King of Spades

I'm sitting at my friend Kasia's house. She's showing me a card fortune. You cut the cards thirteen times and then take the thirteenth card from the bottom.

"If it's a two, it means you won't live long," Kasia explains. "If it's a three, it means you'll live a little longer than if you drew a two, if it's a four, you'll live a little longer than if you drew a three, and so on, all the way to ten. You're a girl, so a jack means you'll fall in love with a boy for life within three days, and a queen means you'll find a friend within three days. For boys, it's the other way around. A queen means a girl, and a jack means a friend. If you draw a king, you'll die today, and if you draw an ace, you'll live a very happy life. And whether it comes true depends on the suit. Clubs mean a very low probability, diamonds mean everything depends on how you behave, hearts mean it's very likely to happen, and spades mean it's a hundred percent certain to happen. Got it?

"Yes.

" "Well, try it," she said, handing me the cards.

I shuffled them thirteen times and pulled out the thirteenth card from the bottom, spine up.

"And how?" I asked Kasia, showing her the card.

"Oh my God!" she cried out in a choked voice.

"What happened?" I asked, turning the card over. Then I understood. I had the king of spades. "Nothing to worry about," I said in a voice that was supposed to be carefree, but somehow trembled. "After all, they're just some stupid cards.

" "We'll find out soon," Kasia told me. "Put this card in the middle of the deck and start the whole fortune-telling process over again. If you get the king every time, it means..." she swallowed. "This fortune-telling will definitely come true."

I put the card in the middle and started over. I got the king of spades. With trembling hands, I repeated the whole process and again got...

"Wow! A rose! I hope this prophecy doesn't come true! I don't think I've ever wanted something as much as this.

" "They're just stupid cards," I said with such determination that I surprised myself. I rose from the chair. "I'll go now," I announced, a little more calmly. "Will you walk me to the door?" I asked Kasia.

"Sure," she replied curtly.

When I was already at the gate, Kasia gave me a curt "bye," with concern in her eyes. I replied with a warm "see you later," with a smile on my face. I saw the relief in her eyes. Indeed. I had gotten a little carried away by that moment.

I stepped out onto the street. I felt a candy wrapper in my pocket. I walked to the trash can by the bus stop and threw the wrapper away. Next to the trash can, I saw something on the ground that caught my eye. It was a card. The King of Spades. I walked away from the bus stop, thinking as hard as I could. It was just a coincidence. Pure and simple. Someone had dropped a card that might have been the King of Spades. I didn't even notice when I reached the pedestrian crossing, which was directly opposite my house and which I had to cross to get to my apartment. I looked around. It was empty. I started to cross when suddenly a truck came around the bend, speeding. I stood paralyzed in the middle of the street. The truck was getting closer. After a moment, I could see the driver, who seemed completely absorbed in a conversation on his cell phone. Ten meters, five...

A moment later, I felt the vehicle slam into my body with terrifying force. I lay on the ground in a pool of my own blood. People were leaning over me. Someone was shouting something about a license plate number, and I vanished into the darkness. At the last moment, all I heard was someone shouting, "Rose! Rose!"

"Róża! Wake up!" It's my mom. "Kasia is calling you! I know it's Saturday, but to sleep at ten...

" "Yes, Mom! I'm going," I muttered indistinctly. A moment later I was up. I went to the phone and picked up the receiver. "Hello," I said rather groggily.

"Hi, Róża! Will you come over? I've learned card fortune telling. It's very easy. All you have to do is turn the deck of cards thirteen times and pull out the thirteenth card from the bottom.

" "And when?

" "Could you do that in... say, an hour?

" "Okay. " "

See you then.

" "Bye," I said and hung up the phone. I dragged myself to bed and sat on the edge. I had a dream... But what was it? I looked around for some clue. My eyes fell on the desk. "There was a deck of cards lying there..." I remembered everything. Oh well, I thought, It was just a dream.

I was ready at quarter to eleven . to leave. I went to Kasia's, still thinking about the dream.

I'm sitting at my friend Kasia's. She shows me a card fortune. You have to cut the cards thirteen times and then take the thirteenth card from the bottom.

"If it's a two, it means you won't live long," Kasia explains to me. "If it's a three, it means you'll live a little longer than if you drew a two, if it's a four, you'll live a little longer than if you drew a three, and so on, all the way to ten. You're a girl, so a jack means you'll fall in love with a boy for life within three days, and a queen means you'll find a friend within three days. For boys, it's the other way around. A queen means a girl, and a jack means a friend. If you draw a king, you'll die today, and if you draw an ace, you'll live a very happy life. And whether it comes true depends on the suit. Clubs mean a very low probability, diamonds mean it all depends on how you behave, hearts mean it's very likely it will happen, and spades mean it's a hundred percent certain. Got it?

" "Yes.

" "Well, try it," she said, handing me the cards.

I shuffled them thirteen times and pulled out the thirteenth card from the bottom, spine up.

"And how?" I asked Kasia, showing her the card.

"Oh my God!" she cried out in a choked voice.

"What happened?" I asked, turning the card over. Then I understood. I had a king of spades. "There's nothing to worry about," I said in a voice that was meant to be carefree, but somehow trembled. "After all, they're just some stupid cards.

" "We'll see soon," Kasia told me. "Put this card in the middle of the deck and start the whole fortune-telling process over again. If you get the king every time, it means..." she swallowed. "This fortune will definitely come true."

I put the card in the middle and started all over again. I got the king of spades. With trembling hands, I repeated the whole process and again got...

"Wow! A rose! I hope this fortune doesn't come true! I don't think I've ever wanted anything as much as this."

"It's just stupid cards," I said with such finality that I surprised myself. I rose from my chair. "I'll go now," I said, a little calmer. "Will you walk me to the door?" I asked Kasia.

"Sure," she replied curtly.

When I was at the gate, Kasia gave me a curt "A" with concern in her eyes. I replied with a warm "See you later," smiling warmly. I saw the relief in her eyes. It was true. I'd gotten a little carried away by that moment.

I stepped out onto the street. I felt a candy wrapper in my pocket. I walked to the trash can by the bus stop and threw the wrapper away. Next to the can, I saw something on the ground that caught my eye. It was a card. The King of Spades. I walked away from the bus stop, thinking as hard as I could. It was just a coincidence. Pure and simple. Someone had dropped a card that might have been the King of Spades. I didn't even notice when I reached the pedestrian crossing, which was directly opposite my house and which I had to cross to get to my apartment. I looked around. It was empty. I started to cross when suddenly a truck came around the bend, speeding. I stood paralyzed in the middle of the street. The truck was getting closer. After a moment, I could see the driver, who seemed completely absorbed in a conversation on his cell phone. Ten meters, five... Moments later, I felt the vehicle slam into my body with terrifying force. I lay on the ground in a pool of my own blood. People were leaning over me. Someone was shouting something about a license plate number, and I vanished into the darkness. At the last moment, all I heard was someone shouting, "Rose! Rose!"

"Róża! Wake up!" It's my mom. "Kasia is calling you! I know it's Saturday, but to sleep at ten...

" "Yes, Mom! I'm going," I muttered indistinctly. A moment later I was up. I went to the phone and picked up the receiver. "Hello," I said rather groggily.

"Hi, Róża! Will you come over? I've learned card fortune telling. It's very easy. All you have to do is turn the deck of cards thirteen times and pull out the thirteenth card from the bottom.

" "And when?

" "Could you do it in... say, an hour?

" "Okay. " "

See you then.

" "Bye," I said and hung up the phone. I dragged myself to bed and sat on the edge. I had a dream... But what was it? I looked around for some clue. My eyes fell on the desk. There was a deck of cards lying there... Everything came back to me. Oh well, I thought, It was just a dream.

At quarter to eleven I was ready to go. I went to Kasia's, still thinking about the dream.

"Hi, Róża!" Kasia greeted me. "Come to my room."

I followed her. When we reached her room, I sat down in the chair by the desk, and Kasia pulled up a stool. She opened a drawer.

"As I told you, this fortune telling is very simple," she said, taking out the cards. "Just cut them thirteen times and then draw the third card from the bottom," she explained. "If it's a two, it means you won't live long—I know those words from somewhere... They were in my dream!" "If it's a three, it means you'll live a little longer than if you drew a two, if it's a four, you'll live a little longer than if you drew a three, and so on, up to ten—yes, those are definitely the words. But if the rest of this dream comes true, then I..." "You're a girl, so a jack means you'll fall in love with a boy within three days for life, and a queen means you'll find a friend within three days. For boys, it's the other way around. A queen means a girl, and a jack means a friend. If you draw a king, you'll die today, and if you draw an ace, you'll live a very happy life. And whether that comes true depends on the suit." Clubs mean a very low probability, diamonds that everything depends on how you behave, hearts that it's very likely it will happen, and spades that it will happen for sure. Got it?

"Yes..." I said, doing my best to hide my anxiety.

"Well, try it," she said, handing me the cards.

I start cutting them. First time... Second time... How long is this taking! Twelfth time... It's the thirteenth time! Now I pull out a card and look at it, dreading what I'll see.

It was the Jack of Spades.