Lost and Found

Prompt: One evening in the forest, a boy, an old widow, and a fortune teller find an old man.

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Gertrude hadn’t planned on attending the fair. She and Henry had loved the yearly fair with its vendors and side shows. They would make a whole day of it, filling up on fair food and trying their hand at the games. Henry had been gone for more than ten years now, and when she found the advertising flyer in her mail box she started feeling nostalgic.

One of the few perks of getting older, she decided when she got there, was the hefty senior’s discount on the admission ticket. Once inside the fairgrounds she stopped to look around. It looked almost the same as she remembered. There was the Ferris wheel and the carousel, the cotton candy and hotdog vendors, the target shooting heading up the whole row of games of skill.

It was noisy and crowded, but as Gertrude made her way slowly through the mob she felt her spirits lift. She worked her way to the edge, thinking to circle around as she and Henry used to do, when she was suddenly shoved from behind and fell to the ground.

“You should watch where you’re going granny,” the teen that knocked her down said.

“You should mind your elders,” she snapped back.

“Get stuffed, granny,” he laughed, and ran off to join his friends.

“Here, let me help you,” said a voice beside her as she struggled to get up.

Strong young hands helped her to her feet and then handed her the cane she’d only recently started using. If Gertrude had been quick thinking she could have used that cane to trip one of those hooligans.

“Thank you, young man.”

“You’re welcome ma’am. If you’re okay, I should get going.”

“Aren’t you a mite young to be wandering the fair by yourself?” Gertrude asked, peering closer at him.

“I’m not alone,” he told her. “I’m here with my grandpa.”

“Maybe I could escort you back to him,” Gertrude suggested. “I’d like to tell him what a fine grandson he’s got.”

“Oh! Thank you ma’am, but it’s not necessary.”

“Nonsense. I’m sure he’ll be tickled pink.”

The boy sighed. “The fact is ma’am, I’m not too sure where my grandpa is. We kind of got separated.”

“What’s your name boy?”

“It’s Joseph, ma’am.”

“I’m Gertrude, Joseph. Seeing as we’re both on our own right now, why don’t I help you look for your grandpa?”

They searched for the better part of an hour and Gertrude could see that Joseph was starting to get discouraged. Then a familiar sign caught her eye. It was a drawing of a large hand facing palm outward with an all-seeing eye in the center. The fortune teller was always one of her favourite stops at the fair.

“I have an idea young Joseph,” she said leading the way.

To the boy’s credit, though he looked a little puzzled at where they were headed he didn’t ask any questions. The fortune teller, however, seemed unsurprised at the odd couple who approached her.

“What will it be?” she asked in her heavily accented voice. “Your future? Your love life?”

“We were hoping you could help us find a missing person,” Gertrude began.

“This is not usual for me,” the fortune teller said, intrigued. She spread her hands wide. “I can but try.”

First she asked them several questions and consulted the Tarot cards, then she peered intently into a crystal ball. “I see . . . the one you seek is close by. I see . . . trees. Many trees. Come. I can show you the way.”

Gertrude and Joseph looked at each other in surprise as the fortune teller put a “Back in 15 Minutes” sign on the table and left her stall. She led them to the woods directly behind the row her stall was on and they had to hurry to keep up. Several yards into the woods she suddenly stopped.

“Here,” she said. “He is close to here.”

“Grandpa?” Joseph called. “Are you here?”

“Listen!” Gertrude said. She moved a short way off the path and found the old man sitting on the ground, one hand to his head.

“Grandpa!” Joseph exclaimed, rushing over to him.

“Easy now, Joseph,” Gertrude told him. “It looks like your grandpa’s been hurt.”

“It was my own fault,” the old man said. “Some teenager lured me out here, told me someone was hurt. Next thing I know there was a bunch of them surrounding me. One of them grabbed my cane and hit me with it.”

“Probably the same bunch that knocked me down,” Gertrude said grimly. “You’ve got a cut on your head – let’s get that seen to and then we can report them.”

“I can see the future unfold,” the fortune teller said. “Justice will be done.”