Seven women. None of them knew what they were going to do when they accepted that invitation. The sealed envelopes had come from nowhere, no post stamps, addresses or other elements that would allow them to know who, where and when they had been written and then sent them. On the envelopes there were only their respective names: Sara, Clotilde, Petra, Inna, Amalia, Olivia, Margot. And a mysterious symbol that they had never seen before: a stylized dagger.Read all the story > Inside the envelopes each of them had found the same invitation, written in an elegant and timeless calligraphy, which gave them an appointment with destiny. Destiny had an address: an old abandoned casino at the edge of the city. Those women did not know each other, perhaps they had nothing in common, yet each of them accepted the invitation attracted by a mysterious force, almost an awareness: to be waiting on the edge of a turn. They lived existences that did not reflect them to the full, many of their dreams had been disappointed or they no longer knew how to talk to their heart, but within them there was still a flame, hope, perhaps a premonition: there was something else in their future, a different road which was waiting for them.
The golden and perfumed sunset of a summer evening found them together in the parking lot of that old casino, which was now only a bunch of ruins infested by vegetation and covered with graffiti. The seven women looked with curiosity and awe, wondering if the other women were there for the same reason, or if they knew something more about that enigmatic situation; yet they maintained a silent reserve, waiting for those who invited them to reveal and clarify the reason of that unusual meeting. Sara, Clotilde, Petra, Inna, Amalia, Olivia, Margot, were called by a female voice coming from the inside of the Liberty style palace. When they came they discovered that the voice belonged to an elegant woman as mysterious - a face covered by a Venetian mask surrounded by a fancy magpie feather fan - waiting for them, sitting at one of the old playing tables. She did not want to reveal her name: she asked to be simply called the Queen of Peaks.
"A very precious object was stolen to my family," the Queen of Peaks began. "An old dagger. A magic dagger called the Black Thorn, which my ancestors guarded for having inherited it in mysterious circumstances. Only one thing is certain: as long as it remained under the custody of my family’s name, the dagger never did harm to anyone. But if it ended up in the wrong hands, it could be very dangerous. For this reason, I want it to be recovered: I do not know how its power could be used by those who ignore its nature ... ".
She paused, then, reading in her guests eyes more and more anxiety, she explained: "Why did I turn to you? Why did I call you? " With an agile and tapered handshake, the woman opened a bunch of playing cards on the green table as if it were the wheel of a white, black and red peacock. "Cards. The cards talked to me about you. Your names have been revealed, your past, but above all, what lies in your hearts. Only you can find the Black Thorn. If any of you should not feel like it, if you were afraid to try it, that's the way to the door. If, however, you decide to stay, you will have to be brave girls. All seven remained, even though they had no idea what exactly meant to look for the Black Thorn. Their doubts were revealed by the Queen of Peaks, who pulled from under the mantle a sophisticated and elegant pendant, identical to the symbol that the girls had already seen on the invitations envelopes. The woman slowly and sinuously swayed the thin gold chain, and with it the pendant. "The Black Thorn traces have not only disappeared in space, but also over time. It was impossible to determine who, where and when could have taken it from my family. Only through hypnosis I will be able to access the great Timeless Memories, and hope that you will find clues that will allow you to find it in the present time. So now lay down on those loungers and just gaze at this pendant. Keep staring at the pendant and listen carefully to my voice ... ".
The girls did what she had suggested and, soon afterwards, lulled by the slow swing - like a clock on the pendulum - and following the words of the hypnotist, they found each one in a different time and place.