All of my production equipment and resources are mine and therefore I do not need to go through the hassle of booking out any equipment from college, it also means I get to work with equipment I am used to working with and that I am comfortable with how to use. I am not using too much equipment either, just my DSLR Canon 750D camera and my ring light, both of these I have used multiple times, for both personal use and for filming too.

I used my camera and light to film last years project, because of this, I know I can get the right effects I need for the horror genre. My camera is fairly easy to film on and has an SD card with 16GB of storage on it, I will be transferring my footage from this SD card to my laptop and then keeping my footage on my laptop while editing in case anything crashes, gets lost or fails. In terms of lighting, I am using my ring light, I use this almost daily to take pictures for my MUA portfolio, I normally use a white light filter on the light which create a very bright light. For the filming of this project I will be using the ring light with a burnt orange filter over it to create a warmer and less harsh light. I think the ring light should give the effect I need, as I have used this light before. My only concern, but main concern, would be that the light colour and temperature would be perfect but that it may come off a little too intense, in which case could lead to my shots being over exposed.

For post production, although I have editing software on my computer, I have decided to book out some time in the edit suite at college and use Final Cut Pro todo my editing. This is because, other than 1 project so far, I have edited every project on this software and so am so much more familiar with it that anything else. I do have Di Vinci Resolve on my laptop, however, I have only used this software once and so am not as comfortable or confident with it as I am with Final Cut. I used Final Cut for my horror work last year and so know what features on this software work the best for the horror genre and the look and atmosphere films within this genre should have.

I am going to email now and ask to book out some time in the editing suite so that everything is in order and prepared for when I am ready to edit. I am going to try to ask for time next week so that I have all my footage as well as having some extra time after this incase I have to re-film or re-edit anything.

When creating my proposal, I had to fill out a production schedule for pretty much my entire project, I knew then that I couldn’t be 100% sure of my schedule and that I also may stray away from the schedule and may ‘fall behind’ in terms of the time frame I had set for myself. I thought, since I am creating another schedule now for my production and post-production, that it may be worth looking back at my initial schedule to see how accurately I had stuck to it.

Initial Project Schedule.

Production and Post-Production schedule from 23rd of April to 12th May.

Week Commencing 22nd: This week will be used to finish off the planning documents and and preparation for filming, which will be happing on the days of the 25th and 26th. My actress Ella and I will be driving up to Cumbria on our study days to film my short film and I have made sure to give her a copy of the script and shot list so that she feels as prepared as she can be. I will hopefully have my laptop back by then (I wrote about my laptop issues in an earlier blog) so that I can put my footage onto my computer as soon as I have filmed it to lessen the chances or loosing any of my work.

Week Commencing 29th: I am going to be emailing the media bookings email so I can book in for the edit suit for as much time as I can throughout this week, I will also be using this time to reflect on how my production went and how my research and planning helped make my production successful, as hopefully it will be successful. I am hoping I could get the majority of my editing done this week and the week after so that I have time to re-film anything incase it comes to that.

Week Commencing 6th: I am hoping that this week will also be dedicated to editing but I am also going to be using this week in case I need anything re-filmed, I will by this point have had plenty of time to go over my footage and start editing so will be able to have a better idea of what has worked for me and what maybe hasn’t. I would like to be able to re-film anything in case I need it before the final two weeks so that I am not rushing anything that may need more time.

I have decided not to plan for the week commencing 13th May or the week commencing 20th May as I am not sure what could go wrong or right within this time, I will revisit this subject once I have finished filming and/or editing, as then I will be able to plan accordingly and accurately to what I will have done by then.

My original production schedule was made with a completely different idea and plan in mind, I was planning on creating a horror promotion and now that I am creating a short film my whole schedule has changed to fit my new idea. My original schedule had me down to film from the date of 1st April, I obviously did not start filming at this date and instead am staring about 5 weeks later than that. This isn’t actually that much of a big deal as originally I needed time to release my posts to create a film promotion campaign, as I am now just creating my short film, I do not need to set aside the same amount of time to release it as I did initially.

I decide that I needed to look further into what symbol I want to have my main character, Ella, draw on her mirror, which subsequently gets carved into her back. I also felt it would be important to know the proper meaning of the symbol so that it made sense in the context of the film and was a well informed choice rather than just throwing some random symbol in. I looked at using an upside-down cross, however the origin of that symbol isn’t technically satanic and so doesn’t really fit with what I am wanting to portray with the use of this symbol. So instead I wanted to do some research into the “Inverted Pentagram” to see if it would fit, and it does.

Inverted Pentagram: This symbol involves a star enclosed in a circle. However, the star is inverted, with its basal two points up. This symbol stands for evil and is used to conjure evil spirits. It also stands for Satan and the Antichrist’s dominion over the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Satanists are found wearing this symbol on their necks in the form of pendants, while carrying out satanic rituals. This symbol is also found on the heavy metal Satanic album; the Slayer.

I want to use the symbol because of its connection to it being used to ‘conjure evil spirits’, which I feel could help create a great segway from reality to the ‘dream’.

I am going to be putting all my planning document in a folder in my google drive so that, once done with planning, I can have everything in one place and it can be viewed altogether. However, I am also going to be copying and pasting my treatment into this blog so that there is evidence of it here, along with all my research etc.

Treatment

WORKING TITLE: Satan’s Game

OVERVIEW OF PROJECT: A Short Film

GENRE: Horror: Paranormal/Psychological

DURATION: Between 4 and 7 minutes, 4 main scenes filmed in two locations.

TARGET AUDIENCE: – Gender: Both, traditionally male, but nowadays both genders tend to be drawn to the horror genre.

Age: typically 15-35, most horror films tend to have a BBFS rating of at least 15.

Psychographics: Mainly ‘Mainstreamers’ as the Horror genre is quite popular right now.

Social Demographic: Typically middle (C1,C2) due to having jobs and therefor being able to afford to buy films and go to the cinema.

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH: For my primary research I took a look back at my last project and used this as research for my target audience and to show my understanding of the genre I will be working within. I also took a look back at some of the responses I got from last years project, as I was also working with the horror genre then to, I did this just to see if any of my feedback could help me in developing my ideas and what to research for this years project. I also did a questionnaire asking for peoples personal experiences with nightmares and night terrors to help build my idea for the plot and make it more relatable to my audience.

I decided to involve some topics into my short film that required a little more research to be able to properly portray them through my film. These include topics such as the occult and Satanism, nightmares, and Tarot cards and Ouija boards. I also did research into other short films as well as some horror films that either involved similar topics to mine or that I could take inspiration from in terms of the visuals.

My research has definitely helped shape my idea and has even changed many aspect of it, as now I am creating something quite different from what I had initially intended to, which was a horror film campaign and trailer, where as now it is a short film. I had also initially thought I would be going down the slasher sub-genre route where as now I am sticking more to the supernatural sub-genre.

YOUR PRODUCT: Initially I had intended on doing a horror campaign but within a few blogs of research, I had changed my plan to a short horror film. The short film will be around 5 minutes long and will be around 4 scenes long, one of which is a nightmare/night terror sequence.

Here is the short films synopsis that gives a rundown on the short film scene by scene and a rough introduction to the main character: The film starts with our main character, Ella, a pretty, normal, blonde, teenage girl, with scars on her arms, who has found a new fascination for the occult, she wants to feel something, she wants something to believe in. She has been playing around with her Tarot cards, hoping to connect with anyone, anything, and is getting frustrated with her non-existent results, and eventually spirals into darkness from this frustration. Why isn’t it working, she’s following all the rules?

The second scene includes Ella looking at the rules of her Tarot cards, one of them being that it is crucial to be sober while using the cards, and deciding to ignore them. She then goes through the night using drugs, consuming alcohol but still, with no use, throws the cards in the bin, has a cigarette and goes to sleep.

She is then woken up to the sound of chanting, dazed and confused, she looks around to find herself in an unfamiliar surrounding. The room she is in is not her own bedroom that she fell asleep in, nor is it even the same house, the building is old, dark, cold, with mirrors as the only furnishings, if you could even call it that. She is suddenly very aware of the people in the room with her, what seems to be a small cult is surrounding her and are performing some kind of ritual. There are candles burning in a circle around her and strange symbols on the walls and mirrors, is she dreaming? As the chants get louder and strange images flash through her mind, Ella is now aware something is very wrong. She can feel a pain throughout her body as if she had been pulled through a sea of broken glass, the pain becomes worse and Ella now notices the fresh cuts on her arms, these scars were almost gone when she went to bed. She reaches to her back where the rest of the pain seems to be coming from and notices the blood on her hands as she brings them into view. Trembling and facing away from the nearest mirror Ella slowly lifts up her shirt to reveal the Satanic symbol carved into her skin, she screams as the screen fades to black.

She is awoken suddenly, back in her room, in her bed, safe. This was the worst nightmare she had ever had, while still in terror of what her mind had just conjured up, Ella walks out of the room to get a glass of water. As she walks back into the room to get a cigarette to calm her down, she glances in the bin to throw away the dead lighter and is horrified at the absence of the Tarot cards. The Tarot cards, the ones she had sworn she threw away, are neatly piled up on her pillow, as if they are waiting for her. Was it ever just a dream?

CONSTRAINTS AND CONTINGENCY: Issues I may come across I think will mostly have to do with the amount of filming and editing I have given myself, and although I am sure I will get everything done to a great standard, my timing is key to making sure nothing goes wrong. Also, when looking into audio and music for my piece I am going to have to be carful as not to use anything copyrighted, this means looking mainly at creating my own sound effects or getting sound from copyright free sights, and in terms of my music, I will have to do plenty of research into the usage rights of the track(s) I may decide to use. Earlier on in my research stages I had also thought that I may have ended up with no location, as that was a very hard aspect to sort out for my short film, however, I feel I handled this well and got in contact with the right people to finally get the perfect location.

TIMESCALE: The researching part of my project by far took up the most time, as I ended up spending around half of my overall time on this. However, I do not regret spending the majority of my time on research as this has made my planning a lot smother and my idea come to life and become more cohesive. This left around 2 – 3 weeks for planning, which I feel is enough as I had already made all my decisions as to what I want to do through research and essentially just have to complete all the documents now that I am in the midst of planning. This leaves 2 – 3 weeks for filming, which, again is more that enough as I only really need 2-3 full days of filming. Then the rest of my time will be set aside for editing, again, I feel confident in this as editing is one of my strongest points and skills in this whole project.

BUDGET:  My hypothetical budget for my film would be pretty low budget as I am doing all the filming, costume design, makeup, set design, and editing myself. The only real budget I would be putting aside for is the props and costumes I would be buying, the actors, 4 of them, non of which are professionally trained, and my equipment, which in this case I already had prior to this project. I have paid for a few things, like the long cloaks for the costumes etc, but nothing else, my location is that of a family friends so I am using it for free, but hypothetically, if non of this was the case, I would budget my films at around £300 – £500. So overall a pretty low-budget film, but, as the film industry has proven time and time again, that isn’t always a bad thing.

I have just started working on my treatment and almost fell at the first hurdle, I had gotten so caught up in the rest of my idea and planning and so completely forgot to actually give my short film a proper title. I had this idea of freezing one of the first frames of my film, not right at the beginning but a few scenes in, and having my title flash up on the screen. I wanted it to fill the whole screen too so needed it to be a relatively short title, and I wanted it to allude to the events of the short film without giving too much information about the plot or giving away any spoilers to the film. This very much seemed like an easy task, but was actually quite challenging, all the titles we could come up with from the off, either sounded too cheesy, gave too much information away or, frankly, sounded like the title of an 80’s porno.

Here are a few of the titles we considered:

• Night Terror,
• The Dream,
• She Sleeps,
• Ritual,
• In The Barn,
• Tarot,
• Card Games,
• The Card,
• The Rules,
• The Devil’s Card
• Satan’s Game,

I have decided to call it “Satan’s Game” as I feel like it alludes to the events of my short film quite well without giving out too much information on the plot to the point of spoiling it. I have also not found any other films, full length or short, by this title, there is a horror game, but from what I can tell it seems a fairly original title. This blog may have only been a short one but I felt it was as important of a decision as any.

Since I have decided not to include much dialog into my short film, I have instead decided to put a lot more planning into the aesthetic and atmosphere of my film. I think the way a film looks and feels is a key part of creating a good horror film, and especially with no – or little – dialog, the visuals need to be able to tell the story and help the audience understand what and who they are watching. I am so adamant to ensure that my visuals are almost completely perfect in order to properly portray my story and so will be giving it as much thought and planning as I would a script or shot list etc. I am sure I will make a few changes, like adding or removing a prop etc, at the time of filming but for now, at least, I have tried to think of as many props that I think will help link the story together and using the characters costumes to do the same.

Props:

First Scene: Devil keyring – I had forgotten I owned this little keyring, it is a little voodoo doll looking devil and I thought it would be perfect to have on the keys of my main character. I thought it would help introduce the idea of satan almost immediately as it will be one of the first thing we see in my film. Keys – The keyring will be on a set of keys that my character will throw on the bed as she arrives back home from work during the first scene. Tarot Cards – Obviously as these cards are really the most important prop I will have as they are the main focus really of the short film. The reason for them is pretty self-explainable as I have already written a blog all about them. Mirror & Pen – I have had an idea of having the ‘rules’ of using tarot card written in pen on her mirror and that once she gets frustrated with the cards, she rubs the rules off and draws a big satanic symbol that will, later in the film, be the symbol carved into her back. Candle – I want my character to light a candle before getting the tarot cards out, since I am going to be using a lot of candles in my nightmare sequence, I feel like this may help the flow of the film and link some of the two contrasting scenes.

Second Scene: Razor – In this scene I want my character to be using drugs, cocaine to be exact, and so I thought the razor blade would be used to form the lines. I also think that it could like to the scars my main character has on her arms and could suggest she uses the same blade to do drugs as she did to self-harm. Drugs – I was considering making it seem as though my character was smoking weed, however I don’t know if, on camera, the audience would be able to easily identify the weed from the cigarettes, instead I decided that cocaine would be a better drug to use. Now obviously my actress won’t actually be snorting cocaine but will instead use sugar or flour and will also not be actually inhaling it but instead will just allude to her snorting it through actions like rubbing her nose etc. Cigarettes – I want my character to also smoke some cigarettes to suggest to how stressed or frustrated she is. Cards – Again, it is quite obvious as to why these are being used, however in this scene I will be focusing more on two individual cards, the death card and the devil card. Bin – The bin will be used for the character to dispose of the cards in.

Third Scene (Nightmare): Candles – In this scene, I want to set up a ritual type setting and so want my main character to be in the centre of a circle of candles. Candles are often used in rituals anyway so they are a prop in that sense but they may also help to create the kind of lighting I’d want to have in this scene, so they would be more of a practical light. Mirrors – Another prop to help link the first few scenes to the nightmare scene is going to be mirrors, and I am considering also writing the same symbols on the mirrors as my character does in the second scene. Barn Crap – As I mentioned in my blog about finally finding my location, the barn where I will be filming is full of old crap, ladders, doors, wooden planks etc, and I think they will help create a really interesting atmosphere for my film.

Final Scene: This scene, in terms of props is going to be an extremely stripped down and simplistic scene, the props are going to be very similar to that of the first scene. It will involve the cards and the cigarettes and the reasoning for using these as my props will be the same as I mentioned in my first scene props list.

Costumes:

Main Character: My main character will have two outfits throughout the film, the first will be her coming home from work and so will be in her work clothes, this will only be her outfit for the first few scenes just to show that she has a fairly normal day to day life and job. I would like this outfit to have long sleeves so that when she changes into her second outfit, which will have shorter sleeves, we get to see the scars on her arms.

The second outfit will be her pyjamas, very simple, no bright colour, just a black or white t-shirt with shorts, this outfit will be her outfit for the majority of the short film and will also be the outfit she wears during the nightmare scene. The top will have to be baggy enough so that when she lifts up her top to expose the carving on her back, it will not rub against the SFX.

Cult Members: There will be 3 cult members all wearing the same outfit, its a very simple but I think also very effective outfit. It will just be a simple black hooded robe, long enough to cover the actors whole bodies, arms and face. I wanted something like this to help almost dehumanise the cult members and to not let any of the actors facial expressions of faces distract from the rest of the scene.

I have been planning on doing quite a bit of detailed but not too gory SFX on my main character – in the nightmare sequence of my short film especially – and I want the SFX to be much more important to my plot than last time and therefor thought it should involve as much planning as my props and costumes. Because I am not having much of a script and if I do, it will not be that detailed, I am going into much more detailed planning and thought into my aesthetic of my short film. I am planning on doing, or focusing mainly on 3 different SFX pieces, the first being self-harm scars, the second being self harm cuts, and the third is a carving in the skin; I wanted to test them with different SFX mediums and paints etc to see which would look the best.

Self harm scars: Before actually practicing I thought there would only be one way to create scars with SFX, and thats a product called rigid collodion. This medium puckers up the skin around the area you put the product and therefor creating a scar like effect that dents the skin. It’s a very easy product to use but can actually be one of the more harmful, and possibly dangerous products to use and remove. First of all, it has an extremely strong chemical scent that is extremely unpleasant to spend a lot of time around and so it is best to work with this product in a heavily ventilated room. It can also be quite harmful to the skin if applied too many times in a row and if not removed properly, I will be with my model throughout this process so will be there to help her properly remove this product so that there is not too much harm done.

I tried a scarring technique with this product but tried many different painting methods to see which would look best, in real life, but more importantly on a camera. After every new step I made sure to take pictures so that when it comes to actually creating these looks I had plenty of reference to help me re-create it the most accurately. I first put down a few different alcohol activated paints in shapes that could resemble a scars on my arm before applying a good 5-7 layers of collodion to observe the difference and decide which paint job to use on the day of shooting.

Here are the pictures of this process:

I did end up testing out another scarring method I had seen some other artists use and that I think resembled real self harm scars more accurately, and rather than indenting the skin, create a more, almost swollen effect. This method included using liquid latex which is a more, well liquidy, product but dries to a latex form. I had never considered using liquid latex the way I did here as I am used to using it for more thin layers whereas in this method I mixed the latex with a translucent powder to make it thicker then put a thick layer on tops of the skin in the desired shape; this step could also be done using eyelash glue as that is also a latex based product. I then coloured this with a light wash of a purple alcohol activated paints and I think this method as well as a few of the collodion methods together may look very good and hopefully realistic enough to translate well on camera.

Here are some pictures of this:

Self harm cuts and Satanic carving on back: Both of these m ‘injuries’ are pretty much identical in the way I create them so will only have to explain it once. For both of these pieces I will be using a product called ‘sculpt gel’ or ‘liquid silicone’, it is a product that when combining part A and B and sometimes C depending on your preference will create a gel like formula that will eventually dry into a harder and firm silicone. Throughout the drying period it is an incredibly easy product to manipulate and form into the shape you need and is very easy to paint once dried. For the self harm cuts the paint job will be a little more subtle than the back piece but both paint jobs are essentially just light and buildable washes of skin tones, pinks and maroons to create an irritated but still fresh look.

Although the bigger piece piece will eventually be on my actresses back, I didn’t have a model to use for this practice so had to do it on my hand, thankfully the method I will be using for this is the same to the method I used for the self harm cuts so I won’t explain that process again. I will say, however, in this case it was especially important to use a product that allowed the skin underneath to move without it cracking or splitting in any areas, which some SFX products tend to do, for example cine wax. I have worked with both of these products enough to know that the sculpt gel is by far the best option for what I intend on doing as it can, if done well, seamlessly blend into the skin and allows for quite a big amount of movement before splitting or peeling. Here is an example of me using Sculpt gel.

As I mentioned before, I have worked with this medium so many times and so am 100% comfortable using it on set without testing other products as I know that non of my other products could create the same effect as seamlessly, and since I used sculpt gel last year for my FMP I am also aware of how best to paint it for film.

Here are some pictures of this:

 

I also decided to practice a few more minor SFX methods like bruises and scratches, these require a lot less planning as they are much smaller and will not be focused on much when I am filming, however I think the detail of a scrapped knee or a hand mark bruise may be quite effective in this context.

For my film, I am planning on using two locations to film at, one being for before and after the nightmare sequence and the the second one being for my nightmare sequence. As I have mentioned in a few of my previous blogs, I have had the idea of using an older or derelict building for my location, and have also mentioned how hard this was to find these buildings, never mind getting the right permission etc. I first got in contact with some people from Bank Hall and had a reply a few weeks later explaining that due to health and safety that I would not be allowed to film, this was fine, a little late notice though which did make me a little cared that I may not get a location in time for my filming. I then decided to contact the local council to see if they could help me, I received no reply an dit was looking as though I would have to use the castle as my location which, although an amazing location, it really isn’t what I needed for my short film. Although filming in the castle (same location as last year, my parents hotel) I really didn’t feel as though the atmosphere was right for what I wanted to create, as it is of course a hotel, the atmosphere is much to welcoming and friendly. Although there are a few more creepy looking spots in the castle that may have worked and did work for last years project, there isn’t really one room that I could use for the cult-ritual-demon-nightmare sequence I have planned. And so I had to take serious measures to make sure I could get a location in mind, and that was, ask for help.

My mum constantly offers to help me with any of my collage projects and last year was my actress, however I am very much set on what I want to create and so compromise and accepting a helping hand isn’t that easy for me to do. However, I spoke to mum who then spoke to one of our family friends who is an architect, she offered to have a look round the buildings they either owned of had some kind of control over. We got in touch soon after and she let me know she had found an old barn at Warcop Hall, 7 minutes away from my family home in Cumbria, that would be perfect for my shoot. I went round earlier today to have a look at the space, decide if it was right and, if it was, take some pictures. Below are some picture of the barn:

Admittedly, the barn is full of stuff, however, some of this crap might actually be a really good backdrop for the scene and may add to the abandoned and unused feel of the space. Although moving some stuff out of that main barn seems fairly easy and if we are allowed to do so, the barn will be perfect, there is another room we got shown, this one is a lot smaller and is pretty much empty. I am fond of both rooms and think the smaller one may be potentially easier to light and set up but I may ask if moving some of the crap I found so interesting from the main barn through to the smaller room would be possible as I really think the clutter adds some character to the room that I think may be lost without it. Below are some pictures of the smaller room connected to the barn:

How to Write a Synopsis: Scriptmag.com. (2019). [online] Available at: http://www.scriptmag.com/wp-content/uploads/How-to-Write-a-Synopsis.pdf [Accessed 2 Apr. 2019].

“First off, what is a synopsis and why write one? Professionals in the film industry – those intrigued by your concept, won’t always ask to read your script. Why? They simply do not have the time so instead, they ask you to send over or leave a synopsis or one-sheet. A synopsis hits on all the important beats, moments, or elements in your screenplay.”

“A synopsis is really nothing more than a short description of your screenplay. The typical synopsis consists of a plot summary of the screenplay on one side of a sheet of paper and usually contains no more than 400 words. It highlights your main characters and what they go through during your story. A good synopsis will focus a lot of attention to conflict and resolution.”

Short Film: Synopsis.

The film starts with our main character, Ella, a pretty, normal, blonde, teenage girl, with scars on her arms, who has found a new fascination for the occult, she wants to feel something, she wants something to believe in. She has been playing around with her Tarot cards, hoping to connect with anyone, anything, and is getting frustrated with her non-existent results, and eventually spirals into darkness from this frustration. Why isn’t it working, she’s following all the rules?

The first scene includes Ella looking at the rules of her Tarot cards, one of them being that it is crucial to be sober while using the cards, and deciding to ignore them. She then goes through the night using drugs, consuming alcohol but still, with no use, throws the cards in the bin, has a cigarette and goes to sleep.

She is then woken up to the sound of chanting, dazed and confused, she looks around to find herself in an unfamiliar surrounding. The room she is in is not her own bedroom that she fell asleep in, nor is it even the same house, the building is old, dark, cold, with mirrors as the only furnishings, if you could even call it that. She is suddenly very aware of the people in the room with her, what seems to be a small cult is surrounding her and are performing some kind of ritual. There are candles burning in a circle around her and strange symbols on the walls and mirrors, is she dreaming?

As the chants get louder and strange images flash through her mind, Ella is now aware something is very wrong. She can feel a pain throughout her body as if she had been pulled through a sea of broken glass, the pain becomes worse and Ella now notices the fresh cuts on her arms, these scars were almost gone when she went to bed. She reaches to her back where the rest of the pain seems to be coming from and notices the blood on her hands as she brings them into view. Trembling and facing away from the nearest mirror Ella slowly lifts up her shirt to reveal the Satanic symbol carved into her skin, she screams as the screen fades to black.

She is awoken suddenly, back in her room, in her bed, safe. This was the worst nightmare she had ever had, while still in terror of what her mind had just conjured up, Ella walks out of the room to get a glass of water. As she walks back into the room to get a cigarette to calm her down, she glances in the bin to throw away the dead lighter and is horrified at the absence of the Tarot cards. The Tarot cards, the ones she had sworn she threw away, are neatly piled up on her pillow, as if they are waiting for her.

Was it ever just a dream?