82- Prophecy

It is common for the kids to approach me at recess, they like to use that time as an opportunity to interact with me on a more personal level. We often chat about what they’re going to do on the weekend or what our favorite movies are- it’s good bonding time.
Today, while I was walking my students back into the school building from recess, Yocelin came running up to me. Yocelin is from Cuba and speaks very little English. She is learning quickly, but is shy and usually refuses to speak. Today the girl was excited and looked as if she really wanted to tell me something.
“Teacher! Teacher!” Yocelin called, with a thick foreign accent.
I was thrilled to see that the child wanted to speak.
“Yes?” I asked and reached out my hand towards the girl.
As soon as our hands made contact, something eerie happened. Just like a scene from a movie, time seemed to freeze and all sounds were sucked out of the air. I felt my heart slam into my throat, and had to gasp to breathe. I looked down to find Yocelin studying my palm.
The little girl kept her head down, but slowly lifted her eyes to meet my gaze. I could only see the whites of Yocelin’s eyes, and in a perfect, adult English voice, she said, “YOU WILL NEVER HAVE ANY CHILDREN.”
A chill ran down my spine and goose-bumps covered my flesh. I yanked my hand from her grasp. “What?”
The second our contact was broken, the atmosphere regained its normalcy. Kids were laughing, trees were rustling in the wind, and I could breathe again.
Yocelin ran off to join Linda in line. The two girls were already laughing and giggling at something Robbie had said.
You will never have any children.
The ominous prophecy left me baffled. These kids were really starting to give me the creeps.
“Yocelin!” I chased after her, “What did you say?”
I shoved my palm in the girl’s face. “What?”
The girl looked intently into my palm and then brushed it away. She shrugged indifferently, “Yeah,” she confirmed, “No children.” Yocelin then threw her hands into the air, in a gesture that indicated that my fate was beyond her control, and then she went back to her conversation with Linda.
I was utterly perplexed. I am not a superstitious person, but Yocelin’s bizarre declaration freaked me out.
No children?
I also felt a little relieved.