Foreshadowing

It is a warning or indication that something is going to happen in the future. It is usually about something bad or harmful that is going to happen. Foreshadowing doesn't necessarily need to predict the future in its exact words either. An example is in the Monkey's Paw, when the soldier tells them that the Paw is dangerous. He had told them that bad thing happened to him when he used. That is foreshadowing by showing that if they take the paw something bad is most likely going to happen. Also, in the story The Hills like White Elephants, they are forshadowing that Jig, the woman, will get an abortion, or she will get some type of operation. They are both nervous about the operation and unsure what to do because they are unsure what the future holds. Another example is an the story, "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon". In the story, Trisha meets face-to-face with the animal that was stalking her in the woods. The reader predicted this was going to happen, because Trisha discovered dead animals torn apart, as well as trees being destroyed. In addition, Trisha saw the image of the animal, except it was bees forming the shape of the animal.
 * Foreshadowing**

http://contemporarylit.about.com/cs/literaryterms/g/foreshadowing.htm

Foreshadowing is an old literary device. Uses of it occur before the development of the novel in the 18th century. Both [|Chaucer] and [|Shakespeare] employed foreshadowing , as did [|Dante]. In short poems, foreshadowing  may not be particularly effective, but in longer poems, which were frequently the writing style of the Middle Ages,  foreshadowing  is very effective and important.