the fortune teller

It was the beginning of summer when Presley Pereira decided to visit their local amusement park. It was evening, and they took the bus there, like most people do.

When they arrived, they were struck by the height and intensity of the rides. They hesitated for a moment, thinking, "Maybe not today," because they were afraid of heights. Instead, they spent the evening trying their luck at carnival games, but after playing one after another, they walked away empty-handed each time. Frustrated, Presley thought, Maybe I'm just bad at these games. I should head home and play video games instead.

But just as they were about to leave, something caught their eye: an old, dusty machine tucked away in a corner of the park. It resembled one of those fortune-teller machines you’d find in arcades, like Zoltar. It didn’t attract much attention, but Presley thought, Why not give it a try? They decided to try it. The game was called "Psychic Clown," and inside was a creepy-looking clown, so realistic it almost seemed like a scare actor had been stuffed into the machine.

Presley dropped in a few coins, pressed the start button, and the clown came to life, its voice eerie as it spoke: "Ask me a yes or no question to uncover the truth, then press the start button." Presley asked, "Will I get a girlfriend by the end of the year?" After pressing the button, the clown laughed in a chilling manner before answering, "No." Presley thought, Okay, it’s just a game. It can't be real, but deep down, they couldn’t shake the feeling that the clown might be right.

Curious, Presley decided to try again with a more personal question. They put in more coins and asked, "Are my parents divorced?" It was a question they already knew the answer to, as their parents had been divorced for over a decade. The clown let out its unsettling laugh again and responded, "Yes."

Now genuinely creeped out, Presley wondered, Is this just a coincidence? Or is this thing for real? They checked their pockets and realized they only had $2 left—the money they had set aside for the bus ride home. Deciding to take a chance, they thought, I’ll just have Mom come pick me up. They dropped the last of their coins into the machine and pressed the button to ask another question. But this time, the game malfunctioned.

The clown began laughing uncontrollably, jerking its body back and forth in a disturbingly erratic way. The movements became so violent that the clown started banging its head against the glass, causing cracks to appear.

Presley froze, watching in shock. People walking by laughed, thinking it was just part of the glitch, but the sight left Presley unsettled. Trying to shake off the feeling, Presley decided to try one last question. They put in more money and asked, "Will my mom pick me up from the fair tonight?" The clown laughed once more and then answered, "No."

Just after the clown spoke, Presley’s phone rang. It was their mom. Presley answered, and their mom asked, "Are you on your way home?" Presley replied, "Can you come pick me up?" Their mom said, "Yes, I will," before the call suddenly dropped. Presley assumed it was just a bad signal, so they made their way out of the park to wait for their mom.

Minutes passed, then an hour. Presley kept calling their mom, but the calls went straight to voicemail. They texted, but got no reply. Concerned, they called their stepdad, but when he answered, his voice was panicked. "Yeah, I’ll have a cousin come get you," he said. About an hour later, the cousin arrived, looking distraught. Presley asked, "What’s going on?" The cousin explained that he had just dropped off Presley’s stepdad at the hospital because Presley’s mom had been in a terrible car accident.

They rushed to the hospital, and when they arrived, the heartbreaking news awaited: Presley’s mom had passed away from her injuries.

To this day, Presley wonders: Did I somehow alter fate that night? Was the psychic clown truly cursed?