Word: Scry

scry

[skrahy]

verb (used without object), scried, scry·ing.

1. to use divination to discover hidden knowledge or future events, especially by means of a crystal ball.

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               Grace held the box curiously.  She shook it, hearing the solid thunk of whatever was inside.  She had not ordered anything recently, and the box had no clues as to who sent it to her.  All that was on it was her name and address.

               She shrugged and did the only other thing she could think to do with it.  She opened the box.  Inside was a glass ball the size of a large orange.  It was perfectly clear, flawless, and had nothing inside of it.  It was simply a solid ball of glass.  The only unusual part was the lack of air bubbles inside of it.  She was no expert on the material, but she was fairly certain a solid glass ball should have some imperfections.  Fortunately, she knew someone who was an expert on glass.

               “Hey, Steve, can you come out here and take a look at this?” She called.

               Steve, her glass blower boyfriend, called out to her in response, “What’s up?”

               “I got this weird glass ball in the mail.  Can you take a look at it?”

               She could almost see him shrugging, even though he was in a different room.  He soon joined her and examined the ball.  He studied it carefully for a moment before handing it back to her.

               “Well, it’s not glass.  Not sure what it is, but definitely not glass.  It’s too perfect.  Maybe some kind of quartz or something?  Probably some kind of crystal.  Maybe bring it to a jeweler or something?”

               “A jeweler?”

               “Just an idea.  You know, someone who knows about crystals and minerals and stuff.”

               “I’ll think about it.  Thanks anyway.”

               Steve nodded and returned to the bedroom to resume whatever he had been doing.  That left Grace alone with the ball.  She thought about what he had said.  Some kind of crystal.  She let out a quiet snicker at the thought that she now owned a real crystal ball.  She could not help what happened next.

               Grace got an empty flower vase and set the ball over the opening.  She waved her hands over it dramatically and intoned in the most over the top, Hollywood fortune teller voice she could muster:

               “Oh crystal ball, show me what is to come.” It was so ridiculous she almost laughed at herself.

               She lost all humor when the ball lit up with a pale, ethereal glow.  Her eyes widened when she saw an image appear in the depths of the material.  It showed her and Steve, walking down the street.  There was a flash, and suddenly they were on the ground.  Then the image went dark.  Grace stared, wide eyed at the crystal ball, unsure of what to make think.

               “Show me…next Tuesday’s dinner?” She tried.

               The ball lit up and she saw the two of them eating Chinese takeout.  Both of them were looking at their phones.  Steve showed her something, and she smiled and laughed for a moment.  Then the image went dark.  Grace did the only thing she could think to do.

               “Steve, get in here!  You need to see this!”

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Amazing how words can change meaning over time, right?  These days, when you say scry, most people think of staring into a mirror or a pool of water and seeing some other person.  It's the same with the suffix -mancy.  It used to mean a form of divination, with the first part of the word telling what was being used to tell the future (necro would be the dead, aero would be air and so forth), but now it's a general term for magic of a certain type.  It really is amazing how these things happen, isn't it?