Sandy reached into her pockets and pulled out what she had. Other than her old wallet, she had the used bus ticket for her ride to the park. There was the wrapper of the burger she had for lunch that she kept forgetting to discard. A fresh serviette. A few crumpled pieces of advertisement that she had been handed at the bus terminal.
The old woman looked disappointedly at the offering before her. "Is that it?"
"Well, I have my clothes," Sandy said. She was clad in a T-shirt and a simple skirt for the warm summer days. "I could give you my panties."
The woman turned away slowly and hid her face with a hand while shaking a negative reply with her other. "No, that won't be necessary."
"I can take them off easily and my skirt is long enough that no one'll know they're missing," Sandy added helpfully.
The fortune teller shook her hand harder. "No, no, please don't."
A silent moment passed. The old woman looked up and reached for the paper money. She spread it flat in her hand. Then she took the serviette, added it to the paper money. She unfolded it once, flattening it as she had with the first paper. "These are enough," she declared solemnly, as though the serviette had the same value as the note of currency.
The corner of the old woman's mouth turned upward, the hint of a smile she allowed herself for coming up with her brilliant solution. Then she realized that the serviette was not as clean as it looked. Her face grimaced with disgust as she refolded the serviette and wiped her hand on a clean part.
As the old woman put her takings away, Sandy pocketed the remainder of her belongings.
Then the fortune teller fanned out her cards, face down. "Pick one," she instructed.
Sandy chose one from near the right end. She turned it around to find it blank. Her eyes immediately glanced up to the woman for an explanation.
"The future is blank, unknown," intoned the old woman. She raised a finger to forestall Sandy's protest. "I shall use the ancient power bestowed upon me to reveal some of it's secrets." She held her hand out for the card.
Sandy placed the card on the woman's hand.
The woman started chanting again. She waved her hand over the card twice. Then carefully, she waved the card, face down, over the flame of the candle a few times. She stopped chanting and held the card out for Sandy.
Sandy turned the card over. The previously white face of the card was burnt and on it was a verse written in darker brown.
"You are not who you think you are," the words said, "Your wealth shall be found where you do not think to look."
After reading, Sandy extended the card back to the woman.
The old woman slowly pushed it back with a gentle smile, one that revealed yellow but otherwise healthy teeth. "Keep it. It is your future."
The teenage girl nodded. With the card in her hand, she got up. She pulled aside the tent flap and stepped outside. The afternoon sunshine shone brightly on her brown hair, hair that reached no further than her neck.
Outside, she was met by a taller teenager with ebony skin and curly hair the color of the darkest chocolate. "Done?" she asked.
"Yeah," Sandy replied.
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