Concerning the T.G. Hueler Archive of Oracular Texts Daily Fortune Book

by Rudi Dornemann

The T.G. Hueler Archive of Oracular Texts was founded in 1913, when a wave of anti-German sentiment left half the European collection room empty in the library of Snelson University.

Three crows turning in a clouded sky. Misfortune transformed to unexpected fortune.
— The Wheat Stalk Predictory, Brownville, Nebraska, 1881.

In the 1920’s, the archivists began a daily tradition of randomly choosing a prediction from one of the oracles and copying it into a large accounting book.

On a Thursday, a new moon in a cloudless sky betokens a chance meeting with an old acquaintance. On a Friday, it means bad news that has traveled a great distance.
— Proverbs from the Tchul Archipelago, New Haven, Connecticut, 1932.

By the mid-1950’s, the archive’s books of prophecy, fortune-telling, proverbs, and superstitions had taken over most of the basement in south wing.

Sand in one’s pockets: a sure sign a steady income will soon be found.
— Lunenhalt’s Almanac (translated), Basel, Switzerland, 1847.

In the late 1989, a fire razed most of Snelson’s old campus, including the library, and only fragments of the collection were sifted from the ashes.

Anvil. Lemon. Whippoorwill.
–The Oracle of the Nouns, place and date of publication unknown.

The staff lounge Daily Fortune Book, however, had grown to three ledgers, and was luckily down in the conservator’s lab in the most fireproof sub-basement, being bound into a single volume.

All in flammes devour’ed. All save one.
–The Wisdome of the Elements, Devonshire, England, 1714.

The conservators included several hundred blank pages for future entries, and the librarians in the new library’s rare book room transcribe one of the charred fragments from the old library into it each day.

To run wearing a blue hat brings dreams of snake. Singing in a green scarf induces premonitions of the next day’s weather.
–title, place of publication, and date unknown

A work-study employee in the rare book room calculated there are fragments for three years worth of entries.

If an odd number of grains of rice remain, success. If an even number, failure. If the number is divisible by three, the outcome may be altered by great effort.

This didn’t worry anyone until today’s entry:
There may be fortunes without days, but not days without fortunes.

The library staff has petitioned the board of trustees for funds to begin acquiring books and reestablish the archive.