Happy Halloween! Here’s a short spooky and romantic story about a woman who gets a tea leaf reading on a rainy October night… and then maybe meets the man from the predictions.
Jane wouldn’t normally enter a shop like Delilah’s Magical Emporium of Curiosities. But the rain that October evening was pouring down as she walked home from work, so she ducked into the nearest store to avoid becoming drenched.
As she opened the door, wind chimes overhead announced her arrival. The sound of the storm outside grew muffled as the door fell shut behind her. Inside, the shop was dimly-lit and filled with an almost eerie quiet. Jane blinked as she slowly made out the contents of the store.
Wooden shelves lining the walls held glass jars, tea canisters, and thick candles. Light came from a few candles lit throughout the store, including one in the window whose flame trembled against the tempest outside. A revolving rack in front of her held dark, flowing garments, and the air was perfumed with incense. A tall man, his back to her, was looking at items on the other side of the shop. On the wall, a clock in the shape of a black cat was ticking down the minutes with its tail.
Jane’s hair was still damp from the rain, and she gave an involuntary shudder, wrapping her arms around herself.
“Can I help you?” said a voice.
Jane looked through the dim haze to see an older woman at the counter, her hair held back in a filmy purple scarf and her wrinkles accentuated by the shadows. A trail of smoke from a burning stick of incense beside her filled the air.
“I–I’m just looking.” Jane smiled weakly.
“Our tea leaf readings are half-off today.” The old woman peered at her, her focus unnerving. “Perhaps you’d like one?”
“Oh, I don’t know…” Jane glanced out a nearby window to see the rain sliding down the glass in sheets. She didn’t believe in fortune-telling, but she wasn’t ready to leave the dry warmth of the store. She also wanted to be polite. Maybe she should get a tea leaf reading, especially since it was Halloween season. “On second thought, maybe I will.”
“Of course.” The woman smiled, but between the shadowy store and smoke, the effect was half kind, half unsettling. She walked to the back of the store through a curtain of beads. When she returned, she held an electric kettle and small vintage teacup with saucer. After spooning some loose-leaf tea into the cup, she poured hot water over the leaves.
Jane approached the counter as steam rose from the cup alongside the strong scent of mint. She wondered if the man on the other side of the store thought her silly for indulging in such fortune-telling. Or perhaps he’d had his own leaves read before she arrived?
The older woman pushed the teacup towards Jane and nodded once. “Drink.”
Cautiously, Jane picked up the tea, blowing across the hot surface of the water before taking first one sip, then another. Warmth and the taste of mint filled her mouth, alongside a flavor she couldn’t identify. Each drink made her thirsty for more, until she’d nearly emptied the cup.
“Stop.” The tea leaf reader put her hand over Jane’s to bring the cup down. There were only a few drops left, along with a dark cloud of tea leaves. With her hand over Jane’s, the woman swirled the remaining liquid counter-clockwise, then instructed Jane to turn the cup upside down onto the saucer. In the silence that followed, Jane heard the tick of the cat’s tail on the clock near the entrance and wondered what in the world she was doing.
“Do I–”
“Shh.” The older woman tipped the cup back over and peered inside at the pattern of leaves. “Very interesting,” she said in a hushed whisper. “I see many things.”
“Good or bad?” Jane asked.
“Hmm” was the woman’s response.
Jane bit her lip.
Finally, the tea leaf reader said, “I see that a tall, dark, and handsome man may soon enter your life.”
Jane almost laughed–it was like a line out of a movie–until she remembered the man in the store and glanced back. Oddly enough, he was tall and dark. Wasn’t that funny? He was still perusing the shelves on the other side of the store, but as he turned to pick up an object, she caught his handsome profile. Fortunately, he was too far away to hear the older woman’s predictions.
“The tides are turning,” the tea leaf reader continued, her attention on the cup. “I sense the day after tomorrow, after the full moon, will be a new beginning for you.”
Jane’s eyes widened. “In what sense? What’s going to happen?”
The woman shook her head. “This new man will change your fate. But whether for good or ill…” She shrugged. “The leaves aren’t clear.”
Jane leaned over and glanced at the inside of the cup, as if she could read the leaves any better than the older woman. But all she could see were dark lumps of tea forming incomprehensible patterns on the sides and along the rim. There were very few leaves remaining at the bottom of the cup, actually.
“The bottom of the cup represents the future,” the woman said. “As you can see, yours is quite clear. Open.”
Or nonexistent, Jane thought, suppressing a shudder.
After a few more vague predictions, Jane thanked the woman and paid her. The rain had slowed down, and she made her way towards the exit, casting a glance at the man as she did so. He looked up and their eyes met.
“Excuse me,” he said. “I was wondering if you could help me?”
“Sure.” Jane stopped walking and her heartbeat sped up. He really was handsome. It wasn’t possible that the tea leaf reading was accurate, was it? If so, what would come of it, good or ill?
“I’m trying to find a gift for my niece,” the man said. “She’s 13 and loves this stuff.” He gestured around the store. “But I’m not sure what would be best.”
“Well, what does she like?” Jane asked.
“She likes reading, painting, and drinking different kinds of tea.” He gestured around. “But there are almost too many varieties of tea here to choose from. Oh, and she loves cats.”
“Cats? Then I know the perfect thing.” Jane walked over to the wall where she’d seen the black cat clock earlier. He followed, his heavy footsteps echoing in time with her heartbeat.
Sure enough, it was for sale. Gently, she removed it from the wall and handed it over to the man, who as she turned was standing quite close to her. As their fingers brushed, Jane felt a shiver dance along her skin. Whether it was attraction or a sense of apprehension, she couldn’t quite say. Maybe it was both. Certainly it felt like both.
“This is perfect,” the man said. “It’s a great idea, and it’s very kind of you to help me, Miss–”
She paused. “Jane,” she finally said. “You can call me Jane.”
The man was good-looking, and he seemed kind. Only a good man would be so concerned about choosing the right gift for his niece. But Jane had had bad fortune with men, especially good-looking men, and she was wary. The tea leaf reading hadn’t helped.
“Jane,” he said in a deep baritone, and had her name ever sounded so lovely? “I’m Mike.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mike,” Jane said softly. Against her will, she smiled. Was there anything more delightful than the possibility of romance? Or more frightening?
Across the room, the woman at the counter called out to Mike. “Would you like a tea reading? Are you curious about your future?” She’d been watching them behind that omnipresent haze of incense, her eyes glittering.
Mike looked at the woman, then Jane, then the woman again. “Not just now,” he said. “Prophecies make me nervous.”
Jane lowered her voice. “You should’ve heard what she told me.”
“Really?” He gestured for her to go on.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to tell,” Jane said. “Maybe then it won’t come true.”
They exchanged a smile.
“I have another question for you, Jane.” Mike fidgeted with the tail on the cat clock, and Jane knew what he was about to ask before the words left his lips, no tea leaves required. A tall, dark, and handsome man may soon enter your life. “Would you have dinner with me? I’m free the night after tomorrow.”
Jane thought of the tea leaf reader’s predictions, her heart filled with both fear and wonder. The day after tomorrow, after the full moon, will be a new beginning for you. But the bottom of the teacup had been empty. It could be amazing or terrible, a year from now or twenty. She would never know.
But this was her life, and she could either drink from the cup offered to her or let it grow cold.
“Yes,” she said. “I’d love to.”
Enjoy this short romance? Check out my other stories here!
gave me chills