Dark Dreams (COMPLETED)

The fortune teller

The hall in which the party was held was the size of a soccer pitch. The committee tasked with decorating it was, as always, chaired by Katrina, who had done an excellent job. The stairs were decorated with phosphorescent green paint that looked like alien blood while the walls were covered with red writing and hanging bats. The budget for the party ran into five figures, which had allowed the committee to hire dancers dressed as zombies, rock groups, and mummies to roam around.

The main hall, lit exclusively by black wrought-iron candelabras that held tall yellow candles, was divided into four areas. In one were black tables with dishes that looked like sliced-off fingers and floating eyes, which filled the room with a strong sugary smell; another had creepy games like throwing a body-less arm; and the third was devoted to the dance floor, where a DJ disguised as a werewolf was entertaining people. The final area, where we were, was the relaxation zone and was decorated with purple velvet sofas with gold, lion-paw feet. Around us, thousands of students were partying dressed as vampires of every kind. The horror music played on the organ set the tone before the nine o'clock concert, while artificial smoke entered my throat, causing me to cough intermittently.

"We absolutely have to go there," squealed Kiki, pointing at the booth with the sign "Esmeralda the Fortune-Teller".

I had no time to object as Kiki had already dragged me away. There was no door in front of the stand, only a dark green velvet curtain that covered a square wooden cabin.

"Come in, my dears," said a voice.

Kiki pulled me by the wrist and headed through a gap in the curtain. Waiting for us there was a pale woman sitting in a red chair with her elbows resting on the table in front of her, which was covered with a black cloth with a cobweb pattern. Her dark, curly hair was held in place by a black bandana across her forehead, onto which an eye was painted.

"That's cool," cried Kiki, looking at her third eye.

"Five dollars for the true story of the land on which Union Hills was built, ten to read your future," she said, moving her hands, whose black nails were decorated with small eyes.

"Let's start with the story," said Kiki, sitting on one of the two black chairs in front of the fortune teller. "Sarah, don't be a wuss."

I stopped biting my fingernails and obeyed.

"This building, which was once a castle, was built in 1666."

"Wooooo" echoed Kiki as if she were a ghost.

"William, a nobleman with a passion for swords and birds, lived there" continued the fortune teller,

"Odette would have loved him," Kiki whispered in my ear.

Esmeralda cleared her throat to restore order: "He was in love with two sisters who, when they discovered that he was seeing them both, asked him to choose between them."

"Is William your middle name by any chance?" Kiki asked me, smirking.

"Funny," I said, rolling my eyes.

"One evening, he called the girls to say that he had made his choice. If the sisters had only known that he didn't have a ring in his hand but... "She rose suddenly and cried in a grave voice: "a knife... with which he tore out the girl's hearts, to keep them with him always. From that night on he was known as Wicked Willy and he is said to return to his property at night, with the girls' bloody hearts in his hands."

"Okay, goodbye," I said, getting up.

Kiki grabbed me by the hood of my cloak. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"I hate horror stories!" I complained. "I get freaked out easily."

"You should have thought about that before you came to a Halloween party!" She scolded me, making me sit down again. Then she said to Esmeralda, "my friend would like to have her future read."

I momentarily regretted our friendship.

"Esmeralda sees and foresees everything," said the fortune teller, moving her hands in a strange way.

Suddenly she grabbed mine, while from the other sleeve of her robe she took out a pendulum with a conical quartz tip as if she were a sorceress. She closed her eyes and clasped my hand in hers. To my amazement, the pendulum began to turn counterclockwise without her moving the hand holding it an inch. Second by second, the pendulum started to spin wildly as if a governed by a hurricane.

"I see two men... Indecision and regrets..." she said, in a grave voice that didn't resemble that of the fortune teller. "When the family tree is broken, the pain will give rise to an infant, drowning you in shadow."

My heart was about to burst out of my throat with fear.

I stared at the pendulum, which was now whirling so high that I wondered if it was physically possible.

"I see the other... of bones..." she went on.

Urban Skull, I thought.

The fortune teller's voice began to tremble, just like her arms: "You must stay away from the bones... so much violence and... death! "She opened her eyes and stood up, looking at me as if she had seen a ghost. Then she turned to Kiki: "Go away!"