[TEN]

6.7K 178 16
                                    

"That's an echo, gentlemen,"Dr. Facilier said as he led the duo into his workplace, "Just a little something we have here in Louisiana, little parlor trick, don't worry." He snapped his fingers and the door shut behind him.

"Sit down at my table, put your minds at ease. If you relax, it will enable me to do anything I please." They were ushered to the table. "I can read your future, I can change it 'round some too. I look deep into your heart and soul," he turned to the butler as he pushed them down in their seats, "you do have a soul don't you, Lawrence? Make your wildest dreams come true. I got voodoo, I got hoodoo, I got things I ain't even tried! And I got friends on the other side." His shadow pushed in his chair as he sat. 

He's got friends on the other side...

He pulled out a stack of tarot cards, shuffling them skillfully. "The cards, the cards, the cards will tell the past, the present and the future as well." Lawrence and Naveen glanced at each other for a moment before turning their attention back to the doctor. "The cards, the cards, just take three." Naveen grabbed three confidently and nudged Lawrence to take some as well. "Take a little trip into your future with me."

The trios were spread out on the table and Dr. Facilier turned to Naveen and pointed at him. He flipped over the first card, revealing a castle. "Now you, young man, are from across the sea. You come from two long lines of royalty," he confided in the prince, "I'm a royal myself on my mother's side." He flipped over the center card. "Your lifestyle's high, but your funds are low. You need to marry a little honey whose daddy got dough." He paused to add, "Mom and Dad cut you off, huh, playboy?" He asked.

"Eh. Sad, but true," Naveen shrugged, seemingly unbothered.

Facilier went back to shuffling the cards. "Now y'all gotta get hitched, but hitching ties you down. You just wanna be free, hop from place to place. But freedom takes green." He spread the cards in an arc across the table, and flipped them to their faces, which were suddenly all dollar bills. "It's the green, it's the green, it's the green you need. And when I look into your future, it's the green that I seen." He turned to face Naveen's butler, who looked offended once he was acknowledged.

"On you, little man, I don't wanna waste much time. You been pushed 'round all your life. You been pushed 'round by your mother, and your sister, and your brother. And if you was married," he drew out as Lawrence looked hopeful, "you'd be pushed 'round by your wife." Naveen chuckled. "But in your future, the you I see is exactly the man you always wanted to be."

He extended his thin hands towards the two men. "Shake my hand." They both looked surprised. "Come on boys, won't you shake a poor sinner's hand?" Naveen was more hesitant, but Lawrence was too excited, using both hands and grinning.

"Yes..."

"Are you ready?" Snakes appeared and looped around Naveen's torso, binding him to his chair as he struggled.

Are you ready?

"Are you... ready?" Dr. Facilier pulled out a wooden necklace with a head charm.

"Transformation Central."

Transformation Central...

"Reformation Central."

Reformation Central...

"Transmogrification Central!" He pricked Naveen's finger, using the royal's blood to power up the necklace. "Can you feel it?"

Green magic swirled around the prince. "You're changing, you're changing, you're changing alright. I hope you're satisfied." The magic condensed completely, covering Naveen from head to toe.

"But if you ain't, don't blame me. You can blame my friends on the other side!"

You got what you wanted!

But you lost what you had!

𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐮 | 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐞𝐧Where stories live. Discover now