I Took in a Fortune Teller with a Newborn, I Was Stunned in the Morning When I Looked into My Sick Daughters Room
When I took in a stranded fortune teller and her newborn, I thought I was simply offering shelter. But the next morning, my own daughter was nowhere to be found in her room.
It had been a long night, and as I was driving down a dark, quiet road, my headlights caught a figure lying on the shoulder. It was a woman, weakly waving for help.
She looked young, wrapped in a bright, patterned scarf, her dress flowing and vivid even in the dim light. She resembled a fortune teller from a fairground or a traveling show, exotic and out of place on the empty road.
“Please,” she whispered, her voice strained as I approached.
“Are you hurt?” I asked.
She shook her head, clutching her stomach. “Not hurt… but my baby… she’s coming.”
It took me a moment to process, but then I recognized the signs: she was in labor, and the contractions were close. I knelt beside her, reassured her, and tried to stay calm.
“My name’s Miranda,” she managed between breaths.