The room was small, dimly lit, and smelled strongly of incense and saffron extract. The repulsive scent was on the verge of making me vomit. I scanned around, seeing the various trinkets and so-called mystical items. No doubt about it, she probably pryed these out from the nearest dumpster, or perhaps she had been connec to buy them from these psychic scam stores. 

The psychic medium stood up from her seat, her enchanting eyes gleaming with merriment. She took deep breaths an sauntered towards me with a sickening act of niceness, all the while playing with her silk, seethrough scarf. “Yes, dear gentlemen”, she said, forcing a thick Russian accent, “how can I help you?”

“So, you’re a psychic?” I asked, condescendingly. “You’re not a con artist, are you?”

She playfully hit me with her satin scarf, “But of course I am. I have done this for many years. I’ve spoken with countless spirits and connected them with their loved ones. Come, have a seat.”

I sat by her table. A solid crystal ball was used as the centrepiece. I was impressed. I leaned forward to get a better look, impressed at her choice in decorative trinkets. Usually, charlatans would just get a snow globe and try to pass it off as a fortune teller’s all-knowing eye.

She closed her eyes, waving her hands over the ball and seemed to focus her concentration on it. “I see a cloud of darkness and violence surrounding you”

My face lit up with a child-like wonder. “Wow, you’re really good.”

The medium clasped my hands in hers. “Now, what can I help you with?”.

I smiled at her as I bluntly said, “Tell me who my next victim will be.”

The psychic opened her eyes, and gave me a stare that signified that she was thoroughly confused. “What?” I said.

“Nothing”, she answered, and she proceeded to peer into her crystal ball, doing the same hand motions as before. She hummed, as I gawked at her in fascination. Suddenly, her eyes opened in shock, as wide as saucers.

“What is it?” I demanded.

She looked at me with a haunted expression, her hands shaking and trembling.

“Is something the matter?” I enquired with a sadistic smile, then laughed in her face, relishing the fear in her eyes.

In a split second, she stood up and ran for the curtain behind her, knocking down her chair and bumping the table in the process. The crystal ball bumped of the table, rolling down and smashing into the ground, shattering into a million pieces.

“I guess she is the real deal, after all”, I said to myself as I stood up from my seat. I brought my hand behind my back, and slid the knife from behind my back. With that, I decided to give chase to my next victim.