**A Birthday to Remember: The Couples Special Dinner**
Emily walked home with her husband from the restaurant where theyd celebrated his birthday. It had been a lovely eveningrelatives, colleagues, even people shed never met before. If James had invited them, she trusted it was important.
Emily wasnt one to argue with her husband. She preferred peace over pointless fights. It was easier to agree than to prove she was right.
“Emily, do you have the keys? Can you grab them?”
She rummaged through her handbag, then gasped, jerking her hand back and dropping the bag.
“Whats wrong?” James frowned.
“Something stung me.”
“With all the junk in there, Im not surprised.”
She bit back a retort, retrieved the keys, and soon forgot the incident. Exhausted, she collapsed into bed the moment they got home. But by morning, her hand throbbedher finger swollen, red with infection. Then she remembered. She emptied her bag, piece by piece, until she found it: a long, rusted needle buried at the bottom.
“What the hell?”
She couldnt fathom how it got there. Shaken, she tossed it in the bin and dressed the wound. By lunchtime, fever burned through her. She called James.
“I feel awful. Fever, headachemy whole body hurts. I found a rusted needle in my bag. It must have been that.”
“You should see a doctor. It could be tetanus.”
“Dont be dramatic. I cleaned it. Ill be fine.”
But she wasnt. By evening, she could barely stand. She took a taxi home, collapsed on the sofa, and fell into a feverish sleep.
In her dream, her grandmotherlong dead, a face she barely rememberedstood before her. Wrinkled, ghostly, yet radiating warmth. She led Emily through a field, pointing to herbs.
“Brew these. Theyll cleanse you. Someone wishes you harm. But you must survive.”
Emily woke drenched in sweat. Only minutes had passed. The front door clickedJames was home. He froze at the sight of her.
“Look at yourself!”
The mirror reflected a strangerhollow-eyed, pale, hair tangled.
“I dreamed of Gran,” she whispered. “She told me what to do.”
“Youre delirious. Were going to the hospital.”
“No. She said the doctors cant help.”
James called her mad. They foughtfirst time in years. He grabbed her arm, dragging her toward the door.
“If you wont go willingly, Ill make you.”
She wrenched free, stumbled, fell. Furious, he snatched her handbag, slammed the door, and left.
He returned near midnight, remorseful. But Emily only said one thing:
“Take me to Grans village.”
Morning revealed her as a walking corpse. James pleaded, “Emily, dont be stubborn. I cant lose you.”
But they went. She slept the entire drive, waking only as they neared the village. Weak, she staggered from the car, collapsing into the grass. It was the field from her dream. She found the herbs.
Back home, James brewed the infusion. Each sip steadied her. Later, in the bathroom, her urine ran black.
“The poisons leaving,” she murmured.
That night, Gran returned in her dreams, smiling.
“The needle carried a curse. The herbs will heal you, but not forever. We must find who did this.” Her voice darkened. “Its tied to James. If you hadnt thrown the needle away, Id know more. But listenbuy new needles. Say these words over the largest: Spirits of night, hear me. Ghosts, reveal the truth. Surround me. Show me my enemy. Hide it in Jamess bag. Whoever cursed you will prick themselvesand well know.”
Emily obeyed. Days passed. Then James returned from work, puzzled.
“Sandra from accounting tried getting my keys from my bag. She pricked herself on a needleno idea how it got there. Gave me a death glare after.”
“Sandra? Was she at your birthday?”
“Just a colleague. Nothing more.”
The puzzle clicked.
That night, Gran revealed the rest: Sandra, using dark magic, wanted Emily gone.
Emily followed Grans final instructions. Soon, James mentioned Sandra was on medical leavedoctors baffled by her sudden illness.
The next weekend, Emily visited Grans grave, tidying the overgrown stone. She laid fresh flowers, whispering,
“Gran, Im sorry I never came. Without you, I wouldnt be here.”
A breeze brushed her shoulders. She turnednothing there. Just the whisper of leaves.
