Oomancy

by Greg Houle

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray …” —Matthew 24:24

I hate how Betty holds the egg. She always makes such a show of it, covering it up entirely with her hand and fingers and presenting it before us like it is some kind of precious jewel. She acts as if holding that egg matters more than anything else in the world. Her cousin Abby is stretched out with her eyes closed and a smile on her face in our usual spot behind the bushes, well hidden from view and in a state of great anticipation. Betty is on her knees beside her, holding the egg in her peculiar fashion. She tries to maintain her concentration but it is difficult for her to do while she is also trying to make a presentation that will impress the rest of us. Betty also has her eyes closed while she focuses intently on the task before her. She always says that she needs to fully form the question within her mind before doing anything else or it will not work properly. And we know that Betty does not want to make any mistakes and embarrass herself in front of us girls.

I can think of nothing else but how frivolous it is. Not to mention the immorality of it all. If her father found out we would all be in serious trouble. He would forever view us differently. To Reverend Parris, we would suddenly become the ‘Fortune Teller Girls’ and carry all of the unfortunate accompaniments of such a label. I cannot understand how this unseemly business can be so important to Betty. I could not care less about my fortune. And are we truly meant to believe that what she tells us will come true? I only wish that I did not care so much about what Betty thinks. Why do I have to be so concerned with what she might do if she found out how much I despise fortune-telling? That is the only reason why I am here. I am as certain that I will never care about fortune-telling as I am about anything. Is Betty really so concerned about such frivolous things or is she more interested in being the girl with knowledge? I believe I know the answer to that question. Does that make me a fortune teller?

Betty is always so eager to talk about the inner-workings of it. She wants us to know that the most critical part of fortune-telling is one’s ability to properly deliver the question from their mind, down through their arm and hand, through the shell, and into the egg white that will be dropped into the water. If any of these connections are lost, even in the slightest, then the reading will be rendered untrue. Betty says that it takes quite a lot of concentration to make these connections as strong as they are required to be and only a special person can do such a thing. She says that being capable of making these connections is what separates a true fortune teller, like she is, from someone who is only pretending to be one.

Most of the girls are interested in the answer to only one question. Or at least it is some variation of that question. What profession will my future husband have? Of course nobody wants to be the wife of a beggar or a grave digger but why not ask a question with more significance? Why do none of the girls ever wish to know if they are going to heaven? Or if they are on the path that God had chosen for them? These are the answers that I want to know. Why can we not ask those questions? During the few times that I have participated in Betty’s fortune-telling antics, I have wanted very badly to ask them but I was too afraid to do it. Too fearful of what Betty and Abby might say to me if I did. Instead, I asked the same question that everyone asks. And the answer is of little importance to me.

“It is called oomancy.” Betty says this when she is introducing fortune-telling to somebody new, always taking extra care to draw out her pronunciation of that strange word in order to impress them. She will then inevitably add that it comes from the Ancient Greeks. I am always struck by how the Reverend’s daughter and her cousin never seem the slightest bit concerned about getting caught engaging in such a forbidden exercise. It is a mystery to me but I suppose that they believe themselves to be impervious to risk and incapable of any real sin.

“We will just blame Tituba,” the girls always say with a laugh.

About the author

Greg Houle is a writer and communications professional living in Los Angeles. He enjoys writing about people from the past and present—real or imagined. This piece is adapted from his yet-to-be published novel The Putnams of Salem. You can see more of his writing at greghoule.info.

About the illustration

The illustration is "Puritan Girls Caught Dancing", engraving, ca. 1850. Artist unknown.