"My aunt Ruth told me I was going to die in the desert."
Dr. White merely hummed as if she heard that fact a hundred times even though Tim was certain it was the first time he's mentioned it.
"When did she tell you this?" she asked.
"I think I was nine."
She paused from her notes and he caught the disbelief in her expression before professionalism took over and the objectivity settled back in.
"She also said I would find illumination there," he defended, although he didn't know why.
"Did you?"
"Did I, what?" Tim asked. He had to because he could have sworn she meant 'did you die?' and it didn't seem like her to ask that question.
"Did you find illumination?"
He thought about this for several minutes and then sadly smiled. "Maybe. I don't know."
"Do you believe your aunt's prophecy?"
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Well, she predicted that you would die and you didn't."
Tim merely shrugged. "I'm young. There's still time."