stupid' thing- sorry heat of the emotion I just wrote it in, I'll make sure I keep aware of that from now on though. Ionizing- mom said something about it over dinner (real cool story) and I just decided to write it in. I think it's cool so you can just back down and get off my case! ... j/k. Oh, Friga being knocked out by a sail- well it was actually the boom of the sail... that part got lost in editing... thanks ever so for rubbing it in. Yes, a bit of backstory is yet to be revealed. More about the tunnels coming soon... WOW! Thank you thank you- this will all come in extremely handy. Thank you Thank you ~bows~
Of Tarot Cards and Quiet Regards
By: Catty Engles
Nanda woke groggy, afraid, and coughing in a cold, wet, and hard galley. The undersized mousemaid blinked owlishly, sputtering a little. The hard, metallic tang of blood still lingered in her mouth. She gasped slightly as her unfamiliar surroundings began to sink in. A galley! A searat galley! Did that mean...? Nanda glanced down at her paws. Chained to an oar.
Nanda sobbed softly, suddenly feeling very small and alone. Where was Kessy? Friga? Jyda? Auntie Enn? Tears welled in her eyes as she frantically scanned the sleepy galley. She stopped as she noticed Twyler slumped next to her, moonlight playing across her matted fur. Two ropes were lashed tightly around her neck. Nanda squeaked in surprise and set about deftly loosening the suffocating tethers.
Twyler's breathing became less labored, and she fell forward onto the oar. Nanda's chest went tight with swelling worry. She felt weak and nauseous. Coughing drove a knife into her lungs and breathing rattled needles around her throat.
An overwhelming fear possessed Nanda as she too lowered her head to the oar, eyes wide. She huddled alone and trapped next to Twyler. Nanda sobbed softly to herself, letting the peaceful lapping of the swells against the ship's hull soothe her. She listened for a moment then sat up suddenly.
Unmistakably, they bobbed at anchor in port. The small mousemaid craned her neck to better glimpse her surroundings through a tiny porthole. An island with an ominous castle perched high on a flat-topped escarpment reached her eyes. She stifled a whimper.
"Wake up you dozy layabouts. Let's get these chains off'n you." A pine martin strode into the room, trailing an irate Milkeye.
"Half of these creatures won't remember how to walk, not to mention clean house!" Milkeye protested in a half mutter.
"Ira's orders, ferret, you don't want to answer to her do you? She may play a game with you. It might be fun." Ublaz's eyes cold and emotionless, bored into Milkeye. He felt as if his insides turned to ice.
Milkeye shuddered and looked away from them. Something about the pine martin's eyes was unnerving. Satisfied that he had quelled the captain of the Bloodrut, Ublaz returned to command, "You heard me. Off with the chains."
***
Jyda's father gripped her in a bone-crushing embrace. His big, scarred face split into a beaming smile. "Oh Colfen, she's here. She's alive. Oh Jyda!" Aster, Jyda's mother, further hugged and kissed her daughter. Jyda's three brothers, laughing heartily, soon joined them.
"I knew we'd get a hug out of 'er!" Pipster yelled. Jyda obliged wholeheartedly, too delighted to care.
Ren smiled at the happy scene, standing awkwardly at the cave's entrance. A huge hedgehog soon pulled him into the hall exclaiming cheerfully, "Ren m'boy, glad ta see you." He said in a deep rumble.
"Glad to be seen, Buck." Ren returned, smiling jovially.
"Come, have something to eat, we've made tons- too much for anybeast here." Buck announced with a chuckle. Ren shot a sideways glance at Chorls and Ashlyn.
"You better leave room for afters because I've a feeling you're going to eat your words." Ren grinned. "But look at the size of this place! Is it really underground? Does Ira know it's here? Where did all these beasts come from?"
"Yes, no, and they're escaped slaves, all from the castle. We banded together one night and took off. Colfen found this hideout while on cellar duty. Right below the castle, it is, directly underneath. But stop using your mouth for talking. Let's try some more profitable uses. Do you like blackberry crumble?"
Ren's eyes widened to the size of saucers as he sighted the loaded tables, "Do I!"
Before Ren could fall to, Jyda's mother Aster swept him into an embrace. Ren's mouth was full of blackberry crumble as Aster wept over him like a doting mother hen. "Ren, Ren, oh Ren we though we'd lost you too!"
With difficulty, Ren swallowed the crumble and spluttered a little as he patted Aster's tiny frame, "I 'cough' missed you 'cough' too, Mrs. Saltbrush."
"Oh please Ren, how many times have I got to tell you, it's Aster." She said, wiping bits of blackberry off of Ren's chin with the corner of her apron.
Embarrassed Ren said to his footpaws, "Sorry, Mrs. Sa... Aster."
Jyda's father had not let go of his daughter since he had first hugged her. He swaggered over to Ren, still smiling for all the world like his face had been made that way. Two rough looking otters, a male and female, had followed the Patriarch and his daughter. "Ren." Colfen shook Ren warmly by the paw, still smiling.
"Colfen." Ren said amiably. "Duweyla, Roader." Ren addressed the other two otters. The female, Duweyla, inclined her head, smiling slightly. Jyda beamed at Ren and then turned to Buck, submitting to his numerous head pats because the hedgehog could not hug for fear of spiking somebeast.
Roader, the male, grasped Ren's paw and shook hard, jiggling the squirrel's head. "Ren, good to see you back, mate." He lowered his voice, "Have you seen my sister, Twyler, Jyda tells me she's her first mate?" Roader asked pleasantly.
Ren's eyes widened, "Roader, I-"Ren was cut short as Pipster, Teeko, and Nutpaw descended upon him.
"C'mon Ren, we've yet to introduce you to some very important people." Ren let himself be led away, giving an apologizing nod to a confused Roader. Pipster kept a tight hold on Ren's forearm as they weaved in and out of beasts.
Some Ren recognized as original Riverglen clan members. These he nodded and smiled to, occasionally exchanging a few words before Pipster would get impatient and tug hard at Ren's arm.
The hall was packed with multitudes of different beasts. Most Ren had never seen before. Ren was staring around, trying to estimate how many creatures could possibly be crammed in here when Teeko tapped him on the shoulder.
"Ahem, Ren this is Tisily." Teeko pronounced.
"This is Calyr." Pipster added.
"And this is Laradon. These gals are escaped slaves from under Ira's cruel rule, and now are our... dear friends." Nutpaw said awkwardly. Ren turned his attention to the three squirrelmaids he had just been introduced to. All of them were extremely pretty and each was hanging on their respected brother.
Tisily giggled, something Ren thought she must do a lot, "Is that the Ren we've heard so much about?" She whispered to Teeko.
Teeko nodded happily. A panflute, drum, and tambourine struck up a bouncy rhthym in the center of the hall. Nutpaw bowed to Laradon, motioning with his paw, "Lara, may I have this dance?"
The pretty squirrelmaid took his paw and daintily let herself be led out to the dance floor. "You should go find Jyda, Ren." Tisily giggled, Calyr tittering behind her. Ren arched an eyebrow at the two pretty maids, not noticing Teeko and Pipster exchanging dark looks.
Ren watched as the three brothers and three squirrelmaids jigged happily in the middle of the floor. Getting bored, he noticed Chorls and Ashlyn laughing with Jyda at a nearby table. He moved to join them.
Pipster kept dancing as he posed Calyr a query, "What did you mean- about Ren finding Jyda."
Tisily tapped over, trailing Teeko, "Isn't it obvious? Didn't you see them when they came in-"
Calyr interrupted, "Holding paws." She said ominously.
Pipster turned an ashen face to Calyr, "And that means?"
She opened her mouth to speak but Teeko beat her to it, "It means nothing. Stop it you two, you know how Pipster's like, taking everything seriously. This is getting way out of proportion." He shot a glance towards Jyda, Ren, Chorls, and Ashlyn laughing happily at the table nearby.
Tisily pouted a little, "Maybe it means nothing to the unobservant perspective of a male but to a female... that is a whole other matter. Holding paws- especially from what I hear of Jyda- is very meaningful."
"Unobservant?!" Pipster protested. "I'm not unobservant!"
Calyr covered her eyes with a paw, "Oh yeah, what color are my eyes?"
After a moment of silence Teeko leaned toward Pipster, "I think she's made her point. We're going to have to tell Da."
***
Ira bounded up the stairs four at a time, snarling at a few hordebeasts as she went. A flicker of amusement glimmered in her eyes as they cowered in fear. She veered off into another passageway leading down a dark hall. Stopping at two fading velvet curtains, she regained her breath and inhaled the sickly sweet aroma of incense filtering out of them.
"M'lady, enter." A singsong voice beckoned Ira.
She growled as she brushed aside the moth-eaten velvet and entered a tiny, dimly lit, circular room, "I'm the only one who gives orders here." She addressed the shrunken vixen that sat at the far side of a clearing in the jumble of artifacts that littered the room. Skulls, bones, bolts of cloth, tables, incense, gruesome looking instruments, and varying torture objects graced the room like gold although cob webbed and tarnished.
Amid the clutter the shrunken vixen with a translucent cloth tied around one ear and eye motioned for Ira to sit across from her. Ira positioned her cloak around her sitting figure so that she was half concealed.
Wordlessly the vixen began shuffling a deck of cards she pulled from within the confines of a violet damask cloak. They were emblazoned with a large eye on the back of each, accentuated by a black background. Ira watched for moments before becoming fractious and knocking them out of the vixen's paws. "Get on with it, Moonshade."
With no sign of fear Moonshade calmly collected the cards and began to shuffle them again. "The Tarot will only predict when adequately ready."
Ira's lip curled in disgust, "Ask them of my future."
Moonshade lowered her eyes to the cards. Ira's always asked the same question. Impatient in the present, Ira would fantasize of a more satisfying future, and to disappoint her was to court her deadly rage.
Collecting the cards in one pile before herself, Moonshade took three quarters of the them, leaving the rest in a pile closest to Ira. Her Majesty Ira Scinci turned over the first card. Upside-down, it depicted a badger holding a tiny mouse in his paws. The roman numerals XI was drawn at the top, wreathed in brambles.
"Ah, a Major Arcana card, Strength. Tarot has looked favorably upon us tonight. This card tells of a coming of weakness, but it is reversed so in another creature we will behold it." Ira's eyes lingered on the tiny mouse. A bow was placed on its head and its big glassy eyes stared at Ira as if piercing her through.
Ira did not even notice her seer turning over the next card, so intrigued by the mousemaid she was. The new card was a ferretmaid with a hand over her heart and two stars above her head, "The Two of Pentacles tells us to release that which burdens us. Cleanse yourself and be rid of worries." Ira eyed the card, but quickly returned to the little mouse in Strength.
Flipping over another card, the vixen considered for a moment, "The High Priestess, a Major Arcana, is reinforcing future actions of spontaneity." It depicted a squirrel carrying a basket-full of skulls. Ira didn't even bother to look at it, keeping her eyes on the tiny, but mysterious mousemaid.
"The last and final card of your prediction is the Eight of Cups telling us to nurture those that need nurturing and to-"Moonshade stopped abruptly as the curtains ruffled with somebeast's paw.
"Yes, what?" Ira called irritably. Ublaz held the velvet aside as he revealed Milkeye accompanied by Splitear and the snaggletoothed fox called Jixt. They trailed a line of slaves, looped together with rope by their necks.
"Milkeye and the slaves." Ublaz announced.
Ira smiled cruelly. "These are now my house slaves since I have been left without any since their grand escape. I trust that each of my captains will now readily help in the search because-"Ira stopped abruptly as she glanced at the slaves, which included a tiny mousemaid with a bow and big glassy eyes, identical to the one on the card.
***
Hope you guys liked the Tarot Cards (cough- Acoustical Ferret- cough) The meanings are pretty accurate as how they could be translated. The Tarot is set up with 4 suits (pentacles, swords, wands, cups) all meaning different things and 21 Major Arcana (High Priestess, Strength, etc.) cards that are more meaningful and important. The first card flipped over should tell the problem- 2nd past references- 3rd what to keep in mind 4th what to do. This is the main interpretation of how to most profitably predict though there are many varieties. (Just a little backdrop! Now see that review button down there... I know you want to press it... come on tell me what you thought!)