As a defeated Mahinda Rajapaksa slunk out of Sri Lanka's presidential palace, the astrologer who counselled him to call a disastrous early election was gloomily packing his bags on the other side of town.
"Not all of Nostradamus' predictions have come true either," said Sumanadasa Abeygunawardena as he reflected both on the fate of his vanquished boss and his own reputation as a seer.
"There was only so much I could do to help him win, maybe five per cent. But you must have luck to be the president."
The 63-year-old Abeygunawardena has been avoiding the media since last Thursday's election, his reputation having taken a pounding from veteran leader Rajapaksa's defeat to his rival Maithripala Sirisena.
During his increasingly authoritarian rule, the president became hugely reliant on his astrologer's counsel and even timed the announcement of the snap election after consulting Abeygunawardena.
On voting day, Rajapaksa appeared oblivious to his impending demise by declaring he was headed for "a resounding victory".
While the outcome spelt the end of Rajapaksa's decade in power, it was also a disaster for Abeygunawardena who had been lavishly rewarded by the man he calls "Our Sir" after advising him for 32 years.
In an interview with AFP, the normally ebullient Abeygunawardena admitted he was trying to keep a low profile for the moment while confident that the setback would not lead all his followers to desert him.
"I am avoiding talking to people, especially the media, but I have a big following and they will not abandon me," he said from his home in the coastal city of Galle.
