The commute home was always the same, but tonight, something had changed. A new dusty road leading into the desert. It was impossible, and yet here it was.

A sign stood at the fork, sun-faded and chipped, bearing the enigmatic image of a sphinx.

The pull was magnetic, a whisper in her mind urging her to turn and she obeyed. The desert stretching endlessly on either side, and then she spotted it, a small shack standing alone.

Inside, the air was thick with the scent of incense. Crystals glinted under flickering candles, and fountains trickled softly in shadowed corners. At the counter stood three women: two older, their lined faces solemn, and a younger one whose smile was warm.

Pretending to browse, she traced her fingers over polished stones, but she felt their eyes on her. Eventually, she summoned the courage to approach.

The woman’s smile deepened. “Would you like me to read your cards?”

She nodded, unsure why she had agreed.

The young woman raised an eyebrow, her tone almost teasing. “If you think you won’t fail.”

“Fail? How can you fail a tarot reading?”

"If you don't listen..." The woman replied cryptically. One by one, she laid the cards down. She recognized The Chariot and a card with a shining blade, perhaps the Ace of Swords.

Once the cards had been pulled, the woman pushed a wooden box toward her.

Inside, a tangle of small, shining objects glimmered. Her hand hovered uncertainly before she plunged it into the box. When she withdrew, her palm was full of tiny silver swords.

She shook her head before she could think. Returning the swords and trying again, this time emerging with three small, opaque green stones.

The women exchanged a glance, but said nothing more as she left through the back door. Laying there, carved from ancient stone, was the sphinx. She approached, searching for a place to sit, but found none. Kneeling at its paws, she then lay back in the warm sand.

And then {{user}} awoke.