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One day, I walked into a cafe early in the morning. It was a crisp morning, cold and refreshing. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman wearing a dress and a colorful woolen shawl over her shoulders. I had no idea why but I felt enticed to walk over and talk to her. So I did so, stepping over to where she was sitting. When I arrived at her table, she looked up at me with some sense of familiarity. Looking at her closely, she was old but I wasn't sure how old she was. Old enough that she had white hair and wrinkles but seemingly young enough to have a particular twinkle in her eye.
"Young man." She said "Go ahead and take a seat. I was expecting you."
I did so with some confusion. I asked her how she was expecting me when this was the first time we had met. After all, until today? I had never met this woman in my entire life. Nothing about her was familiar to me. Not the color of her eyes, the way she smiled, the way she held herself. Not a single thing. In response she merely laughed, idly reminding me of the whispering wind as she did so.
"You know me. All people know me… now… have you ever heard of the Tarot?" She asked
I nodded my head. I was familiar with the Tarot because of many things I had seen. Some of which were in games and shows. It was hard to have not heard it. I answered her with saying the Tarot seemed like it was just some way of giving people a false sense of ease or understanding. To my surprise, she gave a nod of agreement before smiling at me once again.
"While the Tarot can be done to do that… it can also reveal what is already there with enough understanding on both sides." She stated
I asked what she meant with that. Soon she shuffled the deck before pulling out four random cards from the deck. Laying each of them facedown on the table between us. The first card she flipped over was a man dressed like a jester walking with a dog, the second was a woman beneath a sky of stars, the third was a man dressed in magician's clothing with a wand, and the fourth was a tower being struck by lightning while on fire.
"The Fool represents quite a few people. Reckless, easy to get themselves into danger… but it also represents those who can play the part of a fool. Wearing the mask to deal with one's hardships. Wearing the mask that allows them to flow through life and deal with their worries. Their sorrows." The woman says
Staring at her confused, I ask why she brings this up and how this was relevant to the conversation at hand. She just gave a smile and continued with her explanation without as much as skipping a beat.
"The Star may mean hope but many people have hope. Only so many can hold that hope so tightly that it becomes their strength… and their weakness when it is taken away." She said
I felt a bit unnerved at that statement. Before I could process what that meant, she continued onto the next card. Not slowing down even for a moment. Idly, I noticed we seemed to be the only two people here.
"The Magician is someone who has a great amount of potential and will. But can easily lose it if the world itself beats them down too much. Much like the Star. Their willpower can be their greatest strength and their greatest weakness… but in a different sense. For what is willpower but not also stubbornness?"
At this point, I was silent. Unable to even try and come up with a response at this point. Whether she noticed it or not, she continued forward towards the last card. Tapping her finger against it almost pointedly.
"Very few would be able to empathize with the Tower… only so many have gone through pain and suffering of that level… and yet all of these cards I've mentioned… they feel familiar, yes?" She asked, looking at me softly
"...Thank you for your wisdom." I replied simply "I… have to go now… will… I see you again? I still don't know your name."
"Who am I? Simple… I am someone and no-one at the same time. Everything and nothing. For what is a mirror but nothing more than what it reflects?" She asked
After that, I turned around and quickly walked away. Walking out of the cafe and walking down the street… afterward. I felt something in my pocket and pulled out a card. It was The Tower. Stopping for a moment, I looked up at the sky… and remembered why I felt so uncomfortable. It was because she was right… for my life was filled with pain. For my hope was my strength and my weakness, for all my stubbornness I was barely able to get far, and for it all. I played the Fool. For what could I do?
After all… what can a Fool do but wear his mask to not cry all the time?