Honey twisted in her seat, smoothing her hair with one shell pink tipped hand. "I make my own fate."
Madam Marie pursed her lips. "Do you believe you're in control of your destiny?"
Honey rolled her eyes at the woman's obtuseness. "Of course."
"Then why did you come see me?"
Honey sighed and played with the fringe on the table cloth. A crystal ball sat in the middle of the round table, it's milky glass refusing to share answers. "The reading was free and, well, to tell the truth, since Mama died, I don't really have anyone to talk to."
"Ah," Madam Marie sighed, leaning back in her chair in a jangle of silver bracelets. "You wanted a therapist."
"Pretty much."
"I'm not a therapist. But I see things."
"What sort of things?" In spite of herself, Honey was intrigued.
Madam Marie picked up a deck of brightly colored cards and shuffled them idly. "You're lonely."
"Obviously."
"You're following a dream."
"That doesn't take ESP to know."
"You're not going to find the dream you're following."
"What?" Honey sat straight up, eyes narrowing. "Now look here, you two bit charlatan. You can't tell me I'm not going to live my dream. I worked too hard to get here to quit now."
"You're going to live your dream. Just not the dream you think you want."
"What the hell does that mean?"
Madam Marie smiled. "It means what you think it means."
Honey jumped to her feet. "This was a waste of time." Honey marched out of the room, cursing when the beaded curtain tangled with her hair. Pulling free, she slammed out of the shop, muttering under her breath.
She stepped onto the busy sidewalk and into a cement wall. Two strong hands reached out to steady her. Shaking the hair out of her face, Honey started to apologize, "I'm so -" she paused, recognition dawning. "What are you doing here?"
The man in front of her looked from her face to the sign above the door she'd just left. A slow grin grew into laughter. "You went to see a fortune teller?"
Honey jerked away, shaking her hair back and squared her shoulders. Looking down her nose at the slug who'd fired her from that stupid fairy gig, she raised one fawn colored brow. "It's none of your damn business."
Looking at her face, he doubled over with laughter. Spinning on one foot, Honey stalked down the sidewalk.
"Wait!" the man gasped through his laughter. "Stop!"
Honey ignored him and her burning cheeks.
"Blondie! I've got a job for you."
Honey paused, burying the desire to punch him in the face. A job, any job, would be preferable to what she was doing now. She stopped and slowly turned around to face him.
This was a piece inspired by the Write on Edge prompt "Fate". I haven't written Honey in a long time. She's always so much fun. If you want to read more about her, check out Fictional Mandyland. And if you want to know more about this man she ran into, read Fairy on the Mall.
Although, I'm starting to wonder if maybe Honey needs anger management. Who knows...maybe this guy will help break through her attitude...just a little. I kind of like her as she is.
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14 comments:
Nice job working the whole fate theme in this. I love how every thing that happens, be it her disbelief in fate, or her running into her old boss with a new job offer, connects back to that theme.
I don't think I want her anger managed :) I love how she's able to be vulnerable and prickly in the same short piece.
I LOVE Honey!! So glad I got to read her again. I love her hair getting tangled in the beads. I love that she never, ever backs down even when it's truly her best option and I love the juxtaposition of coincidence and a woman making her actual living off the business of fates.
Oh Honey. Always trying to hit it big and always stumbling. She needs someone to sit her down for a real life lesson. Maybe she'll start putting efforts into a job that might get her the stardom she craves.
I love the fumbling, the crashes. She's a bit of a clutz I think :)
Don't manage the anger, just focus it a little. Some people need a little anger to push themselves harder, so they can prove something. Maybe Honey needs a push.
There's so much to love here, from the disbelief but there anyway, to the hair in the beads, to fighting the urge to punch him in the face...very well done!
Yeah, what everyone else said.
I love that you have this whole phone book of characters to call upon for your prompted writing.
And maybe a little jealous too.
But please, please keep giving us more Honey and more Hidden Hollow.
Signed,
A big fan.
She doesn't want to believe it fate, but it seems fate believes in her. :)
I like her prickly attitude. To be honest, I like her attitude, period.
I think it's one of her strongest traits: she never backs down. Honey is a fighter and she's going to keep fighting. I like that about her.
Poor Honey has been trying to so hard to make it. She just can't catch a break. Or maybe she's too busy ramming through life she ends up smashing her breaks.
Honey is always fighting the urge to punch this man. Makes me wonder if that urge is going to change to something else...
Thanks!
I plan on it.
(That's called foreshadowing.)
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