Katheryn stepped into the small, cluttered parlor, the door creaking shut behind her. The scent of old wood and incense filled the air, faintly mingling with something sharper—herbs, maybe, or wax. A beaded curtain swayed gently in her wake, and as her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw the woman seated at the table.

  She was older, with lined skin that spoke of a life spent outdoors and eyes that glimmered with something sharp and unreadable. Her hands, adorned with tarnished rings, shuffled a deck of cards with deliberate care, the worn edges whispering as they slid together.

  “You came looking for answers,” the woman said, her voice low and even, though her gaze didn’t lift. “Am I right?”

  Katheryn hesitated, feeling suddenly exposed, as if the woman had peeled her open with a glance. “I guess so,” she admitted.

  “Sit,” the woman said, gesturing to the chair opposite her. Katheryn obeyed, the legs of the chair scraping faintly against the wooden floor.

  The woman’s hands continued their rhythmic shuffling. “You want to know about your life. Your future.”

  “Yeah.” Katheryn swallowed hard, her voice almost a whisper. “I just want to know… will it be good?”

  The woman nodded, setting the deck on the table. She cut it once, then again, her fingers moving with the certainty of someone who had done this a thousand times. Katheryn watched as she flipped the first card.

  A cloaked figure holding a lantern.

  The second card.

  A wheel spinning in the air.

  The third.

  Swords buried in the earth, their blades tangled and uneven.

  The woman’s hands froze, hovering over the spread. Her brows knit together, and her lips pressed into a thin line.

  “What?” Katheryn asked, her voice breaking the silence. “What do they mean?”

  The woman’s eyes lifted to meet hers, and Katheryn felt the weight of that gaze, sharp and probing. “Your past,” she murmured, “is clouded. Like smoke over a fire. I see fragments—nothing whole.”

  Katheryn shifted uncomfortably. “Okay… and my future?”

  The woman didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she drew another card. The Tower. A crack of chaos etched into its surface. Then another—a card she turned slowly, almost reluctantly.

  It was blank.

  Katheryn blinked, leaning forward as if her proximity might change what she saw. The woman’s face darkened, her expression a mixture of confusion and wariness.

  “What does that mean?” Katheryn asked, her voice rising just enough to betray her unease.

  The woman exhaled through her nose, leaning back in her chair. “It means,” she said carefully, “the Sisters of Fate haven’t woven your thread. You’re untethered.”

  “Untethered?” The word felt strange on Katheryn’s tongue, foreign and cold.

  “You exist outside their loom. Your past, your future—they haven’t touched it. That’s rare. And dangerous.”

  A cold shiver worked its way down Katheryn’s spine. She didn’t believe in this stuff—not really—but the seriousness in the woman’s voice made her pulse quicken. “So… what does that mean for me? That I don’t have a future?”

  “No,” the woman said firmly. “It means your future is unwritten. You must forge it yourself. And paths like yours are not easily walked.”

  Katheryn’s stomach knotted. She opened her mouth to argue, to say something that might dispel the unease building inside her, but the woman was already gathering the cards, stacking them neatly as though the conversation had ended.

  “Do you want me to try again?” the woman asked, her tone softer now, almost pitying.

  “No,” Katheryn said quickly, standing so abruptly her chair scraped against the floor. “No, that’s… that’s enough.”

  The woman nodded, watching her with an inscrutable expression. “Take care, child. The world does not look kindly on those who defy its threads.”

  Katheryn left the parlor with the faint jingle of beads marking her exit, stepping into the brisk Prague evening. The streets felt colder now, the familiar hum of the city muffled beneath the weight of the woman’s words.

  By the time she reached the café to meet Marcel and Tereza, she had convinced herself it was all nonsense. Just an old woman spinning stories. But deep down, a quiet unease lingered, like the faint, unwelcome taste of bitterness on her tongue.

  Katheryn dropped into the café chair with a weary sigh, glancing at her two friends.

  “I had my cards read.” Katheryn said flatly.

  Marcel and Tereza exchanged curious glances before Tereza leaned in, her eyes sparkling. “Well? Don’t keep us in suspense. What did they say?”

  Katheryn straightened up, letting out a long breath. “My future... is a blank card.”

  Marcel burst into laughter, slapping the table. “Of course it is. That’s so you.”

  “Marcel!” Tereza hissed, swatting his arm. “Be serious. What did the reader say about it?”

  Katheryn shrugged, masking her discomfort with a roll of her eyes.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Apparently, the ‘sisters of fate’ haven’t bothered weaving my threads yet. Whatever that means.”

  Marcel grinned. “Well, one thing’s for sure—your immediate future involves camping this weekend!”

  Katheryn groaned, leaning back in her chair. “We’re really doing this? Camping on the mountain?”

  Marcel arched an eyebrow. “Come on, you know it’s tradition. We’re graduating in six months, and the whole year goes up there. You can’t back out now.”

  Katheryn hesitated, fiddling with her coffee cup. “It’s not just that. My dad’s family is from that mountain and my grandma used to tell these creepy stories about supernatural beings. She even said our family was banished by the mountain god.”

  Tereza rolled her eyes, taking a long sip of her drink. “Oh, please. They’re just stories, Kat. Nothing’s going to happen...besides, you have to come! You’re my best friend, and I refuse to deal with Marcel’s antics all weekend by myself.” She shot him a mock glare.

  Katheryn chuckled, finally letting herself relax. “Fine, fine. I’ll be there, but if anything creepy happens, I’m blaming both of you.”

  The night before her departure blurred into a rush of planning. Her bed was a mess of gear: a map, a compass, a borrowed tent, bottles of hard alcohol, condoms and an old first-aid kit, everything you'd need for a massive party on a mountain.

  Now there is only one thing left to do she thought.

  She visited her grandmother, who met her at the door with a mix of love and resignation.

  “You’ve always been too nice to say no to your friends,” her grandmother said, guiding her inside. The flat smelled like dried herbs and time-worn wood.

  Katheryne sat down on a comfy sofa, her grandmother already serving her cookies, she spoke with a worried voice.

  “?umava isn’t just trees and trails. There are places people don’t belong. Promise me, Katheryn—don’t stray from the path.”

  Katheryn nodded, more to reassure than agree. “I’ll be careful, grandma. I'll be there with Tereza and Marcel.”

  Her grandmother shook her head, her expression both worried and fond.

  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a woven bracelet charm, gently placing it on Katheryn's wrist.

  “Keep this close... it's for protection.”

  Her grandmother sat down next to her, holding her hand.

  "And you better not come back pregnant..." Her grandmother shot her a side glance.

  Katheryne let out an defeated chuckle.

  "Don't worry, Grandma," Katheryn said softly, leaning her head on her grandmother's shoulder.

  The morning came with a pale, golden light that spread through the trees as the three entered the forest.

  The air was sharp and clean, the kind that made her lungs feel alive with each breath but by noon they were still on the trail and exhaustion began to set in.

  “You’re sure you know where we’re going, right?” Tereza asked, adjusting her strap.

  “Relax,” Katheryn said with a smile. “The meet up point isn’t far. It’s just a little further up the trail.”

  Tereza and Marcel let out a groan.

  Hours later, they still weren't at the meet up point.

  The trail was becoming more and more wild, it narrowed in some places and branched off in others, and soon the map stopped matching the paths beneath their feet.

  Katheryn paused, frowning. “This isn’t right.”

  “Uh, yeah,” Tereza said, crossing her arms. “I could’ve told you that. Where are we, Katheryn?”

  Marcel stepped up beside her, glancing at the map. “Looks like we veered off somewhere. Maybe back there at the fork?”

  Katheryn nodded, her face tight with concentration. “Let’s backtrack a bit.”

  But as they retraced their steps, the forest seemed to grow denser, darker. The sounds of birds and wind faded, replaced by a suffocating quiet.

  “I swear we passed that tree already,” Tereza said, her voice edged with unease.

  “We’re fine,” Katheryn said, though her voice wavered. “Just stick together.”

  Suddenly, Katheryn stumbled, her boot catching on a root. She tried to steady herself, but her pack shifted, pulling her off balance. Before Marcel or Tereza could react, she toppled forward, sliding down a slope hidden by underbrush.

  “KATHERYN!” Marcel shouted, rushing to the edge.

  Katheryn tumbled, branches scratching at her arms and legs until she landed hard at the bottom, her breath knocked from her lungs. She groaned, trying to sit up, but the world spun around her.

  “Kat, are you okay?” Tereza called from above, her voice frantic.

  “I’m... I’m fine,” Katheryn managed, though she wasn’t sure it was true. She looked around, her heart pounding.

  The forest here was darker, the trees older, their twisted roots clutching the earth like claws.

  “Stay there,” Marcel yelled. “We’re coming down!”

  “No!” Katheryn called back, panic lacing her voice. “Stay on the trail. I’ll find my way up.”

  Before they could argue, she grabbed onto a nearby branch and pulled herself to her feet. But as she turned, she realized she couldn’t see where she’d come from.

  The slope was hidden, the forest a labyrinth of shadows and trees.

  A cold wind brushed past her, carrying with it a faint sound—a whisper, maybe, or just the wind.

  “Hello?” she called out, her voice trembling.

  The forest gave no answer, the weight of the silence pressing down on her.

  Katheryn swallowed hard, brushing dirt and twigs off her scraped arms. The forest around her seemed to press closer, the ancient trees stretching high above her like silent sentinels.

  She took a deep breath, cupping her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice.

  “Marcel! Tereza!” she yelled, the sound tearing through the unnatural quiet.

  Only the faint rustle of leaves answered her.

  “Guys, come on! This isn’t funny!” she tried again, her voice cracking slightly. She waited, her pulse thundering in her ears.

  Nothing.

  The oppressive silence set her teeth on edge. She spun around, searching for anything familiar, but the twisted roots and dark undergrowth all looked the same.

  Her breath quickened as her fingers tightened around the straps of her pack.

  And then, a sudden explosion of sound.

  Crows—dozens of them—burst from the treetops above her, their wings slashing through the air like black knives.

  Katheryn screamed, ducking instinctively as the swarm seemed to spiral around her, their raucous cawing deafening in the stillness.

  Her heart pounded as the crows dispersed into the sky, their cries echoing long after they were gone, she stood frozen for a moment, her breaths shallow, her chest tight.

  “Okay,” she muttered to herself, her voice trembling. “Okay, it’s fine. Just—just find the way back up.”

  But her nerves had already gotten the better of her.

  Every shadow in the forest seemed to shift, every creak of the trees sounded like footsteps.

  Without thinking, she turned and began to run.

  She pushed through the underbrush, branches whipping at her face and arms.

  The forest blurred around her as she stumbled over roots and dodged low-hanging limbs.

  Her thoughts were a chaotic jumble of panic: Find them. Get back. Don’t stop.

  But the ground suddenly disappeared beneath her feet.

  Her momentum carried her forward, and she toppled over the edge of another drop, this time, there was no chance to brace herself.

  She tumbled through the air, the weightless sensation replaced by a bone-jarring impact as she hit the icy water below.

  The lake swallowed her whole, the freezing cold ripping the breath from her lungs. Her limbs flailed instinctively, but the chill numbed her movements, making her struggle sluggish and weak.

  Her head broke the surface for a moment, and she gasped desperately for air before the water dragged her back under. The murky depths swirled around her, and her vision blurred as the current pulled her deeper.

  Katheryn’s chest burned, her thoughts slipping into incoherence. She clawed weakly at the water, her strength fading with every second.

  I don't want to die, She thought.

  But darkness consumed her whole, and for a moment in time Katheryn ceased to exist....

  Watching the threadless human, the three sisters of fate took pity and granted Katheryn a chance.

  "Fix our mistake, and you'll be granted a thread back to your life..."

  When she came to, everything was a blur, she was being carried, her body draped limply over broad shoulders.

  The steady rhythm of footsteps and the warmth of someone’s breath broke through her haze.

  She tried to speak, but her voice was barely a whisper.

  The forest passed in flashes—shadows, trees, the faint glow of a fire somewhere ahead, the stranger’s grip steady and sure as he carried her into the unknown.