He noticed the crystal ball on the oracle's table. “I take it that this is what shows us the future?”
"Nah." Her face flashed briefly into view beneath her hood as she lit another cigarette. "You didn't do your homework, did you? Looking in from outside, the crystal ball shows you the past. Looking out from inside, it shows you the future. Here, let me show you how it works.”
She cradled her fingers atop the orb, and within, he saw himself right where he was twenty minutes prior, wandering along the pavement towards his appointment. He remembered the pang of familiarity that had struck him at that illuminated moment as he inhaled a passing stranger's smoke. These events were connected.
"I came here to see the future, though. Is there supposed to be a ball around here that’s big enough for me to fit inside?”
She chuckled. "Honey, you don't need one bigger than this. You were just inside it. See?" She gestured towards his oblivious image. "You just weren't paying close enough attention to recognize where you were. Like I said, you should have done your homework. You can make another appointment if you'd like, but from now on, you’ll have to keep your eyes open.”
The oracle's clients speak highly of her past experiences.
There's more than one way to get in touch with one's past self.
The entire past can be seen at once in the largest crystal ball of all.