Fortune Favors
Amber Piña
There exists a town, a small, sleepy town called Suffeman, Ohio. Surrounded by dense forests and thick fog, Suffeman is a world of its own. The inhabitants of this town are plagued by a peculiar habit, a compulsion to make daily visits to the machine. A vending machine sized structure, with one slot like opening near the bottom, encased in smooth, gleaming silver. The machine was housed in crumbling ruins on the outskirts of town and it drew the people to it once per day. There was always one person in town that serviced the machine, kept it clean and tidy, and handled the general maintenance. This person was always chosen just as the predecessor left, vanished in the night or perhaps moved on to their next adventure in life. The machine caretaker could be anyone in town regardless of age, gender, or race. There was simply always one. The machine alone wasn’t Suffeman’s only peculiarity, the populace was small enough that everybody knew everybody. And yet, there was always a new face or two that people had yet to meet but somehow, they knew them nonetheless. People would appear as café owners, retail workers, bus drivers, as if they had always belonged and there was nothing unusual about it. In the center of town, there was a marble statue, a gruesome, bloody statue. It depicted a woman, blindfolded and weeping bloody red tears that would catch the light during the day and glow at night. She carried a sword in one hand and a set of brass scales in the other. She wore a threadbare robe and under her bare, bleeding feet, was a bed of broken glass. An image of Justice the plaque read; to remind everyone of the suffering that must be endured by all in Suffeman so that balance could be restored. This is where the town got its name; Suffeman, the suffering of mankind.
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Norm approached the machine with shaking hands, his eyes darting back and forth. Norm hated this machine so intensely that he was practically vibrating. How he longed to smash it to pieces with a sledgehammer. But he couldn't do that, not ever. The last person in town who tried to destroy it ended up hanging upside down by their ankle from the statue in the center of town. For three days, no one could manage to undo the ropes. Not until the third day did the body slip from its hold, landing in a stinking heap, at the base of the town’s statue.
Thinking about it made Norm shudder. His last card had been The Wheel of Fortune, usually a card of great luck and increased wealth. The card had been given to him reversed, which meant the original meaning was the exact opposite. His thriving construction business in town was suddenly hard up for projects and eventually he went bankrupt. His drinking crept up on him again after ten years of being sober. He neglected his wife and children, and spent more than one night draining the last of his money on card games, going home in the early hours the next day, smelling like he bathed himself with a bottle of gin. His wife got fed up and told him not to come back until he got a better card.
Each day, he came to the machine, silver shine winking at him innocuously. Every card he had gotten, The Eight of Swords, The Three of Pentacles, The Eight of Wands. They all spelled out his continuing problems. The odds of him getting yet another bad card had to be low enough by now, surely, he'd get a good one and everything would be fixed. He raised a hand to the lever in the machine and pulled it down. It made a clanking, whirring sound and from a slot came his tarot card. The back was a simple matte black color and he took a deep breath before turning it over.
The Tower. Norm stared at the card in horror, transfixed upon one of the screaming faces that perpetually fell to their doom. He recognized his own face, his clothes, even his newspaper boy hat that had flown off and was floating down with him. As denial turned to anger he yelled out a scream of frustration and banged his fists into the machine. Then recoiling backward and darting a look around, he ripped the card promptly into four pieces and scattered them on the ground. He climbed into his truck and drove off in a frightened hurry.
Storm clouds were gathering and Norm heard the rumble of thunder. Feeling more anxious by the second he turned into Main Street to get a bite to eat at the diner. As he approached a stop sign, he heard a crackle. A bolt of hot light struck his truck and suddenly, Norm was filled with an almost intense sense of clarity. He left his truck idling in the road, got out and walked to the clocktower.
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Ivy was drumming her blue painted nails onto the countertop at the diner. Harvey's was rather dead at that time of night so she was taking a break and reading the paper detailing Norman Fitz’ leap off the clock tower. Ivy shook her head, how sad, she thought. She hadn't known Norm well but whenever he came into the diner he seemed friendly enough. Ivy herself had just arrived in Suffeman a few months ago. She and her longtime boyfriend, Rocco, had needed the change. She got the job waitressing at the diner and Rocco took a part time job helping stack books at the library. Ivy had been so pleased he finally wanted to help contribute that she didn't even mind his late hours.
She had heard of the machine from Gladys, one of the older waitresses. “You'll go when you're ready, sugar. After that first card, you can't stop.” At first, she thought it was a silly tourist attraction. But when she began to question it, she realized that the people in the town were serious about their mysterious fortune telling machine. After a double shift at the diner she went home, expecting Rocco to be waiting with a smile. But their house was empty when she returned, a quickly scrawled note read that Rocco had to work later than expected. Irritated, Ivy prepared a meal for one and ate alone. She got up and, on a whim, decided to go get her very first card.
She drove to the outer edge of town and walked up the stone steps leading to the machine. Trees and forest bordered the pavilion, lending a whisper quiet atmosphere as the wind blew through the trees. There were no animal sounds from the woods, no birdsong or skittering of nocturnal creatures. It was strange, Ivy felt almost pulled to it now that she was there. Without any memory, she was suddenly in front of it, as if autopilot carried her forward. She pressed a finger to the surface and was thrilled by an electric hum that coursed through her. She pulled the lever on the side and listened to the sounds as her card was ejected. She took it with a small thrill of anticipation.
The Lovers, upside down. She turned it right side up and studied the image. She smiled, it seemed like a nice enough card. Why did she feel so anxious? It depicted two people, who were kneeling together with hands clasped, under the gaze of an angel figure in the clouds, the two clearly in love. Well, if this was any indicator of her relationship then she’d be ok, she thought cheerily. Ivy ignored the warning bell in her gut and decided to take this as a good sign. Pleased with her luck and positivity, she decided to surprise Rocco at work and show him the card.
Ivy drove to the town library and walked through the entrance. Ivy went up the stairs past the main entrance to the stacks where Rocco usually worked. She walked through the dim library, silent and empty in the evening. As she scanned the shelves she heard a thumping sound coming from the stacks at the very end of the corridor. As she got closer she noticed that books were falling from the shelves and smacking heavily onto the floor. Ivy rounded the corner slowly, her insides twisting into knots.
Rocco, pants down around his ankles, was behaving quite energetically with the librarian, Annie. The two were making quite a ruckus, but Ivy's mind had gone soft and quiet. She left at a calm, slow pace and got into her truck and drove home. She went inside, surveyed their home. This place needs something, she thought. Some bright, colorful paint maybe. Rocco hated colorful walls and always complained when Ivy brought up painting the house.
The next morning Ivy got up early and drove out once more to the machine. Today there was no hesitation. She confidently strode over, pulled the lever and waited for her card to pop out. She hummed a jaunty tune to herself while she waited. She pulled the card out and flipped it over. The Three of Swords. She stroked the card with the tips of her fingers. She liked this card. It spoke to her of new things, a new direction. She held it close to her face, studying the image. She pressed it to her cheek and rubbed the smoothness against her face. She sniffed it gingerly. Then she placed it carefully into her pocket and went home.
When Rocco returned from work much later in the day, Ivy was waiting for him. He tripped over himself apologizing. “Sorry babe, I just had so much to get done. Work has really been riding me.” Ivy exclaimed he must be exhausted and she told him; sit down, relax, I'll bring you a nice meal. She had made his favorite chicken lasagna and brought him a big helping. She set the plate in front of him and watched while he dug in. Rocco looked over at Ivy and smiled, “Thanks, babe. You’re the best.” Ivy smiled back, her grin stretching her mouth wide, and wider still. Rocco’s smile faltered and there was a sudden gleam of silver.
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Silas chugged down a glass of juice while he heard his mother practically yelling excitedly into the phone. He sighed and rolled his eyes.
“No, Donna, didn't you hear what I said? Yes, that new couple. They found him yesterday. Yes. Well, apparently, he was having a fling with Annie at the library. Well, she's always been a bit of a tart, if you ask me. No, the poor man was just left lying there, food still in his mouth from dinner. Mmmhmm, three knives. All stuck into his heart like some kind of macabre roast pig. I know, isn't it just something else! No, don't you know, that's the oddest part. She was just going about her business, flitting about painting the walls! I don't know what color, Donna, honestly, what does it matter? No, poor dear, the Sheriff is keeping her in the jail. She'll probably get a good run at the insanity plea though.”
Her voice drifted away as Silas left the house and rode his bike to town. He had met Ivy once or twice at the diner. She always brought him a free piece of pie whenever he went in after his shift. He pedaled lazily through the streets and pulled up in front of the machine. He came every day, like his mother told him to. An hour before and after school, longer on weekends. He spent a lot of time with the machine. It was the easiest job by far for a sixteen-year-old to have. His mother told him he should be honored when he received the letter in the mail explaining the offer to him. One hundred and fifteen bucks a week for what the letter called "maintenance". He didn't understand what maintenance the strange machine really needed. It wasn't plugged into anything so there were no electrical wires to check on. He polished it and made sure it stayed clean. Other than that, he just sat there and watched it for the duration of his shift.
When people came by to receive their cards, he hid so they could have their privacy. Occasionally they interpreted their cards as bad news and sometimes the machine was spit on, kicked or punched in anger. After damages like these would occur he would creep out from his hiding spot and pet the silvery front. He would clean and smooth away any spittle, scuff marks or blood stains. Before the end of his shift everyday he would turn the lever and collect his card. He barely gave them a glance and kept them in a neat pile in a wooden box in his room.
Even though he never bothered with his own cards, that didn't stop him from trying out his own interpretations to other people's cards. He felt that a lot of the people in town interpreted their cards wrong. At the end of his shift that day, when he pulled the lever something different happened. The card got stuck half way through. Silas had to tug at it gently to get it out. When he managed to pull it free, it slipped out of his hands and landed face up on the pavement.
Death. His card was the Death card, but it was beautiful. Silas had never seen the death card before and what he saw now was mesmerizing. It was a phoenix rising up from the ashes and flames and being reborn again. Scarlett and golds were swirled about in a hypnotic dance as the phoenix changed its form and became something new. The sun rose behind it in a gorgeous play of light and color. He didn't feel worried, he felt something else, something he couldn't quite name.
The next day Silas went to work his shift as usual. Today though, instead of leaving his Death card at home he brought it with him. Every now and again he would look at it and admire it fondly. He lay hidden in the shade of the trees as a man from town walked up and pulled the lever for his card. But nothing happened. The man scratched his head and furrowed his brow. He tried pulling the lever a few more times to no avail then gave the machine a kick before driving off. Silas crawled out from his hiding spot and went up to the machine. Did it actually require some real maintenance for once? Silas didn't even know where to start. He ran his hands down the surface and tried to find a seam where he could get it open somehow.
The machine suddenly hummed, a reverberating echo that shook Silas and made him jump back. There was a clicking sound and the entire front swung open. Silas moved closer to look inside. It was empty. There was nothing, no cards, no wires or gears, nothing. It was just an empty box, pitch black on the inside. Silas didn't understand and had a brief moment of panic. How would people get their cards? What would he do? He leaned in closer to try and inspect the ceiling, the floors, anything that might give him some hint. He finally just climbed inside and ran his hands along the walls. The machine was just the right size for him with some room to spare. Silas stood inside for a moment, at a loss, when there was suddenly another loud hum.
The sound shook through Silas' entire body and his head was ringing so forcefully that he felt it might pop off. Suddenly the front of the machine swung closed, sealing Silas within the darkness. He shouted, even though it was useless, as there was no one around to hear him scream. He banged on the door and tried to press his weight against it but nothing worked. How much air was in this thing? A strange slithering, liquid sound assaulted Silas’s ears making him freeze in the dark, trembling. It grew louder and Silas yelped when he felt something move around his feet.
Hyperventilating now, he knelt down and reached around gingerly with his hands. There were what felt like coils and wires that were snaking around the floor of the box. They were moving in a slightly thick and greasy liquid substance. He brought his fingers to his nose and smelled oil. The coils and wires began winding themselves around Silas' body moving upward at a steady pace. Breathing heavily, he tried ripping the coils from his legs but they tightened. Some of them reared up like cobras and he swore he could hear hissing when he tried to touch them.
Silas stopped touching the angry things and they slacked the grip on his body. The wires and coils were now at his chest and continuing steadily upward. The wires stretched outward to his hands and creeped up to his face. The synapses in his brain were sparking and he felt alive and very aware of the machine around him. His body was so heavy he wasn’t even supporting himself anymore. They were holding him up now. He was covered head to toe and the coils moved his limbs for him. He felt his hands touch the sides of the machine and they were suddenly fused in place. He lost the feeling of his fingers and arms and he suddenly felt only the machine. As soon as this happened it was like Silas could see again. He couldn’t move his body, he had no body, he had no need to move anymore. Silas was no longer afraid. He was simply a mass of gears and wires, connected seamlessly to everything. He was no longer Silas. He was reborn.