Just a Peek

Madame Sylvie

Revealer of your Past

Teller of your Future

Madeline, or Mad as she preferred to be called, studied the sign before her, wondering if it was really worth it to follow her unexpected urge. She had never once wanted to know her future, and even now, Mad still didn’t want to know. Mad had read enough Greek myths to know that it never ended well. Granted, she believed in herself enough to think that she wouldn’t go try to kill a baby or something like that, but still. Mad was content enough to live in the present and not stress about a future she may not be able to change, thank you very much.

But the ‘revealer of your past’ part...Mad was interested in knowing about that. No, she didn’t have amnesia. But Mad was beginning to wonder lately if a choice she had made a few years ago had been the right one. If her life could be better. Which was probably an ungrateful and irrational way of thinking because Mad’s life was decent right now. Her book had been published, and while she wasn’t a household name, she was on her way back to her car after her first book signing.

So really, her life was pretty good. Mad was happy.

Well, mostly happy...

Oh, what the heck. It wasn’t like Mad had anything else to do.

So with a deep breath, Mad walked into the store, a bell brightly welcoming her as she took in the dark surroundings. Dark surroundings that slowly became discernible as her eyes adjusted to the flames of the many candles safely contained in glass containers. The store, for lack of a better term, was small, and the shelves full of books, cards, and herbs lining the walls made it even more so. In the middle was a table covered with a dark purple tablecloth, with a crystal ball on top.

“Welcome!” greeted a slightly heavyset woman as she moved through a beaded curtain at the back. Mad quickly noticed that her stereotypical fortune-teller outfit, completed with purple beads, matched the tablecloth. “How may I, Madame Sylvie, help you, dear?”

“Um…” Mad hesitated, now feeling silly and vulnerable as she wondered if Madame Sylvie could even help her. “You see...there was this guy about two years ago that I went on a couple of dates with. He was nice, but I wasn’t...romantically attached to him. He did ask me for a third date, but while I was deciding whether to accept or not, I met this other guy and...we instantly hit it off. So I told the first guy no.”

Madame Sylvie gave her a small, understanding smile that immediately made Mad feel better.

“But your relationship with the other guy didn’t end that well?”

“Oh, it was a completely mutual break-up. We’re even still friends,” Mad answered simply with a genuine smile. “But...I haven’t dated anyone since then. I haven't even gone on a single date. So I guess...I’ve been wondering what would have happened if I had dated the first guy, Clint.”

Feeling even more embarrassed as she realized something, Mad subconsciously reached her hand up to bite her fingernail, only to stop herself just in time.

“I’m sorry, your sign said you were a revealer of the past, but that doesn’t mean you can see what would have happened-”

“Oh, I can actually,” said Madame Sylvie, her smile even brighter than before. Mad blinked.

“Really?”

“Of course I can, dear! It is just a matter of finding a parallel dimension where you made that choice that is also very similar to ours. So why don’t you sit down, and we will get started,” Madame Sylvie said as she sat down on a chair behind the crystal ball.

“O-Okay!” Mad said as she sat down on the chair on the other side of the table, the mention of a parallel dimension not fazing her one bit. She had always been open to the idea of parallel dimensions. And anything to do with fortune-telling obviously. Then, assuming that this was what she needed to do, placed her hand on the table, palm up.

“Before we proceed, however, I do have to ask you if you are sure about this. Seeing what might have occurred if you had made a different choice can bring a whole lot of regret,” Madame Sylvie said kindly but with a serious undertone.

Still keeping her hand on the table, Mad thought about it.

“I’m sure. At least I can stop wondering about the ‘what ifs.’ And who knows, if Clint really turns out to be the one, I can look him up on Facebook and pray that he isn’t taken,” Mad said with a small smile. Madame Sylvie chuckled.

“Sounds good to me. Alright, dear, all you need to do is place your hand on the crystal ball. And keep it there, it will help me make the connection,” explained Madame Sylvie. Mad nodded as she moved her hand to the crystal ball.

It was slightly cold.

“Alright, here we go,” Madame Sylvie said as she hovered her hands above the crystal ball. Then she closed her eyes and started to wave her hands slightly, like she was tenderly going through a sock drawer.

To Mad’s surprise, the crystal ball began to warm up. And she knew it wasn’t because of her hand.

How could she think that when the clear crystal ball was now clouded with blue and pink smoke?

A second later, the smoke cleared, and Mad couldn’t help but lean closer in anticipation, even though she wasn’t nearsighted. In the crystal ball, Mad saw herself stirring something in a pot and gasped when her eyes caught the diamond and silver rings on her finger. Her other self was married! Granted, the diamond was a bit bigger than she personally would have liked, but-

Mad’s smile faltered when she saw her other self bite her fingernail.

...There was barely any nail to bite.

“What is taking so long, Madeline?!” Both Mad and the other Mad jumped in place as a man walked, no, stormed into the kitchen, a furious expression on his face.

It was Clint.

“I’m sorry, Clint, it’s-” the other Mad started to apologize, panic and hopelessness written all over her face.

“What did I say about making excuses!” Clint yelled as he raised his hand. Before he could hit her, the crystal ball was suddenly yanked away from under Mad’s hand. With her hand still over the table, Mad slowly looked up and saw Madame Sylvie clutching the crystal ball, looking just as shaken as Mad felt.

Mad looked down at her hand, and when she saw that her painted nails were trembling, she placed her hand down on the table.

...She had never once thought Clint to be like that. In the other dimension, did he change after they became official? Or only after they were married? Mad had never once thought that she would be the one to stay in an abusive relationship. Did the other Mad have nowhere else to go, to escape? But the other Mad would have had her book...unless Clint somehow made sure she had never published it? Or had it been a slippery slope, where Clint had destroyed her self-esteem bit by bit?

“...Can we help her?” she asked softly. Madame Sylvie shook her head regretfully.

“It’s like a one-way window. We can see them, but they cannot see us. Let alone interact with each other,” Madame Sylvie said sadly. Then a serious expression replaced her solemn expression. “But…”

Madame Sylvie looked Mad straight in the eyes.

“We can make sure Clint isn’t hurting anyone else in this dimension. Of course, he could have chosen a very different and more innocent path in this dimension, but we won’t know for sure until we find him. Though without anything of his, I will have trouble finding him...”

“Don’t worry,” Mad assured her as she took out her phone. “This is why we have Facebook.”