**A Special Birthday Celebration: The Couples Unforgettable Dinner**
Helena returned home with her husband after the restaurant where they had marked his birthday. The evening had been wonderful, attended by many guestsrelatives and coworkers. It was the first time Helena had met most of them, but if Rui had invited them, it must have mattered.
Helena never liked to argue with Rui; she avoided scandals and fights. It was easier for her to go along with his wishes than to try to prove she was right.
Helena, are the apartment keys nearby? Can you grab them? he asked. She fished through her bag, felt a sharp sting, yanked her hand back, and the bag fell to the floor.
Why did you shout? he demanded.
I got bitten by something.
There are so many things in your bag, Im not surprised.
Helena didnt argue. She retrieved the bag, carefully pulled out the keys, and they entered the apartment. The earlier incident already slipped from her mind; her legs ached from exhaustion, and she just wanted a shower and a bed. In the morning she woke with a throbbing, red, swollen finger. Remembering the night before, she opened the bag and, item by item, discovered a large, rusty needle at the bottom.
What is this? she muttered, puzzled at how it had gotten there. She tossed the odd find into the trash, fetched a firstaid kit, and bandaged the inflamed digit before heading to work. By lunchtime she realized she had a fever.
She called Rui:
Rui, I dont know what to do! I think I caught something yesterday. I have a fever, a headache, my whole body aches. I even found a rusty needle in my bagthats what bit me.
Maybe you should see a doctor. We dont want it to be tetanus or something serious.
Dont exaggerate, Rui. I cleaned the wound; Ill be fine.
Time passed, but Helena grew worse. She barely made it to the end of her shift before hailing a taxi home, knowing she couldnt manage public transport. She collapsed onto the couch and fell asleep.
In her dream she saw her grandmother Maria, who had died when Helena was a little girl. She couldnt explain it, but she recognized her. Though the grandmothers appearance might have frightened anyone, Helena felt she was there to help.
Grandma Maria led her through a field, pointing out herbs she should gather and explaining that she needed to brew an infusion to cleanse her body. She warned that someone wished her harm, but to fight it Helena had to survive. Time was running short.
Helena awoke drenched in cold sweat. It felt like she had slept for hours, yet only minutes had passed on the clock. She heard the front door openRui had arrived. She slipped off the couch and walked to the hallway. Seeing her, Rui was startled:
What happened to you? Look at yourself in the mirror!
She went to the mirror. Yesterday she had seen a pretty, smiling young woman; now she barely recognized the gaunt figure with tangled hair, deep dark circles, a pale face, and empty eyes.
Whats going on?
She recalled the dream and told Rui:
I dreamed of Grandma. She told me what to do.
Helena, get dressed, were going to the hospital.
No, Im not going anywhere. Grandma said the doctors wont help.
A real argument erupted. Rui called her crazy, thinking she was delirious over an imaginary old woman. For the first time they fought badly; Rui even tried to force her out.
If you wont go willingly, Ill take you by force.
Helena resisted, lost her balance, fell, and hit herself. Rui, even angrier, grabbed the bag, slammed the door, and left. The only thing Helena managed was a text to her boss, claiming shed caught a virus and needed a few days off.
Rui returned just before midnight, apologizing. Helena said:
Take me to the village where my grandmother lived.
The next morning Helena looked more like a walking corpse than a healthy young woman. Rui begged:
Helena, dont be stubborn, lets go to the hospital. I dont want to lose you.
Instead they headed to the village. Helena could only remember the villages name; she hadnt been there since her parents sold her grandmas house. She slept through most of the drive. Unsure which field to search, she woke as they neared the village and told her husband:
Lets go that way.
She stumbled out of the car, collapsing onto the grass from exhaustion, but she knew she was where Grandma Maria had led her in the dream. She found the herbs shed been shown, and they returned home. Rui prepared the infusion exactly as Helena instructed. She sipped small amounts, feeling a little better with each swallow.
She barely made it to the bathroom; when she stood again, her urine was black. Rather than panic, she repeated her grandmothers words:
The evil is leaving
That night she dreamed of Grandma again, this time smiling. The spirit spoke:
They sent you a curse through that rusty needle. The infusion will restore your strength, but not for long. We must discover who did this and return the curse. I cant see the culprit, but it has something to do with your husband. If you hadnt thrown the needle away, I could have told you more. Yet
She continued:
Go to the shop, buy a pack of needles, and on the largest one recite this spell: Spirits of the night, once alive! Hear me, ghosts of night, reveal the truth. Surround me! Show me, aid me, find my enemy Place that needle in your husbands bag. Whoever placed the curse will prick themselves, and well learn the name and return the harm.
With that, the grandmother dissolved like mist. Helena awoke still weak but certain she would get better. She trusted that her grandmother would guide her.
Rui stayed home that day to look after her. He was surprised when she announced she wanted to go to the market alone.
Helena, dont be reckless, you can barely stand. Lets go together.
Rui, make me a soup; I have a terrible appetite after this virus.
Helena followed every instruction from her dream. That night the enchanted needle lay in Ruis bag. Before sleeping, he asked:
Are you sure you can manage on your own? Maybe I should stay with you a bit longer.
I can do it.
She was improving, yet felt the lingering evil moving inside her, poisoning her. The threeday infusion acted like an antidote, keeping the darkness at bay.
She waited, with effort, for Rui to finish work, meeting him at the door. His first question:
How was your day?
Fine, why do you ask?
She thought nothing unusual had happened until Rui added:
You wont believe ittoday Sandra from the nearby department tried to help me by taking the keys from my bag. My arms were full of files. When she reached into my bag, she got pricked by a needle. How did it get there? She stared at me like she wanted to kill me.
Do you have something with Sandra?
Helena, please. I love only you. It isnt Sandra or anyone else.
Was she at your birthday dinner at the restaurant?
Yes, she was there, just a colleague.
The pieces fell into place for Helena. She finally understood how the rusty needle had ended up in her bag.
Rui went to the kitchen where dinner awaited. Helena fell asleep again, dreaming of her grandmother, who explained how to return the curse to Sandra. The spirit said Sandra had used magic to try to eliminate Helena and take her place beside Rui. If ordinary means failed, she would resort to sorcery, stopping at nothing.
Helena obeyed every instruction. Soon after, Rui announced that Sandra was on medical leave, gravely ill, with doctors baffled.
Helena asked her husband to take her, on the weekend, to the village where her grandmother had lived, to the cemetery she hadnt visited since the funeral. She bought a bouquet, gloves, and, with difficulty, located Grandma Marias grave. Near the tomb she saw her portrait on the headstoneher savior from the dreams. She cleaned the site, placed the flowers in a vase of water, sat on the bench, and spoke:
Grandma, Im sorry I didnt come sooner. I thought my parents annual visits were enough, but I was wrong. Now Im here. If it werent for you, I might not be here at all.
At that moment she felt a gentle pressure on her shoulders, as if the grandmothers hands were there. She turned, but there was no oneonly a light breeze.
