"Come on, Mabel," Waddles begged, "We have to go!"

"Never!!" she shouted with her mouth full.

The two had stumbled upon a car filled and completely made of candy. Once inside, Mabel had gone crazy over the whole concept and, even after being there for more than an hour, she still wouldn't budge to leave.

Mabel was on the chocolate-board floor, clutching onto a cluster of sweets as Waddles tried to drag her to the door by pulling her foot. It didn't work well though, considering how stubborn she was being and how hard it was for a pig to pull a thirteen-year-old.

"Mabel, we're so close," Waddles pleaded, "And not just to the door, I can feel it!"

She paused for a second before pulling her candy cluster closer to her. "But, candy..." she whimpered.

"The next car might have something better, though?" he suggested.

Mabel looked back at her jumble of candy, pondering, "That is true..."

Waddles nodded, "Yeah! Maybe it'll have cake, or ice cream, or maybe even... glitter."

Her eyes immediately widened at the "g-word" and dropped the candy before quickly getting on her feet. "What are we waiting for?!" she asked excitedly; getting a bit too excited. She picked up Waddles and dashed to the door.

Despite expecting Mabel to go crazy over the thought of glitter, Waddles did not expect to get picked up and carried rapidly like a football. The two even almost crashed into the door if it weren't for him calling it out.

After Mabel opened the door, she calmed down a bit, put Waddles back on the ground, and continued walking instead of running. She bounced on her heels, talking non-stop about what she would do if they came upon a car full of glitter.

"-and then I'd jump in and roll around!" she exclaimed, "Hey, did I mention I have a friend named Candy?"

Waddles sighed, wishing he didn't have to deal with a sugar-deprived Mabel, "Honestly, at this point, it would be more surprising if you didn't."

Mabel laughed and open the door to the next car, not able to hold in her anticipation. "Wooooooww! Oh.." her excitement immediately died when she saw inside the car was not glitter or anything she wanted.

"This isn't better!" she pouted.

"Well, we're already here so let's go," Waddles responded carelessly as he kept walking into the car.

Mabel watched him and groaned with defeat, deciding to give in and follow him. The car they walked into led them into a grand bazaar or an Arabic marketplace. It consisted of multiple small stalls and shops managed by different denizens dressed from the middle east.

The two roamed the street market, running into many con artists and panhandlers who saw them as potential customers to buy their merchandise. Seeing them all and hearing their exaggerated tales of their products reminded her of her great-uncle, Stan. She knew he would love it in a place like this and would probably pull off one of his own devious schemes to get what he wanted, most likely for free.

Knowing better, the by-passers declined all offers and continued to move along to find the door. Nothing had caught either of theirs attention, so it was easy to reject the suggested options they were granted. There was, however, a large, sparkly magenta tent they approached that Mabel's eyes were drawn to.

Just with a glance of seeing her reaction to the tent, Waddles knew what was about to happen. Before he could stop her though, Mabel ran off without him towards the tent to read the words embroidered into the bright banner atop the tent. "Ooo, a fortune teller! Maybe they'll tell us how we should've stayed in that car full of candy!" she exclaimed excitedly before sending a quick glare to Waddles.

"Fine, fine, I get it," he rolled his eyes and sighed, "We'll get our fortunes for you and get out as soon as possible. This place kinda gives me the creeps."

Mabel squealed excitedly, "Thank you!" and gave Waddles a quick hug before rushing into the tent. He sighed as he watched her run off but a small smile grew on his face before following her in.

The two walked into the tent, finding it quite dark with the only light source being a dim candle lantern above their heads. Crowded by random objects, the tent seemed a lot bigger than the outside. It was decorated with sparkly trinkets, along with some strange items from several balls of yarn to a fish's endoskeleton. In the center of it all was a round wooden table with a golden, silk tablecloth over it. In front of them were two wooden stools to sit on at the table where a crystal ball sat in the center of it.

Mabel looked around and questioned, "Huh. Where's the fortune teller?"

"Right here, kitten," a soft, feminine voice with a French accent replied. It was a short-haired, beige-white cat with yellow, dark-slitted eyes that gave off a sneaky aura. She was wearing a lavender, paisley top with flared sleeves and a lace edge neckline under a cyan vest made of velvet with adjustable lace. A silky royal purple scarf, covered in gold beads, was tied around her head with the long ends dangling down to the right of her. The scarf had two small cuts to let her sharp ears stick out, revealing the small ring earrings on the top sides of her earflaps that matched the dazzling, gold choker necklace around her neck. She jumped onto the table behind the crystal ball, giving a subtle smirk, "I've been expecting you."

Mabel's eyes widened with surprise and excitement, "Really?!"

"Well, no, not really." she answered honestly, "But please, do take a seat."

Mabel nodded and she and Waddles sat on the two small stools. "So, who are you?" Waddles asked curiously.

"I am The Cat," she introduced herself, "I am but a humble fortune teller who is here to share with you your good fortunes of the future, with a small price."

Mabel wowed in amazement, "Can your crystal orb thing tell me where I can find a magic carpet here?"

"Patience, kitten," she smiled softly, "And, no. Probably not."

"Aw man," Mabel pouted but got over it quickly, "So, how much will the fortunes cost? Cause I don't have any money but I can go back to that penny car and-"

"Money means nothing to me," The Cat interrupted, "The bargain I uphold is that you share a secret about yourself with me, and I share the hidden secrets of your future."

"Hmm..." Mabel didn't even take five seconds to think before she exclaimed, "Okay! So, when I was younger, I snuck a baby duck into the house and kept it in my room for a month until I realized it wasn't laying golden eggs. I was upset, but the good thing is that I was able to let it out without any of my family knowing it was ever there."

The cat blinked at the strange confession and decided to shake it off. "Not exactly what I was looking for, but I suppose that works." she looked over at Waddles, "What about your secret, kitten?"

"Actually, his name is Waddles," Mabel corrected her, "And my name is Mabel, by the way."

The Cat just rolled her eyes at her while Waddles looked over at her with a bad feeling before mumbling his secret that was hardly audible. The Cat tilted her head and loomed a bit closer to him, "Could you please speak up a bit, kitten?"

He sighed and took a deep breath before speaking aloud, "I... I don't like my name being Waddles." he confessed quickly.

Mabel's eyes widened after hearing his secret, not expecting the words that came out of his mouth. She thought he would like such a cute name, though she had overlooked the time he tried to correct her about his name. On the other hand, The Cat couldn't care less how Mabel felt about what he had said and continued. "Let's start with our introspective friend here, shall we?" she stated, looking at Waddles.

The Cat closed her eyes and put her paws on the crystal ball in front of her, humming quietly to herself before opening her eyes and looking into the ball. "I see... a distorted figure. It, indeed, looks like a person, it has arms and legs, but the species is surprisingly unknown to me. All I can notice is, whatever this thing is, is wearing one of those small dresses for your waist like your friend here is wearing." she pointed at Mabel when mentioning the last part.

"A skirt...?" Waddles mumbled to himself quietly, a small smile spreading on his face.

The Cat ignored him and leaned in closer to the ball that started to shine bright, as did her eyes. She seemed to be put into some sort of trance staring into it as she said aloud the words,

"Changing from place to place.
Now no one can recognize his face.
Questioning over and over about himself.
Doesn't want to share what she thinks about herself.
Freeing his mind of all the pressure.
He thought leaving would be his pleasure.
To hide himself he had to flee.
Thinking this would set him free.
But all this feels like a mistake.
Missing them brought pain and ache.
He thought that he was alone.
Until he realizes he is home."

After the poem was done, the brightness from the orb and The Cat's eyes dimmed and she blinked herself awake to see the reactions of her clients. Mabel looked confused while Waddles looked a bit panicked and concerned.

"I-um..." he spoke, sounding flustered, "Let's move on to Mabel's fortune!"

"Ooo! Yeah!" Mabel nodded, "Do me next!"

The Cat sighed, not a big fan of such enthusiasm, but agreed and continued. Like with Waddles, she closed her eyes and put her paws on the crystal ball, humming the same tune she did before, and opened her eyes to look into the ball. "I see a shape," she says simply.

"A shape?" Mabel questioned, "Oh! Is it maybe a heart or a star?"

She shook her head, "No. It's a.. triangle?"

Mabel froze just from hearing the name of the shape. "D-did you just say a triangle?"

She nodded, "Yes, and it's a bright color."

"I-is it, by any chance," she asked nervously, "Yellow?"

"Why, yes," she nodded again, "Yes it is. How did you know that?"

Mabel rubbed the back of her neck with concern, replying, "Lucky guess?"

The Cat tilted her head curiously and whispered to herself. "C'est interessant..." She then proceeded to lean closer toward the ball, once again, starting to shine bright. But instead of the glossy white light that shone previously, this was a bold golden light that shined all through the tent. Mabel looked around in awe with a blend of worry. She looked back at the cat that stood still, longer than last time, before saying aloud,

"Sixty degrees that come in threes.
Watches from within birch trees.
Saw his own dimension burn.
Misses home and can't return.
Says he's happy. He's a liar.
Blame the arson for the fire.
Trying to mend his broken heart.
To do so he'll need a brand new start.
Wounds shall be healed by the one made of pine.
Meet a new form. Meet a new time."

Mabel blinked with confusion after the last words were said, the only thought in her mind was, "Why did that sound kind of familiar?"

The lights then dimmed and The Cat regained consciousness, quickly letting go of the crystal ball. She blinked a few times and shook herself, "Ce n'était pas très agréable," she mumbled to herself and looked back up at her customers, "I do apologize, but I need to get back to something very urgent. I hope you enjoyed your visit."

Waddles frowned. "Wait, I want to know if-"

"It's okay," Mabel cut him off and stood up, "I think we should go too."

Waddles looked up at her, confused why she would be in such a rush to leave. "Mabel?"

"I'm sorry, but I just have a really bad feeling."

Right after she said that the scrolling sound from her hand came again and her number now appeared as "22". Waddles blinked with shock, "I don't understand. Why did it just change?"

Mabel stared at her hand, her gut feeling getting stronger and more concerned. "It's... complicated," she mumbled and looked back at him, "I'll explain on the way, but we have to go now."

"But-"

She looked back at The Cat after lifting Waddles into her arms. "Thank you, for your, um, help," she spoke quickly, "Good luck with your business."

"Oh, don't worry about my businesses," she nodded, "I know how to handle myself."

Mabel raised an eyebrow, confused, but shrugged it off. "Bye, uh, The Cat," she waved her off before rushing out of the tent with Waddles.

"Au revoir," she waved back with a wicked grin, "Shooting Star."