"You're soaked. Come in, dear child and get warm." She insists, holding the door open for her. Echo stood, shivering, under the dripping tarp with her shirt and jacket clinging to her skin, staring blankly at the mysterious woman. "Well, come on, dearie." She smiles.
Without hesitation, Echo follows the lady inside. The moment she entered the store the heat felt good on Echo's cold skin. "Thank you very much." She whispers, peeling off her drenched jacket.
"Oh you're quite welcome, dearie. It's dreadful out there." The woman tells her. Echo nods in agreement, glancing around the interesting store.
The shop was small and dimly lit with several vanilla scented candles scattered amongst the store. The walls were a crimson red with wood cases filled with glittering jewelry inside. There were Chinese lanterns hanging from the ceiling. With feathered dream catchers, strange masks and Oriental fans strung out against the wall. The incredible shop had almost a pawn feel to it.
"Wow." Echo whispers to herself, unable to take her eyes off the countless antique objects on the shelves.
"So what are you running from?" The woman asks, making Echo turn to face her.
There she sat at a small, round table covered in a white tablecloth and green peacock runner. Echo was astonished. "What? I'm not running from anything." She claims. "Dear child, it's not good to lie to an old woman." She preaches, waving Echo over to join her. "Come, have some tea. It will warm you." She insists. Echo shrugs, sits down at the chair across from her.
The woman passes her a white cup with brown tea in it. Her little tea set was just exquisite. Both the cups, saucers, and kettle were cream white with pink blossoms on them. The rims and handles of the saucers and cups were trimmed in shimmering gold.
Taking a sip of tea, Echo sighs as the warm O-Long tea sinks down her throat. "Mmmm." She hums. The old woman smiles. "So tell me what you are running from?" She asks again.
"Ummm..." Echo didn't know what to say, she simply wipes the tea dribble off her chin.
"Well, if you're not going to tell me then give me your hands." She asks. At first, Echo was reluctant. 'What does she want with my hands?' She thought. But she obeyed and held out her hands as the old lady held her wrinkled ones over top of hers. "My dear child, I see you are running from something horrible. Something that you fear will never end." The woman says.
Echo frowns, every word that woman said was true. She's been wanting to escape that hell hole for as long as she was adopted. Even her own parents didn't want her, they dumped her in those foster cares the first chance they got. Then adopted by that monster of a foster father. She's been through so much at such a teen age. Yet Echo keeps her hands under the old woman's as she begins to hum rhythmically.
"Oh, my dear young child. I see greatness, yes You my dear, are destined for greatness." She states proudly.
Echo glances around the empty room, searching for another person to whom she might be talking to. "Me?" Echo points to herself. "What greatness am I destined for?" She asks, a little sarcastic.
"Oh my dear, I'm afraid I can't tell you. That is something you must find on your own. Besides, if I told you, that wouldn't be good fortune telling." She confesses, smiling.
Echo couldn't believe what she was hearing. For the first time in her life, someone believed that was capable of doing something that amounted to anything. It broke her heart to hear that she had to wait, but the last things she wanted was to end up bitter, and a 'germ' as her father's words proclaim.
"Chin up, child. My words speak the truth. In time you will see." She reassures her.
Echo's head hung low and she felt her stomach knot as if she was ready to cry. Echo stares down at her empty tea cup. She could hear the voices in her head telling her that she was never going to be anything more than another faceless snob in a game of life. "Listen here, child...." the old woman spoke up.
Echo picks her head up, eager to hear more. The woman takes her hands in her's. "The beginning of your story may not be happy but it doesn't make you who you are." She explains.
"It is the unwritten part of your story that will show the real you and who you really are." She waves her hand in the air. Echo smiles faintly, only she was still hung on the greatness that she was supposed to be destined for.
"Oh that reminds me, I think I have something that you might like." She suddenly pulls her hand away. Getting up from her chair, the old woman scurries away from the table.
She goes over to one of the countless glass cases of jewelry. And slides a door over, she reaches in searching for something. Echo stares quite confused and intrigued. "Here we are." She cheers, walking back over.
The woman returns with the most beautiful necklace Echo had ever seen. It was an exquisite thin silver chain with a silver Chinese dragon dangling in the center. It glittered attractively in the dim light of the store. And in the center of the dragon's coils was a majestic red dragon eye!
"Oh my god, it's beautiful." Echo sat there, mesmerized by the enchanting necklace. She graciously takes it from the old woman's hand and clips it around her neck. The cold chain sent a slight chill down her spine. Puffing out her chest, she shows off her new necklace as the woman smiles.
"I take it, you like?" She asks. Echo looks up at her smiling big. "I love it, where did you get it?" Echo traces her fingers across the dragon's carved scales. "Well, I acquired this odd necklace when I was on my trip to Tibet in China some time ago. There a monk traded it for some food. He was actually happy to get rid of it, to be honest." She explains.
Echo couldn't stop grinning as she nodded her head at the fortune teller's story. She then looks at the large grandfather clock against the wall. It was nine o'clock already. "I should get going, I need to get to school." Echo suddenly says.
"Well, if you must. Take this umbrella with you." She smiles, handing her a red Oriental umbrella. Echo hurries over and grabs her cheaply made hoodie from the coat hanger. It was still a little damp from earlier.
She opens the door, rain still pouring down like before. Drops from the overhead roof dripping heavily. She unfolds the umbrella and she steps out onto the canvas of grey mist. Echo waves goodbye, and the old woman returns the wave.
Echo walks into the rain, gripping her new necklace with her other hand. "Fly back anytime, young Dragon." The fortune teller yells after her. Only at first Echo didn't quite hear her.
"Did you say something?" Echo then turns around to confront the old woman once again. Only to her surprise, the old woman and the unique store had vanished from thin air!
Puzzled, Echo looks around to find herself a short distance from her apartment. The lights from the windows glowing against the rain. Echo glances around again then whispers to herself. "It was like she was never here."
DU LIEST GERADE
DragonsBreath
Fantasy"A hero saves others with the goodness in their hearts, not the powers they are bestowed." A dragon's tale of a new hero who became a legend.
