A couple returned cheerfully from an unforgettable birthday dinner.
Chloé was walking home with her husband Thomas after the restaurant where they had marked her birthday. The evening had gone off without a hitch: the place was packed with family members and work colleagues. Chloé saw many of those faces for the first time, but Thomas had invited them all, so it was unavoidable.
She wasnt one to challenge Thomass choices; she disliked arguments. It was easier for her to go along with his opinion than to defend her own.
Chloé, are your keys buried deep in your bag? Can you grab them?
She fumbled with her purse, feeling for the keys. Suddenly a sharp sting made her jump, and she dropped the bag onto the floor.
Why are you screaming?
I pricked myself on something.
Given the chaos inside that bag, its not surprising!
Chloé stayed silent, picked up the purse and carefully retrieved the keys. They entered their flat, and the incident faded from her mind. Exhausted, her legs ached and she only wanted to take a shower before bed.
The next morning she awoke with a throbbing pain in her hand; her finger was red and swollen. She recalled the night before, grabbed her bag and inspected it. After a thorough search she found, at the bottom, a large rusted needle.
What on earth is that? she muttered, unable to understand how the object had ended up there. She tossed the bizarre find into the trash, then went to the firstaid kit to disinfect the wound. After bandaging her reddened finger, Chloé headed to work, but by lunchtime she felt feverish.
She called Thomas:
Thomas, I dont know what to do. Yesterday I must have caught an infection. I have a fever, a headache, and my muscles ache. I found a big rusted needle in my bag and its what pricked me!
You should see a doctor; you never know, it could be serious.
Dont worry, I cleaned the wound, Ill be fine.
Hour after hour her condition worsened. Barely finishing the workday, she took a taxi home, unable to endure public transport. Once inside, she collapsed onto the sofa and fell asleep.
In her dream she saw her grandmother Marie, who had died when Chloé was very young. Though she could not explain how, she knew it was truly her grandmother. Frail and bent, the figure would have frightened many, but Chóe felt the elder was there to help.
The grandmother led her through a field, pointing out which herbs to gather, telling her to brew an infusion to cleanse her body. She warned that someone wanted her harm, but urged her to stay alive to fight back; time was short.
Chloé woke sweating. It felt as if she had slept for hours, but only moments had passed. The front door slammed; Thomas had arrived. She slipped off the sofa, went to the hallway, and when he saw her he gasped:
Whats happening to you? Look at yourself in the mirror!
She approached the mirror. The night before she had seen a smiling womans face; now she barely recognized the gaunt, dullhaired reflection with dark circles, a pallid complexion, and a vacant stare.
What is going on?
Remembering the dream, she told him:
I dreamed of my grandmother. She told me what to do
Chloé, get dressed, were going to the hospital.
No, I wont go anywhere. Grandmother said doctors cant help me.
A heated argument erupted. Thomas called her crazy, accused her of hallucinating about her grandmother. For the first time they fought violently. Thomas insisted on forcing her to the hospital.
If you refuse, Ill drag you there by the throat.
Chloé jerked away, lost her balance, and hit a corner. Enraged, Thomas snatched the bag, slammed the door, and stormed out. She managed just enough strength to text her employer, explaining she was ill and would stay home for a few days.
Thomas returned late that night, begging for forgiveness. All she said was:
Take me to the village where my grandmother lived tomorrow.
When she woke again, she looked more like a specter than a healthy young woman. Thomas kept pleading:
Chloé, stop this madness, lets go to the hospital. I dont want to lose you.
Yet they set off for the village. The only thing Chloé could recall was its name; she hadnt visited since her parents sold her grandmothers house after her death. Throughout the journey she slept, unsure which field to aim for, but as they neared the village she sprang awake and told Thomas:
Its that way.
She stumbled out of the car, collapsed onto the grass, exhausted, but certain she was exactly where her grandmother had guided her. She located the herbs from the dream, returned home, and Thomas prepared the decoction according to her instructions. She sipped it slowly, each mouthful easing her pain a little.
She managed to crawl to the bathroom; when she stood she noticed her urine was black. Rather than frighten her, it confirmed her grandmothers words:
The evil will come out
That night she dreamed of her grandmother again, who smiled and spoke:
A curse was cast on you through that rusted needle. My remedy will restore your strength, but only temporarily. You must find who did this and return the malice. I cant see the culprit, but they are linked to your husband. Had you not thrown that needle away, I could have told you more. Anyway
Heres what to do: buy a box of needles, and on the largest recite this incantation: Night spirits, you who have lived, hear me, specters of darkness, bring truth forth. Surround me! Show me, aid me, find my enemy. Then slip the needle into your husbands bag. The one who placed the curse will be pricked, and well know who it is, allowing us to send the evil back to its sender.
After saying this, her grandmother faded like mist.
Chloé awoke still very ill but confident she would recover with her grandmothers help. Thomas decided to stay home to care for her. He was surprised when she announced she needed to go to the store alone:
Chloé, you can barely stand. Let me come with you.
No, Thomas, make me a soup; I have the appetite of a ogre after this virus.
She followed exactly what her grandmother had instructed in the dream. That same evening, the enchanted needle was hidden in Thomass bag. Before bed he asked:
Are you sure you can manage on your own? Maybe I should stay with you a bit longer?
Ill be fine.
Chloé felt better, yet she sensed the malevolence still lingered, moving within her as it did in him. The remedy shed been taking for three days acted like an antidote, and she felt it irritated whatever resided inside her.
She waited anxiously for Thomass return from work, greeting him at the door with the first question:
How was your day?
All good, why do you ask?
She began to doubt the effectiveness of her plan, but Thomas suddenly added:
This sounds crazy, but today Irène from the next department tried to help me find my office key in my bag while I was juggling files. She got pricked by a needle in my bag. She stared at me with such fury I thought shed kill me with her eyes.
Whats your connection to this Irène?
Chloé, look. Youre the only one I love, not Irène or anyone else.
He confirmed Irène had been at the birthday dinner, explaining how the rusted needle ended up in Chloés purse. Thomas then went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.
Later that night Chloé dreamed of her grandmother again, who showed her how to transfer the curse onto Irène. Her grandmother explained that Irène, through magic, wanted to push Chloé aside and take her place beside Thomas. If she couldnt achieve it naturally, she would resort to sorcery, and she would stop at nothing.
Chloé obeyed every instruction. Soon after, Thomas told her that Irène was on sick leave, gravely ill, with doctors at a loss.
Chloé suggested they visit her grandmothers village cemetery the following weekend, a place she hadnt returned to since the burial. She bought a bouquet, put on gloves, and cleared the overgrown grave. She struggled to locate Maries stone, but when she arrived she saw her grandmothers photograph on the tomb. It was indeed she who had appeared in her dreams to save her.
She cleaned the grave, placed the flowers in a water bottle, sat on a bench and whispered:
Grandmother, Im sorry I didnt come sooner. I thought an annual visit by my parents was enough, but I was wrong. Ill come more often now. If you hadnt been there, I probably wouldnt be alive today.
A gentle hand seemed to rest on her shoulder; she turned, seeing only a light breeze.
A Couple Cheerfully Returns from an Unforgettable Birthday Dinner Celebration.
