Tales of the Travellers

3

I sat before my crystal ball, my hands running across its smooth surface.

I really wasn't in the mood to be creative today, and the person before me wasn't really interesting. Physically or mentally.

They had black hair, pale skin and looked like a wannabe vampire of sores. She was dressed in a corset and wore black with red features. I stared at her for a long moment, mainly with a look of annoyed disbelief. But with Shadow over my left shoulder making sure I actually did my job, I made my voodoo voice and gestures. My crystal ball never had any scenery within it, it was a crystal clear ball that sometimes turned grey when my mind energy clouded it.

She didn't have an interesting personality to suggest an interesting future, let alone a painful or screwed up one.

So I told her something I knew would probably make her interesting. "I'm afraid I don't see anything, Miss." I felt Shadows' presence tower over me, ready to envelope me in darkness like many times before. I quickly added, "I'm afraid you don't have a future to speak of. You don't have a life to speak of, beyond this point you are not alive."

She made the first emotion I had seen since she walked into the tent.

Seconds later, she was sent screaming from the tent, aiming to get as far away from the tent and myself as possible.

Shadows was laughing as he plonked himself where the girl was sitting. I was never really interested anymore and sat there with a silent blank look as he continued to cackle about that woman. "That was a good one, Mary. I'll admit that," said he as he got to his feet and stretched his arms. I had been in the carnival for a while, and I had still never seen Shadows without his odd cloak on.

I had no clue what the man's face looked like.

"That'll be it I reckon Mary," he informed as he stood behind me again. He patted my shoulders and rested what I assumed to be his chin on my shoulder. "You did well, Mary."

I blushed from the sudden praise. "There's still one more out there... sir..." I managed to say.

Shadows' touch retracted and he nodded. "I could go for another laugh. Invite them in."

I nodded, "Yes, sir." I stood up from my chair and went to the folds in the tent. I pushed them aside to say my scripted 'mysterious' line, but my words abandoned me at hello. Those two men, the ones I saw at my dance with the weird costumes of a butler or a Ringleader. They smiled at me, which sent an involuntary shiver down my spine.

One of them tipped his hat to me. "You must be the Future Predictor, correct?" he asked. His voice was very velvety almost, but I didn't fall for the charm as I backed away from the tent.

Shadows looked to me for a moment before looking to the two men who walked in. "Been a while since two gentlemen have come in together... and looked rather odd too."

I folded my arms as I stood next to the chair as Shadows sat down before the table. "I can predict a painful future without even trying if you decide to keep that little get up," I informed.

One of the men laughed, "Where's the fun in being ordinary looking?" He gained a sinister look suddenly, "You're forgotten much easier."

I shifted on my feet before looking to Shadows, my attention soon went to the silent man before us. He was simply staring at me, his fingers were polishing the handle of a walking stick. From my moments of seeing this man walk I didn't see a reason for this walking stick. "I'm taking my leave sir," I informed to Shadows, my eyes never broke from the man's, and he seemed more than happy to look back at me.

"Why is that, Mary?" Shadows asked, he too had a similar glaring contest, but neither of them were holding his glare.

The man with the sinister stare spoke, "Mary was a little lamb, a shocker, a surprise. With mind skills and the looks to match that make grown men die."