I didn't know what to believe. Didn't know who to trust. I didn't know if she would help me. But I did just that. I trusted her. The same way I trusted him. I sit in the wooden chair and listen to it creak underneathe me. The old lady sits across from me. Her silver hair is in a twist on top of her head. Her cheeks remain red from the cold as she sipped her tea. Her eyes scan the room. The dark shadows press around me. I bring the small orange teacup to my lips and swallow. The warm drink coats my frozen throat and warms my freezing insides. The warmth spreads to joy. I look back at the old woman . The redness of her cheeks has finally begun to subside. Her eyes have steadied and fixed themselves on me. she smiles and continues to sip her tea. The air remains silent and cold around us. She drains her cup and turns it upside down on the table.
She huffs out a breath and shakes her head. "No good. My luck is no good."
"What's wrong," my voice comes out hoarse and quiet.
"It appears I have yet to find love." She shakes her head once more. "Let me have a look at you leaves dearie."
I swallow the rest of my tea and turn the cup over on the table. The leaves fall in a mushy clump and moisture rolls over the table top. The woman takes a moment to 'read' my leaves.
The woman left out a wall and crumbles from her seat. "No!No!" The woman screams and climbs from the floor, shaking her head. "You poor, poor soul. No. Out! Get out now!"
The woman scrambles throughout the room to pull out a wooden broom. She beats me from her room. Forces me from her home. The cold wind presses against my burning cheeks. The forest looms ahead of me. My breath is sucked away. A pain laces through my head. I stumble and fall to the ground. The gunshot rings through the trees. Everything becomes empty. I become light. As I drift away a single scream rips through the night air. I become one with the cold empty space.