The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Madam Sarona 
by Lydia Prime

The door of stringed beads clicked behind her as she swaggered into my shop. Sitting before me, she placed five dollars on the table and never uttered a sound. I began to shuffle the cards when a chill crept up my spine, something was wrong. I should have asked her to leave but instead I continued shuffling. I looked her over, she kept her hood up and her head down. I shot a quick glance to the mock crystal ball on my table and that’s when I saw the somewhat familiar pain in her eyes.

I finished shuffling the cards and cut the deck into three. I pulled first, the Ten of Swords, “It appears you’ve been betrayed before, and you’re trying to come to terms with it.” The woman shifted a bit, still never looking at me. Every fiber of me screamed, maybe I’ve been breathing this incense too long.

The next card was The Fool. “This card tells of an error in judgement. Often warning those to look before they leap.” I offered a smile and stared deeply into the top of her hood though this time there was no movement. My discomfort growing even more, I peaked at the crystal ball again; her eyes seemed different this time, more intense. There was more anger than pain.

At last, for the final card I revealed Death. I sighed deeply, my dear girl, what have you been through?

“These aren’t for me.” She rasped. My hands began to shake, her head rising slowly until her gaze was locked with my own. “You read for yourself, Madam Sarona. Tonight will be your last.” She began to cackle. A single tear ran down my cheek as her skeletal jaw clacked together.

Fiction © Copyright Lydia Prime
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More about Lydia Prime:

Lydia grew up in a small, ‘Mayberry,’ sort of town, in New Jersey. She thoroughly enjoys gummy bears and laughing through the darkest depths of life. More often than not, she writes about demons and monsters, however, being a recovering addict tends to turn inner demons into fearsome foes to be fought beyond the constraints of the mind. ‘Sometimes,’ she states, ‘what’s inside, is scarier than anything reality throws at you.’

Please visit Lydia on Facebook for more info.