Black Thumb

I’m a product surveyor. I went to a remote mountain region to research a certain kind of honey, and during the trip, I accidentally pricked my thumb on a tree thorn.

The next day, my thumb mysteriously turned black. When our guide, Lao Yu, saw it, his face turned pale with fright. He asked whether I had encountered a funeral procession on the way there.

I remembered that we had indeed passed a hearse on the way.

Lao Yu then asked whether I had hidden my thumb at the time.

The taxi driver had indeed urged me to hide it, saying it was a local custom: “When you meet a funeral, hide your thumb.”

I shook my head. Lao Yu sighed and said, “There’s a second part to that custom: ‘When your thumb turns black, your life is soon to be taken.’”