Rosaline
The faded sign above our little shop says Psychic Readings.
I come from a family of “Seers”. My mother. My grandmother. My great grandmother and so on. “Seeing is gift from the Island” my Mother proudly announces unlocking the door and flicking a switch. The sign inside the window flickers and lights up the words “Open”. That’s my cue to sit on the front steps and practice “reading” the customers as they come in. “You’re 13,” she says, “your psychic gifts should have been developed by now.”
I haven’t told my mom, but my gifts have already come in. Every time a customer pulls into our parking lot I see their whole life flash before my eyes. Even though their stories are different, they all arrive with the same nervous energy. They’re usually confused yet hopeful, but mostly I notice they’re all filled with sadness.
Some hold tight to an item of a lost loved one. Some hesitate to get out the car at all when they pull into our parking lot. There’s usually a woman with mascara streaking down her cheeks, hoping for answers in a failing relationship. Or a distraught man hoping for advice on how to get more money or seeking a love spell for a woman he can’t have. They all seem to fly in the door fast and fly out even faster. But never happier.
I haven’t told my mom about my gifts because I want a normal life. I don’t want to give quick fixes or bad news to lonely customers. I don’t want to read sweaty palms or give a spell to a man who doesn’t deserve the woman.
I want to become a scientist. Specifically I want to be an astronomer who shows people the stars.
My mom says she studies the stars too, but in the zodiac constellations to help people know themselves better. I like that, but I want to help others understand what the stars are made of.
I want to show people you can find all the answers to life just by looking at the sky. I would show them the miracle of life that shines directly above our heads. Then they’d realize none of this small stuff matters so much. Let the cheating husband go. Allow the family member who has passed on to continue on their journey. Forget the spells and simply find your peace in the spectacle of endless Universes out there… beyond our tiny little world.
