Obsessed: A mini short film/documentary. " Let's start at the beginning "

An old grandfather clock strikes at barely past 10 Am. The house smells of coffee, Yule cookies. Coffee and cigarette fragrances billow throughout his bedroom. It's Christmas Day! Waking up, stretching, yawning, an 8 year old boy is about to get the surprise of his life.

As I walk out of my small, cubby-holed bedroom, the lights from the Christmas tree glisten in my eyes. The coffee and cigarette smoke fill my nostrils. Too excited to notice anything around myself, aside the Christmas Tree and my Mother screaming " Merry Christmas! ", I head for the tree. I sit down, sleepy eyed waiting for my grandmother to show up. She always came over Christmas morning to watch me open gifts. The joy, the smile on her face, the way her eyes would light up, as I opened each one, is a gift to this day that'll always be treasured.

 Smelling the cigarette smoke, making me crave one, instead my Father sets a strange, beautifully wrapped box, in my lap. Being a child I ravage the wrapping paper, ripping and tearing, gnawing with my teeth to get the tape undone. A strange deck of cards falls out. My Father starts to explain to me that they are Tarot Cards, used by the Gypsies to foretell the future. I already knowing all this, I sit and listen impatiently. I know what I have, I'm so excited, filled with dopamine, ready to read these cards. I spot a longer, narrow box, lying under the tree. I go to reach for it and my grandmother quickly grabs it, hands it to me and sits down next to me. Just as excited as I am to see what's to be unwrapped. I rip the wrapping paper off, chew the tape off with my teeth again. A Ouija Board is what I see. Immediately I open the box and get it out. I beg for anyone to " Play " the board with me. Nobody will. I set the board aside and my Father insists on trying his hand at reading the tarot, for me. I sit down, facing him, across from one another. He reads the instruction booklet, as slow as molasses. I'm so damn egar to see what the cards have to say. In the back of my mind the Ouija is still there, I'm yearning to use the board, little do I know of whats to come.

 My father lays down three cards; Past, Present and Future. A very common spread in the Tarot. Being in my late 20's early 30's now, I don't remember the first two cards except for the last card. He looks up at me, I look at him like " what's the deal ? ! ". The Devil card is the last card. He reads me the meaning.... He isn't too happy as to what he's seeing. He shuffles the deck again, lays three more cards out. Can you guess what card falls in the " future " position? The Devil, yet again. We've done it about 4 times now, each ending in the Devil Card. I wasn't too worried, he seemed awfully distraught. Do we know what we've gotten ourselves into? 

 What does this small child's future have in store for him.... ?



........ To Be Continued.