Fiction: Storms & Misfortunes
It was death that made Nora Merryweather stopped telling fortunes. When Nora first ascertained she knew things by looking at something as ordinary as a mushroom or a pebble, her aunt, Mary, taught her how to read the world around her. Sometimes knowledge simply entered her mind when she looked at something long enough and other times, she had to wait awhile. Since the age of fourteen, Nora had been telling fortunes by looking at people's belongings but her true talent was knowing when and how someone would die.
At eighteen, Nora tried to prevent her aunt's death by keeping her away from water. Instead of drowning trying to save a boy, Mary was crushed by a shopfront sign when she pushed a woman out of the way. The boy she should've saved, died. And the woman who should have died, lived. Fate, it seemed, could not be tricked but could be altered but never to how you wanted – it was a lesson Nora never forgot. Now Nora try to avoid misfortunes that came her way and if someone got saved, it was a happy side effect.
A few months after her aunt's death, her neighbor, Mrs. Seagull, the woman Mary saved, offered Nora to live at her boarding house rent-free if Nora took care of the housework. Since Nora had nowhere to go after she sold the house to pay for funeral expenses, she accepted Mrs. Seagull's offer.
Nora had no qualms about living in a boarding house isolated and miles away from civilization. It's why people came for quiet retreats away from the city. Nora didn't mind sleeping in the tiny attic room as she was somewhat miniature, having never grew taller than three feet and eleven inches.
Not being much of a talker, Nora was a bit annoyed by the boarders' nosiness. If Nora leaves the house unexpectedly, if she misses dinner, if she sidesteps ants, if she avoids sushi, they all wanted to know. Frequently, Nora did the housework without speaking to anyone but she had a meeting or two with the boarders on her way down and up the stairwell but she never say more than necessary.
Each day, Nora would peer out the dormer window at the sky and enjoyed the quiet of the early morning. Sometimes, Nora thought life would be peaceful if only she didn't know any misfortunes but then she wouldn't have learned anything without them.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
One windy Sunday late afternoon, Nora was on her way back from her usual walk when she peered up at the sky and discovered a terrible storm was coming. She raced into the house, up to her attic room, grabbed a couple of things and stuff them inside her bag along with her knitting and hurry down the stairs. She tripped and fell down the last few steps.
Sal, an old bookseller, lifted her to her feet. Looking up at him and the other five boarders who had gathered around her, Nora said, "Everyone, we must go down to the cellar. A storm is coming and it's not safe to stay above ground."
They all turned toward the windows where it looked out to the bright daylight and then back at her. Mr. Wong, a former factory worker, put his arm around his wife and stared at Nora with calm eyes while Mrs. Wong mirrored his calm. Jack, the salesman, raised his brushy eyebrows and grinned. Mateo, a vet, pushed up his glasses and glanced at Nora. Sarah, a teacher, mumbled something about nuts.
"How do you know this, Nora?" said Sal.
"I can read the clouds. Please, if you don't go the cellar now, you're all going to die." Nora glanced at each one. Then she walked to the kitchen, pulled open the cellar door and went down the stairs. She caught the string and pulled it to turn on the single lightbulb. After adjusting her eyes, she searched for a spot to set down.
Piles of broken furniture, boxes and various objects were placed around the vertical steel support poles here and there. Nora settled in an alcove beside a pole and a bunch of chairs and started her knitting. It calmed her to keep her hands moving.
As the boarders shuffled around her, Nora kept knitting. It took a long time for Nora to accept it wasn't up to her to convince people anything. Being not particularly social and with her curved back and small stature, she wasn't anyone's standard of normal. Her father thought the same. Before he left, he called her one of god's freak. He blamed her for mother's death since she died bringing Nora into the world. Those two words often come to her mind whenever she thought of her parents.
For a long time, nothing happened. Nora didn't stop them when the boarders stood up to go back upstairs. But then everything started shaking. The lightbulb started to swing from side to side until it flickered out but Nora continued knitting. Above them, a roaring noise kept on but a bit muffled. When she had finished her knitting, she stowed it inside her bag and wrapped her arms around the pole. She didn't know what time it was as she never had a watch. Her aunt often said time moved on whether you know the time or not.
The noise kept on until one side of the wall crumbled and vehement wind swept in. Sal wrapped his arms around Nora and kept her from being snatched but it didn't stop the rain from lashing at her. She heard screams but she kept her head down.
By the time it quieted down, early morning light lit them as they crawled out from under junk and debris. They were all a bit soaked. Mr. and Mrs. Wong were clinging to each other. Mateo and Sarah were holding hands. Sal gave Nora a pat on her arm.
Nora took out the pouch of yarrow leaves and a roll of bandages from her bag and suggested Sal chewed on some leaves, applied them to his bleeding hand and wrapped it with the bandages. The old man gazed at her for a moment before accepting her offer. She gave the finished beanie and a towel to Mrs. Wong. She thanked Nora, removed her soaked cap, dried her head and put the beanie on.
Most of the house's exterior had been ripped away leaving exposed bricks and interiors that had been damaged and soaked. Just a few feet away, the top of the attic with its dormer window had landed on the ground beside the juniper tree that had been at the front yard.
"I think we should all go to Mrs. Seagull's farm house. I'm sure she would let us stay there until the house get fixed," said Sal. They all started walking.
They were all safe except the salesman. He made his decision not to come down to the cellar but it irked Nora a little. Silently, she trailed behind the group.
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- Kurt Vonnegut