The good luck ceremony was held in my and Ramona’s apartment as planned. The priestess had brought along a small foldable table that she’d arranged our chairs around. Leslie, Ramona, and I all wore white dresses – Ramona had told me it was customary. The priestess, sitting directly across from me, wore a robe colored such a light purple it bordered on pink and golden ribbons were woven through her hair.
We waited in silence as the priestess prepared. She placed a little wooden bowl onto the table, then passed each of us the head of a yellow flower. I mimicked the way Leslie and Ramona held it: flower in right palm, left hand stacked underneath on top of lap. Leslie gave me a reassuring smile when I glanced at them to see if I’d done it right.
The priestess took a deep breath. Then she spoke. “Suerte, goddess of luck and journeys, we seek your blessing for Dax’s future. We ask that you may grant her guidance, wisdom, and a strong dose of luck so that Dax may complete her journey safely. We burn these offerings for you.”
The priestess placed a small strip of paper into the wooden bowl. She lit a match, setting fire to the paper inside the bowl. The priestess looked at me and made a gesture like she was letting something from her hands slide into the bowl.
I glanced at Ramona. She didn’t say anything. Ramona simply nodded and repeated a smaller version of the gesture the priestess had made, though the flower remained in her hand. This was so bizarre to me.
I tipped my hands toward the bowl, letting the flower slide from my hands into the flame. Leslie and Ramona did the same at the priestess’ direction. The air started to smell like a sweet perfume as the flowers burned.
Was that it? Was it over? But no one moved, or spoke, as the fire continued to burn. How long was this ceremony supposed to be?
As soon as the fire died out, the priestess pulled out a glass vial and tiny spoon from a hidden pocket in her robes. She scooped the ashes from the bowl into the vial. Once she was done, she capped the vial and, near the top, tied a golden ribbon into a neat bow.
She held the vial of ash out to me. “Keep this by your bedside,” she told me. “As long as it’s there, Suerte will grant you good luck.”
I accepted the vial, staring down at it. Even though I didn’t really believe it would work, it was a shame I wouldn’t be able to bring it with me inside the System.
To be continued…