The Gypsy Song
Chuy Chupacabra
The old woman came out of her tent and looked around the street. The street was teeming
with activity. It was market day and everybody was showing off their wares. The
blacksmith proudly displayed his new and improved horseshoe; it would last years
longer, he claimed. The rug merchant boasted of his new Persian rugs, direct from Tehran.
The coffee and spice merchant had lots of customers that day, and he waved his hands
in the air speaking loudly with them. Maybe I'll buy some vegetables, the old woman thought. She decided not to, and instead took a simple wooden sign from inside
her tent and posted it in the public eye. The white letters read "Fortunes told.
1 silver coin." The street was filled with shoppers, children, a few stray dogs,
and tourists; nobody paid attention to the sign.
The gypsy woman scanned the crowd with her olive green eyes and saw the usual things.
Off in the distance, she saw the masque, with its silver dome. She looked at the
animal trader taking a sheep down the dusty street, off to be slaughtered. She heard
the chanting in the distance, and listened to the languages of the street. She took
out a lyre from the tent and started to play.
As the day went on, no customers came into the old woman's tent. She looked at the
tourists and foreigners and wondered where they were going. Sailors...off to the
brothels. A holy man, his hair uncut since birth, off to the masque. Mothers with
children, off to buy food.
Tourists were funny people. They didn't use sandals, the men were arrogant, and the
woman's faces were strange and unattractive. They threw money away on small things,
but the woman needed them for survival. She knew how to play the game.
It seemed that hours had passed. Not one customer. Then, she spotted a young tourist
couple heading towards her. The man had short black hair and the woman long brown
hair, and they were dressed like the other ones. They were both in khaki shorts
and they had thin shirts on, and like the others, they had money to spend.
"We want our fortunes told," the man said.
"For both of you, two coins," the woman replied.
"But on the sign it says - "
"Come on Bill, just pay up," interjected Bill's wife, anxiously. Bill gave her the
two coins.
The woman led them inside. She pulled out a crystal ball, and like all the other
ones, they were impressed. Wearily, the old woman sat down, the crystal ball in
front of her.
"What do you desire to know?" asked the woman.
"Tell her, Elaine."
With a gasp of excitement Elaine began. "We've got some money in stocks. We want
to know if our venture'll succeed."
The old woman looked at her ball intently and smiled. "At first you will lose, but
through time and perserverance you will succeed." The two hugged each other, and
the old woman patted them on the back. They thanked the old woman, and they left.
The old gypsy smiled to herself and saw what she had pulled. "I still have nimble
fingers," she said, and started to count the travelers' checks. It was no great
fortune, just enough to get by for a couple days. Time to move on, before they come
back.
Copyright 1987 by Chuy Chupacabra. Unauthorized duplication,
posting, or publication is strictly prohibited.
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