The Day of Bad Omens.

I am a superstitious person – I always spit over my left shoulder if a black cat cross my path; look in the mirror if I forget something and have to return home; knock on the wood to avoid bad luck. I cannot say that I wholeheartedly believe in those little rituals, but they give me a peace of mind. So, I keep following them, and make my family and friends to do the same.

Today by all the standards was the day of bad omens. It was a gloomy day to start with. One of those annihilated of colours day, which rub you of energy. Steeped in the murky grey, with moist wind bringing the slightly sweet breath of something rotten, it reminded me of the Fields of Asphodel, or at least how I imagine them. Unfortunately, I had to get out of the house...

I came out of the house and crossed the road… right in front of the funeral procession. It is never a good sign either in reality or in the dreams. I glanced at the license plate of the hearse – its two repeated letters added to my initials. “Spooky”, I thought, and hurried to turn onto the first street. Out of nowhere the black cat rushed to the other side of it, causing me to loose my footing. “This is weird, really weird”, murmured I under my breath, spitting dutifully over my left shoulder. Funeral procession, my initials on the license plate of a hearse and a black cat, interesting!

Getting off the bus, I lost the clasp of my earring. Not a particularly bad sign, but not something pleasant either.

When I came to school for a bake sale, as I promised to my kids, the bake sale was long over; they unexpectedly sold all their cookies and cakes in the first hour.

We arrived home to be greeted by a big crow sitting on our roof. It tragically cawed and flew away.

I could only shake my head and exclaimed, “Oh come on already, this is too much.” I decided “to keep calm and carry on”, but just in case warned my husband to check on me tomorrow...


"Keep calm and carry on", a message fly-posted around Britain during World War Two. Always appropriate.