Color Blind by Sheila; Sobel Page B

Death card! Oh my God! This can’t be good.
    “For you, my child,
DEATH
signifies an uninvited change in your life, your fear of the unknown . . . Shall I go on?” she asked.
    Unable to speak, I nodded a yes.
    Turning the top card from the second stack over, she tapped it with her polished nail and said, “
NINE OF SWORDS
. This card represents your present. It is the card of anxiety and sorrow. You despair, yet you seek comfort and spiritual healing.”
    I was stunned. The first two cards were disturbingly accurate about everything happening in my life.
    “Last one?” she asked.
    “Yes,” I squeaked. I needed to know what the future card held for me. Marguerite took the top card from the third stack and turned it face up. She tapped one last time.
    “
JUDGMENT
. This last card suggests you will soon make reckless decisions. A trial by fire awaits, to unshackle you from your fears. In the end, you shall be freed.”
    “What does that mean,
trial by fire
? I don’t understand.”
    “My dear child, it is a metaphor. You have faced and will continue to face challenges. You will continue to be tested. Ultimately, you will be released and restored.”
    My mind raced to process what Marguerite had said. My voice trembled when I asked the high priestess, “Do I need to be . . . do I need to be
spiritually cleansed
?”
    “That is for you to decide, my child.”

Chapter Nineteen
    Confused, scared, unable to make any decision, I composed myself as best I could and changed the subject.
    “I, uh, I have another question for you. In the bag of Voodoo things you gave me, there was a note from you that said if I wanted to delve deeper, I should come to you. What did you mean?”
    “Miss April, when you came to my shop that evening, I felt an energy from you, a connection of sorts. Have you dabbled in Voodoo before?”
    “No! The only thing I ever knew about Voodoo came from hokey old movies I watched with my dad on popcorn nights . . . My great, great, great, great grandmother did, though. She more than dabbled. She was a queen.”
    Marguerite fell silent. “Who was your maw-maw? There is only one real queen, you know.”
    I gazed deep into her pale gold eyes. “Marie Laveau.”
    She smiled. “Ah, yes. Marie Laveau was not
a
Voodoo queen, she was
the
Voodoo Queen. She set the standard for all who have followed. There has been no other like her.”
    Marguerite stood, removed a book from a shelf by the door, and thumbed through the pages until she found what she was searching for. She looked at me, looked at a page, then back at me. She pointed at the picture. “You see, there is a resemblance, it’s in the eyes. You have her eyes. I now understand the energy I felt from you. It is why you fainted that night in the shop. You were connecting psychically with her
Loa
. My shop is not just a tourist attraction or
trap
, as some call it. This is a place of worship and spiritual guidance for true believers.”
    “Whoa. Let’s get one thing straight.
I am not a believer!
”
    “You say you do not believe and yet, you are here. Fate has directed you to me, Miss April.”
    Overwhelmed by tiredness, I lay back on the pillows and closed my eyes.
    “Me? Directed? No. I have no direction. I’m lost, alone. I have been ever since . . . since my dad died . . . I never got to say goodbye to him.”
    “My child, it is time for you to say goodbye. You and I, we shall raise his spirit together. We shall connect with his
Loa
. We shall cleanse you, unblock you. After which, both of you shall be at peace.”
    “Peace. That’s good. I need peace,” I mumbled. I was feeling odd, not quite with it any longer. “You know what else, Madame? I have new cousins. They’re black, like me,” I whispered.
    My head was spinning. No, it was the room that was spinning.
What’s happening to me? I can’t think straight. What was in that tea? Did she drug me?
Sweat dripped from every pore, soaked my dress. Utterly unaware of my surroundings,