Futures Told-One Dollar

Mary clutches John’s hand tightly as they stroll down the Coney Island Boardwalk.She lays her head on his shoulder as a cool breeze tousles her curly brown hair. It’s a mid-September evening, and the boardwalk is a beehive of activity. Children run beneath the festive lights from one activity to another, their parents chasing after them. All the owners of games of chance are barking at the crowd, trying to attract them to play their games. The air is permeated with the smells of hot buttered popcorn, roasted chestnuts, and hot dogs.

Mary glances up at John and admires his strong and handsome profile. For days now, Mary suspects that John wants to propose to her but hasn’t yet found the nerve. Perhaps tonight’s the night.

As they approach the merry-go-round, its hurdy-gurdy music blaring, John notices a worn, shabby shack set back on the pier. On its front, in faded, peeling red paint, is a sign that reads, “Futures Revealed- One dollar.”

“Oh, look, Mary! Let’s go see what our futures hold!” Mary smiles and says she already knows theirs will be one of happiness and bliss, but John continues toward the little building. As they draw near, they notice an elderly man sitting inside wearing what appears to be a threadbare black suit. His wrinkled face is pasty white, and his red-rimmed eyes appear to bulge in their sockets. His mouth is little more than a lipless slash. Mary freezes. "John! I’m frightened. Let’s not.” John grips her hand tightly. “Mary?Don’t be so childish. He’s nothing more than a charlatan like all fortune tellers. It’s just for fun.” Mary frowns. "If you already know that, then why waste a whole dollar on him?”

The old man leans forward, his voice a rich, hypnotic baritone. “John’s wrong, Mary.” John’s steps falter, and his eyes widen. “Is this part of the carnival’s act?” he thinks. “Of course, they’re all frauds! Then, why is the hair on the nape of my neck bristling?” He is aware that Mary has tightened her grip on his arm.

The Seer continues, “Fortune tellers are indeed fakes. They claim to use the stars, constellations, and even spirits to give them their information. I, on the other hand, simply tell you the honest truth of what I see. However, John, if Mary is frightened, it would be best to take her home. You may come back another time if you still seek the unknowable. I’ve been here for many years and shall remain here for many more.” With that, the Seer slips back into the shadows.

Mary begs. “Oh, John. Please, let’s just go home.” John looks down into Mary’s pleading eyes.“But we’ve only just got here! What about the rest of the boardwalk? I can buy you some ice cream.”

“No. I’ve lost the mood. Please, can we leave?”

“Of course, darling.” John sighs and takes Mary home.

…

John arrives at the booth to the sounds of seagulls squawking and bickering over the full trash barrels and spilled popcorn. As he draws closer, he is surprised to see the old man’s head gently resting on his chest. “Does he sleep here?” John wonders. John shouts out a greeting. “Good morning, Sir. I was wondering if I might have a word with you?”

The old man lifts his chin and immediately begins coughing, struggling to dislodge a plug of phlegm that blocks his throat. The Seer’s face turns red, then deep scarlet as he struggles to breathe. Finally, he raises the offensive plug and spits it into a can. John recoils in disgust as the old fellow explains that the sea air is not good for his lungs.

John approaches the booth again. “I was wondering if I might ask you a few questions?”

“It will cost you a few dollars,” the Seer replies.

“Actually, these questions have nothing to do with my future. I’m primarily seeking information. Like, how did you know our names if we have never met? "The old man’s eyelids roll up as he meets John’s gaze. He raises his arm and slowly points skyward.

Knitting his eyebrows, John looks up and laughs. “Of course! Stupid question, it’s so self-evident. Are you a clairvoyant then?”

The old man sighs, “I suppose that claim could be made. I really don’t know, for my visions are so precise.”

“I see.” John perseveres. “When did you first become aware of this, err, gift?”

The Seer slams his fist on the booth’s counter. “Gift!” This brings on another coughing spell. He wipes his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket and sits back in his chair. “More like a curse.” He continues, “Two events took place in the summer of 1911. One was the arrival of Hallie’s Comet, and the second was my birth. My grandmother, being a superstitious person, surmised that I would be endowed with some paranormal power. She was correct, though I doubt it had anything to do with the comet.” About the time I turned ten, I began to notice that I was having difficulty seeing people clearly, not due to poor eyesight, but because I was experiencing something else. As I grew older, I found that the more I focused and concentrated, the clearer the visions became. I finally realized what I was witnessing. I was seeing events in people’s lives that would take place in their futures. I was around twenty by then, and this revelation left me in a dilemma. What would I do with this information? Never mind that they are strangers to me! If I tell them something positive, I’m an angel sent from heaven but, likewise, if I inform them of something negative or tragic, I’m a demon sent from hell. And if they don’t believe me at all, I’m a charlatan or worse, insane, and they might call the police. What was I to do?”

Suddenly, the man grew silent, as if reliving those memories. John bid the man to continue. “Please, tell me, what did you do?”

The Seer rubs his bristly cheeks as he gathers his thoughts. “I did the only thing I could think of, and that was to determine if I could foresee my own future. I looked into a large mirror that hung in my hallway and cleared my mind. Then, looking directly into my own eyes, I asked, “What will my future be?”

With bated breath, John murmurs, “And?”

“I saw this,” he gestures around the booth. “I saw myself sitting in this booth, watching the whole world pass by.People were paying me money to learn what was to come of them. As for myself, I saw no wife or children, no family of any sort, just sitting and serving others ad infinitum. Which brings us to you, John. Do you still seek to know the unknown? The very thing that God alone should know? Once you hear it, it is as written in stone. You can’t change or alter the fate of the future. The future is just that. All you can do is live the life that is to come.”

The Seer hears a silver dollar slide across the counter. With knarled and twisted fingers, he scoops it into his palm. "So be it.”

As John watches, the Seer leans forward and intensely stares into John’s face. After a moment, he shakes his head and leans back into his booth. The Seer’s voice resonates somberly from the darkness. “Japan is at war with China and is in an economic conflict with the United States. In Europe, a madman has decided to conquer the world. Both these situations are leading to war. You will join the battle and attain the rank of Lieutenant. You will bravely lead your men and save many lives in doing so. “

John’s voice quivers, “And Mary?”

“I do not see Mary or any other woman in your future. I’m sad to say that I see you leaving the commanding officer’s tent when a bullet takes your life.”

John’s knees buckle. He grabs onto the booth to keep from collapsing, nearly toppling the little shack. John’s voice cracks, “And you say there is nothing I can do to stop it from happening?”

“No. It is the future, so it will happen just as I saw it. I’m sorry,” he murmurs.

John straightens up and runs his fingers through his hair. “There’s no need for you to feel sorry.” John pauses to light a cigarette. “After all, I paid my dollar. But you’re right about one thing, there are things only God in heaven should know.”

The Seer watches John walk away, his head low and shoulders rounded. A short time later, he hears a husky voice boom out, “Look! What do you say to having our futures told? Sounds like fun, don’t it?”

Inside his booth, the Seer shakes his head and sighs.