In my muddled dream, I heard the phone's alarm ringing. The sound was shrill and unpleasant. In mere seconds, it burrowed deep into my head, reverberating and driving me crazy.
With reluctance, I peeled open my eyes - the eyelids heavy like lead. Under my blurry vision, I grabbed at the noise. Deep down in my heart, there was an inexplicable urge to just throw it away, right through the opened window. The alley was mostly deserted, and I didn't have to worry about injuring an innocent passerby.
For a few seconds, I couldn't help myself from entertaining this thought. However, soon rationality caught up with my sleep-deprived mind. I couldn't afford a new phone, and even if I could, I'd prefer to salt the coins away rather than spend recklessly. In my defense, I was not a miser. I just abided by the maxim - "The art of living easily as to money is to pitch your scale of living one degree below your means." I had to be frugal when I could, to be generous when I needed.
I had to wake up. Uttering incomprehensible sounds, I tried hard to slip out of the blanket, but my desire for rest was overwhelming. It took me a few minutes to prevail over the five-more-minutes disease, finally standing. In the process, however, I found a folded piece of paper stuck under my pillow.
"I don't remember leaving this here..." I muttered in puzzlement, scratching my cheek.
Some people would post notes on the fridge, while others would place them on top of a desk or a table. Leaving memos beneath the pillow was my habit. Thus, what really bemused me was not the note itself but the fact I had no recollection.
/ Yesterday I forgot, so today, I absolutely need to go to the pharmacy to retrieve a vital item. It is locked in my locker./
The handwriting on the paper was undoubtfully mine. But the more I thought, the more perplexed I became. How could I forget about writing this message? What item could be so essential that I had to absolutely go and retrieve it today? Was it something related to work? But I wasn't the type to forget crucial matters. Moreover, the content of the note felt quite peculiar too...
My mind was hazy, and my head was hurting from not enough rest. I couldn't understand why, but I felt an obscure agitation. At this moment, my phone made a sound grabbing my attention. In the messaging application I usually used, my friend Will was inviting me to the cinema later today.
After high school, we went to different universities. Subsequently, the working world left us with even fewer chances to meet. Therefore I felt like I shouldn't miss this opportunity. With a smile on my lips, I inputted my agreement and glanced at the time. It was already 10:23.
I glimpsed at the paper in my hand, deciding to push this matter to the back of my mind. Anyway, I had tomorrow's shift, and it wouldn't be too late to deal with this mystery in the morning. Perhaps this matter wasn't as important as the note made it to be. Otherwise, I wouldn't have forgotten about it. With such thoughts, I casually put the paper in the pocket of my coat, busying myself around the house.
The only reason I had to wake up so early despite my fatigue was the apartment's urgent need to be cleaned. Otherwise, I would never sacrifice my sleep. Especially now, when one of my colleagues was missing, and I was overloaded with work.
Time passed quickly, and the sun reached the zenith; My rumbling stomach indicated it was about time for me to pick something to eat. Therefore, I turned the computer on, browsing the nearby restaurants. In the process, I noticed a headline in the browser's recommendations. It was about new medication related to improving one's memory. This reminded me of the message I found earlier.
"Maybe I should look at it once more..." The thought had just emerged in my mind when there was knocking on the door.
"Who is it?" I shouted, swiftly closing the computer and moving to check on my visitor.
"Surprise! Brother, did you miss me?"
The intruder was a woman in her twenties with brownish-red hair and a cheeky expression. Her name was Dora Lawrence - she was my younger sister.
"No. Go away! I am busy cleaning," I replied insincerely, trying to close the door under her nose. However, before I could succeed, a foot was inserted between the door and the frame. "Damn," I thought, looking at her smiling face. I hated when she made this type of smile.
"Luca, you are as dark as ever. Stop being such a tsundere and invite your beautiful sister inside," she said, staring me in the eye.
"That joke is not funny! Wait, there were two jokes this time. You mentioned something about being beautiful!" I groaned in exasperation and moved aside to let the gnome enter.
"How is it not funny? It makes me laugh every single time. I wonder where were out parent's heads when they were naming you. Ah, and I for once agree with you, brother. I am not just beautiful. I am gorgeous!" with joyful laughter, Dora threw away her bag, took her shoes off, and happily hopped toward my bedroom.
This gremlin was teasing me because my name meant light, and apparently, I wasn't as sunny as she required me to be.
"I doubt you will be happy unless lightning strikes on top of my head..."
"Then you really will shine~," the answer came from my bed, "By the way, why is it so clean here? Got yourself a SO?"
"Of course not. Didn't I just tell you that I was cleaning? Losing your sense of hearing at such a young age," I clicked my tongue as I tried not to smile, "Sis, should I prescribe you some medicine?"
Despite my grumbling, I handed her a cup of water. Dora tended to not drink enough fluids, and I felt the need to hydrate her whenever there was an opportunity. Sigh, it was hard to be a big brother.
"Nah, I am fine," rolling her eyes, she turned down my goodwill. I wanted to say something, but before I could, she continued, "Let's go out and grab some food. However," taking a Tarot deck from her pocket, she grinned, "First, I shall read your fate!"
That damn fellow. Was she using me to flex her divination skills again?
As an occult enthusiast, especially intrigued by divinations, Dora had mastered a few different types of quackery. Reading Tarot was her favorite one, and she often pestered me to be her victim. Thanks to this, I had become half an expert myself.
"What spread?" I asked, looking at the already prepared deck in her hands in resignation.
"Past, present, and future?"
"No."
The last time Dora divined my future, she said I was going to change my gender...I was still traumatized by this girl's stupidity!
"Hm, today is a full moon. Then wanna do The Moon Arcana spread?" she presented me her second-best choice.
After some contemplation, I finally agreed. It was a fine spread to use when one felt lost and unsure of how to proceed. I couldn't explain it well, but right now, it seemed like a very fitting reading. I felt somehow misplaced, like a character in the wrong story.
"Okay, let's go with The Moon spread. I will use the 22 Major Arcana for this reading. Shuffle the deck and cut it, then give it back to me." Dora explained, handing over the cards in her hands.
"I know," snapping back at her, I still dutifully followed the instructions. This was required of me. Sometimes, I had to grind my teeth and entertain my sister.
Clicking her tongue in disapproval, Dora stared at me, "This, my dear brother, is called setting the mood. This is why you are still single. Next year shall I bestow you a broom?"
"Mind your own business! Unless you want me to turn you into a goblin at that time." Why was she always mentioning this?!
While we were bickering, the cards were laid on the desk.
Unlike the most common past, present and future, this spread included six cards. In the middle position were the moon and the reflection beneath it. To the right of them was the wolf, with the path placed rightward and below of it. And on the left side likewise were assigned the dog and the darkness. The order of the draw was darkness, moon, reflection, dog, wolf, and the path was the last.
"Shall we start then?" asked Dora with evident excitement in her voice.
"Just do it fast. I skipped breakfast." was my reply. However, I was already looking at the unflipped cards. There was a bit of anticipation and perhaps...fear?
"Key. Let's see~"
The first card Dora reached to was the darkness. It reflected a secret. Flipping it up, I saw an aged man with a lantern - The Hermit.
"Hoho...The Hermit. The truth is hidden, and your inner voice is desperately trying to convey it to you." Dora made her words drop down an octave to increase the mystery of the atmosphere.
"A secret, inner voice..." my heart skipped a beat. I felt I was missing something, but I couldn't grasp the specifics. This illusiveness was infuriating.
"Next is..." Dora flipped the moon, revealing a tower with an omniscient eye at the top. It was the Tower of Babel, making her gasp at the revelation, "Danger, your intuition is trying to warn you that a disaster is hanging over your head!"
My eyebrows twitched at her words, and my mood grew heavier.
"Haha, why are you getting so worked up. Did you suddenly start to believe in my skill?" my sister smiled from the side.
Her words were reasonable, and my mind eased considerately. Yeah, there was nothing to be scared of. My sister was an enthusiast, and I didn't even believe in divination. I was just tired from work and needed some sleep. Yeah, I was just tired...
"Go ahead," I urged her, as the pangs of hunger were getting stronger.
"Yeah, let's finish it and go grab a bite." With these words, Dora decisively flipped the reflection card. The moon in this spread symbolized what my intuition was hinting at, while the reflection indicated illusion and presumptions. The card that was revealed this time was The Devil, but it was upside down. A reversed Devil meant freedom and restoring control. However, his position in this reading indicated illusion, something that looked true but it wasn't. My freedom and control were just a vision.
"Should I stop?" Even Dora felt that I was kind of unlucky this time. Maybe, it was best to leave it at that and go fill our stomachs.
I didn't enjoy the ominous air and was about to accept her proposal, but it wasn't good to leave midway. It just didn't feel right. Therefore I braised myself and said, "Whatever, let's just flip them and go get that lunch. I don't like leaving things unfinished" Soon, I included, "no need to explain everything. I know how to analyze them myself."
"Good," Dora nodding her head and reached for the next card.
The dog in this spread indicated an ally in finding my clarity. And it turned to be The reversed Hierophant. What did this mean? The reversed Hierophant pointed at rebellion and new approaches. So...was I supposed to think out of the box? The agile reasoning was my ally in finding a way out of this predicament?
Before I could grasp anything, the next card was flipped over, snapping me back from my daze. The fifth card in this spread - the wolf, symbolized danger. After being revealed, I saw that it was The reversed Moon.
"Confusion, misinterpretation..." I whispered wordlessly. Was it dangerous to be misled? Misled by what? I was getting more and more confused. Every time I tried to think further, I felt like something desperately was fighting against it. How did this easygoing Tarot reading turn out so serious?
Finally, the sixth card was exposed as my puzzlement reached a climax. It depicted a crowned figure sitting on a throne - The Emperor. This card represented fatherhood, authority, and a clear mind. What was that supposed to mean?! The path position in this spread indicated my next step. Was I supposed to go make babies now?! This was ridiculous. And what authority did an ordinary pharmacist even had? Pharmacist...I recalled the strange memo under my pillow.
