Thursday ,31st December, 2020 , 07:00.
I enter an old tavern. A bartender stands cleaning the glasses whilst listening to folk's stories. "Do you know the way?" I ask the bartender.
The bartender points to an old lady sipping a glass of brandy as she sits by a small wooden table on a three-legged stool, with a blackbird sitting on her lap.
The old lady looks at me from the corner of her eye! She summoned me to sit beside her.
" Let me see you close-up, my dear! What's the problem? What do we have here!" requested the old lady.
The blackbird cocked his head to the left and then to the right. "Oh, I see!" the Old Lady replied.
"Moustarde, here tells me, you have gone cold? Why do you hesitate?" asked The Old Lady as she took out a pack of dusty old cards and shuffled them whilst muttering. " Pick three, and do not be shy! Any Three. The cards pick thee! Place them face down and slowly turn them over one at a time!" advised The Old Lady. " Hmmm, interesting!" the old lady grinned. The blackbird flapped his wings.
"What do they mean? please, tell me so!" I asked.
The old lady laughed. " Well, my dear, what does it matter? You know it all comes from here!" She pointed to my head and looked straight at me.
" It should come from here instead!" she pointed to her heart.
"This is the most significant gift of all, A BEATING HEART FULL OF LIFE! We are Witches, as you know! We have magic deep inside, and we don't wear pointy Hats or ride on broomsticks; that's all for show! But, we do love our familiars and our magnificent spells.
This is the way! You know that! My dear!" said the Old Lady as she tapped her heart three times.
The little blackbird flew up and sat on her shoulder, right next to her ear. she pointed to the bartender, who smiled and held up a glass to offer me a drink. I nodded in reply and turned to the Old Lady, but she had disappeared!
Where could she have gone? There were no doors! We sat at the back of the bar! All that was left was the three cards, face-up, on the table.
Card, No1, Three Kings. Do they all get along?
Card, No2, The High priestess, is surrounded by woodland creatures as she sits on a throne made of woven sticks and moss-covered stones.
Card, No 3, An Old-man all alone, sitting on a rock looking out to sea.
The bartender points to the clock.
Five to Midnight, and it was time to leave. " But do come back!", said a black cat I had not seen.
