A Short Story...Wind Chimes & Landmines

Beetlebum

Hey Guys,

I've only just stumbled upon this forum and think it's a great place for like minded people (who are dossing in work) to get together and talk about literature, recommend books, critique each others work etc..

I'd be interested to see what people think of this short story I wrote this afternoon while bored in work. It's only the opening, don't have time to continue now and not sure if I should..thanks for reading...


The tiny shack almost trembled as he stepped inside and for a moment he thought the make-shift roof might come crumbling down on his head. Miniature statues of a fat-bellied Buddha smiled up at him and the intoxicating scent of lavender incense invaded his nostrils. He craned his neck to avoid the multicolored lanterns scattered along the ceiling. He could hear the faint sound of wooden wind chimes tumbling in the Autumn breeze. Everything looked slightly eerie and askew in the dim red glow.
‘What am I doing here?’ he murmured.
The sound of beads clicking caught his attention and he looked up to see and old woman peeking through a thin veil beckoning towards him. Even wrapped in scarves he could tell she was wearing way too much make up or face paint, he couldn’t tell which. She reminded him of a circus clown though not the jovial kind he used to clap his hands with glee at as a kid. More like a scary clown from a Stephen King movie or some ham horror flick.
Without saying a word, she reached out and took his hand in hers and stared at it intently. She guided him through the jangling beads into a little room where a table was laid out with calico cloth and two little wooden chairs.
‘Sit’ said the old lady motioning to the chair nearest him. He sat. A deck of cards were spread out on the table. They were face down and slightly larger then normal playing cards. The old lady stared at him, her dark eyes unflinching. God, how he wished he was at home playing poker with the lads. This is not something he ever thought he’d resort to but he was desperate. He had tried everything else to blot out the miseries that enveloped his mind; drinking, over the counter drugs, recreational drugs, mindless sex, but none of it had helped. He needed answers not escapism. He needed to face his demons head on and let them know whose boss. He needed to fight them like a Gladiator out for blood and glory.

If this didn’t work, if the solace he seeked was not lurking within this hand, then it was game over. He’d had enough. It was kind of liberating knowing that there was an end in sight. Liberating and terrifying all at once. If you didn’t care what became of you then you were invincible. If death, the ultimate end to anybody’s story, didn’t scare you then you were immune to fear. That gave him an enormous sense of freedom. Although, it would be kind of nice to live too. Maybe he’d go to Paris for a while, he’d never been before and it looked nice in all the pictures he’s seen. Maybe have sex somewhere really unusual like at the top of a mountain or in the midst of a waterfall with a stunning girl with long dark hair and big breasts. On top of a mountain in Paris would be the ultimate but he wasn’t sure if there were any mountains in Paris.
‘Pick a card my boy, point but do not touch’.
The old woman’s gravelly voice disrupted his thoughts and he apologised before pointing to the middle card. Gingerly she turned it over to reveal an evil looking snake, possibly a python, wrapped around a wicker charmer’s basket. Its eyes were a piercing green and the basket was deep terracotta. He looked up. The old lady was smiling.
‘The Snake’ she rasped ‘This represents good fortune in your future but also symbolises great tragedy in your past’. Unimpressed he looked down at the card again.



‘Choose another’.
He pointed at the card next to the snake card and the old lady turned it over slowly.
A beautiful Egyptian woman with jet black hair holding a dagger to her heart stared back at him.
‘Ah’ grinned the old lady ‘The Dagger. This represents the pain you are storing in your heart and the pain you wish to inflict on others’. He raised his eyebrow cynically and pointed to another card.
‘The Horse’ she continued ‘This represents your strength of character or lack thereof as the case may be. Choose one final card’. Instinctively he pointed at the card on the far left. Closing her eyes, the old woman exhaled heavily before disclosing the final card; the infamous Grim Reaper.
‘The Death card’ she announced with a glint in her eye ‘I’m sure you are aware what this represents’….