The Curse

         

         

The Curse

         

Written By

         

Joseph McCormick

The Curse

          Robert Langley, a defense lawyer in his mid-thirties, picked up the pace as he dashed through the crowded city streets, the gloomy, overcast afternoon reflecting his frazzled state. He was late for a meeting, his mind preoccupied with an upcoming case, which is why he barely noticed the old woman until he collided with her, sending her basket of colorful scarves scattering across the sidewalk.

          “Watch where you're going!” Her voice was low, ominous. You didn't see me or what? No, I guess not, and that's because you, and those like you, don't see the little people, the invisible ones like me, do you? However, today that will change for I've decided to open your eyes.

          Robert, with his balance recovered, scoffed as he watched her pick up the scarves. “And what do you mean by that?”

          “Mean? Oh, you'll find out soon enough. This is when her bony fingers, of her left hand, clamped down on one of Robert's wrists which caused him to yank his arm away.

          “Hey, what the heck did you just do?” Robert yelled, trying to shake off the creepy feeling of cold that she had just injected into him with her touch.”

          “I opened your eyes like I said I would.”

          “You're crazy?”

         “No, but in time you will think that you are when Mother Nature calls forth the curse. A curse that will come from your very own lips. And each time that she does this very thing, you will regret we ever met, or perhaps, you won't. Only time will tell.”

         “Like I already do, you insane old hag. Someone should be put into a cage, then dumped into a hole where nobody can find you,” Robert muttered as he hurried away, her words echoing ominously in his mind. /justify}


         

#

          The next morning, Robert awoke and went about his per-work routine, trying to shake off the unsettling encounter which he managed to do by the time he exited the building with his black briefcase in hand. It was here, after taking a few steps down the sidewalk, he glanced up at the sky then remarked.

          “Well, it looks like it could rain today. I should've brought an umbrella with me.” This is when the sky went dark. Thick, menacing clouds rolled in, casting an unnatural shadow over the city, which in turn caused a fierce wind to whip through the streets. This happened just seconds before a torrential downpour began.

         And as the trees bent and cracked, and windows shattered, Robert stumbled backward then turned and raced towards his apartment building. The storm seemed to focus on him as he stumbled along, the rain hammered against the windows and sidewalk with a ferocity he had never witnessed before. The thunder rumbled overhead as lightning flashed across the sky with blinding intensity. It hit a car next to him. Struck a tree near the steps that he was racing up. And once inside, Robert watched in horror as the streets flooded within minutes, cars floating and crashing into each other.

         This is when he recalled what the woman said and the curse. But it can't be real, he thought, water dripping from his drenched clothing. It just can't be. But what if it is? What if I caused this? He wiped the water out of his eyes and continued to watch the calamity taking place outside as this last what if question played over and over again in his mind like a never-ending record.

         

#

          As the days passed, and Robert found himself living in constant fear of the weather. He avoided speaking of it, even in casual conversation, terrified of triggering another disaster. He became obsessed with what the woman had said on that day and also where to find her. Before the collision with her had taken place he had noticed she was always hanging around that general area selling her wares and now she was nowhere. She had just vanished. She had to be found. She just had to be.

          Robert scoured the city, visiting markets and asking anyone who might know of her whereabouts. His search led him to a run-down part of town, where he found a woman who recognized his description of the gypsy.

          “You're looking for Madame Youbain,” the woman said, her voice tinged with caution. “And that's not good. You should stop looking for her because she doesn't like to be disturbed. Not by anyone. She could get vert angry at me if I told you where she is and I wouldn't want that.”

          “But I need to see her,” Robert insisted. “It's a matter of life or death. I have to see her.”

          The woman thought it over for a moment then gave him directions which guided him to a small alley where a dim light flickered from a tent adorned with colorful fabrics and odd trinkets. The overall look of what he was seeing gave off a strong sense of foreboding. He didn't want to go any further, but he knew he had to. He knew it had to end here. He slowly began to walk towards the tent all the while wondering if the ending he was looking for would end up being his own?”

         

#

          When the flap of the tent opened, just seconds after he had called out to her, his heart skipped a beat. Then after she had emerged, with those same piercing eyes, his heart began to lightly pound. And when she took a step towards him, he took a step back and said, “What happened was an accident.”

         “And therefore, you have come to apologize to Madame Youbain for your rudeness, is that right?”

          “If that's what it will take to get rid of it,” Robert said.”

          She smiled.

         “Then do that. I'm all ears. Let's hear it.”

          “And I bet that you are. Anyhow, I'm sorry okay. I'm sorry from the bottom of my heart. Now, lift the curse. It must be removed.”

          Madame Youbain studied him for a few moments, then shook her head and said, “You know, apologies are just words. It takes time to learn a lesson. It takes effort. Real effort. Now, go and embrace this truth. And if indeed you learn enough, then I promise that the curse will fade away.”

          “But I can't leave. Not until the curse is gone. You have to dispel it. I can't live this way,” Robert said.

          “But you must,” she countered. “You have a lesson to learn.”

          “And I've already learned it. Trust me I have. What more can I do to convince you of this? What more? Tell me and I'll do it”

          “Of which, I already have,” she said, her expression softened, but not by much. “Now, go away or I'll make the curse much worse. Much, much worse.”


         

#

          Determined to break loose from the invisible yoke that had been placed on him, Robert threw himself into helping others. He volunteered at shelters and even aided in clean-up efforts no matter what they were, but still, the whammy remained as Robert discovered on one frigid winter morning when he, trying to find a way around the curse, commented to a colleague about the freezing temperatures. He said, “perfect weather for Frosty the Snowman if it would, you know what?” Well, Mother Nature knew what. She started by darkening the sky; then came the heavy snow.

          A snow, that within hours, smothered the city. Roads became death traps, power lines snapped under the weight of the snow, and thick layers of ice formed on every outside surface to be found. The city became motionless. Robert found himself trapped in his apartment, the cold seeping through the walls. He tried his best to stay warm and prevent the polar air from coming in, but nothing worked. Nothing. It was on a quest to get under his skin and dig deep into the bones. Turn him into a frozen sculpture. Drain the life right out of him. Robert refused to go down. He piled on the blankets and shivered beneath them.

          He also spent days isolated, just him and his thoughts, it was excruciating. He rationed what little food he had. The blizzard seemed unending, the snow piling higher and higher. When the storm did subside, Robert emerged to find a city transformed into a frozen wasteland. Trees and cars were buried, and the streets were silent and deserted.

         

#

          Spring brought a brief respite, but Robert remained vigilant, careful. He had learned to fear the power of his words and the destructive forces they could unleash. Despite his best efforts, another slip of the tongue brought about a new catastrophe.

          “It's so windy today,” he said to a friend while they were out walking. And that's when the sky darkened, and the wind picked up. Within minutes, a funnel cloud formed, touching down with a roar that shook the ground. Robert and his friend raced to safety as the tornado tore through the city, reducing buildings to rubble and scattering debris for miles. Robert's home was among the casualties, leaving him homeless and destitute. The once proud lawyer now found himself reliant on the kindness of strangers, moving from shelter to shelter as he tried to rebuild his shattered life.

         

#

          Summer arrived, bringing with it the hope of gentler weather. But on one hot day, Robert found himself musing about the heat. “Boy, I wonder what the temp is. It's sure hot out here. Should've grabbed some ice when we were in the store. Oh well, the storm, coming in this afternoon, will, it doesn't matter. Never mind,” he said to a volunteer at the shelter.

          And no sooner did he speak these words did the sky turn an eerie green. The air grew thick and still, then, with a sudden roar, hailstones the size of baseballs began to fall. The hail pummeled the city, shattering windows, denting cars, and injured anyone caught in it. Robert watched in terror as the roof of the shelter almost caved in. Seeing this, he got an urge to help and help he did.

          He sprinted out of the shelter and began to guide people to safety using whatever he could shield them with. This went on until the relentless onslaught of hail subsided. It seemed like an eternity before it did. When all was said and done, the city, once again, was left battered and bruised. The destruction was extensive, and Robert felt the weight of guilt heavier than ever.

         

#

          As summer continued, Robert remained guarded, but the curse had a way of catching him when he least expected it. During a conversation at a rebuilding site, he commented on the pleasant weather.

          “I do hope that it stays like this, nice and mild. I don't much like the heat. Even less so if it goes on for days,” he said, then noticed, all of a sudden, that it was getting hotter by the minute. A feeling of despair took him over as the temperature continued to rise, climbing to dangerous levels.

          The city sweltered under the oppressive heat, and soon, water supplies dwindled, and power grids struggled to keep up with the demand for air conditioning. People suffered from heat exhaustion, and fires broke out in the dry conditions.

          Robert joined efforts to distribute water and help those most affected by the heatwave. The intense heat lasted for days, pushing the city to its limits. It was only through the collective effort of the community that they managed to prevent greater disaster.

         

#

          Autumn brought a semblance of relief, but the curse was unforgiving. On one evening, Robert found himself worrying aloud about a weather forecast that he had heard. It was pertaining to the upcoming week. He said, to a neighbor, “I do hope that we don't get too much, you know, drinking water, next week? The city's still working hard to recover from everything else.”

          Mother Nature would not be fooled. She brought the rain. It started as a trickle, then a steady downpour, and not much time after that it escalated into a deluge. Rivers overflowed, and the city's drainage systems were overwhelmed. Streets turned into rivers, and homes were submerged. Robert found himself in the midst of another disaster, helping to evacuate people from their flooded homes.

          The floodwaters rose at a quick pace forcing Robert, without care for his own safety, to wade through chest-deep water to reach those in need. He worked to the point of exhaustion, trying to minimize the damage and save as many lives as possible.

         

#

          As autumn continued, Robert remained ever cautious. But one evening, he found himself commenting on the beauty of a sunset to a friend. “What a beautiful evening. It's perfect. Not a cloud in the sky,” he said.

          That's when the sky darkened, and the wind picked up. Lightning began to flash, and thunder rumbled. The lightning storm that followed was like the first one that he had witnessed when the curse revealed itself to him, but, this one, was far more intense, far more brutal, far more frightening. Bolts of electricity struck with terrifying frequency, setting trees and buildings on fire.

          Robert and his friend, darting one way, then another, managed to avoid being struck as they ran for cover. The city lit up with the fires started by the persistent lightning. Emergency services were stretched thin, and Robert joined in efforts to control the fires and help those affected by the strikes.

         

#

          Winter approached, and Robert hoped that the colder weather might bring some relief. But one day, while discussing the forecast with a colleague, a subject he was trying to avoid, he let slip a comment about the dry conditions.

          “Yeah, you might be right,” he said. “It's kind of odd how dry it is for this time of the year. Dry and dusty. By the way, windy, I meant to say Wendell, says howdy.”

          And so did Mother Nature. She said hi too by unleashing a wind that began to howl. A wind that gathered speed, and along with it, a huge amount of dust from the ground. The thick cloud, of this very fine material, swept through the city, reducing visibility to almost nothing, and clogging the air with these particles. People struggled to breathe, and machinery grounded to a halt as the dust infiltrated every crevice.

          Robert wrapped a scarf around his face and joined efforts to distribute masks and help those most affected by the storm. The city took days for the air to clear and for life to return to a semblance of normalcy.


         

#

          Despite all of the devastation, and the never-ending cycle of disasters, Robert remained hopeful that one day this curse would be lifted. He continued his efforts to help those affected by what he had caused. He assisted, as much as possible, in the rebuilding efforts that were taking place, as well as, providing support to those who were struggling to get by. And while doing so, he began to understand the deeper meaning behind the curse. It wasn't just about being careful with his words; it was about learning empathy, humility, and the importance of community.

          One day, while helping to rebuild a community center damaged by the tornado, Robert looked up at the sky and noticed that dark clouds were forming on the horizon. This is when he turned to a friend and said, “Hey Tom, take a gander over there. It looks like we've got another storm coming in and this one appears to be bad, but still, we'll be okay. I just know it. That is, of course, if we all stick together and I know that we will. And I know this Tom because everyone counts. Every single person. We all matter. This I now know. From the big to the small, from the rich to the poor, we all matter. And there are no exceptions.”

          This is when the clouds, on the horizon, stopped moving towards Robert and those around him. The clouds, then dispersed, leaving behind a bright, clear sky. Robert in that moment, to his utter astonishment, knew that the curse, the bringer of plagues, had been broken and with it a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

         

#

          With the curse now gone, Robert, in the days that came after, took time on a few occasions to ponder over the many things that he had gone through. And, as he did, he realized how much he had changed. He just never imagined that such a huge transformation within him could take place. The curse had taught him so much. It taught him the true value of a person, and also, how he, himself, was part of something far larger.

          These were some of the lessons, of many others, that he would never forget. And it was all thanks to Madame Youbain. And every time, that he saw a storm cloud, he was reminded of the power of words and the responsibility that came with them. And though he never saw the gypsy woman again, he felt her presence in every act of kindness and every moment of gratitude.

          In the end, the curse that had once been a nightmare had become a blessing; a guide to a better Robert; to a greater understanding of the meaning of life; and he was grateful for the lessons learned. And with every clear, sunny day; or cloudy day; or rainy day; or snowy day; that followed, he was reminded of these lessons and how important the little people of the world are. The biggest lesson of them all.


         

The End