The Thumbprint of Doom

"The Thumbprint of Doom" is the tenth and final short story in Even More Tales to Give You Goosebumps.

Plot
Trisha is spending her summer vacation with her best friend, Jeremy. Unfortunately for her, Jeremy's nerdy cousin, Harold will also be spending the summer with him. While walking down the street, the three of them meet Carla, the new girl in town. Carla is highly superstitious and reluctant to do anything that might bring bad luck. Carla then brings up the Thumbprint of Doom, her greatest fear. She reveals that if someone casts it on your forehead, something horrible will happen in twenty-four hours. Trisha and Jeremy find the story absurd, but Carla's superstitions seem to rub off on Harold.

As their summer continues, Carla's superstitions keep getting in the way of their fun. In attempts to cure her, Trisha hatches a plan. She convinces Carla to accompany them to the fair. Carla is cautious, as the stars aren't right, but Trisha and Jeremy pry. They forcefully drag the terrified Carla to the fair's fortune teller, Madame Wanda. The fortune teller takes a hold of her and begins to panic. She warns Carla of a terrible future in store for her and gives her the Thumbprint of Doom. Carla freaks out and runs out of the tent.

Jeremy and Trisha follow behind and tells her it was simply a joke. Carla replies that she knows and reveals that she has the power to give the Thumbprint of Doom. Carla says that now that they know her secret, she must curse them. She presses her thumb into each of their foreheads and the three run off in terror. Carla laughs, and the fortune teller asks how long it will take before the two kids realize she doesn't truly have magical power. Carla hopes they will soon, and thanks Madame Wanda — now revealed to be her mother — for helping her.

Trivia

 * This is one of the few stories in the Tales to Give You Goosebumps series where nothing supernatural happens.
 * This story almost received a television adaptation but writer Neal Shusterman chose to do "Awesome Ants" instead, as he felt he could do more with it.