RATHER THAN WAITING FOR MARTIN to come by the warehouse to pick him up, Adam decided it would probably be best if he just went to his house so they could leave from there. There was no need to cause his grandfather to worry by flaunting where he was going or what he was doing.
By seven thirty, Adam and Martin were on the north side of Town Creek, where the camp was set up on the waterfront. He could see the backs of some folks from town who were standing around watching something, but Adam couldn’t make out what it was.
They parked the horse cart and walked towards the activity. At first glance the camp didn’t look like much—just some crudely constructed canvas tents here and there. Just to the right of two of the tents were two small wagons with large pieces of canvas stretched over them. There were three horses—one almost entirely black, the other two dapple gray—tied to makeshift hitching posts nearby.
Adam noticed three men apparently getting ready to begin an acrobatic show. One of them looked to be in his forties, the other two close to Adam’s own age or maybe a little older. They all had jet-black hair with the exception of the older man, as he did have a couple of wide streaks of silver that could be seen running from his forehead down through his ponytail. They all wore dark, baggy trousers, white or cream-colored shirts, and black vests, and they were all barefoot.
Once Adam and Martin walked past the tents, they saw a cleared circle that had several tall poles stuck into the ground around it, with torches at the top of each one. A large group of people were standing around its perimeter, clapping their hands as they listened to three other men play music while a young girl of about twelve or thirteen years of age in a brightly colored dress danced for the crowd. There was a blanket spread out on the ground near where she danced, where folks had apparently been tossing small coins. The style of music reminded Adam of what he’d heard at Taberna el Trobador in Havana, but it wasn’t quite the same. He felt a knot in his stomach; his mind rushed back to all that had happened there and that mysterious letter again. Was it possible that these people could have anything to do with Havana? He quickly decided no, it would be ridiculous to think that.
He turned his attention back to what was happening around the camp. He and Martin continued walking around to get a better view.
Suddenly, Martin stopped short. “Oh God!”
He turned around and pulled Adam back between two of the tents. He was moving in such a hurry, he nearly tripped backwards over some heavy cloth sacks stored there on the ground.
“What is it?!” asked Adam.
“Hardy Greene! He’s over there watchin that girl dance. I can’t run into him.”
“Why?”
Martin tipped his head to the side and sighed as he gave Adam a look that said, You know why!
“You didn’t.” Adam narrowed his eyes. “You can’t be serious!”
Martin said nothing.
Adam shook his head in disgust. “You’re going right straight to hell—you know that? I ought to push your arse right out in the middle of this crowd and announce to everyone that you’re here! It would serve you right!”
Adam started to walk away.
“Wait!” said Martin. “Get back over here!” he whispered sharply.
Adam rolled his eyes but stepped back over to hear what his friend had to say.
“What is it?”
“Look, you’ve got to know that Jenny and I were sweethearts from way back when we were children. It broke my heart when she married Hardy, that dumb son of a—”
“Served you right,” said Adam. “I doubt you were offering her your own hand in marriage.”
Martin looked away. “That’s not the point.”
“What is the point? That y’all being sweethearts when you were kids gives you a right to keep on dipping into the well whenever you feel like it?”
Martin shrugged and gave a half grin. “Old habits die hard, you know?”
“I’m walking away now,” said Adam.
Martin followed close behind, but trying to ensure that Hardy Greene didn’t spot him.
A traveling table was set up at the end of one of the wagons, displaying dozens of bottles of different sizes and hues, all marked with a variety of colorful tags.
“I reckon that’s what you’re looking for,” Martin said, jokingly elbowing Adam’s side. “Go see if they have a love potion over there.”
Adam rolled his eyes but refused to even look over in that direction once he saw what it was. “I don’t need a love potion, but maybe if they have something to get you to stop being so damned aggravating, that could tempt me.”
“Whoa,” said Martin, patting his young friend on the shoulder. “Settle down there, young ’un. No need to be so testy.”
Adam shook his head, but he really had nothing to say to his friend.
Martin apparently decided to force a change in the direction of the conversation. “Why don’t you write her a letter? Maybe she’ll write you back.”
“What are you talking about now?” asked Adam.
“You know what they say… Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all.”
“Huh?” Adam was totally confused.
“I figure she prob’ly thinks you’re a treat,” said Martin, “tall, dark, handsome and all.”
“You’ve lost me. I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Laney, fool! Who else?”
Adam was annoyed. “Hmph. You must really want me to get together with your cousin; otherwise, you wouldn’t keep bringing it up.”
“Makes no difference to me, friend. I know you two like each other. Kinda sad, though, that I doubt that you will end up with her.”
They continued walking around the camp. “You know,” said Adam, “I know what this is about.” He scowled at Martin. “You’re just trying to change the subject away from you and Jenny Greene.”
“You still have a full year and a half before you’re free. Laney’s in the big city right now, boy. Boston, Massachusetts. There’s plenty of rich young fellas up there—handsome ones, too, I’d wager. Don’t you reckon she’s going to every soiree she’s invited to?” He shook his finger at Adam. “And you can be sure she’s being invited to plenty with Catherine’s family being who they are.”
“That’s fine, but what does any of that have to do with me?”
Martin laughed and shook his head but said nothing.
“Yes, I think Laney is a beautiful girl,” Adam continued. “Not much of a surprise! Any man with a pulse would. Doesn’t mean I expect us to end up together. She’s three years older than me anyway.”
Adam was lying, and he knew it. He had thought a lot about marrying Laney Martin.
“Pfffft! What difference does age make?” asked Martin. “My mother was six years older than my father. Happens all the time—’specially in small towns like this one. The pickins are slim. No, if you don’t end up with her, it’ll be because you move too damn slow”—he looked at Adam with a joking sense of disapproval—“just like you’re accusin me of doin with Jenny, so some other man’s gonna come along and snatch her right up.”
Adam desperately wanted to change the subject. Really, he knew there was no comparison between him and Martin where women were concerned. For one thing, Adam only had eyes for Laney ever since he met her two years earlier, whereas Martin has always had eyes for any female, so long as she was at least somewhat attractive. Furthermore, Adam would never get involved with another man’s wife, much less try to justify it the way Martin did.
“Whoa! Look over there,” Martin said, motioning towards the elixirs table.
Adam noticed a young woman about his age was rearranging the colorful bottles. Her hair was almost black, like his, but she wore it loosely piled upon her head, with tendrils falling all around her face. It wasn’t at all like one of the neat, proper hairstyles that Laney always wore. Her dress was also unlike anything he’d ever seen on Laney, but it was similar to the one worn by the young girl who was dancing over by the musicians. It was made of a vibrantly colored calico-style cloth, with swaths of contrasting colors towards the bottom. The sleeves of her dress were flowy, with delicately crocheted ruffles that draped from her elbows, giving a glimpse of her forearms and exposing her graceful wrists. When she turned her head to look for something on the wagon, he noticed she was wearing big earrings made from what looked like ornately twisted copper with glass beads dangling from them, and long strings of similar-type beads hung from her neck.
She was mesmerizing, and for a brief moment Adam wondered what it was like to be Martin—always living only for the moment and whatever short-lived thrill a sudden opportunity might offer—but then he thought again of Laney. This gypsy girl was as different from Laney as night was from day. He would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit that her beauty captivated him and all he could think about in that moment was going over to speak to her, but the fact that he would resist the urge to attempt any familiarity with her was one thing that distinguished him from his womanizing friend.
“Have you worked up the nerve to go see that fortune-teller yet?” Martin taunted.
“Worked up the nerve?” said Adam. “I don’t need to work up any nerve. I’m just not interested in it.”
“Is that a fact? Huh. I’m just wonderin when you’ll grow a backbone and start making your own decisions. Your grandfather doesn’t need to know everything you do.”
“I already told you I don’t even believe any of this is real. Who can see the future? No one. If they could, they’d be the richest man in the world. The only thing a power like that would even be useful for would be to win down at the horse track.”
“Heh. That ain’t a bad idea, actually. But still, it looks like fun, don’t it?” said Martin. “Look at that sign over there: ‘Madame Endora—Find Your True Love. Crystal Gazing, Palmistry, Tarot. She Sees All.’” He grinned at Adam. “What harm can it be?”
“How many times do I have to tell you? I’m just not interested in pissing my money away.”
Martin looked nervously at the crowd. “You know what, never mind. I want to go first. Then you can go.”
Adam looked in the same direction as Martin. Hardy Greene appeared to be walking over in their direction.
“You sure?” said Adam. “Maybe I’ve changed my mind. I’ll go after all. You stay here and catch up with ol’ Hardy.” He was teasing Martin of course.
“I don’t think so.”
Martin grinned at Adam and patted him on the back before walking over in the direction of the fortune-teller’s tent. Adam walked closely behind him. When Martin realized the girl at the table was in charge of allowing entrance to the fortune-teller, he spoke to her.
“Hello, ma’am. What do I need to do to see this Madame Endora?”
“Good evening. You can ask her a yes or no question for thrippence, have her read the lines of your palm or do a tarot reading to tell your future for four, or have her gaze into her crystal ball to tell you everything she sees for six, or have her do any combination of the three for a shilling.”
The girl had an accent. Adam couldn’t put his finger on its origin. It sounded slightly American, but sounded more like she was of some European provenance.
Martin considered his options. “Can I have her do just one type of reading, and then if I decide to have her do all three, I can just ask her for that and pay you when I come out?”
The gypsy girl shook her head. “No, it doesn’t work like that. You must decide before you go in; otherwise, you’ll pay the full price for each reading.”
“I see,” said Martin. He stroked at his chin and grinned at her, then said, “You’re quite an astute woman of commerce, do you know that?” He winked at her.
Adam wanted to kick his friend in the rear.
The girl glanced over at Adam, then smiled coyly at Martin. “Thank you, sir. I do hate to rush you, but others will be waiting to see Madame Endora. Would you like to take a few moments to think about what you’d like while your friend goes in for a reading?”
Martin looked across the crowd, then quickly shook his head. “No, that’s alright. I’ll go ahead and pay for all three.”
He hurriedly took a shilling out of his pocket and paid her. She handed him a colored stone.
“Take this inside to Madame. She will know this means you want a full reading. You can tell her the three methods you have chosen.”
Martin held up the stone and looked at it. It was a very dark purple, almost black. “Thank you. Wish me luck.”
The girl raised her eyebrows and nodded. “Good luck to you, sir.”
As soon as Martin disappeared inside, Adam stepped away so that he was still near the entrance of Madame Endora’s tent but wasn’t too close to the table of potions. He watched the musicians and the girl dancing.
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” the girl at the potions table said.
Adam gave a single nod and said, “Yes, it is.”
“You can stand over here to wait, you know,” she said. “I won’t bite.”
Adam stiffly walked over, hoping not to come across as rude, but also not wanting to appear too friendly. He looked at the different bottles on the table. They each had their own promises on the label: love, vitality, happiness, luck, power, courage, peace. The situation felt awkward to him.
To break the silence, he said, “So tell me, do these really work?”
The girl tipped her head and gave him a half smile. “They do if you believe in them. Otherwise, their magic is powerless.”
“Hmph. I see,” he said.
“Do you believe in them?” she asked.
“Eh…” Adam hesitated to answer. Instead, he decided to ask her a question. “Are you all one big family here?”
“Mm-hm. Madame Endora is my mother. My younger sister, Aurora, is over there dancing.” She motioned to the cleared circle. “The musicians are my uncle and cousins.”
“And who are the acrobats?”
“They are also my cousins.”
“Where are you all from?” Adam asked.
The girl laughed. “Where are we from? We are travelers. We are from everywhere. We go all over the place.”
Adam looked away for a moment and grinned. He turned his attention back to her. “I know that—I mean your accent is different. You don’t sound like you’re from around here. Where is your family from originally?”
“My mother is from Europe, but my sister and I were born here in America.”
“You don’t sound like someone who was born in America.”
“Probably because we are mostly with our own family, and our family is very large. We do not mix much with others, except when we do business—like here tonight.” She motioned around at the activity at the camp.
“I see,” said Adam, a little frustrated that she seemed to be finding creative ways to just not tell exactly where they were from. He decided not to push the matter any further.
“Are you from here?” she asked him.
Adam nodded. “Yes, I was born and raised here.”
“And your parents?”
“My mother is from here, but my father isn’t.”
“Where is he from?”
“My father? He was a Spaniard—from Havana.”
“He was a Spaniard? Does that mean he is not still alive?”
Adam shook his head. “No. He died last year.”
The girl gave him a sympathetic look. “Oh, I am sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you.” He decided not to offer her any more information about his family, considering she was so hesitant to discuss her own.
“What is your name?” she asked him.
“I’m Adam.”
“I am Stela.”
“Stela? I’ve never heard that name before,” said Adam. “What kind of name is it?”
She shrugged. “Do you mean where is it from? That I do not know, but I know it means ‘star.’ My sister’s name means ‘dawn.’”
“And your mother’s name? Does it mean anything?”
“Endora? It means ‘light.’”
Adam smiled and nodded. “That’s interesting. All of your names have to do with light.”
“Mm-hm. I suppose they do,” said Stela. “Would you like to know your fortune?”
Adam chuckled. “Who wouldn’t? I don’t think I really believe in this fortune-telling stuff, though.”
“Oh well, it is not like potions. You need not believe in fortune-telling for it to come true.”
Adam raised his eyebrow with skepticism.
She smiled. “You see, the potions are only effective if you believe in them—they draw out the best of what is already in you—but your fortune is what the Fates have designed it to be, regardless of whether or not you choose to believe in it.”
Adam tipped his head and shrugged. “Maybe. But I wouldn’t say I really believe in fate either.”
“Then what harm can it be to you to have a glimpse into your future? You can see for yourself. If your fortune does not come true, what will you have lost? And you will only have proven to yourself that we are frauds.”
“Frauds?” said Adam. “I haven’t said anything as abrasive as that, have I?”
Stela tipped her head and gave a small shrug. “You are thinking it, no?”
“Alright, what kind of deal do you want to give me?”
“What kind of deal? What do you mean?”
“If I only had sixpence to spend, what would you recommend?”
“Well, I would recommend you wait and come back when you can pay ten and get the benefits of all of my mother’s readings.”
“Oh well. That’s too bad. I reckon I’ll have to pass on meeting with her then, because it’s unlikely I’ll be back. I have to work, you know.”
He knew her game. She seemed to know his. He was determined to pay as little as he had to in order to prove that this fortune-telling act was a joke, while she seemed determined to get him to spend as much as he was willing.
Finally, she said, “If you only can do one, I recommend the crystal ball, but it’s sixpence. You cannot come up with one more?”
Adam shook his head and took out five pennies. “No, ma’am. I’m afraid not. This is what I’ve got. I didn’t really plan to spend any money on fortune-telling tonight.”
Stela gave a frustrated sigh. She rested her hands on the sides of the table in front of her and looked like she was contemplating what to say to him. “I will let you see her for the crystal ball reading for five pennies, but do not tell her I did this for you. I will give you the stones you need to show her. Then she will know that is what you have paid for.”
Adam raised his eyebrow, pleasantly surprised. “Really? Well, thank you. I appreciate that.”
She smiled at him and handed him a small blue stone with lines running through it. He hadn’t seen anything quite like it, but from what he’d heard of different kinds of gems, he thought it was probably what was known as turquoise. She also handed him a crystal that was sort of round in shape.
“Why two stones?” he asked her. “I mean, I assume the crystal means I’m paying for a crystal ball reading, but what is the blue stone for?”
“They each have their meaning. It is difficult to explain.”
Adam wondered about the significance of the different stones.
“You didn’t send a turquoise stone back with Martin. He paid the full shilling.”
“Yes, but I gave your friend the purple stone because it represents royalty, meaning he will get the fullest reading possible. The benefits of the turquoise, which offers protection, and the crystal are conveyed with the purple, along with many other good things.”
Adam nodded. This was sounding more and more ridiculous to him, and he couldn’t help but think he had just thrown away sixpence. Nevertheless, he waited patiently outside the tent for his turn.
“One thing I should tell you,” said Stela. “You are skeptical and that is fine, but if you anger the spirits my mother calls upon when she gives you a reading, they may tell you something that you do not want to hear.”
Adam shrugged. “Oh well, I reckon either they’ll like me or they won’t, but your mama is going to really have to tell me something remarkable for me to believe in any of this.”
Stela nodded. “Very well. It is likely she will do just that.”
After a few more minutes Martin popped his head through the front of the tent with a huge smile on his face.
“So?” Adam asked. “How did it go?”
Martin climbed out the rest of the way and beamed as he answered. “Real good.” He patted Adam on the back. “According to Madame Endora, I’ve got right much to look forward to. Worth every bit of money I paid.” And he whispered, “And I don’t see Hardy Greene. Has he gone?”
Adam shrugged. “I reckon. I haven’t seen him since before you went in.”
“Good,” said Martin. He stepped out of the tent the rest of the way. “Your turn.”
Adam held the two stones tightly in his hand and nodded at his friend as he stepped forward to enter the tent.
“COME IN, YOUNG MAN,” SAID a woman’s voice.
Adam only had his head sticking into the opening of the tent, hesitant to go any further until invited—and this was his invitation.
No turning back now, he thought. I can’t believe I let myself get roped into this.
He could see a faint silhouette of a woman behind panels of dark, gauzy fabric. She was motioning to him to come further into the tent. He reached out in front of him and fumbled around to figure out where the opening in the curtain was. When he finally made his way beyond it, he was taken aback by the ambience that awaited him.
The tent smelled of sweet incense. The woman waiting for him was mostly cloaked in shadow. Only a narrow part of her face, chest, and hands could be seen by the glow of the stubby candle that burned in front of her. Adam figured it was all a bit extravagant—the lengths this woman was going to in order to create the feeling of mystery and mysticism. Ordinary people would just have some decent lanterns in here, he thought. But with that candle, not much was visible except the small area illuminated by the candle’s light.
He saw her hold out her hand palm up, offering that he take a seat across the table from her. When he sat down, she pushed the candle forward so that it would be positioned between the two of them.
“Give me the stones,” she said.
Adam immediately wondered how she knew he had more than one. He opened his palm and looked at the crystal and the turquoise, and then he placed them on the table near the candle.
She reached out two long fingers and pulled one in front of her, then the other. She slid her hand further down the table and then pulled over two more candles. She proceeded to light them with the first and then put them in glass lanterns.
Adam was now able to see the tools of her trade spread out before them on the table. She had a crystal ball, tarot cards, dice, an ancient-looking book, probably filled with some sort of strange incantations, and a few different stones.
“What shall I tell you this night?” she asked him in a much thicker version of the same mysterious accent her daughter had.
“I have no idea,” said Adam. “Your daughter said you would gaze into your crystal ball and tell me my future.”
“Yes, of course, but is there anything you wish to know?”
I’m not giving her any information, he thought. She’s going to have to work with a blank slate. Let’s see how well she does with that. He felt a smug sense of satisfaction that he was outsmarting this so-called seer.
“You just tell me whatever it is you see there in that crystal.”
She held the stones in her hand, and she twirled the turquoise back and forth between her fingers before placing them both down on the table in front of her. She then moved the shortest candle directly behind the crystal ball, as it was in relation to her, placing the candle between the ball and Adam. She closed her eyes and held her hands over the ball, which was much smaller than Adam would have expected, as she began to chant some words that he did not understand. After a moment she opened her eyes and slowly moved her hands over the ball, staring deeply into it.
“I see someone from far away, but this person is no more.”
Is she talking about my father? he wondered. No, how would she know about him?
“I see someone with dark features, like you,” she said, smiling at him.
“Is it a man or a woman?” asked Adam.
“Does your mother live near here?” she asked him.
Adam nodded. “Yes, she does.”
He felt very unsettled and regretted his decision to come into this woman’s tent.
“Hmm…” Madame Endora gazed more deeply into the sphere. “I thought so. This is a man I see. He is from afar.”
She must be talking about my father, thought Adam.
“Are you saying this has something to do with my future?”
“Ah, young man, your past is the key to your future. And I see much darkness here—hidden darkness.”
Adam didn’t like where this was going. He wanted to get up and leave, but for some reason he felt compelled to stay and hear what she would tell him.
“What are you talking about? What darkness?”
“You have a fear, do you not?” she asked him.
Adam wouldn’t answer. He could not truthfully say no, but he also didn’t want to say yes, because after all, didn’t everyone have some sort of fear?
She looked at him and studied his face. “Yes, you do have a fear. One you do not want to say out loud—at least not to me.”
This is too much, thought Adam.
“This secret thing from your past that has followed you—it will follow you still, until the very end. It is like a wraith, chasing you always.”
“You’re telling me you see all this in that ball?”
“The visions in the crystal are but shadows. They are clouded, not clear. I can only tell you that you can look for signs and perhaps they can help you choose the right path.”
“And where will the right path take me?”
“Where does the right path take any of us? To luck, to happiness, to love, and good fortune. But if you have angered the Fates, if they are conspiring against you, you are in danger.”
Adam gave an uneasy chuckle. This was not what he had expected.
“You’re telling me that my future will either be good or bad, but you can’t really see it clearly in that glass ball, and you’re saying that it may be that it’s all hopeless anyway.”
“You are skeptical of what I tell you. I understand this. But you would be wise to seek protection… an amulet or enchantments I can provide.”
“For a price, right?” Adam shook his head and pushed his chair back away from the table. He was about to stand. “No, thanks. Have a good evening, madam.”
Adam was about to leave the tent when he heard a tiny bell jingle above his head. He looked up and saw a bell on a string that seemed to run outside the tent.
“Listen to me, young man,” said Madame Endora. “This goes beyond the fortune you have paid for, but I must warn you.”
“Warn me? What are you talking about?”
Adam stood, ready to make his way out of the tent, when she spoke in a loud voice.
“There is a curse. I will give you three signs so that you will know I speak the truth. The first sign is this: danger will come to you from afar. The second sign has to do with your job—your livelihood will suffer. The final sign is that you will see this town begin to experience many terrible trials. And if you see a woman in a violet dress, stay far, far away.”
At that, Adam could take no more of her warnings. He made his way past the dark gauzy curtains and out of the tent. His exit was so abrupt he nearly pulled the front of the tent down. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw a line of people waiting to get in to see her. The next customer was a local fisherman. The short, stout man looked at Adam in surprise and then entered the tent with some trepidation, as though he were now apprehensive about his visit with the gypsy.
Adam saw Martin talking to Stela. He came over to him and said, “You ready to go?”
Martin winked at Stela, then said to Adam, “You in a hurry?”
Adam glanced at Stela, who gave him a surprised look, as though he had somehow hurt her feelings, then looked back at Martin. “I’m tired. I’m really just ready to go home.”
“Well, I’m not quite ready. Why don’t you go on over and watch the show? Miss Stela’s cousins are doing their acrobatics.”
Adam shook his head, then dismissively waved his hand at Martin. He decided he’d leave on foot. It would be a long walk back in the dark, but at least the moon was nearly full, so it provided enough light for him to see where he was going.
That gypsy is a madwoman, thought Adam. I cannot wait to get home.