Jenny and her husband were returning home from a restaurant where they had been celebrating his birthday. It had been a wonderful gathering with many guests, including family and work colleagues. Jenny met many of them for the first time, but if Daniel decided to invite them, she trusted his judgment.
Jenny was not one to question her husband’s decisions; she preferred avoiding conflicts and arguments. It was easier for her to agree with Daniel than to insist she was right.
“Jenny, do you have the keys handy? Can you get them out?” Daniel asked.
Jenny opened her handbag, trying to find the keys. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain and jerked her hand, causing the handbag to fall to the ground.
“Why are you shouting?”
“I pricked my hand on something.”
“Your handbag is such a mess; it’s no wonder you hurt yourself.”
Jenny didn’t argue with her husband, picked up the bag, and carefully retrieved the keys. They entered their flat, and she had already forgotten about the prick. Her legs ached with fatigue, and she just wanted to take a shower and collapse into bed. When she awoke in the morning, a sharp pain in her hand reminded her of last night. Her finger was red and swollen. She took out her handbag to inspect its contents and carefully pulled out a large rusty needle from the bottom.
“What is this?”
She couldn’t fathom how it ended up there. She discarded the odd find in the rubbish bin, then got her first aid kit to treat her wound. After bandaging her finger, Jenny went to work. By lunchtime, however, she realized she had a fever.
Jenny called her husband: “Daniel, I don’t know what to do. I must have caught something last night. I’ve got a fever, my head aches, and my entire body is sore. Can you believe I found a big rusty needle in my handbag? That’s what I pricked myself on.”
“Maybe you should see a doctor. It could be tetanus or blood poisoning.”
“Daniel, don’t overthink it. I treated the wound. I’ll be fine.”
But with each passing hour, Jenny felt worse. Struggling through the rest of her workday, Jenny called a cab to go home, knowing she couldn’t manage public transport. Arriving home, she dropped onto the sofa and fell into a deep sleep.
She dreamt of her Grandma Annie, who had passed away when Jenny was very young. Though she couldn’t recall ever seeing her, Jenny was sure it was her grandma. Grandma Annie seemed old and frail, but Jenny felt she wanted to help.
In the dream, Grandma led Jenny across a field, showing her which herbs to gather, instructing her to brew an infusion to cleanse her body of the sickness consuming her. She mentioned there was someone wishing harm upon her, but to fight it, Jenny needed to stay alive. Time was short.
Jenny awoke in a cold sweat, feeling as if she’d slept for hours, but only moments had passed. She heard the front door close—Daniel was home. When Jenny stumbled from the couch to the hallway, Daniel gasped at her appearance.
“What happened? Look at yourself in the mirror!”
Jenny went to the mirror. Just yesterday, her reflection was of a smiling, pretty woman. Now it showed someone unrecognizable—hair in disarray, dark circles, a gray tone, and a vacant stare.
“What is this nonsense?”
Suddenly, Jenny remembered the dream. She told her husband, “I saw Grandma in my dream. She told me what to do…”
“Jenny, get dressed. We’re going to the hospital.”
“I’m not going anywhere. Grandma told me doctors won’t help me.”
A real argument erupted for the first time. Daniel called her crazy for dreaming about some unknown old woman. In his frustration, he took hold of her arm to drag her out.
“If you won’t go willingly, I’ll take you by force.”
But Jenny pulled free, stumbled, and hit the corner. Daniel, even more enraged, grabbed his bag, slammed the door, and left. All Jenny could do was text her boss, saying she’d caught a virus and needed a few days off.
Daniel returned home close to midnight, apologizing. She simply asked, “Could you take me to the village where Grandma lived tomorrow?”
In the morning, Jenny looked more like a ghost than a young, healthy woman. Daniel continued pleading, “Jenny, don’t be foolish. Let’s go to the hospital. I don’t want to lose you.”
But they drove to the village. All Jenny remembered was the village’s name. She hadn’t been there since her parents sold Grandma’s cottage after her passing. She slept most of the way. Jenny hadn’t known which field they needed, but as they approached the village, she awoke and directed Daniel to the right spot.
Weakly, she climbed out of the car and collapsed on the grass. But Jenny knew she was where Grandma Annie had led her. She found the herbs, as shown in the dream, and they returned home. Daniel made the brew exactly as instructed, and Jenny began drinking it carefully, feeling marginally better with each sip.
After a struggle to reach the bathroom, she noticed her urine was black. Instead of panicking, she repeated her grandma’s words, “The darkness is leaving…”
That night, Grandma appeared again in her dreams, smiling. She explained the rusty needle had been used to cast a spell on Jenny, but the brew would only restore her health temporarily. Jenny had to find the culprit and return the curse. Grandma couldn’t identify the person, but it was somehow connected to Daniel. If Jenny hadn’t thrown away the needle, Grandma might have known more. However…
Here’s the plan: Go to the shop, buy needles, and recite this incantation over the largest one: “Spirits of the night, once alive, hear my call and reveal the truth. Surround me, guide me, find my foe…”. Place it in Daniel’s bag. Whoever cursed you will be pricked by your needle, and then we’ll uncover their identity and return their evil.
Grandma disappeared like mist.
Jenny awoke, still feeling unwell but determined. She knew she would get better with Grandma’s help.
Daniel decided to stay home to take care of her, surprised when she announced she needed to shop alone.
“Jenny, you’re barely standing. Let me come with you.”
“Daniel, could you make me some soup? I’ve got a huge appetite after that virus.”
Jenny followed Grandma’s instructions from the dream. By evening, the enchanted needle was in Daniel’s bag. Before bed, he asked, “Are you sure you’ll be okay on your own? Should I stay?”
“I’ll manage.”
Jenny was gradually improving, but she could still feel the malevolent force inside her, intruding like a thief. Yet the decoction, which she had consumed for three days, acted as a countermeasure, displeasing the dark presence.
She eagerly awaited Daniel’s return from work, greeting him at the door. Her first question was, “How was your day?”
“Fine. Why?”
Jenny thought the curse creator hadn’t yet emerged, until Daniel added, “You won’t believe this, Jenny. Today, Irene from the neighboring department tried to help me by grabbing keys from my bag since my hands were full of files. She pricked herself on a needle. Where did that come from? She glared at me like she wanted to kill me.”
“And what’s between you and Irene?”
“Jenny, come on. I only love you. Not Irene or anyone else.”
“Was she at your birthday party at the restaurant?”
“She was—she’s a good colleague, no more.”
Suddenly, everything clicked for Jenny. The rusty needle must have been placed by Irene.
Jenny followed Grandma’s guidance. Soon Daniel informed her that Irene was on sick leave due to an unexplained illness.
Jenny asked Daniel to take her to the village on the weekend to visit Grandma’s grave—a place she hadn’t been since the funeral. She bought flowers and gloves for weeding around the grave. Finding Grandma’s resting place was a struggle, but she eventually saw the grave with a photo of Grandma Annie—the very person from her dreams who had saved her life.
Jenny tidied up the grave, placed the flowers in a bottle, and sat on the bench, speaking aloud, “Grandma, forgive me for not visiting sooner. I thought seeing you once a year was enough, but I was wrong. I’ll come more often now. Without you, I wouldn’t be here.”
Just then, Jenny felt Grandma’s presence, as if she placed her hands on Jenny’s shoulders. Jenny turned, seeing nothing but feeling a gentle breeze…
