A Prophecy

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The approaching storm stirred the blackened evening as I cautiously entered the soothsayer's lair...

The elderly woman sat shrouded in the dim candlelight which flickered across the diaphanous fabric that adorned the ceilings and walls.

"I shall tell your future, young man" she croaked. She picked up a delicate tea cup with her gnarled fingers, "the tea leaves reveal all."

She looked at the tea cup intently for a few moments, then raised her head and looked at me through eyes filled with the secrets of the unknown.
"You will soon travel," she whispered.
"Yes, that is correct" I quietly replied.
A crack of thunder rumbled overhead, and the porcelain cup and saucer gently rattled.

"I can see you travelling to ancient lands, and the first is Jordan. You shall trek in the city of Petra for several days, and then stay overnight in the desert with the local Bedouin peoples in Wadi Rum. The tea leaves also say that you will then procure a motor vehicle and visit the desert castles and sites steeped in biblical history..."

A chill wind blew through the soothsayer's enclosure, as the gentle sound of rain drummed on the roof.

"The tea leaves reveal that you will then visit Egypt for a month. I can see you in the bustling and vibrant city of Cairo. You shall visit the Egyptian Museum and gaze at the treasures of the Pharaohs. You will explore the timeless monuments and burial chambers of the area and crawl through the dusty and cramped interiors of these tombs."

"Then you will visit Luxor and Aswan for two weeks, where you will wander through the heart of the one of the greatest civilisations of history - the Valley of the Kings, and the Temples of Karnak, Edfu, Dendara are awaiting for you. Also you also shall behold the splendour of Abu Simbel on the Aswan Dam."

"Then you will journey to the eastern border of the Libyan Desert, where you will spend many days in a verdant oasis, before returning to Cairo and seeing in the New Year at the foot of the pyramids..." The old woman sat back in her chair and fell silent.

I indicated my approval of her reading with a smile, and then left the dimly lit room and returned to the outside world, where a steady rain was turning the ground in a seething muddy mass...

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Comments

[frankie du berry]

the soothsayer's lair
What a wonderful way to start a travel blog!!! Brilliant!

[The Travel Camel]

Soothsayer's Lair
Thanks for the comment! The Soothsayer's lair idea was written prior to joining Travelblog. Its purpose was to inform my friends and family (by my then used method of email) of where I was going and then give my overall impressions at the end of each holiday. I wrote the first two Soothsayer's introductions and conclusions to coincide with my trips to Jordan/Egypt and India in 2002 and 2004, but when I came to completing the third journey (India/Bangladesh in 2006), I had just joined Travelblog and knew the Soothsayer idea was not needed any more, because with Travelblog I can put the information of my future travels on my public page. However, I did not want her to just disappear without explanation as my family and friends were used to this introductions to each holiday. So I wrote her into the commencement of 2006 India/Bangladesh travels, but at the end of this holiday, the Soothsayer has mysteriously vanished - thus indicating that her role in my travel stories was concluded.