Redundant Finds

I was never planning on coming here. The building looked too tempting not to go in though. With a sign that read, “Limited edition only $5 dollar for a reading!” It was almost too encouraging to resist.  

“You know that fortune tellers are a scam, right?” said my best friend, Isla, standing next to me. Her red locks blew crazily against the windy weather. She continued, “My mother has always said that it’s better not to know your future because that way, you’re always prepared for the unexpected.”  

“Well I mean it’s not like the fortune teller will tell my whole future anyways, just a glimpse of it.” 

“Yeah, but wouldn’t you instead face the unexpected? And maybe learn something from that encounter?” she asked peering up to meet my eyes. 

I sigh. “Well if there is anything negative happening to me in the future, I think I rather know it than for it to unexpectedly hit me.” Noting her silence as a sign of silent victory, I stepped into the building.  

The bells chimed softly as we both stepped in. The air hung with a sweet aromatic scent. At first glance, the building seemed a lot smaller on the inside, but that was before I noticed the room farther down the hallway. Both Isla and I shared a confused glance because no one appeared before us. 

“Are we supposed to go in….?” I look towards Isla for confirmation. She just nodded in reply. The atmosphere itself was quiet, which was surprising considering the discount that the fortune teller advertised. As we stepped into the room the smell only got stronger. And then, finally, there she was. 

A fortune teller in the middle of the room. 

“Welcome, I’ve been expecting you,” the fortune-teller said, sounding as cryptic as ever. 

“Of course, it’s the same old generic nonsense,” Isla muttered near me.

The fortune-teller ignored her. “I sense you’ve been dealing with an emotional turmoil,” she continued looking straight into my eyes. Is she referring to the project that we planned to put out at the regional science fair? I spent countless nights with Isla, perfecting the type of project we wanted to introduce. With more effort I put in, the more my anxiety grew. What if I mess up? What if we forgot something? What if the project wasn’t simply good enough?

Seeing my reaction, I could’ve sworn I saw the ghost of a smirk playing on her lips. “The only piece of advice I can offer you is to remove the unnecessary parts,” she stated. Silence followed after her statement, and it only seemed to stretch out further. 

“What? That’s it?!” Isla looked at her incredulously. She only shrugged in reply. “I knew this would be a total waste of time. Everyone knows that the stuff psychic says are never-” I stopped her before she could get anything else out. As I was dragging her through the door, the psychic called out. 

“You do realize you still need to pay, right?”

***

Days after my encounter with the fortune-teller. I was getting ready for the day of the science fair. When I entered the building around 2 pm I headed straight to the check-in booth. 

“Last name?” a blonde woman asked, ready to scan the sheets in front of her. After giving her my last name she frowned and looked through the papers once again. “I’m sorry I don’t see your name on the list.” My heart pounded and my breathing quickened. 

“It should be on there, my partner had the both of us registered for the event.” 

“Can you give me your partner’s last name?” 

“Gordon. Isla Gordon.” 

“Hmm, that’s weird,” she muttered her eyebrows pinched together in concentration, as she re-checked the papers laid on the table in front of her. “You’re scheduled time for your presentation was supposed to be at 9 o’clock in the morning. It looks like your partner had already signed in and presented it to the judges. Are you sure your partner registered your project to be presented at 2:30?”

 ***

The ride back home was a quiet one. Fuming, I pulled out my phone. I called Isla once, twice, and even a third time. Still, I got no response back. How could she do this to me?! I thought we were best friends? And on top of that, she’s ignoring me? 

Shutting the door behind me softly, my rage slowly melted into sadness. I couldn’t help, but weep for what could’ve been. All those days of hard work were for nothing. As I sat there pondering, my mind drifted back to the words of the fortune-teller. 

All this time, I thought she meant removing parts of the project. But now, I see that she meant removing certain people from my life. I chuckled bitterly, I thought I’d be more aware of the upcoming misfortunes of my life, but I still had been as blind as ever. 

The vibration of my phone broke my chain of thoughts. The caller ID pointed to one name: Isla. 

I held the phone up to my ear. For a while, I heard nothing but the sound of soft breathing from the other end. So, she still has nothing to say huh? 

“I’m sorry,” she finally whispered. 

“Now that’s an understatement of the century,” I retorted back bitterly. 

“You know it’s just hard being the second-best at everything, so for once I wanted to feel what it was like actually being credited for the things I worked hard on.” 

I said nothing at first because deep down I knew what it was like to be envious of the unlimited achievements a person could receive. At the same time, however, I knew they put all the work and dedication into their success. So, ultimately that would just mean that Isla’s logic was flawed. 

“You know I never would’ve done this to you.”

“...”

And at the end of the day, the fortune-teller was right. I should’ve looked out for the people I surround myself with because you always will get surprised with redundant finds.