Page 35 of A Fool's Game

“Indeed,” is her amused response. “I wonder if you would be willing to choose one more card from the deck—without looking—so we could do a proper three card reading.”

If that’s what it’s going to take, I’m happy to add one more card to the mix. The more the merrier seems to be the theme of my life right now.

Marisol spreads the deck out on the table in front of me, keeping The Fool and The Magician aside. I stare at the backs of the cards for a long moment, running my hand over the line of them an inch or so from their surface, as if I’ll be able to feel the right card.

As if there is a right card.

Finally, I just pick one, sliding it out face down in front of me.

“You can flip it over or I can,” Marisol offers.

I flip the card.It’s The Moon.

Laughter bursts out of Marisol so loud and suddenly that both Doc and I jump in surprise.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s just…The Moon. The cards have a sense of humor today.”

I have no idea what that means, but I’m starting to wonder if I made the right choice in coming here. I pat my hand on Doc’s head to comfort him as he starts to settle back down.

Marisol can sense my unease and leans forward once more. “There are no bad cards.”

“Just funny ones?”

“Just…coincidences that are hard to ignore.”

I’m about done with all this cryptic nonsense. “All right, lady. Lay it on me. What’s my future?”

She laughs again, shaking her head. “Tarot isn’t a fortune telling medium. All we can do is see what advice and lessons the cards can offer us about our particular situation. In your case, you have your two favorite cards there, The Fool, number zero, the realm of the imagination, and The Magician, number one, manifestation, bringing the fantasy realm to life. Together, those cards represent the first two steps in the journey of the Major Arcana, the archetypal cards in the deck. The Fool is a journey of fresh possibilities, the ability to pursue one’s dreams fearlessly, and being open to new experiences and possibilities. Lying alongside The Magician, which is a card that represents inner power, taking bold steps forward toward achieving one’s dreams. Together, they signal movement, flow-state, if you will. Something that was once just an idea being brought to life.”

“And The Moon?”

She sits back in her chair, no longer looking down at the cards. I meet her gaze and hold it while she considers.

“The Moon is imagination, dreams, magic, and cycles. It’s often looked at as a reflection of the other cards in thereading. A mirror of sorts. It’s the realm of imagination and the shadow of the real world.”

“The Fool is imagination, and The Magician is bringing that into the real world.”

Marisol nods. “And The Moon reflects both of those things.”

Reaching forward, I pull the three cards closer on the table so I can peer straight down at them. The Fool and The Magician are familiar as old friends after all my hours of research. I must have looked at a hundred different versions of each.

The Moon, though. The Moon is new.

On the card is a full moon, of course, but there’s also two dogs. I squint to look closer and notice that one of the dogs is gruffer than the other, with visible teeth, grayish white fur, and an unruly tail. The other dog, although the same size, is a deeper shade of brown and has a more domesticated looking tail. Its ears are soft and laid back as it howls, unlike the pointy ears of the white dog.

Two dogs, one soft and cared for, the other gruff and mean looking. And they howl together at the same moon.

I guess I’m starting to see some of the irony of the cards.

But I came here for answers, and all I have now are more questions. “Are these dogs about to be attacked by a lobster?”

Marisol laughs. “One thing at a time, love.”

I break my concentration on the cards to look back up at her. “What does it all mean?”

“The clarity of the answers the cards can provide is directly connected to the quality of the question you ask.”

I try not to grind my teeth as she tosses out another riddle. “Okay, so I asked the cards what to do about my romantic situation. And it gave me these three. What do you think the answer is?”

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