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“Hey”
“Hm?”
“How do your powers work?”
A quiet morning, interrupted by a question from the curious.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Well, last time I asked Ko about her powers and she told me about it. So, now I’m curious about yours. You gave a brief explanation but you didn’t really tell us the whole story.”
“Hmmm”
A pondering hum filled the peaceful kitchen, when no more words were spoken, the two people continued to do their work, cooking breakfast.
“Wake up Ko, the food’s gonna get cold if she doesn’t come down here”
“Yeah yeah, I got it”
“Also…”
“Hm?”
“Meet me in the study room later this afternoon”
“…Alright”
One goes up to wake up the youngest in the house and the two came down to eat breakfast. It seems today is going to be another peaceful day. After breakfast, the youngest went out to play and enjoy the morning sun, while the other two cleaned up and went to their respective places.
-
Hours has gone by, activities filled the house, the place was hardly silent due to having 3 people residing it. Afternoon came quickly as fast as the morning disappear. One came into the room they designated as “The Study Room”. The study room was just a room filled with numerous books, a table, and some chairs. You can see bookshelves lined up filled with various topics to read about, in short it is simply a little library in this house.
“What’s up?”
“You wanted to know how my powers work, yes?”
“Wait, you’re actually gonna show it to me?”
“Hmph, why do you sound so surprised?”
“Well, it’s just that, you look like an uptight guy who likes to be mysterious and all that”
“I supposed that’s the cost for being able to see one’s future. You have to keep quiet to ensure it will happen”
“Right…”
The two were now sitting across from each other, a table in the middle. On the table, there are books, pens and paper, and a deck of cards. The cards seem to look like tarot cards.
“You’re using tarot cards to read someone’s future?! Damn, you’re really starting to look more and more like those fortune-tellers you see on TV”
“Perhaps I should start by reading how you will die”
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding”
“Although it pains me to say this, but you are quite right, the only thing you are wrong is how I use the cards”
“Explain away dear sir, it’s not like there’s anything urgent to do today”
“Hmph, as you can see here, these are tarot cards. There are 78 cards in this deck, each with their own meaning. How you choose them will alter the results, whether it is upside down or the pairings of the cards, all will change the reading”
“So, what I choose will determine the result?”
“Yes, but that’s not my powers work?”
“Huh?”
“You see, I don’t necessarily use the knowledge of tarot in my reading, I simply use the cards as a medium”
“So, what you’re saying is, it doesn’t really matter what I pick?”
“Oh no, it still matters. It’s just different”
“How different?”
“In tarot, every card has a meaning. Those who are learning the tarot cards have guidance on how to read the cards. ‘If the person chooses this card, this is what it means.’ ‘If this card pairs with this one, it means this’ ‘This card means this but if it’s upside down it means that’ and so one and so forth. My readings aren’t like that. I can see someone’s future whenever I see them. My eyes are my main tools. These cards just help filter them out”
“And when a person chooses a card, you’ll read them a specific future?”
“Yes. When I see someone, I see countless futures. Millions of them, each with their own circumstances, and I can see them all. From this ocean of possibilities, I simply choose 78 of them and assign each of them to these tarot cards”
As he explains, he brings the tarot cards closer and shuffles them. And with each passing second, one-by-one the cards glow a blue hue.
“If a person comes and ask me for a specific circumstances, it will be easier for me to filter these futures, but since you’re not asking for anything, I’ll just fish these futures randomly”
One shuffles the glowing cards while the other watches with astonishment, then worry
“Wait, you’re not gonna fish out futures 100 years from now right? I really don’t wanna know what kinda problems we have. At least, fish out the peaceful ones.”
“Ha ha, don’t worry. I will only choose the futures of today”
After that, the cards are spread across the table. The back of the cards are facing towards the two.
“Now, choose one and I will tell you your future”
“Hmmmm, you want me to choose one from all of these? That seems impossible”
After a certain amount of time, a card has been chosen. The future of today has been determined, the rest of the cards are pulled back by the owner’s hand and is placed on their side.
“Now turn the card”
The card has been turned, a picture of a girl and a lion is what is on the card. The word ‘Strength’ is written on the bottom of the card
“Strength? Huh…care to explain?”
“As I have said before, the knowledge of tarot cards isn’t used in my readings. If you would like to know, you can simply search it in the internet. Now, before I tell you, I must warn you. My power is about the future, you know that yes?”
“Yeah”
“Which means, I have seen futures. But I don’t only just see them, I can also act upon them”
“What do you mean?”
“Your power is The Present while Ko’s power is The Past. I have not asked Ko about the details of her power but I can safely say that her power’s allow her to see into the past. And I know that you act in the now. My power can be similar to yours. I can make a certain future come into a reality. That is why it is very dangerous for me to even talk about it because anything I say can become reality. Do you still want to know?”
“Yes, I’m ready for it”
“Well then, your future is…”
Silence has descended into the room, tension can be felt in the air. Two people see each other eye-to-eye.
“…”
“…”
And then…
“ -You are going to eat cereal- ”
“…”
“…”
“… WHAT?!”
A shout interrupted the silence
“THAT’S IT?! I’M GONNA EAT CEREAL”
“Please calm yourself”
“ALL THIS TENSION FOR THIS?!”
“As I have said, I pick the futures randomly. No matter ridiculous some is, it is still the future”
“Yeah but… I didn’t expect that. Also can’t you tell me more? It can’t just be that”
“You would like to know more?”
“Yeah, I mean if you think about it if someone asks you to read their future, they would want more than just ‘you will eat cereal’ like come on”
“Hmph, didn’t you hear what I just said, everything I say will become a reality. So naturally, any details will certainly become a reality.”
“So… you can’t say the full thing?”
“It is not that I can’t say, it is that I don’t want to say. A future is determined by many things, a person’s wellbeing, their feelings, the time, the place, how they get there, even the weather can change a future. I simply do not want to cement a future, right down into the details, into reality”
“So the more you talk, I guess the more clearer it becomes”
“Yes, your future has only one thing that will happen, you will eat cereal. How you get there, where you will eat it, when you will eat, who do you eat it with, is still ambiguous in reality”
“So like, it’s not sure when I’ll eat the cereal?”
“Yes”
“Can you tell me what time I’ll eat it?”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m really fascinated by all this stuff and I really wanna know, so pleasee”
Looking at each other, one with pleading eyes while the other with uncertainty. One finally gives up.
“Fine, I will tell you a little bit more of your future”
“Hooray!”
“Please stop celebrating, sigh the things I do”
“So, when is it?”
“ -You are going to eat cereal tonight at 7- ”
“That was fast!”
“You asked, I provide”
“Yeah but- nevermind. So now I will definitely eat cereal at 7 PM today?”
“Yes, that will become a reality”
“Huh. It’s still 1, I can’t wait for it to happen”
“You won’t be able to remember”
Silence filled the room
“What?”
“You will not remember the fact that you will eat cereal at 7 tonight”
“Wait, why?”
“I don’t know yet. But it appears that, every time I do a reading to someone, they seem to not realize that they’re doing what they already know. They seem oblivious to it and when I asked them about it, they’re either surprised or confused. So I would assume that they will forget about it once they leave.”
“Huh, that’s really weird. So I wouldn’t even realize that I’m doing what you read?!”
“Yes, it would appears so.”
“That’s…kinda sad”
“I suppose that is one of the reasons I don’t want to tell someone their future. Being able to decide what a person is doing in the near or far future without them even realizing is simply…”
With a hard face and clenched fist he spoke the next word in almost soft voice
“Terrifying”
“…”
Silence once again descended into the room, this time with a more dreadful feeling in the air. A person who can make a future into a reality. While the other party would initially be aware of it, but will become unaware when the future comes. It creates a loneliness that no one but this person can feel.
“Hmmm, what if you lie?”
“About?”
“The reading. What if you told someone a different future than what they chose? You said, you assigned each card a certain future but what if you told someone a different future than the assigned card. Or what if you just completely lie and make up a whole different future? No one will notice, except for-”
“Except for me.”
“Yeah, only you know which one is true and which one is a lie”
“If that happens, then I will bear the consequences”
“Consequences?”
“I am the one that is going to live that future”
“Wait how does that work?”
“You can see it as another cost of my power. Since no one in the room knows the true reading and no one will ever remember that their future has been read and determined other than me. It falls on to me. So let’s say I lied about your future of eating cereal, the reality will be: I will be the one to eat cereal later tonight at 7 PM, while your future will return into ambiguity. Your future will not be dictated by my reading”
“So whatever you say will become a reality, either to the person or to yourself”
“Not quite, it’s more like- whatever future I have assign to that card will become a reality to me. If I tell a different future, no matter it is a lie or a completely different future, than the one I assigned, I will be the one to experience that future that is assign in that card.”
“So if the person gets a card and if the assigned future is a bad one”
“Either they will experience it or I will be the one to experience it”
“Oh… damn”
“An appropriate reaction. That is why I rarely use my power. I do not want to bring misfortune to myself or to others”
“Wait, but can’t you just tell them to not choose that card?”
“Haven’t I told you? I have to keep quiet to ensure that the future will happen. If I tell them what to choose and not to choose, that would just be sabotaging my reading and every future that I have assigned to these cards will become invalid”
“Wait, invalid? As in-”
“The person will never be able to experience the future that I have assigned to these cards, not in the near future, not in the far future. It will never become a reality”
“…”
Silence has once again descended into the room, this time a feeling of melancholy can be felt.
“Then… can’t you just pick futures, assign them to the cards, and tell the person to not choose any of them so that those futures will become invalid?”
“Ha ha, that’s like trying to choose water with a more salt concentration than the other waters from the same ocean”
“But, you said you can filter the future?”
“Filtering based on the time or circumstances is different than filtering out what is a bad or a good future”
“So even if you filter the future’s, it’s still gamble?”
“Yes, you can either have a deck full of great futures or you can have a deck of horrible futures.”
“Can’t you just pick them one by one?”
“Hmph, who do you think I am to choose what a person’s future should be like? It may feel like I am the one that sealed a person’s fate but it is their hand that chooses the card. It’s like ordering food in a restaurant. They have all the ingredients to make every food in the menu but they still give you the menu so that you can choose which food you want to eat. Of course you can still ask the restaurant what is the best food but in the end it still you that chooses what food to eat. And you will be the one to experience and face the consequences of what you have chosen.”
“Huh, what a complicated power”
Silence. But not just a mere silence. The feelings of wonder as well as acceptance can be felt in the room.
“Well, that’s enough feeling of helplessness in one day. Time to enjoy the rest of the day”
“Yes, you’ll do that, perhaps it is fate that brings us to this discussion”
“Wait, you’ve seen this future? Actually I don’t want to know, talking about destiny, fate, and the future sucks the life out of me”
“Ha ha, it does have a tendency to do that”
“No wonder you sleep all the time. This stuffs mentally draining. Oh wait, I got another question”
“Yes?”
“Does it have to be tarot cards? You can’t use any other type of cards?”
“I can use any cards. I can even read your future with Uno cards but that’s too many futures to choose from”
“Then why use tarot cards? Can’t you use like the cards from solitaire?”
“I suppose…using tarot cards fit my mysterious aesthetic”
“Ugh, you know what, whatever. You have fun being the creepy fortune-teller. I’m gonna head out. See ya”
“Yes, take care”
-
As the day goes by, night time has come and it came to visit today. Two people can be seen sitting on the couch, eating dinner while watching a show on TV. One can be seen moving closer to the couch carrying a bowl of food.
“Mako, are you eating cereal for dinner?”
“Yeah, why? You want me to pour you a bowl?”
“I’m kinda full so no thanks”
“Alright”
As the one sits, the youngest continue to eat dinner while fascinated by what is shown on the TV while the oldest stare at the one that just sat
“What? Are you judging me because I’m eating cereal at night even though it’s a breakfast food?”
“Hmph, no, of course not”
“Right, look, cereal is food too okay. Who cares if it’s considered a breakfast food. What really matters is that it’s food and that’s it”
The clock strikes at 7 PM, sitting on a couch, 3 people can be seen eating their dinner. A bowl of cereal is slowly decreasing, second after second. A feeling of déjà vu can be felt every time the bowl of cereal is eaten but alas, it is only dinner. A dinner for tonight.