A couple returned home, their laughter trailing behind them after an unforgettable birthday dinner. Emily had spent the evening celebrating with her husband, James, at a bustling restaurant. The night had been perfectfilled with family, friends, and colleagues. Many were strangers to her, but if James had invited them, she trusted his judgment.
Emily wasnt one to argue. She preferred peace over confrontation, always yielding to James rather than pressing her own opinion.
“Emily, your keys arent buried too deep in that bag, are they?” James asked as they reached their London flat.
She fumbled through her handbag, her fingers brushing against something sharp. A sudden sting made her gasp, and the bag slipped from her grip.
“Whats wrong?”
“Something pricked me.”
“With all the clutter in there, no surprise!”
Emily stayed silent, retrieving the keys before stepping inside. Exhausted, her legs ached, and all she wanted was a hot shower before bed. But by morning, her finger throbbedred, swollen, hot to the touch. Memory flashed: last night, the pain, the strange jab. She rummaged through her bag again, this time carefully, until her fingers closed around a long, rusted needle.
“What on earth?”
She couldnt fathom how it had gotten there. Disgusted, she tossed it in the bin, then bandaged her wound from the first-aid kit. By lunchtime, a fever hither head pounded, her body ached.
She called James.
“I dont feel right. That needle it mustve infected me.”
“See a doctor, Em. This could be serious.”
“Ill be fine. I cleaned it.”
But she worsened by the hour. By evening, she barely made it home, collapsing onto the sofa.
In her dreams, her late grandmother, Evelyngone since Emily was a childappeared before her. Frail yet fierce, she led Emily through a field, pointing out herbs for a purifying brew.
*Someone means you harm*, Evelyn whispered. *Stay alive. Fight back.*
Emily woke drenched in sweat. Only minutes had passed. The front door slammedJames had returned. When he saw her, his face paled.
“Look at yourself!”
The mirror showed a ghostsallow skin, hollow eyes, a stranger staring back.
“I dreamed of Gran,” Emily rasped. “She told me what to do.”
“Christ, Emilywere going to hospital.”
“No. She said doctors cant help.”
They fought. James called her mad; she shoved him away, stumbling into a tables edge. He stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Weakly, Emily texted her boss*Too ill to work*.
James returned late, remorseful. All she whispered was:
“Take me to Grans village tomorrow.”
At dawn, she looked deathly. James pleaded, but they drove north. Emily slept through the journeyuntil the villages edge, where she jolted awake.
“There.”
She staggered from the car, collapsing onto the grass. Yet she knewthis was the place. She found the herbs from her dream, and back home, James brewed the remedy. Each sip steadied her.
Later, in the bathroom, black urine swirled in the bowl. Fear didnt comeonly confirmation. *The poisons leaving.*
That night, Evelyn returned in her dreams.
*A curse was cast through that needle. My remedy helps, but it wont last. Find who did thissomeone close to James. Buy new needles. Chant this*
The words seared into Emilys mind.
*Hide one in Jamess bag. Whoever pricks themselves is your enemy.*
Come morning, James stayed home, fretting. Emily insisted on going out alone*Make me soup; Im starving*, she lied.
At the shop, she bought needles, whispered the incantation, and slipped one into Jamess briefcase.
That evening, James frowned over dinner.
“Odd thingIrene from accounting jabbed herself on a needle in my bag today. Looked like she wanted to kill me.”
Emily froze. *Irenewhod been at the party.*
That night, Evelyn taught her the final step*Return the curse to its sender.*
Days later, James mentioned Irene had fallen gravely ill. Doctors were baffled.
The next weekend, Emily visited Evelyns grave in the village churchyard. Weeds choked the stone; she cleared them, laying flowers in a water-filled jar.
“Sorry I stayed away,” she whispered.
A breeze brushed her shoulderwarm, gentle, like a hand.
She smiled.
Her grandmother had saved her.
And now, she was safe.
