Slidell's Secrets

Slidell has a memory problem, and without a past he can’t see that he has a future. He recalls only bits and pieces, most of those only recent. Doctors and psychologists haven’t helped him, so he’s turned to a palm reader. Meanwhile, his life seems to be falling apart. Largely through his own doing, he’s homeless and unemployed.

Slidell’s first visit to the palm reader Madame Petrovic gave him hope because she seemed to understand him. So he goes back for another reading. Getting to Madame Petrovic’s house the second time is a challenge because of a snowstorm. Snow confuses him, and he has to trudge uphill many blocks through the storm. Once there, he warms up and dries out with the help of hot tea and a kind of magical fireplace.

When the reading starts, it’s all cordial at first. But soon Madame Petrovic pulls back the curtain on Slidell’s memory. Together, Slidell and the palm reader come to realize he’s been traumatized by a murder that shocks both of them. The palm reader wants a peaceful parting and no followup, but Slidell only grows angrier with this woman he had counted on so much.