The Foretelling

by Alice Hoffman

They thought women should be worthless, wives and slaves like their own kind. We were too strong ever to be worthless.

The weak are cruel, Cybelle said to me. The strong have no need to be.

Being anything other than what you truly are can only lead to sorrow and regret.

In the morning, when I left that place, I knew that I was made of sorrow. But sorrow is strong. It is lasting. You can’t deny it or get rid of it.

Each woman makes her own fortune, her own decisions.