Thread by @gigideegee

Because Twitter's character limit recently increased, I tried writing an experimental short story in 280-character tweets. I'll post it in this thread first, but after that, I'll also upload the entire story to this URL: gigidigi.itch.io/divine
Please enjoy... 🔥

In a cave by a town by the sea, there lived a being with the power to see all. The past, the future, and even the darkest secrets of the heart were laid bare in their sight. The townspeople called them the Diviner, and dared not approach.

One stormy day, a girl ventured into the cave against her neighbors' warnings. "The Diviner will curse you," she was told. "They will whisper fear into your heart." But nothing could deter her until her curiosity was sated.

A figure appeared before the girl.
"Are you the Diviner?" she asked. "I've heard kingdoms were built and wars were won on your wisdom."
The Diviner spoke. "It is so."
"Then, please, I have to know...

Can you do, like...a love fortune?"

"Like. OK. This cute boy in my class lent me his pen 'cuz I forgot mine at home? And I'm freaking out, 'cuz like, y'know how you act nice to someone and they get totally the wrong idea? Like 'damn, girl, chill, it's a pen.' But he's just so...y'know? What if he's the one?!"

Beyond the entrance to the cave, The Diviner's home was surprisingly warm and hospitable. "Yours is the first request I've heard in a long time," they said, "and certainly the humblest I've ever heard." But they were not insulted.

Handing her a thin slip of paper, the Diviner said, "Write your query." And when the girl had done so, it was thrown onto the hearth. The fire grew into a violent blaze too bright to look at, but the Diviner's gaze remained fixed, pressing intently into something unseen.

After the flames died down, the Diviner announced, "I've looked upon his future. You are not in it."
"Oh." The girl kicked the floor softly. "Well, that sucks."
"The truth is often unkind."
"I guess so. I was really hoping, though."

As she made her way out of the cave, the girl turned to the Diviner with a playful grin. "Maybe the next time I meet a cute guy, I'll come back."
"If you like," replied the Diviner.
And they parted.

A few weeks passed before the girl reappeared in the gloomy entryway.
"I hope you didn't think I was kidding!"
A new boy had caught her eye, and she was sure this one was her destiny. (When the Diviner gave her a look, she added "almost sure.")

Again, the question was written and cast into the fire. Again, the Diviner perceived something the girl's eyes could not. And again, they announced, "You are not in his future."
But this time, the girl smiled. "Forget him, then! Now that I think about it, he's not all that."

This continued for a while. The girl would arrive at the Diviner's doorstep with a new crush every week or so. Dozens of paper slips burned up in the fire, and even as the seasons changed, the answer did not.
"You are not in his future."

"...But, if it's any comfort, he would be an awful boyfriend."
"God, I bet. He wouldn't even lend me his pen in class. But he's hot, y'know?"
"Beware--I have seen great evil in this boy's heart. Like his taste in movies."
"Oh my god, stop!"

The little cave rang with laughter. Snacks from town were strewn across the table (the Diviner didn't often eat, but the girl insisted they try a few of her favorites).
When the conversation lulled, the girl asked, "Do you ever do this? Like, for yourself?"

The Diviner sat still, remembering.
"In a time of war, my power was given by the gods to benefit your people. Now, the need has expired. I have looked long into the future and seen peace. But the fire of knowledge cannot be extinguished. I remain its guardian."

"It's a dull task, I confess. On occasion, I pass the hours with trivial inquiries into the fire."
The girl leaned close. "About cute guys."
"No."
And they laughed together the rest of the evening.

On their next meeting, after the slip had burned and the divination had been announced, something unusual happened.
Watching the ashes in the fire, the girl sighed, "I wonder when I'm actually going to find somebody."
The Diviner said nothing.

"Wait! Can't you see that?" She went to write a new query, energized by the realization.
But with sudden urgency, the Diviner gripped her arm. Their head hung low. Their voice, now a whisper, warned her, "The truth is unkind."

This, they confessed, had been one of their idle inquiries. They had gazed into the fire, into the future of the lovesick girl, and seen a lovesick old woman, sitting in her usual spot, waiting on another divination. This sad routine would continue until the end of her life.

The Diviner pitied her deeply. "Forget this," they begged. "You are so young. You can find joy without love."
But the girl ran off, heartbroken.

The girl had been the only human brave enough to venture toward the cave in decades, and after this meeting, no others came near for even longer.
"As it should be," thought the Diviner, sweeping the ashes away.
But even in the glow of the fire, the cave was cold.

The Diviner had lost track of the seasons by the time their next visitor appeared: an old woman with familiar eyes and a cheerful voice. In her hand was a paper shopping bag filled to the brim with snacks.
"I'm here to fulfill a prophecy," she said.

The Diviner saw that she had lived a lonely life. "I'm sorry."
"You should be," she chuckled. "So, I've got a few candidates today. There's the gentleman at the post office--or, actually, let's start with that waiter I always tip extra." She whispered, "He's a tad young though."

"Your future hasn't changed. You will not find love. Why come here?"
She laughed again, shaking her head. "When I was a girl, I would have thought you were telling me that to get me to go away... Now I realize you're just dense, bless your heart."

"You can see anything--really, anything!--and you can't tell when a girl is making excuses to spend time with you?"

The Diviner accepted her embrace in stunned silence. And after some time, they managed another "I'm sorry."
"I didn't come here to listen to you apologize, you old fool." She smiled wide. "Let's make up for lost time. I've still got plenty left, don't I?"

But in the years of laughter that followed, the Diviner never found an idle moment to cast this question into the fire.

Thank you for reading.

And just like that...the whole thing has been uploaded to itchio! gigidigi.itch.io/divine