Letting the door slam shut by Stella Pierides

Even though the fairground sirens were deafening, the flashing lights of the dodgems and carousel delighted the eye and excited the senses. Katerina stood mesmerized, her eyes sparkling. It was then that a woman whispered to her, “Your fate is written on the palm of your hand. Show me your lifeline.” Instinctively, Katerina opened her hand, only to withdraw it, embarrassed. “Thank you,” she said, and walked on joining the crowds. She didn’t believe in fortune-telling, but something about this woman left her puzzled. She rubbed her hand on her skirt and slipped it inside her pocket. Katerina put the incident out of her mind – until next morning, when she chanced upon the woman as she entered her place of work. Pushing past her, she felt a spark of static electricity from their jackets. She didn’t want her to see that she had injured her palm with a knife, trying to cut open a pomegranate. The woman followed her in. “What I said about your lifeline – I meant, I thought I saw…” Katerina held out her hand: a deep wound still oozing blood. The woman cringed. “I should have told you straight, but I was trying to break the ice talking of palmistry; I saw something in your eyes I thought you should know… ” she trailed off. Letting the elevator door slam shut, Katerina faintly heard her saying, “… the unequal dilation of your pupils… a sign of a neurological problem requiring urgent attention…”

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