The three had been looking forward to the town’s renaissance fantasy fair ever since it was announced almost a year ago. The first of its kind in their area, a section of their town was going to get a dramatic makeover, transforming several blocks into a storybook setting straight out of a fantasy world. The buildings would have castle facades, tents would be put up, flags would be hung, and ambient music would be played to set the mood. It wasn’t just the setting either; actors and vendors would be there selling wares and putting on shows, making any visitors feel like they had truly stepped into a medieval time. Knights and princesses, to peasants and monks, to even fairies and elves; it was a world of magic as well, after all. There were several events planned for the week, including a jousting tournament, a mock siege, strongman competitions, sword forging, races, and even rumours of a giant animatronic dragon scheduled to make an appearance. Being somewhat of a geek herself, Hillary had tried to contain that her excitement for this might have even been greater than her daughters’.
While dressing up was encouraged, none of the family were too interested in spending all day in stuffy cheesy costumes, especially in the summer heat. Sneakers, T-shirts, leggings for the girls and jeans for the mom would do just fine, though they at least put in effort to pick sparkly, fantasy-esque pieces that would at least fit the theme, including a bright white unicorn shirt for Brie. Once they were ready and had packed the essentials for a day out, they lefet.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have devoted extra time to waffles” warned Hillary as it took forever to find a parking spot. Even with the wide flat soccer field dedicated to parking, it was clear that they weren’t the only ones interested in attending. The redhead slowly moved her van through other families, some dressed up, many not, but all of them excitedly chattering as they made their way towards the entrance. Brie, catching her mom’s dig at her, shrugged.
“That just makes today extra special.”
Eventually, they found a spot, waited twenty minutes in line for admission, and stepped into the worl of make believe. It was even better than they hoped for. They had practically landed in the middle of a medieval European down, surrounded by huts, tents, and actors performing their roles as everyday fantasy people. The smells of fresh bread and treats filled the air, but so did the smells of livestock and manure from the other direction, the animals no doubt. They all laughed and waved as a clumsy jester stumbled past them on ten-foot stilts, pretending to be about to fall but never actually doing so.
“So, what first?” said Tina, looking at the schedule.
There weren’t any major events until the later afternoon, but there were several small tents, stands, and shows that they could watch in the morning. But looking around at the huge throbs of people, they all knew it would be a chore to get into the front row seats of most of them. But they didn’t stand listless for long.
“Ooh, that looks neat.” Pointed Brie. Her mom and sister followed her gesture to a small purple and blue tend somewhat tucked out of the way. There was no sign on it, only a giant question mark sewn into its front flap, but the three were familiar with enough fantasy tropes to know what this suggested: a fortune teller. With no line at the moment, they jumped at the chance and walked on over. The smell of perfume was potent even before they opened the flap to the tent and stepped in, where the exotic scent almost overwhelmed their nostrils. A faint fine dust filled the air, neatly settling over decorative golden plates, chalices, and other treasures surrounding the interior of the tent, as if it had come straight out of the Arabian nights.
“Welcome, family with flaming hair. I’ve been waiting for you to enter there.”
The speaker was a beautiful woman sitting cross-legged at the far end of the tent. She wore a shining purple bedlah: puffy silk pants that ended tucked into a thin pair of slippers, and a bedazzled bellydancer’s top that left her tanned stomach on full display for all of its trim glory. The shining jewel nestled in her deep navel was almost as crystal blue as her eyes, which pierced out from behind a silk veil that covered the lower half of her face. Pitch-black hair in a jeweled ponytail completed the perfect mystical look. With a suave gesture, she waved the three over to sit on the cushions on the other side of the table she was at; Hillary, Brie and Tina all got comfortable, and excited.
“I am Vashalla, knower of all, for there are secrets in my crystal ball.”
“Ooh, she always rhymes” snickered Brie, but a tap on the shoulder from Tina got her to cut it out.
“The answers of the cosmos, are in my reach. I may reveal them to you… for five dollars each.”
This one broke Tina as well; both sisters giggled, and Vashalla’s eyes lightened behind her veil; she knew how silly and dramatic she was being. Hillary paid out, and after depositing the bills into a side box, Vashalla lifted up a silk cloth that sat over a shining, glowing orb of pure crystal on the table in the middle of them. With a clap of her hands, the fake candles in the room seemed to shake and darken, and the sphere glowed brighter. Dramatic music even played as the fortuneteller swayed her upper body back and forth. Her eyes were transfixed on her crystal ball, as were Tina’s. Hillary and Brie couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the dancer’s swerving midriff as well. Finally, after a moment, Vashalla spoke.
“The fates have elected to tell me, there is laugher in the future for you happy three.”
The sisters rolled their eyes, thinking it was rather obvious, but Vashalla went on.
“The youngest, Brie, full of energy. Adventure awaits, beyond your wildest dreams. Tina, older, wiser, fair, there is pride and greatness for you, if you dare. Hillary, mother, heart of gold, love will return, for your tale isn’t all told.”
With that, Vashalla spread her arms, and the music stopped. The lights came back on, and everything came back to normal. After a few seconds of silence, Tina and Brie both burst out laughing.
“Wow, anyone could have told us that!”
“I hope you enjoyed your generic fortune too, Brie. “Adventure, greatness, love!” snorted Tina. “I think she might be a fake!”
“Even I have to admit, fifteen dollars for that was… much…” Hillary quietly chimed in.
“Woah, now hold on!” interrupted Vashalla, completely dropping the rhyming act. “I can assure you, I am a real fortune teller, and I did see these interpretations through my crystal ball!”
“Well tell me, what does the ball say for YOUR future?” asked Brie. Confused, but curious, Vashalla looked down and peered into her sphere for a moment, not bothering with turning on the room’s special effects.
“Um, my future has…also laughter.”
“You got that right!”
Without warning, Brie and Tina lashed out and grabbed a hold of one of Vashalla’s legs, pulling them towards them. The fortune-teller slid out of her cushion seet and her eyes went wide in a panic as the two redhead sisters flicked her slippers off, exposing the dark feet underneath, with the light soles on the bottom.
“Wait wait um I also see no no NOAHAHA! NOT TICKLING NOHAHAHAHA! OOHHOHOHELPAHAHA!!!”
The beauties’ laughter filled the tent as the redheads clutched her ankles tightly, and scrubbed their fingers up her fine soles. Vashalla’s actress clearly took great care of her feet, and they were smooth to the touch, which only served to make them more ticklish; her toes spasmed back and forth as she tried to wriggle free, but that only served to make them targets as well when Brie and Tina pinched and wriggled them. A complete mess under her veil, Vashalla looked up to their mother for help with big puppy dog eyes.
“HELP PLEAHAHASE! STAHAHAHAP OHOHOHAHAHAHA! I’M SO TICKLEEHEEHEE!!!”
Hillary thought to herself, and glanced down at the woman’s stomach.
“Well, I guess this is a day for treating ourselves.”
“NOOOOOOAHAHAHAHA! MY BELLY NOAHAHAHA! I’M SOREEHEEHEEAHAHAHA!!!”
Hillary knelt over and began to scrape her fingers across the beautiful midriff in front of her; it was flat and trim, but with just enough pudge to it to let her pinch and roll the flesh between her fingers, kneading it like a thin dough. Vashalla was in hysterics, and it was only the strong pins of the three ticklers that stopped her from rolling out and crashing into her tent’s decorations. Hillary’s finger even slipped her way into the deep abyss of a navel before her, and began to scrape along the bottom, sending Vashalla into silent laughter. And when her digit finally withdrew, the diamond inside the belly button slipped out with it.
“Aw, this tummy diamond was a fake too? I guess she was a fraud. But this makes the cost worth it.”
Eventually, the three knew they had to stop, especially when Vashalla’s face, feet and middle were turning red as tomatoes. They thanked her, both for the fortune and the hands-on experience, and chuckled as they left the tent, leaving the fortune-teller a sweating wreck laying on the cushions, her middle fluttering in and out with her deep breaths.
The fortunes may have been cheesy, but none of the three seemed to register how Vashalla had known their names.
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