Cursed Wishes

 

            A clearing deep in the woods holds a powerful secret. It’s near a waterfall at the end of a popular hike. Hundreds of people walk by it every year without knowing why they suddenly feel chills run up and down their spine. Even animals avoid the area. It would be a perfect spot to sit and have a picnic if it wasn’t also devoid of any plant life. The stream gurgles merrily close by, but no one has stepped foot there since Elizabeth had changed everything.

            Elizabeth came 500 years ago to settle in the woods. She wasn’t what you would call normal. She preferred to live alone and practice her craft, which was magic. Having been run out of her previous home, she was looking for another. When she came to the clearing with the stream, she immediately decided to settle there. She set up a small campsite and went off to search for some food. She returned an hour later with a small rabbit which she cooked into a stew.

            She was feeling very hungry and contented with herself when she received an unwelcome visitor. A tall man stomped into the clearing, and Elizabeth nearly groaned aloud. “Hello, Albert,” she said in a guarded voice. “I thought I left everyone behind when I left. How long have you been following me?”

            Albert folded his arms as he stood just inside the clearing, studying her campsite. “I followed your trail. I have to warn anyone around here about your demon witchcraft.”

            Now Elizabeth was annoyed. “Why do you care what I do? I left your precious town, and I’m not planning on returning. Also, if you look around, there’s no one else here. Go away before I turn you into a toad.” She couldn’t actually turn him into a toad, but her statement had the desired effect.

            Albert immediately dropped his haughty posture and took a step back. “You wouldn’t!” he yelped, a definite note of fear in his voice.

            Elizabeth chuckled and said, “How would you know?” She stirred her rabbit stew and then said, “All I want is to be left alone. Why can’t you just leave me be?”

            Albert stood up straight and said, “I have to make sure that you won’t practice your evil ways.”

            Elizabeth rolled her eyes. How was she going to convince him to leave her alone? “Well, you can leave now, because it really isn’t any of your business. I left so I could be alone.” She glared pointedly at Albert. “Now it’s time for you to leave.”

            Albert glared back in defiance. “How do I know that you’ll stay here and not come back to our town?”

            Elizabeth tried to think of a way to appease the man. Suddenly, she had it. “I will make a promise that if I ever come back, I will grant you three wishes. I solemnly swear that I will never go back to live with the people who threw me out.”

            Albert looked skeptical, but the thought of having his wishes granted made him agree.

            Elizabeth immediately drew some strange symbols on the ground and muttered some magic words. She closed her eyes for a minute, and when she opened them, she said, “It is done.”

            Seemingly satisfied, Albert left and Elizabeth was left alone again. She finished her meal and got ready for sleep. She thought about how she would probably have to move her camp again tomorrow. She really didn’t want any more visitors.

            Just outside the glow of the fire’s dying light, Albert waited, crouched among a group of trees. The more he thought about Elizabeth’s promise, the more he realized that he actually wanted her to return with him. He said that magic was evil, but that didn’t stop him from wanting Elizabeth to grant his wishes. He waited silently until he heard Elizabeth’s snuffling snores. Then, he made his move.

            Albert pulled out his long neckerchief and a small length of rope that he carried in his pack. Stealthily, he crept closer to where Elizabeth lay. He held his breath, picturing exactly how he was going to do it, and then he pounced on Elizabeth. He quickly tied up her hands and feet with his rope, but before he could gag her with his neckerchief, she spat out a curse.

            “Everyone will know of your treachery!” Elizabeth hissed. “Even if you remove me from this place, there will be a curse that follows you and your family for the rest of your life!”

            Albert gagged her before she could say anything else. He might be slightly afraid of being cursed, but he still wanted to be able to make his wishes. For that to happen, he would have to take Elizabeth back to town with him. Not wanting to waste a moment, he dragged her through the trees until they came to where he had left his horse. He flung Elizabeth behind the saddle and then mounted himself.

            He rode the long miles through the darkness until he reached his home. Dismounting, Albert led the horse into the barn, and he threw Elizabeth down onto the hay. “Okay, you’re here now,” he said matter-of-factly. “I want my three wishes.”

            Elizabeth glared with hatred as she granted Albert’s wishes, which were all for wealth and prosperity. As soon as she had finished, she yelled, “Now you will also be cursed for what you’ve done to me!” With that, Elizabeth snapped her fingers, and Albert turned into a feeble, old man. She then saddled one of his many new, wished-for horses and sped off into the night.

            Elizabeth was so mad that her power flared up within her and spread outward like wildfire. When she reached her clearing, it no longer seemed like the place where she wanted to stay. She packed up all of her things back into her wagon. All the while, her hatred spread out all around her. It poisoned the foliage and made the entire area feel evil.

            Elizabeth left that night, and was never heard from or seen again. But the clearing near the stream is still barren to this day, filled with hate and darkness. Albert died soon after receiving his wishes, having only had a few months to enjoy his newfound wealth and prosperity. His family didn’t get to enjoy it either. They were shunned because of Albert’s involvement with the witch and lived out their lives in exile. To this day, none of Albert’s descendants have what you would call “good luck.” Although Elizabeth’s effects have lessened over the years, they have always shouldered the burden of a witch’s curse.