Writing Excuses - 8

Homework: Pick one of the dead-drop characters from the exercise two weeks ago, and turn them into a secondary character. Now take one of the characters with whom they interacted, and write the same scene again, but from this new character’s POV.

Previous scene:

Two stalls down, Pearl sat at a small table in black velvet robes, shuffling cards. Just like her, the cards' edges were worn with time. She turned a card over, and a slight smile spread to the corner of her lips.

The World, message received. It’s now in motion. A scrawny man sat in front of her, looking blankly at the card she placed, but it was not meant for him. She placed two more cards. This time, her smile, withholding all emotion, was for him. “The Seven of Pentacles followed by the Devil.” She studied the cards again, pausing, head slightly tilted, as if listening to an unseen voice whisper in her ear. “There’s a warning about greed here, my dear man.”

“Excuse me?” He stammered nervously.

“Greed, the intense and selfish desire for something that isn’t yours.” She tapped her finger on the Devil and turned it around to face him. He stared in horror.

A floral scent filled the air, a flash of dark green, and the World card was gone. The man didn’t notice, and Pearl didn’t acknowledge. She smiled again and nodded. That girl was like the Seven of Swords; quick hands, quiet steps, and no one ever noticed until it was too late.

Same scene, new perspective:

Jeffrey, a weary and desperate man, stumbled into a dimly lit tavern, his head hung low in defeat. No one glanced up as he made his way to an available table near the back, furthest away from the fire ablaze in the hearth. A back door was open, his eyes catching on a piece of parchment pinned to a notice board that was bobbing gently in the cool night breeze, until finally, it was lifted from its fastener and floated to the ground like a leaf. Unable to pry away his curiosity, he gets up to grab it.

Tired of fighting the unknown?
Go where velvet meets the stone.
Pearl will guide you to what’s true,
Come now, the future waits for you.

Pearl sat at a small table in black velvet robes, shuffling a deck of cards. In front of her, Jeffrey sat wringing his hands, his last coin digging painfully into the palm of his hand. Never having been to a psychic before, he wasn't quite sure what to expect from her. Was she a witch? Could she turn him into a frog if he upset her? That might be a better fate than where he was currently headed...

She hadn't spoken to him when he entered her stall, but she did beckon once for him to enter. He looked around in amazement at the tapestries of woven suns, moons, and stars draped over a polished, dark oak frame. The black velvet shimmered in the flickering candle light as there were many purple candles lit, some of them pouring purple wax into bejeweled copper bowls. Bundles of smoldering sage sat between talismans, tiny charms, rocks, and crystals. His eyes tried to pick up every detail as he sat down at the chair she pointed to.

She turned a card over, and a slight smile spread to the corner of her lips. It had "The World" written in block letters on the bottom, a woman, nude, was carrying two... somethings in her hands. What were they? He looked at the card blankly, waiting for her to speak.

She didn't speak until she flipped over two more cards. This time, she looked at him as all warmth faded from her smile. “The Seven of Pentacles followed by the Devil.” Pearl took a prolonged look at the cards again, pausing, head slightly tilted, listening to the secrets blowing in from the wind. “There’s a warning about greed here, my dear man.”

“Excuse me?” Jeffrey stammered nervously. I'm not greedy, I'm just trying to survive. 

“Greed, the intense and selfish desire for something that isn’t yours.” She tapped her finger on the Devil and turned it around to face him. Jeffrey stared in horror at the Devil, it seemed to be staring back right into his soul.

A floral scent filled the air, as Pearl began to smile genuinely again. Jeffrey knew it wasn't a smile meant for him. Thinking he saw a flash of green to his left, he turned slightly, and when he looked back, Pearl was shuffling her cards again. 

Jeffrey sighed, fidgeting absentmindedly, unfolding the crumpled parchment from his pocket. Pearl’s eyes catch the parchment, snapping her out of her reverie. Her demeanor shifts, she sits up straighter, her gaze falling on the man in front of her as if seeing him for the first time.

 
She speaks, her eyes locked with his, her voice low and serious: “This is the path you’re on, with the Devil. It can change."

"Can I tell you what -" Jeffrey started to say, but Pearl held up one hand to stop him.

"No. Words only muddle and influence the energy." Pearl shuffled the cards with intention now, her earlier distraction replaced by a focused stillness. When she finally placed three cards on the table, her breath caught slightly.

“Justice,” she murmured, resting her fingers lightly on the first card. “You already know this one, don’t you?” Her eyes met Jeffrey’s. “It’s about choices. Not just what’s fair, but what’s right. Even when no one’s watching. Especially then.” Her tone turned gentle, but firm. “There’s an offer in your life that feels like a shortcut. But shortcuts cut more than time, they cut pieces off of you.”

Jeffrey’s eyes widened. He said nothing, but thought of Marcus' offer echoing in his mind: We will protect you, feed you, give you shelter, but we will own you.

Pearl touched the second card. “The Star.” Her voice softened, reverent. “Hope survives, even after everything. This card only appears when someone needs to be reminded that healing is still possible.” She tilted her head slightly, as if hearing something beyond them. “You carry a wound; deep and old as time. This card says it doesn’t define you. You’re not broken.”

Finally, she placed her hand over the last card. “And here,” she said, her voice returning to full strength, “is The Chariot. This is not a card of fate, but a card of will. You can stay on the path you’re on. Or you can take the reins. It’ll be hard, but forward with determination is the only way. Let your integrity guide you.”

Jeffrey swallowed hard, staring down at the cards in awe.

As Pearl finished the reading, she leaned down to pick up a card that slipped to the floor. In the dim light, her movement was so swift that Jeffrey momentarily thinks she's vanished entirely, exactly like a witch. His heart skipped, but then Pearl reappeared, chuckling softly at his startled expression. Jeffrey laughed then too, erasing any tension that might have been left over.

Pearl looked at the card in her hand, The High Priestess. Jeffrey stood up, reached the coin out to Pearl. She firmly grasped his palm closed over the coin and gently pushed his hand back toward him. "We both learned lessons here today. I forgot what the High Priestess has been urging me toward my entire life, to be in service of those in genuine need." She pointed to the parchment in her hand. "That flier you have was a promise I had forgotten."

Jeffrey left the stall with his head held high.