The Fake Fortune-Teller (An Original Children's Story)

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Not so long ago, there was a con artist who pretended to be a fortune-teller to earn easy money. She was employed by a circus who travelled to different towns. The woman was so convincing that even the elites and noblemen would come to consult her in every huge decisions that they had to make.

Through the years, the woman has become very popular throughout the country. Her acting skills had worked very well with her luck, that even her most impossible readings had come true. She would only smile to herself whenever a client came back to thank her and to give her a tip.

One fine morning, a strange woman entered her tent. "Twenty dollars for a reading," the con artist called out. The strange woman laughed and sat on the couch that was reserved for clients. "How about we make a deal?," she said. "I will read your fortune, and you will read mine. If your reading comes true, I will give you five times your usual charge, but if mine came true, you will give me everything that you have."

The con artist laughed at this, and thought it will be impossible for the other woman to win, so she agreed. "I'll go first. Give me your hand." So she started "reading" the strange woman's hand as she thought of all the lies that she was going to say. Satisfied, she gave the other woman a knowing look. "You are going to be rich and famous in your craft. People will come to see you, men and women alike. They will all love youi and adore your presence." Satisfied, the con artist opened her palm for the woman to read. It didn't take long before the woman spoke, "What you have just said about me is going to happen soon."

The con artist pulled her hand from the strange woman. "That's unfair! Of course, all of my readings had come true. You cheated!"

"But a deal's a deal." The strange woman said calmly and stood. "We'll be seeing each other very soon."

For the first time in her life, the con artist prayed hard for the readings not to come true. But what she didn't know was that the strange woman was a wise mage who was sent to teach her a lesson. Soon enough, the con artist found out that the woman had become a theater actress in another town. As if that wasn't enough, the woman had become instantly famous even in other countries.

And then, the dreadful moment came for the fake fortune-teller when the strange woman came back to claim her prize. "No! You cheated! I've worked hard to earn everything that I have and all you did was cheat. That's unfair."

"See, that's exactly what you have been doing in the last ten years. You fooled other people so you could get their money. Now THAT was unfair," the woman said.

"You have no right to say that. I am a fortune-teller. I know things. I can see the future!"

"That's not true. The future depends on how we live our lives. As for me, I auditioned for a role and I was accepted. I was hired not because you said so, but because I worked hard for it to happen. It wouldn't have happened if I just sat outside the theater and waited for them to call my name. That's how it is. For something to happen, we have to do it ourselves."

The con artist fell silent when she realized that the other woman was right. The woman handed her the promised money and refused to take her prize, as long as she promised that she will start a new life. No more lies, no more deception. As soon as the strange woman left the tent, the con artist started packing up her things. With all the money she had earned over the past ten years, she moved in to another country and started up a business. Later on, she met a fine gentleman who took her as his wife. Since her last encounter with the strange woman, the con artist did her best to display honesty at all times.