The Seer Renee Read Free

could see into the future of anyone she touched. When her
daughters became of age, she selected one and passed on the gift. We'll never
know why she selected the daughter she did. That daughter, my mother, passed
the gift onto me. I should have passed it on to your mother, but I felt she'd
have used it for evil. I'm willing to pass it on to you if you wish. I no
longer know if it is a gift or a curse."
    I didn't know what to think. She
had taught me how to tell fortunes by making up stories based on an ability to
read people and their reactions. Most people unintentionally gave you enough
information about themselves to deduce what they wanted to know. You merely had
to give them a fuzzy tale hinting at the possibility of good things happening.
I not only enjoyed it, but with Granny's coaching I became so good, I had a few
of my own clients. But the idea of actually knowing the future sounded intriguing
and exciting.
    "The minute someone knows you
can actually tell the future and can in a sense change it, you become a prize
worth more than money. When that happens, your life will no longer be yours.
You would become a slave to someone and never be free again." She wiped
tears from her eyes. I reached out and took her hand, wanting desperately to
help but not knowing how.
    "Some dangerous men have
discovered my secret and are forcing me to help them. I'd just refuse and let
them kill me, but they are threatening to kill you if I don't help. Fortunately,
what they want help with is at least a year off. If you decide to accept our
family legacy, that will give me enough time to help you understand the gift.
You need not decide today or even tomorrow. It's not a trivial decision."
    “What will we do about whoever is
pressuring you?” I asked, frowning. “You can’t let someone do that. It’s
horrible.”
    She patted my hand. “Don’t you
worry. I’m fixin’ to take care of that, but this has to come first.”
    Granny and I discussed it for
several days and nights before I gave her my answer. In truth, I knew I would
say "yes" the minute she told me about the gift. A week later, she
sat facing me with her arms bared. I'd seen her tattoos before but thought
little about them, except they looked like works of art.
    "They're beautiful, Granma.
Why do you keep them covered?" I asked. She seldom wore clothes that
revealed the tattoos.
    "These tattoos cover runes
from the Loa. When you are given one, you will be told its name and see the
rune; however, it will soon be covered with some tattoo. The head of an owl on
my right arm hides Ohene—the rune for foresight and wisdom. My mother
transferred it to me as her mother did to her. The symbol looks like a small
circle with eight arrow-like spokes. It's the only rune that can be handed down
and only from mother to daughter.
    "The other tattoos," she said,
pointing to a mouse and an ox, hide Osrane ne nsoroma—the rune for wisdom
and humility, and Gyawu—the rune for respect and leadership. They have
appeared one at a time over the years. They're gifts from the Loa, which aid me
in healing and ceremonies. Those have to be earned, but only the Loa know how."
    As I sat staring at the tattoos, Granny
gently took hold of my arm and began chanting. For several minutes I felt
nothing, then I screamed as a searing pain shot up my arm. I tried to pull away
but couldn't. I felt paralyzed. Through the blur of tears, I could see the Ohene
rune on my forearm. It looked red and raw and although the pain had subsided,
the skin smelled like burnt flesh. I watched in fascination as a tattoo took
shape and slowly covered the scarred skin. It didn't take long to realize it
would not be an owl. Granny gasped when a mottled python in yellows and greens
appeared—the great serpent and focus of divine power. After a few minutes
of silence, she spoke.
    "One future you can never see
is your own. Even when it's part of another person's, you must extrapolate it from
what you see. Nor can you see those