The Curse of Time

by Andreea Pryde

“Leah, forgive me. It’s your body, but I–”

  “It’s all right, Scarlett.”

  “Is it, Leah? Truly is it? And what about you? What about how you feel?”

  “It’s all right because I can tell how much you care for one another. We realised that these are the only moments when you can be together, even if only for a short while, so he asked my permission to kiss you, at least once. For me it’s a bit late, but I would love if you could be happy for as long as possible.”

  I felt heartbroken for her. Being forced into a life she never wanted; she could only witness the happiness of others. I could feel my eyes tearing up, tears of joy and sadness at the same time. When our lips finally split, I turned my back to him and lifting my skirts, I entered the fountain next to us, letting the cold water wash my hot tears. I didn't want to let him see me cry, I had my dignity.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked, amused.

  “I’m cooling off. It’s scorching today,” I said, but without facing him.

  “And what does Leah think about you destroying her dress?”

  “She’s laughing out loud.”

  And it was true. Leah was laughing so loud I could hardly hear my thoughts. She laughed so hard, she made me laugh as well.

  “Good, because I haven’t seen her even smiling for quite some time. Now I suggest you get out of there before you catch a cold. I don’t know how medicine is in your time, but here it leaves ugly marks.”

  “I would, but I can’t.”

  Chance looked at me, confused.

  “My dress is too heavy. I don’t even think I can stand up.”

  Now it was his turn to burst into laughter, and with a big step, he entered in the fountain next to me.

  “What are you doing? You’ll get wet, too,” I raised my voice, surprised.

  “I’m saving a damsel in distress.”

  He pulled me out without any effort, and still holding me, we watched the water flowing from our drenched garments. Slowly, he let me back on the ground, but his arms stayed on my waist a little while longer. We started laughing, but the fun ended when a powerful, authoritative voice thundered in our direction.

  “Leah!”

  It only took a moment for my whole body to commence shaking, my knees weakening, and my stomach curling. I was too scared to lift my gaze from the ground, to look in the face of the one who shouted, but these were not my feelings but Leah's.

  That was enough for her to push me back, where I could only be a spectator.

  "What's the meaning of this?" the man spoke again, who was now standing in front of her.

  With one step, Chance stood between the two and with a tone of false courtesy, intervened.

  "Allow me to explain, My Lord. I needed the lady's advice in a delicate matter regarding my sister, but because of the heat, she got dizzy and fell into the fountain. As you can see, I pulled her out."

  “Is that so . . .?”

  Terrified, she could only nod briefly with her head, but in the moment he clasped his hand on her arm, squeezing it tightly, Leah pushed me back, with one last effort before passing out.

  Chapter 22

  Sleep seemed to have left me completely. Feeling restless, I got off my bed and headed to the kitchen. Opening the cupboard, I came face to face with a cruel reality–I’d forgotten to buy coffee. Without any shops open at 5 a.m., and no gas station nearby, I let out an exasperated groan.

  Awesome way to start my day!

  Lingering around the living room any longer was pointless with nothing for me to do so I might as well take advantage of the early hour’s calmness and head to work. The tube was almost empty, a welcome change from the daily hustle.

  Unlocking the museum’s door, I tossed the keys in my bag and set the course towards the staff kitchenette. It didn’t take long for the small room to be filled by the sublime coffee aroma. A cheap one, but it made absolutely no difference to me. I had coffee, and that was all that mattered.

  On my way to my office/workshop, I didn’t even bother to open the lights, satisfied with the few rays entering through the windows from the streetlights in front of the museum. I couldn’t seem to figure out when I became so comfortable in this place. I could walk around with my eyes closed and still find my way without destroying anything. I wouldn’t try it at home, though.

  I reached my hand out to open the door but stopped midway, frowning. A strange sensation hit me, making me freeze in place for a moment. A dark, blood-like substance marked the slightly open door of my workshop, and the doorknob, still looked wet in the dim light. Taking a few steps back, I pressed a switch, turning on the lights in the corridor.

  The velvety matter around the doorknob was blood, indeed, but that wasn’t all. Here and there, along the same corridor I came, drips of blood stained the floor, leading inside my workshop. Juggling with my phone and coffee, I struggled to make a decision.

  Call the Police? The ambulance? The Director? Goddamit, there wasn’t supposed to be anyone here!

  A painful whimper coming from inside the room, got my attention. Placing my coffee mug on the floor, I stepped cautiously closer to the door. Pushing it softly, I expected some sort of animal to run past me at any moment, but it didn’t.

  Turning on the light, my heart jumped at the sight of the figure crouched in a corner, between books. With his knees gathered to his chest, hands covering his head, shaking and breathing unevenly, old man Gregor stared at me with a haunted look in his eyes. There was blood on both of his hands and on his face. I rushed to him, but as I got closer, his eyes became even larger and grabbing anything he could, he threw them at me, shouting.

  “No! No! Stay away from me! You monster! Monster!”

  “Gregor, it’s me, Scarlett,” I tried to calm him down, barely dodging a box of bloodied tissues.

  “Monster! You won’t get me!” He screamed like mad at the top of his lungs. “You won’t get me like the others! Stay away!”

  “Listen to me! There is no monster, you are safe here!” I tried to get closer, but I wasn’t prepared for the challenge. Flying towards me, a massive book bounced off my forehead, jerking me back.

  “Don’t come near me, you human-faced devil!”

  “Gregor, look at me!” I raised my voice enough to cover his. “It’s Scarlett, remember? We work together. You are safe here.”

  As if some sort of fog lifted from his eyes, he dashed towards me and grabbing my shoulders, he whispered terrified.

  “Scarlett, you need to get out of here. They are not human, none of them are.”

  “What are you talking about? Who are you talking about?”

  “They will come for me. I set my foot in their nest. He raised his hands above his head once more, as if protecting himself from some unseen forces. They will come for both of us! They will turn us to nothing! The curse will get us!”

  Crouching once again on the floor, with his hands wrapped around his knees and rocking his body back and forth, he kept mumbling and whimpering.

  I stepped out from the room, leaving the door opened behind me, and while rubbing the sore spot, now swollen, where the book had hit me, I called the Emergency Services, then the Director. It was going to take a while for any of them to arrive, so the only thing I could do was keep an eye on Gregor.

  To my surprise, it didn’t take longer than ten minutes for everyone to arrive. The paramedics took him to the hospital as fast as they could, and the police searched the place but couldn’t find any signs of intrusion.

  “Scarlett, are you alright?” The Director joined me in front of the building, looking at the bloody marks on my blouse. “Why are you waiting outside?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” Psychically exhausted, but fine. I added to myself. “I didn’t want to hinder the officers, so I thought I should wait here until they finish.”

  “Very thoughtful of you.”

  “What about Gregor? Is he going to be fine?” I asked, looking at the Director’s face, expecting him to s
hare my concern.

  “He is in shock, but I suppose he’ll be fine.” He shrugged his shoulders, relaxed, as if it didn’t matter, but then, looking in the direction the ambulance left, he asked. “Did he say anything?”

  “Sorry?”

  “Did he said anything that didn’t sound like complete madness?” he repeated, moving his eyes back on me, uselessly trying to mask the tension on his face.

  “No . . . he didn’t say anything. Just some nonsense.”

  “I see–”

  “Excuse me, Miss?” A police officer approached me, interrupting whatever the Director wanted to add.

  “Um, yes?” I respond, facing the young man.

  “I will need a declaration from you. Can you follow me, please?”

  “Yeah, no problem.”

  I took a few steps when the Director called my name. I looked at him, curious.

  “If you remember anything, make sure you tell me.”

  “Sure.”

  ***

  There was no way I could concentrate on anything. Police were still roaming around, the Director was coming and going without saying a thing, and the dried blood stains covering my door and workplace distracted me constantly. Maybe there was a quiet place in all this madness. Picking up a few files, I made my way to the library. Taking back the old ones and getting something new to read, should be enough to take my mind off of what happened just a few hours ago.

  By the looks of it, I wasn’t the first one to enter that room today. Some of the shelves were moved, some boxes upside-down, files were spread everywhere on the floor, and here and there blood marks, just like along the corridor, just like in my office. Curiosity got the best of me, and following what looked like a trail, I ended up facing a wall. The little drops looked like they suddenly stopped. And so would’ve I, if only I hadn’t heard before that behind that “wall”, behind that entrance that was made to look like a wall, was supposed to be the building’s electric panels. I was tempted to open that door. I felt the urge to see what made Gregor go beyond that place, and most importantly, it felt like something on the other side was calling me.

  I put my hand on the hidden door, millimetres away from what looked like the painting of half a hand, made in blood. Before I could push it, Leah’s voice echoed in my head–Stop!

  I jerked back, blinking a few times.

  “Leah?” I tried to call her, but there was no answer.

  Softly, I rubbed my temples and tried to clear my mind. This was a stressful morning, nonetheless, so maybe I could ask the Director if I could go home and recover the lost hours on a different day.

  But as I turned from the wall, like a frozen statue in the middle of the door, the Director observed me with a dark, grim expression on his face.

  “You can go home now.” He gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his composure.

  “Sorry?” I asked, unsure of what I heard.

  “We are closed for today. So, you can go home early.”

  I was about to ask something, but he cut me off before I could open my mouth.

  “Now!” he shouted, his face turning bright red and a vein pulsing violently on his forehead, looking like it was about to pop.

  Surprised and slightly frightened, I dropped the files I was still holding, and without looking back, I ran around him and out the door. Once in my office, I grabbed my bag and stuffing all my belongings in it, I left that place as fast as I could.

  Chapter 23

  “Why are you home so early?” Midnight came before me when I got home.

  Dropping my bag on the floor and throwing myself face-down on the couch, I left out a grumble, muffled by the soft pillows.

  I didn’t move until Midnight’s small paw touched the side of my face.

  “Hey, are you alright?” she asked me a bit concerned.

  I got up, sitting properly, and after a deep sigh, I told her everything that happened. About Gregor, how I found him bleeding, terrified, and on the brim of madness. About the Director, who at first looked like he didn’t care, but then chased me out.

  She looked at me, listening patiently to everything I had to say, then shaking her head, she spoke. “You really are a silly one, aren’t you?”

  “Well, sorry for being silly,” I responded, unable to contain my sarcasm, “but I have limited experience with weirdness, alright? How about you enlighten me?”

  “As always.” She continued, unbothered by my tone, “Gregor always suspected something, but he never managed to quite put his finger on it. He’s right. They’re not human. They may look and act like such, but–”

  “Who are you talking about?” I interrupted her, confused.

  “Your boss and Matteo,” Midnight said with a straight face.

  “Should I get someone to check up your head?” I continue, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, let’s say they’re not human, but then what are they?”

  “That, I don’t know,” she said after a little break.

  “Yeah, that surely clarifies a lot . . .”

  “Well, excuse me, for I have failed you, My Queen,” she said scornfully. “How about you keep your mouth shut for a minute and listen?”

  “Sorry,” I replied, taken aback by her sudden, yet not undeserved lash.

  “Energetically speaking, one of them is nothing, while the other is a lot.” I opened my mouth to say something, but when Midnight frowned at me, I closed it back and swallowed my words, while she kept going as if nothing happened. “What I mean is–every human has a unique energetic footprint. Matteo has none; he’s blank, while the Director has a mix like he’s more people in one.”

  “I am so confused right now.” I shook my head.

  “Figures.” Midnight rolled her eyes.

  “Okay, but aren’t you guys, like part of the same, how should I call it? Community?”

  “Listen, it’s true that by some degree we are all involved in the mystic side of the world, but as an unwritten rule, as long as they don’t disrupt my lifestyle, I have no reason to pry in their business.”

  “I guess that makes sense.” I scratched my head. “But there is one thing that still bothers me.”

  “What?”

  “Do you remember that fake wall in the library? You told me that’s where the building’s electric panels are.”

  “Of course, I remember. What about it?”

  “Gregor said at some point that he discovered their nest, and because of that, now they will come for him . . . and me.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I realise that maybe it was nothing but mad-talk, but there were a lot of bloodied marks around that entrance, so maybe, he really found something in there?”

  “Impossible.” Midnight stretched and yawned.

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Look. I’ve seen that door open several times, and it’s nothing in there but wires. Whatever he saw. It’s most likely not there. But if you’re so curious, why don’t you ask him yourself?”

  “Maybe it’s not such a bad idea to pay him a visit. If his mind cleared, even slightly since morning, perhaps he’ll be able to explain a bit better what he’s seen and where.”

  “Right. You do that, and I’ll go to sleep.”

  “You always sleep.” I smiled.

  “No! I also eat and play. I’m a growing kitten, what more do you want from me?”

  “Nothing,” I said, laughing.

  Just then, a loud knock on the door made both of us jump.

  “Are you expecting someone?” I asked Midnight jokingly, but she didn’t answer. Her whole body tensed, and her ears perked up, listening for every movement on the other side of the door.

  The knock was heard again, but even louder this time. I got up from the couch and headed to the door when Midnight grabbed my trousers and climbed as fast as she could on my leg.

  “Ow, ow, ow! There’s skin under the fabric, you know!” I looked at her reproachfully.

  “Sorry,” she whispered. “Just take me with you.”

  I held
her to my chest with one hand, and with the other, I opened the door.

  “Took you long enough.”

  I ignored his snooty comment, as I couldn’t wrap my head around how, out of all people, he was at my door.

  “Jared! What a surprise!”

  A very unpleasant one, as a matter of fact.

  “Right . . . aren’t you going to let me in?” he asked, trying to push through.

  “And why would I do that?” I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by his attempt.

  “If you don’t want all the neighbours to hear our discussion, you’d better let me in.”

  “Well then, how about this. I go back inside, and you go back in whatever hole you crawled from? Yeah, that sounds much better.”

  “You wouldn’t say that if you knew what I want to tell you,” he adds confidently. “I can promise you; it will make you very happy. And I only need five minutes.”

  Noticing one of my neighbours poking her head from behind the door, I moved to the side and let Jared in. He was enough of a nuisance for me, there was no point to irritate the others as well.

  Once inside, he went straight to the fridge and opening the door, he exclaimed, annoyed.

  “Where’s all my beer?”

  “Down the drain. It’s not like anyone in this house drinks that crap.”

  “Hmph, whatever.” He slammed the fridge door. “I like what you’ve done with the place,” he continued, looking around the living room.

  “You mean that I cleaned it?”

  “Yes. Looks like you learned a few things since I left.”

  “So? What is it that you want?” I asked, leaning against the entrance door, trying to suppress the anger building up inside.

  “I’m moving back in.”

  “I’m sorry, you what?” I asked, unable to believe what I just heard.

  “I’m coming back,” he repeated, relaxed. “What? You thought I was going for good?”

  “You left with a bag and a woman. Yeah . . . I think the message was pretty clear.”

  “Which reminds me,” he ignored me, “you’ll have to buy me my beer since you threw away the last one.”