In 1000 BC, a wealthy man named Manimenesh hosts a dinner party in his home in Audoghast, Africa. Seated with him are a poet, a trader, and a doctor. They feast on the finest foods and look out over the town. They notice that a lot of people are lined up to see a recently-arrived fortune teller, so they call him over. When the fortune-teller comes to see them, he has terrible news. He sees that Audoghast will be destroyed in the centuries to come, that the doctor will die a horrible death, that a king will come to rule over them all, and that their works will be destroyed. The fortune-teller is sent out without so much as a penny because he angers the man. The poet seems the most affected by the fortune teller’s prophecies, but Manimenesh comforts him, claiming that Africa would always be luxurious and there will always be slaves to do their bidding. The men laugh, relieved, and forget about the ominous future that awaits them all.