Melissa saw the brightly colored door to the tarot reader's shop on Jackson Square in New Orleans. That looks interesting, she thought. I've never had cards drawn before.
She walked up to the door and pushed it open. A tinny little bell rang, and Melissa saw a figure in the darkened front room startle and turn towards her . . .
"She's not open right now," the figure said in a way that didn't sound convincing. "Come back another time." There was a hint of menace in the voice.
My horoscope had said: "You will meet a tall, dark stranger. Take courage and begin a new life."
Thus it was at that moment that Melissa decided to become a tarot card reader herself, to better understand the mysteries that surrounded her. And the dark figure, who was in fact her future self, smiled and vanished into the shadows once more.