RESTART

A Novel by Midge K. Manlapig

Prologue
Under ordinary circumstances, Nell was not one who believed anything related to
the occult. Feng shui, necromancy, astrology just about any gobbledygook of that
sort made her sneer and turn up her nose. Nell was, for all intents and purposes, a
solidly pragmatic and practical woman: totally no-nonsense, plainspoken, and
brutally frank.
But not when it came to her best friend Praxi. No: Nell learned the hard way
that Praxides was the real deal, a proper cartomancer and one with a 98% record
of accuracy. (The remaining 2% was said to be a fluke, but Nell swore that it was
only because the people involved deliberately changed the circumstances to get
away with it.)
This was why both of them deliberately locked themselves in Nells office one
stormy Friday afternoon. The two of them were sitting at the small table by a
window overlooking the BGC. Nells face was drawn and worried; Praxis was calm,
relaxed even.
When did Nicky say he was arriving? the former asked, trying to keep
agitation out of her voice. She was always as nervous as hell when Praxi brought
out her cards.
Friday, came the cool reply; just a simple statement of a fact. Praxis
forehead furrowed as she concentrated, shuffling the deck of cards on the table.
Does Nell breathed deeply. Does Moggie know?
Moggie? Praxi smiled at this. Of course she does, she assured Nell. For
goodness sake, Nellie shes picking him up at the airport, remember?
Nell stared at her in horror and exploded. Whose bluidy idea was that? she
cried, the Glasgow accent she picked up during graduate school coming into her
horrified words. Fuck it all, Prax: theyll kill each other before theyve even left the
bleedin airport!

Praxi sighed at this, but held her tongue as she laid four cards onto the table
in a straight line. Nell froze when she saw the cards; shed seen Praxi lay out a
similar combination if not totally identical one when they were kids at uni. The
Queen of Coins. The Queen of Cups. Finally, in tandem: the Queen and King of
Swords, the harbingers of change, of surviving insurmountable odds.
Shit, Nell swore underbreath. She shivered visibly. God, but that makes
my hair stand on end, Prax. She pointed at the King of Swords. Its almost the
same reading only, if I recall correctly, the last card was the Knight of Swords, not
the King.
Praxi regarded the layout thoughtfully. Then, Of course its a King now; the
Knights grown up.
Has he?
Im not really sure. I hope so, though.
Nell smiled ruefully at this. I wish things hadnt ended so badly between
them, she confessed. When I think of all the warmth and tenderness she threw his
way, I felt like Mog wasted all of it on someone who was as blind as a bat and as
dense as a bread pudding.
Praxi shuffled the deck before her once more, but cast a rather annoyed look
at her friend in the process. Nell, she said sternly, never think that Moggie wasted
her affection. Though, yeah: Nick is as blind as a bat.
And as dense as a bread pudding.
Probably denser otherwise, youd think hed have cottoned on by now.
She drew two more cards out of the reshuffled deck and laid them above and below
the King and Queen of Swords; the other Queens she pushed to one side.
Nell stared, fascinated by the cards that came out: Two of Cups above, the
Lovers below.
How interesting, she remarked, eyes wide with wonder.
Praxi drew a third card and held it up for Nell to see: Death. Everything
changes from here on out, she intoned gravely. Hatchets buried and quarrels
settled once and for all. She seemed to sense distress in her friend and patted her
arm reassuringly.

Dont freak out, she gently chided Nell. Death never means a physical
death, you know; just the end of a lifestyle, a way of thinking. Almost absently, she
added, And, most probably, studied indifference.
Anything else we need to watch out for? Nell asked.
One last card was drawn out of the deck, prompting a groan from Praxi. She
slapped the card on the table in annoyance: the Chariot.
Nothing, she said. Nothing except that things are going to start happening
a lot sooner than we think.