March 2026 SOLC–Day 20
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C. bounced up to me first thing this morning, a smile spread across her face. She thrust her hands in front of her.
“Mrs. Hogan, pick a number!”
I looked down to see a cootie catcher, also known as a fortune teller. My smile widened.
“Oh! These are fun,” I said, “I made these when I was young, too!”
“Pick a number!” she said again, bouncing up and down.
“Okay! Okay!” I laughed. “I’ll go with…three.”
She worked the cootie catcher three times and then stopped.
“Ok, now choose a color.”
I carefully scanned my color choices, and after a long pause, I chose teal.
She took her hands out of the cootie catcher and carefully pulled back the flap to reveal:
“You reach your dreams!” she exclaimed happily.
“Oh!” I said. “That’s a great fortune to get, and a nice way to start the day.”
She bopped over to her seat, and I walked away feeling pretty good about that fortune–especially since the last two times I’d gotten a Chinese fortune cookie, my cookie had been empty. Seriously. No fortune. Twice.In.A.Row. I had felt like I was in a Twilight Zone episode. So, obviously, an optimistic fortune this morning really felt like a win.
It felt even better when C. later confided that one of the other fortunes stated, “You will be sucked into a black hole.”
Phew! Close call!
Nix the comfort zone 
I’ve never heard of an empty fortune cookie before. That black hole sounds scary! I love that your student shared her cootie catcher w/ you. Kids only do that w/ teachers they adore. 🥰
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Getting two empty fortune cookies in a row was definitely unsettling! One of the servers was quick to respond with, “Oh, that means your future is wide open!” That was definitely a better interpretation than the alternative ones I was imagining.
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Good old fashion fun that never goes out of style! Love the cootie catcher fortune teller!
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In my day these were all the rage. We typically focused on how many children we would have and who we would marry. (insert eye roll here)
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This really is precious-and good thing you picked the right fortune. I was thinking boy/girl cotties or germ cooties with your title, but enjoyed a walk down memory lane with The Cootie Catcher.
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I’m really not sure why they’re called “cootie catchers” but I know some people do call them fortune tellers.
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Phew! So glad you didn’t get sucked into that black hole! (And who gets two fortune cookies in a row without a fortune?). You were due for a good fortune!
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The fortune cookie thing was definitely weird! I actually made fortune cookies once. It occurs to me (probably because I’m responding to you) that it would be fun to have kids write fortunes and then bake them into cookies and see who gets which one. I’m not seeing my energy level there right now, but it would be fun!
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so funny! I always called these fortune tellers.
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I think we called them both, but cootie catchers was more fun to say. Who knows how they got that name! I’m sure a google search would be revealing…
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You captured such an adorable small moment! I am glad you got the good fortune, not the ‘sucked in a black hole’ one!
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That was definitely a brutal fortune, and one I’m also glad I managed to avoid.
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Oh wow, I DO remember these! Such a fun slice.
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Who’s to say if getting sucked into a Black Hole is a bad thing?
It may take you on an endless Grateful Dead Tour!
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Who’s to say if getting sucked into a Black Hole is a bad thing?
It may take you on an endless Grateful Dead Tour!
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Oh, my gosh! That fortune, “You reach your dreams!” is perfect. And I can’t believe you have had two fortune cookies without fortunes. Twilight Zone to be sure.
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