[You Are Going To A Romany Fortune Teller's Establishment On The Edge Of Town...]

Ms. Channan Najjar, as it turns out, drives a reproduction metallic-navy-blue, 1959 Cadilac DeVille: just like the original except with all the modern amenities, like a full surround speaker system, power steering, Antilock Breaks, all-wheel drive, full slip/grip differential, adapted roll cage, side curtain airbags, backseat DVD player, multi-media radio player, (eight-tracks, tapes, audio CDs, and all your favorite broadcast radio stations,) and a whole lot more! It might look and feel like a 1959 model when you're getting in, but it's really not.

Anyway, she gets in the driver's seat as you hold open the door, like a gentleman, and you get into the front passenger's seat then you both head out on a stately cruise along residential streets and undeveloped backroads you've never had cause to visit before, following her phones GPS. It's instantly obvious that she's not taking you to the furry pet shop so rather than let an uncomfortable silence start to form you ask where you are going.

"Excuse me Miss Najjar, but what kind of shop are we headed to?" You ask with a fairly queasy note to your voice, as even the Cadillac's impeccable shock absorbers fail to completely handle still another unpatched pothole on this scenic back road.

"A Romany fortune teller," Channan begins, "and please, call me Channan, John." She says with a smile.

Awkward silence temporarily defeated you keep up the conversation, talking mostly about her car, what it was like building and modding the kit, where she got all the 'extra' parts, what she needed help with, (a few of the most fiddly bits where you can't afford ANY mistakes, like the airbags and seatbelts,) what she handled on her own, (everything else,) and how long the whole process took from start to finish, (a year, four months, nineteen days, twelve hours, and between ten minutes and half-an-hour from placing the order for the kit and the first of the 'extra' parts to putting the last hubcap in place.)

"If you had it to do all over again, would you?" You ask, still queasy but also quietly impressed.

"Humm, that depends on the reason I Guess. If Parvati-Chitra here were, say, totaled in an accident, no, I don't think so. All things are impermanent if it is her time to go, I would not summon her back again with another year-and-a-half-long process of building and work, though I would definitely salvage any intact parts that I could... Now, if it were a situation of I'd never had the thought to build Parvati-Chitra in the first place till just now, when I got home tonight I would order the kit and parts just as before and commit to that year-and-a-half-long process all over again." Channan explains.

It is mere moments later that you pull into the parking lot of a small and unassuming strip mall, which is half empty and half the remaining stores aren't looking so good, but one stands out as new and vibrant. The sign reads "Madame Calanthe & Family: Mystical Life Advisors" with a picture of a crystal ball and two crossed wands trailing sparks on a medium blue background.

Channan parks the car, you get out and hold the door for her, and you both head inside. In the lobby, a young woman in a very professional looking blouse and skirt sits behind a desk, her skin is a touch darker than average around here about the same color as Channan's and she smiles at you warmly. "Ms. Channan Najjar, Mr. John Doe, you're over an hour and a half early for your appointment, and your other two guests aren't with you! Ah well, Grandmama will be vexed, but there's nothing for it. Anyway, while you wait, you can get the silver you will require for your intake. Go four doors down to the coin dealership, and tell them Amelia sent you, they will know what you need," the receptionist says, and starts typing something into her computer, conversation apparently over...