Madame Christine

Thursday. 6:00 pm. Like clockwork, I once again step into the cramped, cluttered office of Madame Christine. The door chime jingled as I pushed open the glass door and was hit with a whiff of cheap perfume, the kind that’s probably labeled something like ‘Ocean Breeze’ but smells more like overripe avocados. I sink into the stained, patterned couch and massage my forehead.

“You’re back.”

I look up to see a pale, thin man sitting on a stool in the opposite corner of the room. His hair was long and jet-black, to match his equally dark t-shirt and jeans. His plain clothing was a stark contrast to the wall of colorful vases, bowls, masks, and whatever other charms or objects the psychic had collected sitting behind him.

I’d seen this man before. In fact, I’d seen him every time I’d ever been in this room. He sat on the same stool every time, with a black-and-white cat curled on his lap. He was always here before me, but he gestured for me to go ahead of him every time the Madame Christine came out and asked who’s next. Usually he sat quietly, not acknowledging me or anyone else in the room. This was the first time he’d spoken to me.

“Yeah, I’m back,” I said simply.

“Why?” the man asked.

“What?”

“Why do you come back here every week?”

I frowned. “With all due respect, sir, that’s none of your business.”

The man sighed. “I suppose it’s not.”

Silence again.

A few minutes go by, then, “You know she’s a fraud, right?”

I look back up at the man. “Madame Christine? I don’t know, I like to believe it’s real.”

“Sure,” he said. “But you know it’s not.”

I didn’t answer right away. Yeah, I was always skeptical about magic and psychics and all of that. I was aware of the tricks that fakes would use to scam people out of their money. But there was something so alluring to blissful ignorance, to the blind trust that what Madame Christine was real.

“I like to think that clairvoyance is possible,” I told the man. I was avoiding his statement, but at least I was telling the truth. I did believe it could be real.

“Oh, of course it’s real,” the man replied. “It’s just that Madame Christine doesn’t have that ability. Everything she does is just mind games and parlor tricks.”

“Well, if you’re so sure about that, then why are you here?” I asked him.

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business.”

I huffed. “Touché.”

“You know,” the man leaned back in his stool and touched his fingertips together, careful not to disturb the cat asleep in his lap. “You have much more psychic power than that old witch. If you really wanted to, you could become a clairvoyant yourself. A real one.”

Was this guy insane? I laughed nervously, not entirely sure how to respond. “What makes you say that?”

“I can tell. Though, if you want proof of your own…” he trailed off. At the same moment, the cat lounging in his lap sprang to life. It leapt nimbly up to the highest shelf in the room, weaving past the many trinkets littering the place.

“All these artifacts that Christine has collected over the years are just as fraudulent as she,” said the man. “Real psychic objects are extremely rare and hard to come by. But there’s one thing in this room that does hold some power.”

The cat, which had stuck its head in a large sapphire-colored bowl, extracted a necklace from inside. Without a sound, it jumped down onto the couch beside me and dropped the jewelry.

It was an old thing, with a gold chain and a jade pendant. I picked it up by the chain and studied it in my hand. The pendant was round and smooth, held in place by a gold casing partially surrounding it.

“This necklace belonged to someone named Daniel in the 1850’s,” said the man. “He was a medium, with very similar abilities to yours. He was murdered in his late twenties, but his spirit still lingers, attached to that pendant.”

I scooped up the jewel in my left hand. It felt powerful, somehow.

The man leaned forward. “Close your eyes and focus. Feel the pendant in your hand.”

I didn’t really believe anything would happen, but I did as I was told anyways. A few seconds passed.

“I don’t think–” I started, then gasped as my entire body went cold. I shivered. Just then, I felt a burning sensation in my core. It started small, then grew. At the same time, my chest went numb. It was anger, betrayal, heartbreak. I opened my eyes.

“Daniel was murdered by someone he trusted,” I said. “Someone he loved.”

The man nodded.

I stared at the pendant in awe. “How did I do that? How–” I stuttered. “How did you know I could do that?”

Before he could answer, the door across the room from me burst open. A petite brunette walked out of the room clutching a faux skin purse. Behind her, a much taller woman draped in flowy robes and oversized jewelry appeared.

“Remember to spend time with your kids, and keep a positive attitude,” Madame Christine told the smaller woman. “Thank you for coming!”

The woman nodded and exited the office. Christine turned to me.

“Lucille, darling! Apologies for the wait, it’s been busy today,” she said. She looked around. “Who were you talking to?”

I frowned. “Him.” I pointed to the stool where the man sat. He smirked at me.

“Ah yes,” Christine said. “Whiskers.” she reached down and stroked the cat in the man’s lap, ignoring him completely. The cat made a soft sound, but was otherwise unresponsive. “He can be quite the chatterbox when he’s up for it, can’t you boy?”

I opened my mouth to object, but the man put his finger to his lips and winked at me. I kept quiet.

“Come with me, dear,” Christine said. “Let’s do this.”

I let her lead me into the main room of the building. I’d seen this room many times before, with its intricate tapestries and even more ‘psychic’ items, void of furniture save for one round table and three chairs in the center of the room. It felt different this time, though, like it had lost some of its magic.

Christine sat in one of the chairs, and I took a seat across from her.

She looked at my hands. “What’s that you have there?”

“Oh!” I had completely forgotten I was holding the necklace. “It’s yours, sorry. I found it while I was waiting.”

“Ah,” Christine reached out, and I dropped it in her hands. “Yes, a gold and jade necklace. It belonged to the ancient Mayan civilization. It was unearthed just a few years ago.”

I tried my best to not roll my eyes.

“I was very lucky to get my hands on it,” she continued, “but if I’m being honest, I don’t think it holds much psychic power.”

“That’s too bad,” I said, playing along. “It’s very beautiful.”

She nodded, then tucked it into a fold in her clothing. “Alright,” she said. “Let’s get started. I assume you’re here for the usual?”

“Yes,” I assured her. “I would like to contact Peter.”

She held her hands out. I knew the drill. I placed my own hands in hers and closed my eyes.

“Concentrate on who you would like to see,” she said. I did.

“Yes,” Christine murmured. “I can feel him.”

That was a lie, and I knew it, because I wasn’t concentrating on Peter. I wanted to see Daniel. I squeezed my eyes tighter, searching for the necklace hidden somewhere in Christine’s pocket.

Daniel, I thought. Show me Daniel.

I saw a flash in my mind, just very briefly. A pale man dressed in all white, sporting a showy coat and top hat. He held a golden cane, and wore that jade pendant on his chest. His face, though hard to make out, seemed somehow familiar.

He was gone as soon as he appeared. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was, and suddenly realized that Madame Christine was talking.

“– And that he wants you to stay strong, even though things are tough right now,” Christine was saying. “He loves you, as always.”

Wait, had I blacked out for the entire reading? It seemed like mere seconds had gone by. Although, I suppose I hadn’t missed anything of value. 

I opened my eyes. “Thank you, Madame.”

She showed me to the door, and I stepped back into the waiting room. The man was still sitting on the stool in the corner of the room. I waited until Madame Christine had waved me goodbye and disappeared back into her room to look at him again.

“How was it?” The man asked politely.

“It was good, Daniel,” I smirked.

Daniel looked shocked that I knew who he was, but only for a fleeting second. Immediately, he regained his composure. “That’s good,” he said. “By the way, where’s my necklace? You had it, did you not?”

“Madame Christine took it,” I said. “You’re stuck to that thing, aren’t you? That’s why you’re here all the time.”

“The secret’s out,” Daniel nodded.

I smiled. “Here, I’ll make it even, tell you why I’m here. I lost my husband a few months ago in a car crash. I come to Madame Christine to see him again. I guess I always knew I was being scammed, but I can’t bear to give up on him, and I can’t afford anyone else around here.

Daniel nodded. When he said nothing, I continued.

“But you said I could be a medium, right? Do you think I could reach him myself?”

“It’s possible,” Daniel said.

“Could you teach me?”

Daniel considered the proposal for a moment. “If you can get me out of this rubbish psychic’s place,” he said finally, “I’ll do my best.”

I smiled. “It’s a deal.”

“Lucille?” Madame Christine came back through the door. “What are you still doing here?”

“Oh, um, I was just admiring…” I scanned the room. “This lovely fan here! I must say, this is the first time I’ve really appreciated all of your artifacts. They’re exquisite.”

“Oh why thank you,” she said. Just then, the cat sat up and jumped onto Christine’s chest.

“Oh!” she cried as the car wriggled around in her arms. Something fell onto the carpet behind her. The necklace.

Being as discreet as possible, I crept behind Christine, swooped up the object, and stuffed it into my bag. I gave Daniel a quick smile. He winked at me in response, then disappeared into thin air.

The cat had settled down in Madame Christine’s arms. I slid back in front of her. “Well it’s been nice,” I said. “But I should get going. Thanks for everything!” I promptly swung the glass door open, setting off the door chime, and stepped out onto the street.

I held my breath until I was safely in my car. I leaned back into my seat, catching a glimpse of something moving in my rearview mirror. I looked back to see Daniel, legs crossed in the back seat.

“Thanks for that,” he said. “Now let’s go find your husband.”