The Mystic

Hello, my name is Lisa.....I don't really know if anyone will find this, but if someone is listening to this, then I suppose someone has. The story I'm about to tell you, is rather odd, hell even I would have trouble believing it if I hadn't witnessed it myself. So whether you consider it as fiction, or fact, is up to you.

The sun hung high in the sky as the car finally slowed to a stop in a rather tight space between two cars.

"Finally! Thought we'd never find a parking space." My friend Stacey sighed, quickly cutting the engine and making her way out to the giant crowd that had already formed, awaiting tonight's events. You see, I had just turned twenty-one, and due to this, my friends Stacey and Amber wanted to take me to the infamous Mardi Gras, to "Ring in being twenty-one right". I hesitantly agreed, I didn't particularly like large crowds, or alcohol of any kind, but they were my friends, and I didn't want them going alone. So here we were, trying to make our way through the dense crowd that whistled at the girls flashing the people on balconies, and chugged beer even this early.

"How about we hit some shops first, and then join the party when it gets later?" Amber suggested, we all agreed happily, and began to push through people until we reached the sidewalks. They were a little crowded, but it seemed most were in the street itself, which I was thankful for because I was already beginning to regret coming. We headed for the first shop we saw, which ended up being a mask shop, and of course Stacey said she wouldn't let us leave until we bought one for tonight.
I ended up getting this simple gold one with purple, and green sequin designs, and feathers on either side.

Stacey got one that looks similar to mine, but feathers in the middle, and Amber got one on a stick. As we made our way out I couldn't help but look out at the crowd again, although I didn't really have much choice, that really was all there was to see at this point. While turning back to my friends though, I thought I saw something on the other side of the street, something black.

'Must have been just someone in costume' I shrugged.

"Whoa does that say palm reader?!" Stacey asked suddenly as both Amber and I followed her gaze, we soon stopped at a rather large sign protruding from a building on the other side of the street. It did indeed say palm reader, even had a huge hand with the all-seeing eye in the middle.

"Let's go!!" Stacey yelled as she jogged into the crowd.

"Stacey wait up!" Amber called, jogging out to the crowd as well, as I watched my friends disappear into the abyss of people, I couldn't help but have this nagging feeling of...Dread wash over me, like when you know you shouldn't do something...But you do it anyways. Shaking my head I quickly, I made my way into the crowd,

It's just because of this place is not really being my scene' I reassured myself.
When I finally made my way through the flock of people, I was met by the site of my friends looking rather, dejected.

"What's wrong?" I asked, Stacey sighed before answering

"It's closed, so I guess we'll have to move on."

"Oh." I replied, before I noticed the dark in my side vision again, turning my head, I saw someone in a robe sitting in front of a small rickety table.

"Hello?" I called to them, but they didn't reply, they didn't even move.

"Ma'am?" Stacey asked as she began to walk over to the small woman, Amber following close behind. We all stared at the woman, but jumped a little as she finally raised her head. We couldn't see under her hood, her face was cast in shadows. But as the woman looked at us all, the feeling of pure dread I had came back full force. It was almost palpable as we stared at the darkened face.