Volume 3, Issue 8, August 2022
JR Sloan
Pages 79-91
The Fortune Teller’s Confession
When a trigger event is very likely to cause subsequent actions, are the subsequent actions still made freely? In this work of philosophical short story fiction, William, the town fortune teller, comes out to Jon’s farm. William confesses that he foresaw his affair with Jon’s wife, told her about it, then it happened. William also says he’s unable to see his future beyond this day, so he presumes this is the day Jon kills him. Jon, however, refuses to kill him until William eggs him on. Finally, infuriated, Jon kills William. He attempts to hide the body, but not before his wife comes home. She shoots him, but does not kill him, arguing she had no free will to prevent her response. Injured, Jon picks up the gun and must decide if he will kill himself, or his wife.