Coming Home from the Birthday Dinner: Memories of a Lovely Evening
Emily returned home with her husband, James, from the restaurant where theyd celebrated his birthday. Theyd had a wonderful timelots of people, family, colleagues from work. Emily hadnt met most of them before, but if James had invited them, she trusted his judgment.
She wasnt the type to argue with her husbands decisionsshe hated conflict and pointless explanations. It was easier to go along with things than to push her own opinion.
“Emily, how far down are your keys in your bag? Can you find them?” she asked, fumbling through her handbag. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her finger, making her yelp and drop her bag.
“Whats all that noise about?” James frowned.
“I just pricked myself on something.”
“Your bags a messno wonder you got hurt.”
Emily didnt argue. She picked it up, carefully pulled out the keys, and stepped inside, already forgetting about the sting. Her feet ached from standing all eveningall she wanted was a shower and to collapse into bed.
But the next morning, she woke to an intense throbbing in her hand. Her finger was red and swollen. Then she rememberedlast night, something had jabbed her. She grabbed her bag and emptied it, searching until she found a large, rusted needle at the bottom.
“How did that get in here?” she muttered, confused. She tossed it in the bin, cleaned the wound, and headed to work. By lunchtime, though, she was burning up.
She called James. “I dont know whats wrong. I mustve picked something up last night. Ive got a fever, my heads poundingI feel awful. And James I found a huge rusted needle in my bag. Thats what I pricked myself on.”
“Maybe you should see a doctor. Could be an infectionblood poisoning, even.”
“Dont worry, I cleaned it. Ill be fine.”
But she wasnt fine. Hour by hour, she felt worse. By the end of the day, she could barely stand. She called a cab, knowing shed never make it home on the Tube. The moment she got inside, she collapsed onto the sofa and fell into a deep sleep.
She dreamed of her grandmother, Rosea woman whod died when Emily was just a little girl. She didnt know how she recognized her, but she *knew* it was her. Grandmother Rose was tiny, hunched, her face lined with age. Most people mightve been frightened, but Emily felt safelike she was there to help.
Rose led her through a field, showing her which herbs to gather. “Make a tea from these,” she said. “Drink ititll cleanse your body of the darkness eating you alive. Someone wishes you harm, but to fight it, you must stay strong. You dont have much time.”
Emily woke in a cold sweat. It felt like shed slept for hours, but the clock showed only minutes had passed. Then she heard the front doorJames was home. She dragged herself to the hallway.
He froze when he saw her. “Whats happened to you? Look at yourself!”
Emily turned to the mirror. Last night, shed seen a bright, smiling woman. Now, her reflection was a strangerhair matted, cheeks sunken, skin grey, eyes hollow.
“What does this mean?”
Then she remembered the dream. “I saw Grandmother Rose. She told me what to do”
“Emily, get dressed. Were going to the hospital.”
“Im not going. She said the doctors cant help me.”
What followed was the worst argument theyd ever had. James called her delusional, even tried to physically drag her out. She pulled away, stumbled, and hit the corner of the table.
“If you wont go willingly, Ill *make* you,” he snapped.
But Emily refused. He grabbed his coat, slammed the door, and left. All she could do was text her boss, claiming shed caught a virus and needed time off.
James returned late that night, full of apologies. The only thing she said was, “Take me to the village tomorrowwhere Grandmother Rose lived.”
The next morning, Emily looked more like a corpse than a living woman. James begged her to reconsider.
“Emily, stop this nonsense. Were going to the hospital. I cant lose you.”
But they drove to the village. She barely remembered the wayshe hadnt been since her parents sold the house after Roses death. She slept the whole journey, only waking as they arrived.
“That way,” she whispered.
She stumbled out of the car and collapsed onto the grass. But this was the field from her dream. She found the herbs Rose had shown her, and they drove home.
James brewed the tea just as she instructed. With every sip, she felt a little stronger.
Later, when she went to the loo, she saw her urine was black. But instead of panicking, she smiled. “The darkness is leaving”
That night, Rose returned in her dreams. “The curse was cast through that needle. My tea will restore your strength, but it wont last. You must find who did this and return their own malice to them. I cant see who it wasbut its connected to your husband. If you hadnt thrown the needle away, I could tell you more. But heres what you must do”
Roses instructions were clear. Buy a pack of needles, speak an incantation over them, and place one in James bag. Whoever cursed her would prick themselvesrevealing their name.
When Emily woke, she was still weak, but determined. She waited for James to leave for work, then went to the shops. That evening, the enchanted needle sat in his bag.
“Are you sure youll be alright alone?” he asked before bed.
“Ill manage.”
She was improving, but the darkness still lingered inside her, shifting beneath her skin like a living thing. The tea was workingbut it wasnt enough.
When James came home the next evening, she met him at the door.
“How was your day?”
“Fine. Why?”
Her heart sankhad it failed? Then he turned back.
“Ohget this. Eva from the next department tried helping me with my bag today. Stuck her hand right in and got jabbed by a needle. No idea how it got there. She looked at me like she wanted to kill me.”
“Eva? Was she at your birthday dinner?”
“Yeah, shes a colleague. Nothing more.”
Suddenly, it all made sense. The rusted needle in her bagEva mustve planted it.
That night, Rose returned. “Now you know. Eva used magic to remove her rivalyou. If she failed naturally, shed try again. She wont stop.”
Emily followed Roses instructions to the letter. Soon after, James mentioned Eva had fallen illhospitalised, with doctors baffled.
The next weekend, Emily asked him to take her to Roses grave. She hadnt visited since the funeral.
She bought flowers, pulled on gloves to clear the weeds, and finally found the headstone. The photo matched the woman from her dreamsthe one whod saved her.
As she arranged the flowers, she whispered, “Im sorry it took me so long. I thought visiting once a year was enough. But it wasnt. Ill come back now. If it hadnt been for you I wouldnt be here.”
Then she felt itlight hands on her shoulders. She turned, but there was no one. Just a gentle breeze.
