Madame Destiny Full Reading

Madame Destiny's theme today is clocks: tiny clockfaces adorn her dangling gold earrings, there is a half-dollar-sized gold watch resting just below the crisp collar of her buttoned white shirtwaist on a gold ribbon, and her left wrist sports a loose gold watch-bracelet. Across her neatly-tailored brown waistcoast drapes a magnificent triple-stranded heavy gold Prince Albert watch chain from one brass button to the watch pocket, and the fob of the watch chain is also a tiny watch. An enormous ring shaped like a grandmother clock lines her left middle finger like armor. The folds of her voluminous brown skirts periodically display a large golden watch hung like a nun's rosary from Madame's wide leather belt. Close examination reveals that the fine pattern on her waistcoat is, again, tiny clockfaces. This is only topped, so to speak, by the fine, tall, black silk tophat whose band is adorned all round with clockfaces.

Madame Destiny ticks from all sides and angles. They are all set to different times, and the resultant hum of unsynchronized ticking is suprisingly soothing.

She gently cracks her knuckles, one at a time, and smiles across the table. "A full reading today, yes, dear? It's been a while since I last saw you. Let's see what the Universe has been thinking about you lately."

( For Cliodhna )