The Rascal

Everything was easy. The circus, the lectures, the consultations, the presentations... and it still is.

I was acting as a seer on a waning moon, at which time the moon would be full. With such a large audience believing in my abilities, it was very easy... all I had to do was ask the right questions and give the right answers, which sounds very simple. I could convince them, find out what was behind their heads, that's what makes everything fascinating about people.

Observation, deduction, manipulation, body language and most importantly: emotional connection. I can seek to understand every detail about them.
Upon a sad and bitter night, despair and loneliness can be filled with happiness and hope by connecting with another human being. Someone who really understands what you're going through, a sympathetic listener. Even if it's a lie and I don't care, all they want is to hear the beautiful words I have to say.

“I understand you”

Heh, and this day was no different.

I had already finished my psychic consultations when I was surprised by a woman in my fortune-telling hut, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

“F-Five hundred thousand yen...?

I was perplexed, with such a large amount of money I could even go to school.

“Please, Mr. Seer, that's all I have...” - said the woman with a sad expression on her face. “I want to speak to my son again for the last time, please... I beg you!”

As she made her request, the woman leaned over in an exacerbated manner, directing her eyes downwards as she cried out her request to the Seer.

This is my routine, I've met countless people who have done this and continue to do it, but for me it's like cordiality, in the end they have money and I have no option but to accept their offer in order to survive. Many would say that I'm just an insensitive charlatan who steals people's money with fake tricks.

Hmm... I wouldn't say that's completely true. In the end, I give them everything they want; hope, happiness, comfort, love, understanding. Even if it's a false hope, a fleeting moment that delivers them comfort, reciprocity, kindness... Even if I have to deceive them...

“I understand your pain.”

She stood up, attentive to the Seer's response. An exuberant silence filled the room, then she regained her posture.

The room was filled with a bluish gloom, the flickering light of the candles flickering as if they were receiving the presence of something invisible.

“To begin with, we need something that reminds us of your son.”

“I-I brought a photo of him, it's in my bag.”

The woman, with her eyes watering, reached into her handbag for a photograph crumpled between her trembling fingers and showed it to the Seer, placing it on the table in the center of the room. The child was small, around 8 years old, he had no apparent abnormalities, he looked healthy and happy to be there, his smile was calming and certainly kept his mother hopeful. The photo taken in the woods complemented the structure of the photo, the beauty of nature.

“Sit on the mat and close your eyes,” said the Seer in a calm, gentle voice, relighting the candles on the table with a lighter as he guided the woman into the spiritual session.

She sat on the mat, kneeling with her legs folded under her thigh, and closed her eyes as the Seer had asked.

Silent in his wisdom, the Seer gave the woman one of his hands. Her hands were wet from wiping the tears from her eyes. Then they heard only the sound of the wind in the dead of night followed by a brief silence.

“Your son's favorite place, the place where he loved to be with his mother, have fun and play, do you feel his presence?

“Those woods... he always played there until late...” — explained the woman, curious and anxious — “Can you see him, Mr. Seer?”

On the other side of the table, the Seer maintained a serene posture, his voice an enveloping whisper, laden with an almost divine weight.

Plunged into shadows, the room was lit only by the flickering candles that danced in the wind. Sitting in front of the table, she clutched a weathered photograph to her chest. In it, her son was smiling in the middle of a forest, the sunlight filtering through the leaves. Her eyes were watery, but there was something hidden that obscured the Seer's vision, but it was there... Hope.

The Seer closed his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. When he opened them, an enigmatic glow danced in his irises.

“Not with my eyes. But I can feel it... like a whisper among the trees, like the wind rustling through the leaves.”

She shivered, clutching the photograph tighter.

“My... my son... does he miss me?

The Seer leaned forward slightly, his voice dipping to a more intimate tone."

“He never really left. The woods were his home. And every time the wind rises between the trees, he's calling to you.”

She gasped, her eyes wide.

“Your home... is in the woods, isn't it?” — “He always had fun with you, the beauty of nature surrounded you every day. That's why he's there, always by your side.

The woman shed remnants of tears as she listened to the seer's revelation, she felt squeezed and understood like a bear hug.

“I... sometimes hear the wind howling near my window at night...” said the woman, as she wiped away the tears using part of her fingers while holding the photo of her beloved son.

“It's not the wind. Your son... he's trying to talk to you. He wants you to know that he still feels the warmth of your embrace, the sound of your voice... your presence.

"Eyes still closed, she let out tears that rolled down her pale skin."

“How can I talk to him?”

He slid his fingers across the table, without touching it, just creating an invisible connection.

“The woods are the answer. Let the leaves tell your story while you feel the forest breeze touch your face. When the wind blows, call out to it... and listen.

She sobbed softly, her chest tight, but unlike before, there was a comfort in the pain. So she opened her eyes, still full of tears.

“Does he... does he love me?” - “Even after everything... does my son love me?”

"A slight smile formed on the Seer's face as the nod came slowly.

“More than anything, your son just wants you to go on living. To smile when the wind blows. Because he'll be there, waiting for you.”

She hugged the photo, her shoulders shaking, but a small smile appeared between her tears.

She felt happiness in the face of bitterness, hope in the face of despair, received love and comfort from someone who understood her pain. She was relieved.

And the Seer watched her with a smile on his face in silence. She would never notice the little word games, the delicately planted suggestions, the illusions he had built up inside her. But in the end, it didn't matter.

She believed.

And that was all he needed.

The session was over, the candles had been extinguished, and the problem was over. They both stood,  she thanked for the session and paid him.

“Thank you so much for all your help, Mr. Seer...you are... truly gifted!” — She smiled at the Seer, who smiled back showing empathy — “I haven't asked your name yet, I'm sorry, it was rude of me.”

“You don't know my name? Hahaha! — Laughed the Seer, who thought he was already known through these places.

“My name is Kaito Haruki, it was a pleasure to help you.”

“Thank you, Haruki. Allow me to introduce myself as well, my name is w̶͠s̵҉q̨̕l͡͞v̸̷k͝͏z̷̷ , I'll certainly be back for another session!”

The woman said goodbye to Kaito outside her fortune-telling hut on a full moon night.

It was like any other day, and tomorrow will be no different. With so much money...I can...huh...?

My vision's getting blurry...
it's darker...than...it should be.

that was...huh...
been...a long...day.I should-...

close....my...

eyes......

just...
a...

lit-
tle...