Taryn was bored. The sunny morning had turned into a bleak and blustery afternoon. The foot traffic on the street outside had dried up just as the drizzle wet the pavement. He doubted anyone would be wandering around town perusing crystals and good luck charms, so he had made himself a cup of tea and settled in behind the counter. That was exactly twenty-one minutes ago. Taryn was very sure of this fact, having checked the clock himself. A few times. 

Being the only child, it was always expected that he would take over the family business, and a rather successful one at that. Taryn knew he should be grateful to have an opportunity to make such a comfortable living so easily but he couldn't help feeling guilty about just how his family’s income was earned. it always felt just a little too predatory for his comfort. The retail side of the business, his current domain, sold a variety of junk under the guise of alternative health remedies, mood enhancers, tarot cards and sundry other trinkets and baubles all designed to catch the eye of teenage girls trying to find themselves as they began to face the turmoil of adult life. While he didn’t have high turnover, the margins were almost criminal. 

The irony of buying the requisite materials for a wisdom ritual learned from a book you bought from the same shop that also happens to be the only one in at least 5 towns in any direction who has both elephant grass and willow bark for sale was not lost on him. If only they knew the bark came from the willows that lined the canal between his shop and the high street. The elephant grass was a little harder to come by. When stocks were getting low Taryn would go for an evening drive through the countryside until he spotted an estate which had used some as an ornamental part of their landscaping.  Then he would wait till dark and help himself to a bag or two or leaves. He always felt kind of scummy doing that though. It just felt wrong to make a living selling junk to gullible idiots. Still, that wasn't as bad as what his mother did. 

Edith was a seeress. To hear her explain it, she could perceive the shape of the world to come, and with that perception guide a questing soul towards that which it seeks. In truth she was a master. 97% of her “guidance” was a mixture of counseling, psychology, and vague predictions of generic life that sounded just mystical enough to seem precinct to someone already desperate to believe. It was that last three percent of the time that kept Taryn from turning away from the life of a charlatan. Somehow, when it really mattered, Edith always came through. 

Taryn glanced up at the clock again. Only 3 minutes since the last time he checked. With another twentyish minutes to kill between now and the only remaining appointment for the day, Taryn decided to have a little fun. He pulled out his phone and started reading up on this weekend's round of the United Rugby Championship. As an avid player in high school, Taryn had fantasized about going pro himself. A separated shoulder in his final year had killed his chances, although he doubted he would have made it anyway. His passion for the sport had remained however. If he couldn't make money as a professional player, he would at least make the odd bit of spare change betting on it. Taryn was just about done picking his winners for this week when the phone rang.

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Checking the caller id let him know that the caller was in fact the quester (“never customer or client” his mother would say, they had an image to maintain after all) he and his mother were waiting on. 

“Hello Mrs. Wilson” he said as he answered the call. 

“Oh hey Taryn” said Mrs. Wilson, “can you tell your mum that something came up and i will have to miss my session today.”

From her tone, Taryn guessed that whatever the reason was, it wasn't anything troubling. Time for a little showmanship. “Sorry Mrs. Wilson” Taryn said, trying to sound confused, “what session are you referring to?”

“I booked a session for this afternoon,” she said. “I was supposed to be there in a quarter of an hour but I just got some good news and am heading out to celebrate.”

“Well I am certainly glad to hear you have something to celebrate, especially considering I don't see you on the schedule” he lied. “Are you sure you booked it for today”

“Yes, definitely. I rang a couple days ago and got your mum on the phone. I told her I was feeling down and needed a session to help find my center again”

Taryn rolled his eyes as he waited, listening to her ramble on for a few minutes more. Eventually she ran out of breath. 

“I am not even sure my mother is in at the moment but I will tell her you called when I see her next. I must apologize again for the mix up but fortunately it ended up not being an issue.”

“Oh don't be silly” laughed Mrs Wilson. “There are no mix ups with your mum. She obviously knew I wouldn't be able to make it and didn’t book me in. You know how she is.”

“That must be it” Taryn said through a grin “you're completely right. Her gift never ceases to amaze. Anyway Mrs Wilson, enjoy the rest of your evening.”

As soon as he hung up the call Taryn went into the back room to tell his mom they could pack it in for the night. He then locked up for the night and started walking towards the university. His rugby team were meeting at a hall on campus for a quiz night. The journey was thankfully quite short as the weather was getting down right nasty. It was cold for the time of year and the clouds felt oppressive. It was obviously about to pour so Taryn was trying to make good time. After a quick stop at the bookie’s to place his bets he debated whether he would do better to wait for a bus to take him to the campus or risk the walk. It was between a 7 minute walk and then a three minute bus journey, or a twelve minute walk. He decided that if it was going to rain, he would rather be wet and walking than wet and standing on the street corner waiting for a bus, so turned his collar up against the wind and set off.