Card Reading on an Lovely Night

He put on the fake smile and walked confidently toward the table.

"Excuse me, miss, may I sit with you?"

The girl smiled at him. She had just gathered her cards back into the deck and seemed content with the reading she had done.

"Feel free, there's not enough space for everyone anyway. I am the Cartomancer, and you are?"

She extended her hand to him, and he responded with a confident gesture.

"The Illusionist, delighted to meet you."

He sat down, and both were served with food that tasted better than the Illusionist expected. They smiled at each other, but for different reasons.

"I guess we're not so different," the Illusionist said, breaking the ice. "I perform tricks to impress people, and you pretend that your cards have deeper meanings and tell people what they want to hear."

She didn't seem bothered by the Illusionist's remark.

"You are completely mistaken. I genuinely read the cards, and they speak to me about the past, present, and future."

The Illusionist rolled his eyes, not at all impressed by her statement.

"You don't need to fool me, it's okay. We're birds of a feather."

"Do you want me to prove it to you? I usually charge for readings, but I can do one for free, just so you can see."

The Illusionist was willing to play along with the Cartomancer, even though he didn't believe in any of it.

After finishing the first course, they made space on the table, and the Cartomancer laid out her cards, asking the Illusionist to pick three without looking, placing them in front of him. If he felt the need to turn a card, he could do so, as they held different meanings in different positions. One card for the past, another for the present, and the last for the future.

Without hesitation, the Illusionist picked up one card and placed it in front of him. However, he noticed that he had picked up two cards that were stacked together.

"Sorry, I'll choose just one," he said, but the Cartomancer stopped his hand.

"No! You picked up those two for a reason; place them both as cards of your past."

He found it strange but followed her instructions. He picked up the second card without paying much attention, but when he was about to pick any card, for some reason, he became more tense and ended up choosing a specific one without knowing exactly why.

"Alright, let's start with your past; reveal the first cards."

He turned over the two cards simultaneously, revealing The Fool and The Magician. When the Cartomancer saw the cards, she made a curious expression, but the young man thought she was still trying to make him believe.

"Quite curious indeed; your past seems to be twofold. The Magician shows your potential, which makes me think that your illusions are better than what you sold me. Now, The Fool... you've been on a journey for a long time, haven't you? At least one of your two sides."

Each word she spoke made the Illusionist step back a bit. There were too many coincidences in what she said, coincidences that she shouldn't be able to perceive just from his appearance, as he imagined the Cartomancer would do.

"Are you saying that I'm a fool?" he asked, trying to pretend that she hadn't hit anything.

"That's not how the cards work... but you can continue," she replied with all the patience in the world.

He revealed the middle card. It was The Hermit, but upside down.

"And now, what does this mean?" asked the Illusionist, keeping his act, but her expression wasn't playful; she seemed sad.

"You are alone... are you feeling isolated? Or have the paths of your life not taken you where you wanted to go?"

The Illusionist began to believe. It wasn't exactly loneliness he felt, but indeed, he was somewhat lost in his paths and was having identity issues, struggling to find his place in the world without much company to help him.

"And what will this face of the future show exactly?" he asked, starting to fear these predictions.

"That depends, we have to turn the card to see. But it could be something long-term or something for tomorrow; it could be about your life in general or something specific."

He prepared to draw the card, feeling that it could change everything. He felt a bit pathetic for changing his mind so quickly about card readings, but there were too many coincidences for it to be true.

The card he turned showed a tower being struck by lightning. He knew nothing about tarot, so he stared at the Cartomancer, waiting for her reaction, and didn't like what he saw.

"The Tower is a card that precedes tragedy. It signifies some kind of disruption or loss in your life."

"Great, just what I needed," he thought.

"But don't worry," said the Cartomancer, noticing the Illusionist's expression, "there are many interpretations for each card."

He immediately changed his pose, putting on a fake and even arrogant smile for his companion.

"Of course, it's all fine. I still don't believe in these things; you'll need more than a few cards to scare me. In fact, I thought you should give people a positive reading; that's how you make them come back for more, right?."

The Cartomancer just sighed, disappointed. He could fool his show audiences quite well, but he couldn't deceive her that easily.

The door to the wagon opened, interrupting the conversation. They saw the man in the black overcoat rushing in, a serious expression on his face, holding a newspaper under his arms.

Everyone in the dining car now stared at the man.

"I'll eat in the next car," the man said without caring about being polite to the Waiter.

As he crossed to the next door, another person entered. The last one according to the Illusionist. The Cowboy entered with heavy steps, already drawing his revolver, pointing it at the back of the man in the overcoat.

"Stop right there, Criminal."