Curse

Have you ever noticed that special time of night? How extraordinary the silence reigns then! The slightest rustle seems like a loud noise, every creak in the floor, which you ignore during the day, becomes comparable to a cannon shot... Especially if you're passing someone you don't want to wake for anything in the world. I never gave it a second thought until that day, or rather that night. A terrible night after a tiring day.

Every year at this time, a despondency bordering on depression overwhelms me. I sit on the open windowsill and consider jumping out. The secret I carry within me is killing me. With each anniversary of those tragic events, I lose more and more of the will to live, my defenses against the memories that torment me become weaker. Last year, I was determined to end my life. I swung my legs out the window, gripped the outside windowsill with my hands, and at any moment I was about to push myself off and fall from the tenth floor onto the lawn in front of the building. It was a near miss... A sudden power outage in the entire complex saved me. That somehow revived me. Now I fear that no outage, or anything else, would save my life. It's the middle of the night. Few windows are lit. The sky is overcast. There are no stars or moons. Everything is shrouded in darkness... just like seventeen years ago...

It all started with truancy. It was a beautiful, sunny morning. The moment I woke up, I opened the window and knew I wouldn't be going to school. My young self was rebelling against the confinement of education on such a beautiful May morning. I thought it would be a good idea to convince Kamil to take the day off with me.

Kamil was my boyfriend. If perfect love exists, this was the feeling we shared. I'm sure we'd be a very happy couple now, if it weren't for...

The road from thought to action is very short for me, so a moment later I was dialing my beloved's number. I still remember my carefree voice when I suggested we skip school together. He laughed and exclaimed, "I was just about to suggest the same thing!" We always understood each other almost without words. It was a kindred spirit.

We arranged to meet in the city park, near the stone sculpture. We arrived there simultaneously. I asked him where we were going. He put his arm around me and replied with a subtle touch of nonchalance,

"First, I invite you for coffee and cake. Then we'll see what happens."

Over cream puffs and aromatic coffee, we decided not to wander around the dusty city but to spend the day immersed in nature. We took the train to a small town with a charming forest. It was Kamil's idea. He'd once been there with his parents mushroom picking. They'd found nothing but a single dried toadstool, but my boyfriend remembered the place. I wasn't surprised. I, too, was captivated by the beauty and freshness of this natural retreat. Holding hands, we strolled through the trees, breathing the clean air, and were glad we weren't at school for a biology test. "This is freedom!" I thought, and a moment later, Kamil exclaimed the same thing, spontaneously lifting me up. At the time, we had no idea how much this "freedom" would cost us. In a carefree mood, we set off on a narrow path leading deeper into the forest. Why not? The forest was sparse, and besides, we could turn back at any moment. At least that's what we thought... We wandered along the path for a good half hour, maybe an hour. Finally, the intense sun's rays took their toll.

"It's so hot," I sighed.

"Yes," he admitted, wiping sweat from his forehead. "It's terribly stuffy. But look, there are more and more trees. Another two hundred meters and we'll enter a dense forest. There will be shade there. "

I looked in the indicated direction. At one point, the path disappeared into a wall of dense woodland.

"When we get there," Kamil continued, "we'll take a break. We'll eat our school breakfasts and drink some water.

" "Do you have any?" I expressed surprise.

"Yes," he smiled slyly. "I brought two liters of mineral water with me.

" "And you're only telling me this now?! I'll strangle you! I'll strangle you!" I frowned, but my eyes were smiling.

"Just try..." he pulled me close.

The kiss gave us strength. Ten minutes later, we crossed the boundary between a sparse grove and a dense, coniferous forest. On the other side, it was pleasantly cool.

"The path ends," I observed.

"Never mind. We'll walk a little further to find a suitable picnic spot. We'll eat, drink, and return the way we came."

After a while, we managed to find a small clearing among the trees. We spread out our jackets, sat down, and took out our provisions. After the meal, we lay down for a good hour. We felt the pulsing earth beneath us, or was it just our hearts? We remained silent, letting the birds and other forest creatures speak. We simply held hands; that was enough for us; it spoke louder than words. I blame myself now for not fully appreciating that moment. But how could I have known that this would be the last such enchanting silence in our lives together?

We hadn't noticed the clouds approaching from all sides. They insidiously surrounded the sun and gradually closed in, tightening their circle, like a pack of predators surrounding their prey before attacking.

"It's getting cold," I said, rising from the grass.

"Looks like a storm is approaching." He glanced anxiously at the darkening sky. "We have to go back.

" "I think so too." I started walking forward.

"Not that way. The path was where that stump was." He gestured in the opposite direction.

"Are you sure?

" "No," he admitted after a moment.

"Or maybe it was that stump? Forty degrees to the left of yours.

" "Possibly. Okay, let's go that way. Third time's the charm."

We joined hands and walked toward the other stump. At that moment, a piercing wind picked up. The rain didn't take long either.

"I think we're going the wrong way." There's no sign of a path." Kamil looked worried.

"Are we lost?" I whispered in panic, as a sudden flash of lightning revealed the full drama of our situation. We were surrounded by a dense, impenetrable forest.

"If we walk a few dozen meters in the opposite direction, we'll definitely emerge from this thicket," he said reassuringly, but his voice held no certainty.

He tugged on my arm. We turned back. The earlier drizzle had turned into a downpour. Thunder boomed. It became clear we were heading nowhere. If we had indeed been going in the right direction, we would have found a path long ago.

"I think we should go this way after all," he said, leading me to who knows where.

We wandered through the forest, first this way and then that, dripping with rain, increasingly disorienting ourselves.

"Look, a cabin!" he said suddenly.

I wiped the raindrops from my eyelashes and looked ahead. Somewhere in the distance, beyond the thick downpour, a small wooden house loomed. We glanced at each other hopefully and ran for shelter. Kamil knocked on the door. When there was no answer, we entered, as the cottage proved to be open... and unoccupied. It was a single, neglected room with little furniture. A table eaten away by woodworm, an iron bed with a hole in the mattress, a single rickety chair, and some kind of wardrobe. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust.

"No one's cleaned here in a while," Kamil remarked. He had calmed down and his mood had improved. Seeing that he was prone to jokes, I, too, brightened. "Nadia!" he called. "There's a fireplace!" And next to it, a basket of firewood. I have a lighter with me, so we can build a fire.

" "That's wonderful," I said happily. "We're soaked to the skin."

Kamil busied himself with lighting the fire, while I moved the bed closer to the fireplace so we had something to sit on. We took off our wet clothes (we were still in our underwear) and hung them on the bed's arms. We sat in the middle of the mattress, very close together, and, shivering with cold, stared into the flames.

"We'll probably be sick," I said, my teeth chattering.

"The most important thing is that we found shelter from the rain. It's always better to freeze in a wooden hut than get wet in a dense forest. And we have each other..." He looked at me lovingly.

"You look at me in a way that almost makes me feel warm," I smiled.

"You'll feel even warmer soon..."

He was right. The warm kisses and the closeness of his body created a kind of warm energy between us. This unexpected intimacy in that little house in the woods is one of my fondest memories.

"I could get lost with you even at the North Pole," I whispered, tilting my head, thereby consenting to his kisses

on my neck. "I wouldn't let you freeze to death. I'd give my life for you," he murmured, his lips tickling my neck. As it turned out, these weren't empty words.

I let out a satisfied purr in response, but it didn't drown out a quiet squeal. The sound of the door opening. Startled, we moved slightly apart and glanced apprehensively toward the entrance. A short, elderly woman stood against the falling rain. She wore an old-fashioned black dress, contrasting with her white hair, carefully arranged in a bun, and her kind, wrinkled face.

"Good morning," she said gently, closing the door behind her.

"Good morning," we replied in unison.

"I see you've all settled in.

" "We're sorry, but we're soaked to the skin." We thought no one lived here," Kamil explained, embarrassed.

"What do you mean, no one? I live here. You did a very good job. I've been so lonely since my husband died," the woman wrung her hands. "I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Leokadia Domicela Wielopolska. And what are your names?

" "What are you talking about? My name is Kamil, and this is my girlfriend, Nadia. You'll forgive us for being so naked, but this downpour..." He approached the old woman and kissed her hand. (Incidentally, I always appreciated his gallant courtesy.) "Your hand is icy. You must have been freezing too. Please take a seat by the fireplace, next to us.

" "No, young man," she smiled kindly. "Sit by your fiancée. I'll bring you blankets in a moment, and then I'll make some tea."

The blankets were very old, dirty, and torn in places, but that didn't matter much to us. We accepted them gratefully. Mrs. Leokadia pulled a small tin from the closet. She peered into it and sighed sadly:

"I'm afraid I won't be able to offer my guests tea. It's all gone, but I'll look for it...

" "It's still raining, isn't it?" I asked Kamila in a low voice.

"Yes.

" "Has it been raining all this time?

" "Yes." He looked at me, wondering what I meant.

"That's very strange, because that lady hasn't gotten wet at all, and yet she came from the forest," I whispered, gripped by a sudden sense of dread. "What if she...

" "We'll check it out in a moment." He guessed what I was going to say, but dismissed my concerns. He looked with a smile at the old woman rummaging through the wardrobe and asked loudly, "Excuse me, are you a ghost?"

She turned to us and blinked. She walked over to a chair and sat down. She became semi-transparent

. "So you've noticed? I forget about it so often. And now too. I thought I was alive, just like I was a hundred years ago, living in my little cottage in the woods, and was currently giving hospitality to a lost couple." I'm giving it to you, but... it's true: I'm a ghost.

Kamil paled and hugged me tighter. I squeezed his hand tightly.

"Don't be afraid. I'm so sorry everyone's afraid of me... I'm so lonely! So lonely..." The woman buried her face in her hands and began to sob.

"Please don't cry. You're a very good ghost. You're a nice woman, full of warmth and kindness," Kamil said with conviction.

"Thank you for not throwing us out of your house and for giving us blankets," I added, trying to imitate my boyfriend's tone.

"Do you really think so? Dear children..." the woman softened, wiping her eyes.

"Do you know how to get out of the forest?

" "Of course, but stay with me for two more hours. Please," she looked at us so pleadingly that we didn't have the heart to refuse this sweet, lost soul. "You remind me of my husband and I when we were young. I can see how much you love each other." You make a perfect couple, just like Bogumił and I." She sighed and began her story. "I was the daughter of a wealthy merchant. Our house, with its vastness, could have swallowed fifty such cottages, perhaps even more. Wealth, numerous servants... I grew up in luxury! My father wanted to ensure an even better future for me. He decided to marry me off to a fabulously wealthy nobleman, a certain Truchliński... against my will. He didn't know this man well, didn't know he was a bad man. He treated his servants cruelly, even his own sick mother, who lived with him. Everyone in the neighborhood talked about it, but Papa wouldn't listen to the gossip. Truchliński was abhorrent to me, not only because of his wicked nature...

" "You loved another man," I guessed. Fear left me. I listened to this woman's story with genuine interest.

"Yes. Bogumił was a poor lumberjack who sometimes helped tend our orchard. I fell in love with him at first sight for his kindness, his sincerity..." Tears glistened on the ghost's transparent face. "The day before my engagement to Truchliński was announced, I summoned my courage and went to my father's study. I told him that if I were to marry, it would be to Bogumił. He gave me an ultimatum: either I marry Truchliński, or he would disinherit me. Without hesitation, I chose the latter. My father was furious. He shouted, "Then you have no business in this house! You are no longer my daughter!" I took only a small trunk with me, packed a few essentials, and moved to Bogumił's, the cottage where we are staying. We were married that same day. It was hard. We barely made ends meet. Hunger and poverty stared us in the face more than once." But we were very happy for forty years, until... After Bogumił's death, I was forced to earn a living by sewing, and when that wasn't enough, I sold furniture. That's why it's so empty here now.

"And what happened to Truchliński?

" "He died alone a dozen years later." The news even reached this remote area. The lumberjacks my husband worked with said that Truchliński died in body, but his soul still lives, wandering... through this forest, taking the forms of people and animals. He's a spirit of a different kind than me. I meet him sometimes. We can't even talk to each other; we exist on a different plane, but one look from him is enough to terrify even the dead," she smiled grimly. "He's full of hatred and wants revenge for breaking off their engagement. Rumors circulated that he's the terror of young, happy couples.

" "Such as ours?" Kamil asked.

"It's just a legend, but be careful... Now tell me about yourselves."

I hadn't had such a good conversation with anyone in a long time. Kamil seemed pleased too.

"What time is it?" I glanced anxiously at the window.

"It's almost 5 p.m. We should go."

We put on our still damp clothes and went out into the forest with Mrs. Leokadia. It wasn't raining anymore, the air was fresh. She led us to the clearing where we'd had a picnic.

"I buried my husband here," she pointed to a large rock. "Just stand with your back to this rock and walk straight ahead. After five minutes, you'll find a small path that will easily take you to town.

" "Thank you very much. Perhaps we could help you too?" Kamil wondered. "Is your body buried somewhere?"

"I don't know. I don't remember...

" "Perhaps we just need to pray for your soul. Come, Nadia, let's try."

We crouched down and began to pray aloud:

"Eternal rest grant her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine on her forever and ever...

" "It didn't help," Wielopolska sighed.

"We'll keep trying until we succeed. Eternal rest..."

We closed our eyes and repeated the prayer over and over again, until he was hoarse. Kamil had a coughing fit. I looked at him worriedly.

"It's okay. I'm better now. Look, our prayer helped." Mrs. Leokadia disappeared.

"Then we can go home now," I smiled and kissed him lightly. "It'll be completely dark soon.

" "How did that go? With my back to the stone and straight ahead." He took my hand, and we set off.

The old woman was telling the truth. After a few minutes, we found a trace of a path. We were just emerging from the forest into a grove when a blood-curdling cry rang out from somewhere behind us:

"Help!

" We turned abruptly. Deep in the forest, we saw a darker, moving shape. It was a little girl, maybe six years old.

"Help!" I'm scared!

"Hang on, little one. We'll be right there," Kamil shouted back.

"What are you doing here, alone after dark?" I asked as we reached her. "Where are your parents?

" "We'll find out later," Kamil interrupted firmly. "Now we have to find the path. Come on, little one. No harm will come to you with us. "

The girl didn't reply. She sat down on the ground and lowered her head.

"We won't let you stay here. Give me your hand."

The little girl still didn't say anything, didn't even look at the arm outstretched towards her. We tried to persuade her, but she remained motionless.

"Maybe she's in shock? You'd better take her in your arms," ​​I suggested.

Kamil approached, but as soon as he touched her, she screamed and ran a few meters away.

"You have to trust us. We want to help you," he said in a gentle tone that I could sense the nervousness in. He looked at me helplessly. "I don't know how to talk to children. What are we doing? We can't leave her here."

While we were conferring, the girl approached us and took our hands. Pleasantly surprised, we began walking forward. It was already completely dark. We could barely make out the outlines of trees within a two-meter radius.

"Where was that stone?" Kamil asked suddenly.

"I thought you knew...

" "No, did you?

" "I have no idea. We're lost again!" I shouted in panic.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath. "It's all because of that brat.

" "Shh... She hears everything.

" "I think we should stay where we are and wait until morning. If we wander around in this darkness, we'll get even further lost.

" "Let's go a few more meters," I pleaded.

"Okay, although I don't think that makes any sense... Wait, isn't this Mrs. Leokadia's house? See? Right in front of us.

" "Indeed," I breathed, opening the door. "At least we have a place to stay for the night."

Kamil lit the kerosene lamp that was on the table and began to light the fireplace.

"What's your name?" I asked the girl.

"Frumentjusz. My name is Frumentjusz Truchliński," she repeated, her voice strangely booming.

A moment later, the girl was gone. A tall, corpulent man stood before me. The eyes of a madman stared from beneath his steely, bushy eyebrows. He wasn't transparent, like Mrs. Wielopolska; he gave the impression of a man of flesh and blood, strong and capable of anything. I screamed shrilly and ran to Kamil.

"Your naivety astonishes me." Leokadia warned you, like all those who wandered into these parts, that I could take any form, yet you allowed yourselves to be led into the field.

"What do you want from us?" Kamil asked bravely, though his eyes betrayed fear.

"I want your death. That's why I lured you back to this cottage.

" "We did nothing wrong...

" "Yes. You entered my territory, openly demonstrating your happiness.

" "That's not a crime yet...

" "Silence! I wasn't destined to marry my chosen one, so you won't be reunited either! The worst thing, however, is that I lost Leokadia a second time... Because of you! Her soul was united with her husband. While her spirit lived in that wretched mud hut, I could at least look at her and enjoy her solitude! And now I've lost her forever...

" "Because of the love you had for her..." I began hesitantly.

"Love?" the specter laughed mockingly. "It wasn't love!" It was a whim, pure lust! Besides, her father promised me a few jewels as a dowry, the value of which he had no idea, the old fool! He stopped looking at us, speaking as if to himself. "But his daughter outsmarted everyone! She wanted a poor-as-a-church-mouse lumberjack for a husband! I hated him, but I only settled the score with him after his death. From then on, his wife was cursed. Every year she wanted to take her own life to join her husband. Year after year, this desire grew more powerful. She endured it for eight years, and on the ninth anniversary of her husband's death, she stabbed herself. That's the catch. Suicide ends with eternal wandering on earth. She couldn't join her beloved until someone sympathetic prayed for her soul. Only today, because of you... That's why I can't spare you... the curse must be cast again! And where are you?" he roared, noticing our attempts to escape. As he spoke, Kamil and I gradually made our way to the door. "I'll have to tie you down."

He tied our hands behind our backs with the ends of the rope. He attached the middle to his belt. He tied our legs together with a separate rope.

"I'll think about which of you to kill," he said with satisfaction, sitting down in a chair. He was lost in thought. Less than fifteen minutes later, snoring began.

"I didn't know ghosts needed sleep," Kamil whispered.

"Me neither. But now we can successfully escape.

" "How could we? He tied us so tightly... We don't have anything to cut the bonds."

I just smiled. There was no time for explanations; the kerosene lamp was almost empty. When Truchliński tied my hands, I tensed every muscle. Now, as I relaxed completely, I felt a few centimeters of slack between the rope and my hand. It only took a little fiddling to free my wrists. I'd read about it in one of Stephen King's novels. Sweat broke out on my forehead as I struggled with the rope. Finally, I succeeded. I quickly released Kamil.

"How did you do that?

" "You'd better help me with the knots in our legs," I hissed in response.

A moment later, we were free. Slowly, tiptoeing, we approached the door. I placed my feet carefully, as if walking on thin ice. Toes, heel, stretch out the other leg... toes, heel. Even though we walked as quietly as possible, the boards creaked beneath us several times. Each time, we froze in terror, tense, listening to Truchliński's snores. He didn't wake up.

"That door creaks terribly," Kamil observed. "There's no point in trying to be careful. I'll count to three. On three, I'll open the door wide, then we'll run. Are you ready?"

Full of foreboding, I leaned toward him and kissed him. For a few seconds, we forgot about the danger, pouring all our love into that kiss... the last, as it turned out. I buried my face in his shoulder.

"Don't worry, darling. We'll escape," he whispered in my ear.

I pulled myself together. I pulled away a little and said,

"You can start.

" "One..." his voice trembled, "two..." he took a nervous breath, and... "three."

He opened the door with one vigorous movement. The hinges squealed shrilly in the deafening silence, and we ran like madmen into the ominous blackness of the forest. At that same moment, we heard the inhuman roar of the ghost:

"Do you think you're so clever?! You can't escape from me!" his voice came from some distance. We had a chance.

Staring into the darkness, eyes wide with fear, I didn't notice the massive root beneath my feet. I stumbled and fell.

"Nadia?" Kamil stopped immediately.

The ghost was getting closer. He was brandishing something. It looked like a saber or a sword.

"Grab my hand!" my boyfriend called.

I gripped his hand tightly and managed to stand up.

"I'll kill you, miss!" the apparition was almost there. It swung. I closed my eyes and thought it was over.

"Kamil, run!" I screamed.

I felt a struggle around me.

"I'll spare you. I won't let you be happy," I heard Truchliński's angry voice.

After a moment, silence fell. Then I realized what had happened. Kamil lay next to me. I threw myself on my knees. I hugged him tightly, simultaneously holding his head. He was covered in blood.

"My love, you saved me..." I cried, stroking his cheek.

"Nadia...

" "Don't say anything. You have to be strong. You can't die... I won't let you!

" "I love you," he whispered. With the last of his strength, he turned his head to touch my fingers with his lips.

"Kamil... Kamil..." I repeated, drowning in tears. But he couldn't hear me anymore.

Now, too, hot tears are streaming down my cheeks. Like every year, I relive the tragedy of that night, feeling an ever-increasing desire for death. This is my curse. I want to kill myself, even though I know it will distance me even further from Kamil. I will wander alone for who knows how many years, like Mrs. Leokadia Wielopolska. But will I endure the longing until my natural death?

Suddenly, I hear voices coming from the courtyard.

"...there, on the top floor, in the window...

" "She's transparent... She's a ghost!

I've forgotten again..."