Margel's lips came off the fine porcelain cup from her grandmother's tea set. Her hands began to tremble and with the movement, figures indicating love were drawn on the bottom of the coffee. The girls in front of Margel embraced each other and left the house of the fortune teller, who told them that they would soon find a husband.
She was increasingly recognized for her accurate predictions and received people from all over the world. Some even came from other countries to have their fortune read at the bottom of the café to find out what was in store for them.
One man came from far away and the fortune teller saw in his background the economic balance and the man automatically thought of investing in a farm and the prosperity of his family was wonderful. Everyone loved the coffee fortune teller and she always received baskets of fruits and jams from the neighbors.
But one day, Margel woke up with a severe headache. She came into the kitchen, which was very simple. There was a wood-burning stove in the center and in a clay pot, her grandmother was preparing coffee, a custom of that bygone era.
As she took her cup of coffee and took a sip, her head spun and she almost fell to the floor. Her mother pulled a straw chair close to her and the girl fixed her eyes on the door to the entrance of that poor hut. The door opened slowly and it was Aunt Emerita, who had come from another province to visit them.
Margel received your aunt's embrace and with great regret, she lifted her cup to finish her coffee. The trembling of her hands as always, mixed the bottom of the coffee and drew something that symbolized death. The girl showed it to her aunt and the woman stormed off cursing Margel, who looked at her with compassion as she knew that her aunt was ill and would die in a short time.
From this moment on, every cup of coffee augured negative things. Death, despair, disease, misery. The townspeople began to hate the coffee fortune teller. As if the girl was to blame.
One morning, the gray clouds took over the horizon and lightning split the sky between thunder and sparks. Margel felt the need to leave her house and, holding her morning coffee cup, she stared at the horizon.
The wind was blowing hard and the girl's long white nightgown and her black hair played in the air, while she kept looking at the clouds.
Her hands began to tremble and in the background were drawn the houses and trees of the town reflected on the ground. The girl ran out to warn everyone that a storm was coming and that the town was going to be flooded.
All she received was shouts, scorn and rejection from the people. No one listened to her and the storm was so strong that entire families were submerged. Margel regretted so many human losses and together with her family they managed to take refuge in the mountains.
When the storm passed and the weather calmed down. The neighbors got together and decided to accuse Margel of being a witch. The fortune teller of the café was not only a fortune teller, according to them, she was also casting spells on the community and should be condemned to be hanged.
Margel's family tried to prevent the girl from being taken away, but there were many of them and they came with torches to take her away.
They took her to an almond tree on a small hill in the village that had survived the storm. Margel wanted to be calm, but she was human and the fear of death gripped her body. She begged for mercy and was not heard. So as they placed a thick rope around her thin, white neck, she cursed them and condemned them that, every year on that day at midnight spirits would take over the earth and evil would reign among the living. Minutes later the innocent woman was hanged.
From the 17th century to the present day, every October 31st the spirits take over the earth and the living play at being dead while evil laughs and rubs its hands together waiting for something to get out of control and end up being a tragedy.
This is my entry to the #STB Creative Writing Prompt 15 I invite @jetta.amaya @tere.alv.
Original content by the author.
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Lettering stencils
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Translation done with Deepl.com
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