A Collection of Short Stories

2: Fortune is a Peculiar Thing

Fortune is a peculiar thing. Some people claim to be able to read your fortune and predict your future. Some people are born with natural abilities. A gift. Some people buy into the fortune-teller's shenanigans, while others cannot be swayed or convinced. I look at the small cookie in front of me. Dare I open it? Or do I ignore the burning curiosity of what a cookie has to say about my future?

"'Patience will guide you to your next victory' Ooh! Sounds exciting!" My sister says from next to me.

"'Although you hate cats, you will adopt one' How do they know that I hate cats?" My father says from across me.

"It's just a cookie, Dad," I say with a roll of my eyes.

"Then why don't you open yours?" He asks me. He sounds a bit too stern for comfort. Just as I want to say something back, a small sound interrupts our conversation. We all fall silent. "Meow!" A cat yells from underneath the table. It brushes against all our legs. "My leg doesn't itch when it brushed against it! I'm keeping this one!"

I facepalm hard. The cat comes out from underneath the table and shouts a loud, "Meow!"

I roll my eyes at the cat. It was pretty cute, so I didn't mind if my dad were to adopt it. The cat was black and extremely fluffy. The fur was very soft when I started to pet it. The cat had a white spot on its nose, which gave it its uniqueness. It jumped on my lap and started to purr loudly. "Sorry, Dad."

"I'm still keeping him," my dad says with a huff.

"Okay." I smile at him as the cat continues to purr on my lap.

"What do we name him? Dave?"

"Why Dave?"

"Because it's a pretty good name!"

"It's your name!"

"Exactly."

"No. We're naming him... Connor!"

"What? Why?"

"It means 'lover of hounds'. I think it would be kind of ironic."

"Fine."

Connor continues to purr on my lap. I notice the single cookie still on my plate. I think of how scared I was earlier, of knowing my future. But then again, a cookie doesn't have the ability to look into the future. It's a cookie! And it's not even alive. Still, I felt its glare as I stared back at it.

I grab the cookie and swiftly break it apart. A small slip of paper falls out of the broken shell. "'My cat gave birth to the Antichrist'" it said on the paper. I flip it around to the other side, to see if I got pranked. There was a small message on the other side, but it didn't help. The other side read, "You will use the text on the other side as an excuse for being late for your job". I laughed at the weird and peculiar fortune the cookie gave me. What was that supposed to mean?

I throw the slip of paper into the bin as I leave the restaurant.