The Oracle
1255 Words
Zahraa POV
We found Tanis in the outdoor patio area, smoking and talking to some wispy goth kid. “Hey,” I greeted, “Where’s Alanis?”
“Pissed at me, so she’s grinding on anyone that’ll let her. Which is everyone.” She sighed, then caught sight of Jacob. “The f**k is he doing here?”
“I’ll explain that later,” I spoke quickly – I did not want to get into the whole stalker thing in public. Preferably, we’d wait until we got in Alanis’s room later. If we made it that far. “Where’s the door to the…” I glanced at the others on the patio and lowered my voice, muttering, “…guy.”
I wasn’t about to say Oracle out loud again, considering the last time I did I almost got swept away to a private booth with a stranger.
Tanis put her cigarette out in the tray and stood. “Alright. See you guys later.” She ushered us both in and looked me over. “I thought you didn’t want to see him tonight?”
“I don’t,” I said, too quickly. “I didn’t? I just…” I sighed. “Where’s the door?”
“He’s not putting you up to this, is he?” Tanis asked, leading us through the crowd of gyrating and swaying dancers.
I tore my eyes away from Alanis, who was in between two men, hands on one’s chest while her ass grinded against the other. “No,” I replied. “I just…” I shot him a side eye, “…bumped into him here.” There was another long pause while we tried to maneuver around a group of people that looked like they could start an orgy any moment now. “I told him about the… guy… and he wanted to help.”
“Naturally,” Tanis spoke so dryly, I could practically see the eyeroll through the back of her head.
Then, the crowd thinned, leaving a corner of it almost completely empty. There was a door under another set of stairs, guarded by a man that had to be a literal giant. He was at least eight feet tall and bulging with muscles.
Tanis indicated to him as casually as she could – a motion he very obviously noticed. “This is the Gatekeeper. Down those stairs is the Oracle.”
“So, how do we see him?” Jacob asked.
The Gatekeeper pushed off of his wall and opened the door, letting a customer out as if he’d sensed their approach.
He continued holding the door. “The Oracle will see you now,” he said, his all-black eyes boring into mine.
I raised both my hands. “Oh – I’m sorry, I don’t have money to-”
“Already paid,” the Gatekeeper motioned me forward, and hesitantly, I obliged. He handed me a card.
Zain Delgrado, agricultural consultant.
There’s no problem money can’t fix.
“What a tacky card,” Jacob huffed.
Hesitantly, I tucked it into my purse. I felt that familiar chill creep down my spine, and I turned, eyes immediately going to the topmost floor. I could see him there, extending his glass as if in a silent cheer, before he turned and disappeared behind the frosted glass railing.
I swallowed the lump in my throat, grasping Jacob’s hand tightly before stepping forward.
The Gatekeeper put a hand on Jacob’s chest, holding him back. With a vicious snarl, he said, “Just the girl.”
I didn’t want to go.
Gods above, I did not want to go down the terrifying black staircase that descended into a terrifying black basement.
Yet something called to me – like a siren’s song, moving my feet for me down the stairs. Before I knew it, the door shut behind me, soaking me in nothing but pitch black. I wanted to panic for a moment, but instead steadied my breathing and braced myself against the wall.
Lights clicked on, illuminating one stair at a time with a vibrant red light.
Definitely circus side show, I told myself. Only the circus would offer such a brazen drama-fest.
I hit the bottom landing and realized the lights were winking out the same way they’d come on – one stair at a time, leaving me in pitch black again. Then, dim lights came on around the edge of the ceiling, glowing in a soft white.
Black curtains had been hung on the wall, and along the path I was supposed to take to see the oracle. The room had similarly black carpet.
All for show.
I pressed forward and found a – gasp – black tablecloth that draped over its table and over the ground. There were two red velvet-lined chairs with ornate swirling gold metalwork (even if the gold paint was chipping).
“Zahraa Snow,” the creature in the chair greeted. I say creature, because it was draped in a red cloak that fell down over its face, obscuring it completely. Its voice was both male and female, adult and child all at once. More pageantry. “Have a seat.”
I told myself that Zain must have told them my name – but then quickly realized that Zain didn’t know my last name.
I obeyed, sitting in the chair – which was much more comfortable than it looked, by the way. “You know my name?” I asked.
“A little birdie told me,” the Oracle replied. “You have questions. I have answers. What is it you seek?”
So many things swirled through my mind. My identity. My family. My home. “I want to know who I am, and where I come from.” I was surprised to find that my voice did not waver.
“A voice has been whispering answers to you. You deny it. This voice has all the answers you seek,” the Oracle answered. “And someone is going to take you home very soon.”
“Who?” I asked – no, demanded.
A low, raspy chuckle that gave me the sensation of spiderwebs on my skin came from under that damned cloak. “There are many men who seek your hand. One will lead you home.”
Non-answers; all stupid metaphysical non-answers!
I stood sharply. “This was a waste of my time,” I muttered under my breath. “I should’ve known this was nothing more than stupid sideshow bull-”
“Zahraa Snow,” it creaked, “A respected woman will delve into the depths of your mind. You will not like what you find. Is the knowing worth the pain?”
My heart raced, and I darted up the stairs, unable to take another moment of this suffocating atmosphere. I burst out of the Oracle’s lair, breathing gulps of fresh air as though I’d been underwater the whole time.
“Zahraa,” Jacob caught me by the shoulders, steadying me. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I lied, straightening. I knew it was unconvincing, but I couldn’t help it. “He didn’t tell me anything. His stupid light show in there was going to make me sick.”
My eye caught the Gatekeeper’s. Was that the slightest curve of a smirk, or a trick of the strobing neon lights?
Either way, I grabbed Jacob’s hand and used my free hand to push Tanis away from the doorway. “Let’s get out of here.”
- Writer
