Nancy Clancy Sees the Future

by Jane O'Connor

  “We’ve been learning about the five senses.” Mr. D paused. “Grace’s aunt found a hundred dollars. Did the fortune-teller predict what would happen? No. I definitely don’t think so.” He looked around the class. “I’m sure all of us at some point have had a hunch—a sudden feeling about something—that came true. Is that the same as seeing the future? No.” Mr. Dudeny wrote two words on the whiteboard: “coincidence” and “intuition.” “By Friday, I’d like everyone to find out what these words mean and use them in a sentence.”

  “They won’t be on the spelling test, will they?” Clara looked worried.

  “No, they won’t.”

  “Whew!” said Clara, right as the lunch bell rang.

  When Nancy reached the end of the cafeteria line, she was happy to see Bree waving to her from their favorite table. It was under a poster of the four food groups. After opening their lunch bags, they decided to trade sandwiches.

  “Um, look, can I ask you something?” Bree said, handing over her tuna salad.

  Uh-oh. Nancy had a hunch what the question would be.

  “Do you still think you have powers? You heard what Mr. D said.”

  Nancy saw that Bree wanted her to say no. Nancy took a bite of Bree’s sandwich and thought about it. It was more than puzzling. It was perplexing. Lionel was certain she had powers. Yet if Nancy told Mr. D, he wouldn’t believe it. And Mr. D was practically the most intelligent human being on the planet.

  “I’m not sure,” she finally said.

  Clara and Tamar were setting down their trays. Then Grace appeared. “Come on, Nancy. Move over. There’s room.” After she squeezed onto the end of the bench, Grace stared at Nancy. “You know, those black dots on your ears look really dumb.”

  Nancy pretended not to hear.

  Then Grace announced to everybody at the table, “Mr. D is wrong, by the way. W-R-O-N-G.” That had been one of last week’s spelling words.

  “The fortune-teller my aunt went to definitely could see the future. She also said my aunt was going to travel to far-off places. And guess what? The next week a friend invited her to the North Pole.”

  “Grace, did you just make that up?” Clara said, shaking a little pile of Hershey’s Kisses onto the table. Clara was very fortunate. Her mother packed candy for her every day.

  “I don’t think there are trips to the North Pole,” Tamar added.

  “That’s how much you know! My aunt says she’ll take me to the fortune-teller if I want.” Then Grace added, “It costs thirty dollars.”

  Thirty dollars! Nancy hadn’t realized fortune-telling paid so well. A person could make a fortune telling fortunes!

  All of a sudden, Bree stood up. “This is a boring conversation. Fortune-tellers are fakes!” Then she picked up her tray and left. She didn’t even bother taking any Hershey’s Kisses.

  After school, Lionel went home with Nancy. Tuesday was their weekly checkers game. The minute JoJo saw Lionel, she stopped blowing bubbles through the straw in her glass of milk.

  “Show me magic!” she shouted.

  “I don’t have my wand with me.”

  “That’s okay.” JoJo handed him a straw.

  So Lionel said, “Abracadabra,” then waved the straw around and pulled a penny out of JoJo’s ear.

  JoJo shrieked with joy.

  Lionel held the penny in his fist, then blew on it, and when his hand opened, the penny was gone.

  JoJo hadn’t seen it slip down Lionel’s sleeve. “Do it again!”

  Nancy’s dad appeared just then. “Blow some bubbles, JoJo. Leave Nancy and Houdini alone.”

  “Who? Who’s Deenee?” JoJo asked.

  “I perform at birthday parties!” Lionel told Nancy and JoJo’s dad as they headed upstairs. “My rates are very reasonable.”

  “Oh! That reminds me!” Nancy said to Lionel. He was walking up the stairs backward with his eyes closed. “Grace’s aunt, the one she told us about? It cost her thirty dollars to get her fortune told.”

  Lionel opened his eyes and whistled. “That’s major money!”

  In her room, Nancy got out the checkerboard. They set up the checkers and started to play. So far Lionel was ahead fourteen games to twelve. Nancy rubbed her hands together. “I have a feeling that today you’re going to get clobbered.”

  Lionel was thinking about his next move. Then, his head shot up. “Like those other feelings you got?”

  Nancy looked up from the board and thought about it. “Yes! Just like them.”

  “See, what did I tell you? Your powers are growing. I think you should give some thought to going professional.”

  Even though Lionel was a total goofball, Nancy could tell he wasn’t kidding. “Of course, you can’t charge thirty dollars,” he went on. “Not at first.”

  That made sense. “What price seems fair?” Nancy asked.

  “Mmmmm. Maybe a quarter,” Lionel said. “A quarter a question.”

  A quarter a question. Ooh la la! That had a nice ring. Nancy imagined a stack of quarters that kept growing taller and taller. She imagined all the earrings for pierced ears that she’d buy. By the time her birthday rolled around, she’d need an earring tree like Annie’s.

  “I could turn the clubhouse into a fortune-telling parlor.”

  “No. Do it at school during recess. Think of all the customers right there.”

  That was a superb point. Of course, not every third grader was going to pay Nancy to see the future. Nancy bet Bree wouldn’t. In fact, if Bree were here right now, she’d probably have lots of reasons why going into the fortune-telling business was a bad idea. But Bree wasn’t here. She was at her piano lesson.

  Nancy jumped up to get her art supplies. “I need a sign!” Nancy loved making signs. Ones in neon colors with fancy lettering.

  They forgot about checkers and went to work.

  The sign was super. It said:

  Find out the future!

  Only a quarter a question!

  Lionel wanted to add “Satisfaction guaranteed!” at the bottom. Nancy didn’t.

  “That’s too much pressure on me. I can’t promise that every single thing I predict will come true.”

  Afterward, they painted Nancy’s old Magic 8 Ball silver. Now it looked kind of like a crystal ball. The Magic 8 Ball had stopped working after JoJo dropped it and it cracked. But Nancy still remembered all the eerie answers that floated up. She’d use them tomorrow with her customers. All signs point to yes. . . . It is unclear at this time. . . . Highly doubtful. . . . Ask again later.

  “All I need now is the right ensemble.” Nancy explained to Lionel that ensemble meant her outfit. “I need a shawl for sure. One with fringe. A long, colorful skirt, maybe with ruffles, and gold dangly earrings.”

  The fashion part of fortune-telling didn’t interest Lionel. So Nancy waited until his mom came to pick him up. Then she raced next door to see Mrs. DeVine. Practically everything in Mrs. DeVine’s closet was perfect for fortune-telling!

  Later, Nancy tried on the clothes and jewelry that Mrs. DeVine had let her borrow. She had to roll up the skirt around her waist, and the clip-on earrings pinched a lot. Still, gazing at herself in the mirror, Nancy had to admit it: She looked like a professional.

  She called Lionel. “The crystal ball is almost dry and I’ve got my ensemble.”

  “Don’t forget the sign,” Lionel said. He was going to walk around the playground with it at the beginning of recess. “Wait a few minutes before you come out. Let the excitement build.”

  Ooh la la! Nancy would get to make a grand entrance!

  Nancy had a hard time falling asleep that night. A funny feeling started bubbling up in her tummy. It wasn’t one of her fortune-telling feelings. It was probably excitement. She hadn’t told Bree about tomorrow. She hadn’t discussed her new career with her parents, either. However, there was nothing wrong with using her powers to make money. Lionel made money from magic shows. Then a superb idea struck Nancy. The bubbly feeling went away. She wouldn’
t keep all of the fortune-telling money for herself. She’d give some away to a good cause. Just like Annie was doing with her hair for Locks of Love. That would make her parents proud.

  They’d say, “Oh, Nancy. What a lovely gesture!”

  The next day, as soon as the bell for recess rang, Nancy grabbed her backpack and ducked into the girls’ room. Lickety-split she changed into her ensemble and flung open the door to the hallway.

  “Ow!” someone yelped.

  The door had whacked someone!

  It was Bree. Her hand was cupped over her nose. “Is it bleeding?” Bree asked.

  Nancy nodded. Bree was trying hard not to cry. She hated the sight of blood, especially her own.

  Nancy raced back into the girls’ room for a wad of toilet paper. When she pushed open the door, slowly this time, Mr. Dudeny was in the hallway kneeling beside Bree. He had Kleenex for her.

  “I’m so sorry!” Nancy said.

  “What happened?” Mr. Dudeny asked.

  Nancy told him. “It’s all my fault! I feel terrible!” Tears pricked the corners of Nancy’s eyes. “Mr. D, can I go with Bree to the nurse, please?”

  “No, I’ll take Bree. You go to recess. And next time, remember how heavy that door is and—”

  “I know. Use caution,” Nancy answered. Mr. Dudeny often said that to kids. It meant be careful.

  Mr. D put an arm around Bree and led her down the hall.

  Nancy was stunned. Why hadn’t her powers warned her that an accident was going to happen?

  On the playground, Lionel was parading around with the sign. “What’s in your future? Just ask Nancy!” he shouted over and over.

  Nancy made a grand entrance, though her heart wasn’t really in it. She hoped Bree’s nose had stopped bleeding. At a bench near the monkey bars, Nancy sat down with the crystal ball in her lap. In a minute a couple of kids showed up. Then a few more. A line was forming. Ooh la la! This was exciting. All these people were seeking the advice of a professional—Nancy Clancy!

  For now Nancy decided to put Bree out of her mind. She needed to concentrate on her powers. She closed her eyes halfway and smiled in a way that she hoped looked mysterious. “I am ready now.”

  Then Grace barged to the front of the line and tried to wreck everything.

  “No fair! Nancy got this idea from me! After she heard about my aunt!”

  “I did not,” Nancy said with dignity. “I happen to have powers.”

  “Oh, right!” Grace’s arms were folded across her chest. “Be—besides,” she stammered angrily, “you need a license to tell fortunes! It’s the law!”

  Nancy was pretty sure Grace was making that up. Then Lionel appeared and told Grace to get to the back of the line. Instead, Grace stomped off. “If you want to waste your money, go ahead!” Grace told all the kids in line.

  Joel was up first. He handed over a quarter and asked, “Will I be an astronaut when I grow up?”

  Nancy didn’t need to wait for her powers to kick in. Every Halloween, Joel went as an astronaut. Next summer he was going to space camp. And he’d read every book in the library about the solar system. Nancy rubbed the crystal ball and made her eyelids flutter. “All signs point to yes.”

  Olivia was next. She asked, “Will my mom have a girl?”

  The baby was going to be born soon. Nancy knew that Olivia wanted a little sister. “It is almost certain!” she said.

  The line grew longer. The questions got harder.

  Robert wanted to know which team would win the Super Bowl. Nola wanted to know what play the third grade was going to put on. The teachers were keeping it a secret until next week.

  Both times Nancy scrunched her eyes shut and concentrated on letting her powers go to work. But no answers floated into her mind. She ended up saying, “It’s not clear at this time.”

  Robert and Nola looked disappointed, which made Nancy feel bad. But they paid anyway. After that Nancy told customers to stick to yes-or-no questions. “My powers work better that way,” she explained.

  “Okay.” Nola fished out another quarter from her pocket. “Will I get to go to Disney World over spring break?”

  “Yes,” Nancy said after a moment. But it was just a guess. Not even a hunch. Nola let out a happy squeal. Somehow that made Nancy feel even worse.

  What was going on? Her powers seemed to have deserted her. It was very noisy on the playground. Maybe that was the problem. In the class unit on the five senses, Nancy had learned about sound waves. It was very possible that all the sound waves bouncing around were getting in the way of the waves that were trying to travel from the future.

  Nancy was relieved when the line came to an end. Clara was the last person in it.

  “Will I get everything right on the spelling test tomorrow?” Clara asked.

  Without thinking, Nancy blurted out, “It is highly doubtful.”

  “Rats!” Clara said.

  Right away Nancy wished she could take back the words. Nancy didn’t want to take Clara’s money. Clara insisted.

  “I figured that’d be the answer.” Clara shrugged. “It’s not your fault what the future holds.”

  Bree wasn’t in the classroom when Nancy returned from recess.

  “Is Bree still at the nurse’s?” she asked Mr. Dudeny. Nancy was back in her normal clothes now. The earrings had pinched so hard, they left red marks.

  “No. The nosebleed stopped right away. However, her head was hurting a little. So her mother came and took her home.”

  Nancy’s hands flew to her heart. “I feel so guilty! I’m to blame for this!”

  “It wasn’t a serious accident,” Mr. Dudeny assured her. He let Nancy call Bree on his cell phone. She was eating ice cream and sounded fine.

  “Merci a million times, Mr. D,” Nancy said. “Hearing Bree’s voice was such a relief!”

  Still, during creative writing, Nancy had trouble working on a new adventure for Lucette Fromage. She was a nine-year-old detective Nancy had made up.

  Nancy’s mind kept wandering. If only there was a way to make the past un-happen . . . like rewinding a video. Everything from today would run backward at top speed until Nancy was changing in the girls’ room before recess. After the stop button was pushed and the action started up again, Nancy would open the bathroom door—very slowly the first time. Nancy would also take back her answer to Clara’s question about the spelling test.

  Nancy watched Clara at her desk. She was twirling her pencil and staring into space. Suddenly inspiration struck. That meant Nancy was getting a good idea. Maybe even a superb one.

  “Can you bike over to my house this afternoon?” she asked Clara later. “I want to tutor you in spelling. Tutoring is like teaching, only in private. We’ll go over the words until you can even spell them backward.”

  Clara giggled. Then she shrugged. “It won’t do any good. Remember what you predicted?”

  “I’m really sorry about that.”

  “Why? You can’t help what you saw.” Clara shrugged again. “I always goof up spelling words.”

  “But the test hasn’t happened yet. There’s time to change the future.”

  Clara looked uncertain. “You really think it works that way?”

  Nancy nodded. “All signs point to yes.”

  Clara arrived as Nancy was setting up the stand on her old blackboard. It belonged to JoJo now. JoJo agreed to let Nancy use it on one condition.

  “I get to play school too,” she said.

  “I told you. We’re not playing school. It’s serious work.”

  “JoJo can stay. I don’t mind,” Clara said. She thought JoJo was cute.

  Nancy wrote out all the spelling words. They were five-sense words all ending in “-ing,” except the word of the week. That was “fragrant.”

  seeing

  tasting

  hearing

  eating

  feeling

  smelling

  sniffing

  touching

  peerin
g

  *fragrant

  First Nancy had Clara spell the words while looking at them on the blackboard. “Now close your eyes. I’ll say each word and you spell it back to me.”

  Clara wanted to skip the word of the week. “It’s too hard. I’ll never remember it.”

  “Clara, you have to have a positive attitude,” Nancy said. “But we can leave ‘fragrant’ for the very end.”

  Pretty soon Clara could spell nearly all the words. But she kept mixing up “hearing” and “peering.” She spelled them “heering” and “pearing.”

  “Remember Mr. D’s trick? ‘Hearing’ has ‘ear’ in it.” Nancy circled the “ear” part with her chalk. It made her feel very professional.

  Clara nodded. “Still, I don’t see why ‘peering’ isn’t spelled like ‘hearing.’ They rhyme.”

  Clara had a point.

  “It’s snack time now,” JoJo interrupted.

  “No, it isn’t,” Nancy said.

  “JoJo, why don’t you be in charge of snacks?” Clara suggested.

  JoJo clapped her hands. “I’m snack leader! Goody!” She skipped out of the room.

  “Smart move!” Nancy high-fived Clara. Then she went back to the spelling list. She peered at the word “peering.”

  “Hey! I thought of a trick.” Nancy giggled. “All you have to do is remember that ‘peering’ has ‘pee’ in it.” Nancy drew a chalk circle around the letters.

  Clara giggled too. She closed her eyes. “P-E-E,” Clara began. She spelled “peering” correctly three times.

  They were working on “fragrant” when JoJo reappeared with a plate of cookies and apple slices. At the same time, the bell rang on the Top-Secret Special Delivery mailbox.

  Nancy opened her window and pulled in the basket. It hung from a rope strung between her window and Bree’s.