Dear Readers,

At this point in my journey as an author, I am usually writing a number of projects at the same time. One such item, Chapters in Search of a Book, is simply that, an amalgam of jottings that occur to me, that I deposit there as passages, in case they one day make it to one of my (self) published volumes; or maybe I’ll publish them as their own book of stories.

Here is one of them for your consideration…

Chapter 5: A Fortune Teller

I was walking down the street when someone called out to me. They were sitting at a little table in front of a greasy poster for a rock concert. She was about sixty, and had some cards on the table and was dressed up in a fancy dress and had a nice hairstyle; and she was attractive for her age.

“Come sit down, young fellow; I see you are a man of words; let me tell you about your future.”

“I know my future.”

“You do?”

“Yes.”

“But the Great Gilda will tell you things you do not know.”

“My God said to not consult with seers and witches.”

“Do I look like a witch to you?”

“No ma’am, you don’t look like a witch at all, but trying to prophesy my future… you probably want my money.”

She blanched.

“You are a very shrewd young man. You think I want your money, very clever.” But what she wanted was my soul.

“You admit it?”

“Sure, this is how I make my living, but surely there is something you wish to know?”

I plunked down five dollars on her table.

“You are giving me money? You want to know your future?”

“I want to know yours.”

She looked at him fiercely.

“What?”

“I want to know if you will leave your life of sin and follow Christ.”

“Why would I want to do that?”

“Because then He’d tell you what you want to know; what you’ve been longing for all your life.”

She looked at me like I was telling her fortune.

She looked away.

“Will you leave your life of sin?”

“This is my livelihood; are you asking me to become poor?”

“Rich or poor, doesn’t matter; what matters is the Blood of Christ; if it covers you, then you won’t care if you have great wealth or not; you’ll be content no matter what.”

She looked down.

“I’ll have to think about it young sir.”

“Well don’t think too long, grandmother, Jesus is coming soon.”

“Go away now lad. I need to be alone.”

I walked away slowly as she folded her table and disappeared inside the building behind.

I prayed for her salvation.

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