Curse Of The Dragon

I am cursed

I stood still for a few seconds before taking up the offer to enter her apartment. I could tell she wasn’t normal the moment I entered her place. She had weird markings on the wall at the left and had lemons hanging at every door.

“Umm…I will say make yourself home.” She said before picking some books from the table in the living room and got to set them on the shelf behind. The place wasn’t untidy but had a different vibe.

“Why you would do this for me? Are you helping me…?” I was never this clueless in my whole life.

“I am not helping you…” She replied still busy with picking books and this time went inside her room maybe.

“I won’t be a burden on you. I will…I will find something. But…thank you.”

“For what?” She asked getting out of her jacket. She hanged her jacket and I too got out of mine.

“To save me?...” I said and she stared at me with a little trouble on her face.

“...things are sorted, right? I…I didn’t go with him. It will change my future now?” I asked her thinking she somehow can predict things.

“Yes…it does change your future in a way.” She said making something turn in my guts.

“What do you mean?” I asked while she looked around nervously before offering. “I am hungry too. So, let’s eat. I really made the best gravy. You can tell me whatever you want in this gravy.”

“Who are you? What is your profession?” This did make her nervous and she said, “I am not good at saying that I am a…witch.” She said the last word more like a whisper and I couldn’t help but say, “What?” I don’t know why I laughed. It felt like a joke. And, it was the first time I heard someone saying something like this about them.

“Don’t make me feel inferior. You are just a human that too cursed.” She threw her hands in the air.

“Excuse me, what?” I knew she knew something that I wanted now. I was at the top of everything. Invisible, the powerhouse and now I end up here in this apartment with a teen girl who supposedly was a witch or I don’t know what.

“I can explain this to you. And, I will also explain how you can be of my use to get where I want to.” She said and got lost in a door. I walked behind her to find the little place as a kitchen. “Don’t worry, unlike you must have heard witches don’t exactly make mouse or lizards.” I narrowed my eyes before replying. “I don’t talk about witches. Even as a child I never picked fantasy books.” I replied making her turn to look at me. “Fine, so you like chicken or mutton?”

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We ate in silence. I knew that learning things will only make it difficult for me. And, I wonder what she meant with a cursed human. But amidst all, I wonder what Tom was doing right now. What kind of love allows you to destroy another person’s life?

“Don’t worry much. I…I can understand. I too had a boyfriend…and he left.”

“Can you read minds?” I asked to which she replied. “No,…I learn to read the expression. Not everything about me is magic and recipes. There are skills that I learned from other people. With practice,...you get better.”

“Did he know you were a witch?” I asked to which she shook her head before giving me a cold sigh.

“So, how can I help you?” I asked her the moment she was getting the dishes from her table.

“It was your first day. So, I treated you. For the other days, we will split our chores. And, also stay away from the attic under my bed. It has curse things. You don’t want to get into any more trouble.”

“I asked what you want from me!” I asked making her look bored.

“I am running research on curses. You see curse is powerful. It has the driving force to keep things moving in its own way. And, I am a computer geek too. So, I made an application that lets me track things or human that has the curse.”

“I can’t believe this,” I whispered my opinion but she added.

“No, really…I actually made an app and it works but it's my personal thing to use.” This made me look at her surprised and she added, “Oh, you were not talking about the app.”

I gave her a duh look and she took me to the living room again. She switched on the TV and sprawled on her couch.

“Well, my grandmother had a book that had the mention of many curses. The scripts were written by many people who came down the history or come across with a cursed object or human. My granny compiled it into a book. And, then my mother made a stone that changes colour whenever it comes near a cursed object. I noted the kind of frequencies around whenever that stone changes colour and made this application that catches such frequencies and guides me. Well, my mom doesn’t like curse things at all and she made this stone so I stay away but…the kids always get interested in wrong things.”

“I was mentioned there?...in the book?” I asked to which she twisted her mouth a little before nodding her head in yes. “Your family has the oldest curse dating back to ten thousand years…the second oldest curse only dates back to eight hundred years. So, we can agree that yours wins.” It is not like I wanted this.

“What does it say? What do these curses mean? How we can break it?” I asked to which she looked really uncomfortable. “I am sorry to break it to you. But we are not here to break the curse. I do a little bit of experimentation or pick on the information. It can tell a lot about the times of when it came into being...” She shrugged her shoulders before adding. “...But definitely you are not a thing but a human and I can’t keep you without your consent. So, I must add you can leave if you want but there are people looking for you outside so you should stay.”

“So,…I am cursed to get famous and then lose everything?” I whispered taking the seat on the couch but she added,

"And also, you are cursed to never marry and get abandon or deceived by the person you fell in love with.”

“But…but I didn’t go with him. It should break right…this cycle.” I was at my wits ends.

“No, Kate…history will repeat whenever you will fall in love. And, you have cursed to birth a daughter who will be taking on the curse. So, it will happen eventually.”

“What? Why me? I haven’t done anything bad to anyone.”

“Just like all of us? We were not the ones who ate the apple. Adam and Eve were thrown out of the heavens. So, our ancestors are sometimes responsible for all the fate play with us eventually.”

“How…or who gave us this curse,” I asked,

“Dogan, the last dragon who didn’t get to marry because your grandmother chose to elope with someone else. You can’t begin to imagine the humiliation. He was the king.”

“Please, tell me that dragon is just a title,” I asked to which she replied.

“They are meant to be the most powerful creatures ever lived.” She replied seeming impressed.

“Why…why he would curse this whole lineage. It is cruel.” I don't know but I had tears in my eyes and without any doubt, I was believing whatever she was telling me.

“Your grandmother is the reason that he doesn’t have a lineage. There are no dragons anymore.” Ok, I don't know if this information is meant to make me pity him, but I could only feel bad for me. I didn't deserve this. I...I always donate my clothes, money, food, helps my friends and whatnot.

“Look, it’s all in the past. You…you seem amazing. You…you must know something that can erase this thing off of me.” I almost pleaded.

“Well, yea,…I am amazing. I mean if it wasn’t for me you could have ended up like your mom who always believed that it was all her fate’s play. I mean not everyone in your family came across someone like me to explain the situation.”

“Tiara?” I pleaded for her to stay focused. I wanted a solution.

“I really don’t know. The curse can’t be removed. I am sorry.” This time I really heard a tint of sympathy in her voice.

“There has to be some way. I will only let you read my curse if there is a way to break the curse. Please help me out.” I was begging at this point.

“I don’t know. You…I mean…it is not like you will go back to marry Dogan. And, give him an heir so he dies satisfied and not with a grudge.”

“I don’t know. I don’t deserve to lead a troubled life just because a creature couldn’t procreate thousands of years ago. Neither my mother did. I…”

“I already told you. Some things are not in our hands. Just don’t try to get your old life. You will fall even more miserably. Give up…you don’t have any other option. You will get hurt every time.” She patted my shoulder before leaving.

Was she serious? I haven’t learned to give up but how the hell on the earth I was supposed to win from something I can’t understand.

I was given the couch in the living area to sleep. But I couldn’t. There were so many unanswered questions. I was amazed how I actually believed that what she has told me about the curse was true. I wonder how my mother ended up. And, what miseries all of the women in my family were facing. It was a punishment for a crime that we never committed. I get that my ancestor eloped but couldn’t he moved on. What is the purpose of cursing her generations?

In the morning, Tiara came to say hello. She was an early bird. She made the breakfast and I helped to set the table.

“So, if you are ready or convinced. Can I read your curse?” She mentioned and I got my mouth bitter thinking how I was not more than an experimental rat.

“You helped me out so I will let you do whatever you want to know. After that,...I will leave.” She looked at me for a few seconds before nodding her head in understanding.

She pulled the blinds and made the room darkened. Only very small crystal balls were lighted at seven different places in the living room. She got a bowl of water and placed it on the table between us.

“Do you want to see?” She asked and I recalled how deep or real seeing this hallucination could be.

But I wanted to know. “What I will see?” I asked to which she shook her head in no. “I don’t know.”

I took a deep breath before following her instruction to dip my hand in the bowl. She got her hand in the bowl too and held two small pink coloured stones.

I gasped when she held my hand. We both were standing in a white hue tunnel and on both sides we could see things moving back. I saw women from different times. All of them looked like me. It was me in different dresses and in different situations. All of them seemed gloomy or crying and that made me hiccup but Tiara came in front of me.

“Don’t …you are safe…don’t look at them. And, before she could say more we both landed on land. I could feel my handheld but Tiara but in front of me, she was walking ahead. I knew I was still sitting there at the table.

“No one can see us...” She turned back to tell me and whispered. “...We are seeing how earth used to be ten thousand years back. It sure felt so good.” She was right. Even the air was different. “Let’s go to where it was started.” She said before holding my hand and we both found ourselves in a space that had walls made of clay. The room was not too small or big. It has bedding on the floor. And, soon we two noticed a girl coming into the room. She handled her hair to the other side and I noticed it was me. She seemed in a hurry and changed her clothes. We looked exactly the same.

Soon we saw an older woman coming without getting any permission. She seemed happy and hugged my grandmother. We couldn’t know what they talk about but I could see that my grandmother wasn’t happy. Her smile was fake? They both walked out in a place where three women were waiting. I realized they were living in a huge tent. The roof was made of huge leather skin. All of them changed her clothes to get her in a piece of white fabric. She was sitting on a huge iron plate. Two women were trying to give her a bath with the water that was in a huge bucket.

“This civilization is much different but they aren’t living like animals. And, I wonder what kind of huge animal had such a skin.” Tiara said looking at the ceiling but I only stared at the woman.

“Here, get this stone in your mouth. Don’t engulf it ok? We will be able to decipher what they are talking about.”

I reluctantly accepted her offer and get that stone in my mouth.

“...you will be the queen, Shia. I hope you don’t forget about us. You can take our tribe closer to the supreme power.”

Shia...that was my grandmother's name from thousands of years ago.

“I don’t want to marry. Why he didn’t choose any other woman. Why can’t I marry my love?” My grandmother asked the older woman.

“Don’t be silly. Our tribe is famous for beautiful women. We should only marry our daughters to kings or chieftains…” The older woman said before getting some powder from the woman who was holding the bucket. She started rubbing Shia’s thighs with the powder and with water it made a paste. “Make sure that she is all clean here.” The older woman told the girls and looked at Shia. “...you should be happy to be chosen by the most prestigious family in the world. You are chosen to marry the only dragon. Any girl in our tribe would kill to be at your place. You will birth a dragon, Shia.”

“But…he is a creature.” Shia was about to say something else when another woman brought a bowl having some liquid. The older woman accepted the bowl.

“Come on, drink this. You need to be strong to face your husband, tonight.” Seeing my grandmother drinking that bowl I felt sad for her helplessness.

She only wanted freedom. Was this wrong? I wondered.

“Don’t worry. After the ritual, you will fall in love with him.” The older woman hugged Shia and left.

“I will run away,” Shia exclaimed.

“You should totally run away.” “We will help you,” Two women spoke in unison while the third one seemed horrified.

“You shouldn’t do this. Think of our tribe. We will lose many allies and Dogan has already left for here. He is coming with three thousand people. All of them are noble people. How they will feel? You should look at your responsibilities. What our chief will say to them?”

“I don’t love him. I love Hama. I…I am not even a virgin. I might be pregnant. I…don’t want to see a dragon let alone marry one.” Shia was losing her nerves while I could see how this made two women smile.

“I will help you to elope. Hama will take you away.” The taller one said.

“No,…” the third woman tried to resist but Shia stood up saying. “You will not understand Aila. You have never loved anyone.”

“Aila, you should be happy. He might marry you if she left.” The taller woman spoke.

“He won’t. They will cut their ties with us and will never forget this insult. This decision will only bring destruction…” Before she could say something the shorter one hit a stone in Aila’s head and Shia held Aila’s unconscious body.

“Don’t worry, Shia. I will marry him. You should go now.” The taller woman said and Shia put Aila’s body on the floor and passed the leftover drink to the taller woman. They changed the clothes and Shia left the tent.

Tiara and I tried to follow her but the moment we got out of the tent we found ourselves in a different place. We could see some small huts in the distance. We walked on a very sunny day to only find Shia. She had a cloth as a headcover. I could notice a bump on her belly. She was handling with a lot of wool but soon we found a man coming on a horse.

“Where is Hama?” The person asked making Shia smile.

“He will be home soon. He has left with some people to hunt.”

“I have very bad news.” This made Shia alert.

“Bora attacked your tribe and no one survived. Hama’s parents are dead and your grandmother too.” We saw Shia crying loud.

“Why…why the king didn’t come to help them?” She complained.

“You shouldn’t be asking this question, Shia. King had to make the choice to save three out of four tribes. The decision wasn’t hard for him to make. He is battling the northern borders. You know how bad things are there. You…you are the reason that your tribe got aflame. And, that king had to leave for the war without marrying anyone. Imagine him dying without leaving an heir. You know how much his father had done for all of us.”

“I would want him dead too. What kind of mighty creature he is? Why he didn’t save my tribe?" She hissed and had tears flowing over her cheeks.

 “Your tribe wasn't his responsibility. You were not his empire but only allies that too was before you chose to left him at the wedding. Hama hasn't married you yet. And, anyone can notice that he won't. You are the one who should be dead. Even death won’t be good enough for you.” The person now seemed furious.

“Why he has to marry to have an heir? Isn’t he a creature? It isn’t my doing. How many times I have to explain this?"

“Only a person like you can say a thing like this. You know for dragons marriage is essential. Gods of Dragons will curse you. I hope Hama sees how selfish you are.” He said before leaving. Shia ran into her tent holding her sobs.

“So, Gods of dragons cursed us. Not Dogan. But seriously, marrying the guy she loved shouldn’t be such a crime…” I whispered and Tiara looked at me.

“And, not marrying someone you were supposed to? Didn’t you hear? She fled knowing it can put her loved ones on stake.”

“Are you serious?” I asked Tiara. “…you are not from this age. How can you think like this?” I asked for an explanation.

“No matter how much I love a guy. My coven will always come first. We have to admit that Shia was stupid, immature and wasn’t a great fit to be chosen.” Tiara commented looking at the tent.

“How long we will stay here?” I asked.

“We can go back if you want. But the curse will decide what it will show or what it won’t.” She gave me a raised brow.

“I don’t know why but I want to see Dogan. I wonder how a real dragon would look like.” I said and waited but nothing happened.

“Of course, I would like to see him too. I have heard he had a great castle carved in a mountain. And, his city around that hill was spectacular.”

“Why can’t we go there?” I asked.

“Because I am using your hand. Things that are related to you. I think we can’t go any further…” She was still completing her sentence when the scene changed.

“It was winter. A lot of people stood looking up to a place or surrounded some area. It didn’t take me long to realize that it was a pyre settled very high. People standing in the long cloaks were sobbing while the priest standing beside the pyre was wailing in sadness.

I noticed a little boy who kept on saying. “He had four fingers. Mom, I had seen everything. The four-fingered murdered him,”

“Shh,…” The woman hushed the kid and I wonder who that four-finger was. But somewhere in the mass, I saw Shia standing too in a cloak. Her huge belly tells me that Dogan died not long after.

I had mixed feelings. Whatever happened was unfortunate but it shouldn’t be paid with so many lives.

“I want to go back, Tiara,” I said the moment I noticed how the priest was going to set that pyre on fire. I don’t know why but I knew I couldn’t see that person going on to flames.

I gasped and felt beyond sore. My whole arm had this tingling sensation. I looked up to find Tiara the same.

“It was unfortunate. But I wish I could see how Dogan looked. Drawing the last dragon to see how he looked like could have been interesting.” Tiara said while I had tears in my eyes. I don’t know why I was so sad. Shia’s one decision changed her generations. I mean I loved Tom too but I knew where to draw the lines and was able enough to take the good decision.

“Tiara,” I said making her groan.

“I know you are tired and that you have already told me that this curse can’t be broken. I know what happened should have not happened. But I won’t carry this curse further. Even if…I have to kill myself to put an end on this.” I said making Tiara’s eyes widened.

“You are just affected by things we saw. You…I know it can be overwhelming but I know you will get used to it.” She said and stood up with her wobbly legs. No wonder, I felt weak too.

“I don’t know…If I could go back I would do marry him but can’t you find another way.” I asked to which she replied, “You can go back but…let’s not do this…it will be so stupid and there are risks in teleportation…and…we don’t really know who Dogan was!”

“We can do time travel?” I asked and made her alerted.

“No…it will change a lot. Sending someone to disrupt the past can be lethal. I mean imagine having dragons flying in this time. It doesn’t make sense. My coven will never allow me to do something like this.” Seeing I was standing to my decision she came to whispering.

“Listen, Kate. Everything happens for a reason.”

It was at this moment I realized I didn’t need her. Now, I knew there could be a way and no matter how hard it could be. I knew I will go there to change the past not only for me but for the hundreds of women who lost their lives to such a cruel curse.