Toronto, April 17 2018
Anne my dear sister,
Please do not read this letter to mum. What I am about to tell you is incredible. Even you might not believe it and may think that my lonely life in Canada is making me crazy.
You know me, how I always decide to start the New Year with a good psychic. I found one online that I had not tried before, with a dozen reviews and a score of 4.5 out of 5. Excited, I booked an appointment by email for the upcoming Saturday at 1 pm with a lady called Barachiel (a very mysterious and exotic sounding name). Her location was great, she was right in the middle of Little India, which is a neighbourhood I love.
On D-day, I took a late morning streetcar to my destination, in the midst of an awful snow storm. Despite the cold and the terrible sidewalks, I was dead set on spending some time browsing a few quaint ethnic shops and went equipped with a solid shopping list.
Around noon, heavy with a few bags of spices and knick-knacks, I settled down in a cozy little eatery offering Jamaican - Indian specialties for a quick lunch. I got a beer, sat down by the window and shared a small table with a sweet old lady named Maggie.
Maggie was reading a newspaper while she waited for a take-out order. I heard her discontented sighs and grumbles. She even used the word "A**Hole" a few times which really did not seem like her at all. I browsed the news on my phone and dared not make too much eye contact.
At some point Maggie dropped the paper on a seat nearby and called one of the staff.
"Arjun, dear, go mild on the curry. Can you add some tamarind sauce on the side? My grandson's crazy about it".
Arjun, a gorgeous dark-skinned brunette responded with a giggle.
"Is he still eating it by the spoonful?"
"Yeah and his mother hates it" responded Maggie with a beautiful smile.
As I was interested by the conversation, Maggie looked at me with a glitter in her bright blue eyes. "Do you have children?"
Oh that damn question. "No, I do not" I responded a bit abruptly.
Maggie said "Ha lucky you. Believe me, if I knew my daughter as I know her today, I would've been thorough with contraception." I didn't know what to say. Maggie sighed again.
"What a winter. I am getting too old for this." She looked at me with a tired gaze.
As I nodded slowly she asked "You're new to the neighbourhood, aren't you?"
I told her I was here for the psychic "Barachiel".
"Oh..." said Maggie staring at me in awe.
"Is she the one in the building across the street?"
I nodded a yes. Maggie's gaze turned blurry.
Deep in her thoughts she said "I heard strange rumours about her. The funny thing is all the small shops in her block are gone as the rent increases have been insanely high. Everything has been replaced by boring posh cafes and franchise coffee shops." She paused. "I guess psychics make good money."
I asked her what rumours she had heard. Maggie was about to respond when Arjun asked her to pick her order up at the counter.
Maggie stood up and said "You'll be fine, as long as you don't mind witchery".
I was a bit taken back by her answer and said "Witchery!!??"
Maggie nodded. She was very serious."Barachiel" she told me had quite a reputation. Strange things happened at her shop. Very strange things. "But she is very kind." Said Maggie. "She is named after one of the seven Archangels, after all."
