Hey love, Ive got to tell you about the crazy night Emily had after her husbands birthday dinner. So Emily and James were out at a nice restaurant in London for Jamess birthday lots of colleagues, family, a few people Emilyd never met before, but James wanted everyone there, so she went along, keeping the peace as usual.
Shes not one to argue with James, you know, she just rolls with his plans. As they were leaving, James asked, Emily, did you drop the house keys somewhere? Can you grab them? Emily fumbled through her handbag, felt a sharp sting, and the bag slipped onto the floor.
Whats that? James asked.
I think I scratched myself on something, she said, trying not to make a joke about how you could get lost in her bag.
She didnt argue, picked the bag up, pulled out the keys, and they headed inside. By then her leg was throbbing from the walk, and all she could think about was a hot shower and a bed. The next morning she woke up with her hand throbbing, the finger swollen and bright red. She remembered the sting from the night before, so she rummaged through the bag and, at the bottom, found a big, rusty needle.
What on earth? she muttered, tossing it into the bin. She grabbed some antiseptic, cleaned the wound, and went to work, but by lunchtime her temperature was climbing.
She called James: Love, Im not sure whats happening Im feverish, my heads pounding, my whole body aches. I found a rusty needle in my bag and I think thats what I got poked with last night.
James sounded worried: Maybe you should see a doctor, it could be tetanus or an infection.
Emily rolled her eyes, Ive cleaned it, Ill be fine. But as the day wore on she felt worse, barely made it through work, flagged a cab and headed home, too knackered for the tube. She collapsed on the sofa and fell asleep.
In her dream her late grandmother Martha appeared the one who died when Emily was a kid. No idea how she knew it was Martha, but she felt certain. Martha, all bent and a bit scary, led Emily through a field, pointing out herbs to pick, saying she needed to brew a tea to clean her body. She warned that someone wanted to harm Emily and that shed have to survive to fight back. Time was running out.
Emily woke up drenched in sweat. It felt like shed slept for ages, but the clock showed only a few minutes had passed. The front door slammed James was back. She slid off the sofa and shuffled to the hallway. When he saw her, he gasped, Whats happened? Look at yourself in the mirror.
She stood in front of the mirror. Yesterday shed seen a bright, smiling face; now her hair was a mess, dark circles under her eyes, skin grey, eyes hollow. Whats going on? she whispered.
She remembered the dream and told James, I saw Grandma Martha and she told me what to do
James, panicking, said, Get dressed, were going to the hospital.
Emily snapped back, Im not going. Grandma said the doctors wont help.
A huge argument broke out. James called her crazy, saying she was feverdreaming about her grandma. It was the first real fight theyd had. James tried to force his way to the hospital, grabbed her wrist and tried to pull her out, shouting, If you wont go willingly, Ill make you. Emily broke free, stumbled, and hit the corner of a cupboard. James, furious, snatched her bag, slammed the door, and stormed out. She barely managed to text her boss that she was sick and needed a few days off.
James returned after midnight, apologising. Emily only said, Take me to the village where my grandma lived tomorrow.
The next morning Emily looked more like a walking corpse than a healthy woman. James kept pleading, Dont be stubborn, we need to get you checked. But they drove to the little village the one her parents sold after Grandma Martha passed. Emily fell asleep in the car the whole way, having no clue where the field was. As they neared the village, she woke up and said, Here.
She got out, collapsed onto the grass, feeling shed finally reached the spot Martha showed her in the dream. She gathered the herbs, and James boiled a brew just as shed described. She sipped it slowly, and each swallow seemed to lift some of the fog.
When she got up to use the bathroom, she noticed her urine was black. Instead of panicking, it reminded her of Marthas words: The darkness will pass
That night Martha visited again, smiling, then said, That rusty needle put a curse on you. My tea will give you strength, but only for a short while. You must find who did this and return their bad luck. I think its linked to your husband. If you hadnt thrown the needle away, I could have told you more.
She gave a strange ritual: buy a pack of needles, say over the biggest one, Spirits of the night, hear me! Help me discover the truth and find my enemy Slip that needle into Jamess bag. The person who cast the spell will be stung by it, and youll learn their name.
Emily woke still feeling poorly but convinced shed get better, thanks to Marthas help. James decided to stay home and look after her. When she asked to run an errand, he said, Emily, youre barely standing. Ill go with you. She replied, James, make me some soup, Ive got a massive appetite after this illness. She followed Marthas advice, and later that night the enchanted needle was indeed in Jamess bag. Before bed she asked, Are you sure you can manage on your own? Should I stay?
Ill be fine, she said.
By the third day the brew acted like an antidote, the evil inside her weakening. She waited anxiously for James to get home, greeted him at the door, and asked, How was your day?
He shrugged, All good, why?
She thought the mystery was unsolved, but James added, You know, today Clare from the neighboring department wanted to grab the keys to my office because I was juggling too many things. She stuck her hand in her bag and got pricked by a needle. How did a needle end up in my bag? She looked at me like shed kill me with a stare.
Whats this about Clare? Emily asked.
James smiled, Emily, youre the only one that matters to me. I love only you. He mentioned shed been at his birthday dinner, just a friendly colleague.
All the pieces clicked for Emily. She finally understood how the old needle got into her bag. James went to the kitchen where dinner was waiting. That night Martha showed her how to send the curse back to Clare, revealing that Clare wanted to push Emily out of the picture and take her place beside James, and would use magic again if she failed.
Emily did exactly as Martha advised. Soon after, James told her Clare had taken sick leave, saying she was terribly ill and doctors were helpless. Emily asked James to drive her to the village cemetery where she hadnt been since her grandmothers funeral. She bought a bunch of flowers, gloves, and painstakingly cleared the overgrown grass to find Marthas grave. At the headstone she saw a photo it was her grandma, the one whod been appearing in her dreams, the one whod saved her from death.
She tidied the grave, placed the flowers in a jar of water, sat on the bench and whispered, Grandma, Im sorry I didnt visit sooner. I thought a onceayear visit was enough. I was wrong. Ill come more often. If it werent for you, I probably wouldnt be here now.
She felt a warm hand on her shoulders, turned, but only a soft breeze blew through.
Thats where we left off. I still cant believe how wild all of that was. Hope youre doing okay! Talk soon.
