Once upon a time…well, more like ten years ago, Calvin was a high-school sophomore bookworm. He loved to read classic literature, sci-fi, and mystery. He would often go to his school library during his free period. He was always a curious teen.

One day, during his free period, Calvin and two other bookworms, Stephen and Marjorie, also sophomores and Calvin’s best friends, found a secret door in the library. On the door was a letter that said: 

Beware

This is a secret room.

Unless you want to know your future,

Please  do not come in;

For this room can predict the future better 

than a psychic person. 

“Well, I want to know more about my future,” Marjorie told the boys. “Let’s go in!”

“Are you sure that’s safe?” Calvin wondered. “This might be dangerous.”

“I think we’ll be fine,” Stephen replied. 

The three bookworms walked into the secret room. The room was loaded with psychic books. There were books with titles such as:

The Wild Inventor: Stephen Grant

The Most Minacious Acrobatic Gymnast Who Is Also A Reckless Felonious Criminal – Marjorie Murphy

The room even had a section of banned books…written by Calvin himself! 

“I don’t understand,” remarked Calvin. “Why is our future being predicted as a treacherous one?”  

“I am unsure,” answered Marjorie. “If our future is treacherous, something must be wrong with us.”

“Oh! Are we procrastinators? Or are we being too dodgy? Maybe it’s the ghosts of our future coming to haunt us. We’d better get out of here before we get caught by Principal Kirby!” Stephen shrieked.

The three bookworms ran out of the library in the blink of an eye, but a little too quickly. They forgot to close the door to the secret chamber!

“That was close,” sighed a relieved Marjorie. “Am I going to be a ‘felonious criminal’ like the future story said?”

“I don’t know. I hope this is just a myth,” Calvin replied. “Come on, we need to get to chemistry.” 

<————————>

After the three bookworms left the door open, even more kids have broken into the chamber of psychic books, but none of them were as interested as the three bookworms. Calvin, Stephen, and Marjorie were in their classes, wondering if the psychic books were actually precise in their predictions. 

The next day, the bookworms went back into the chamber of psychic books during their free period.  

“I see a book about the sun exploding!” Stephen pointed out a book called: 

The Exploding Sun Apocalypse Coming Soon: Life or Death? 

“That won’t happen for at least 5 billion years,” remarked Marjorie. “Does this say I will get a concussion at my next gymnastics meet?” She showed the boys a book called:

Marjorie Murphy’s Critical Gymnastics Concussion

“That never happens, Marge. I’m sure you’re going to be okay,” Calvin commented. 

<————————>

At Marjorie’s gymnastics meet that weekend, she attempted to do her first front aerial. However, as the psychic book said, she got a concussion instead of a perfect landing. Usually, she’s on the podium, but this meet was different. Instead of winning a first, second, or third-place medal, she won a trip to the emergency room for an MRI.  

<————————>

A week after her concussion, when Marjorie returned to school, she advised the boys not to go into the chamber of psychic books anymore.

“What the book said was true,” she said sadly. 

“We should still go in, though,” Calvin replied. He was interested in knowing if the books would still have other treacherous predictions of the future.

“Fine,” sighed Marjorie as the trio walked back into the chamber. 

“This book says I will become a lawyer someday!” Stephen read. 

“Oh, thank goodness. Our predicted futures are less wacky now,” Marjorie uttered. “This book says I will be a pro gymnast and write a book based on this experience!”

“This book says I will be an English teacher and novelist. This also says we will all get into Cornell University someday!” Calvin exclaimed.

<————————>

Eight years later, all three bookworms became graduates from Cornell University. Their job predictions from the psychic books were true, and they all had professions lined up for after college. Marjorie got a book deal and got a spot on a professional gymnastics team. Stephen was headed to law school. Calvin was writing a sci-fi mystery novel and got a job as an English teacher at the high school that the three bookworms used to attend. 

The secret psychic book chamber was still in the library and its predictions were still coming true. Over the last eight years, the predictions about the bookworms were far more accurate than they ever expected. 

“Hey,” Calvin said in the middle of their graduation party. “A psychic book from high school predicted the sun will explode. When will that happen?”

“You remember that?!” Marjorie wondered. “Calvin, that’s like 5 billion years from now. We don’t even have to worry about that!” 

The three bookworms started giggling, but then Stephen got a nervous look on his face. 

“Are you sure? Did the book predict the year?” he worried. 

THE END