Once Upon A Curse: 17 Dark Faerie Tales Read online

“What’s going on?”

  My breath caught in my throat, restricting my ability to inhale. This was insane. The sleep deprivation from the long week was getting to me, and now I was hallucinating vividly. I looked down at the ring on my finger and yanked it off.

  Bam! I was back in my living room, and everything was the same, as though nothing had happened.

  “What the—?” I was definitely losing my mind now. Bringing the ring up to eye level, I scrutinized the simple jewel. It was just a ring, right? Regardless of the pounding in my chest from fear or excitement—I couldn’t tell which one it was—I couldn’t help myself as I slipped the ring right back on. Just like before, the entire living room vanished, along with my couch this time, since I was now standing.

  At least when it happened again, I felt more prepared. I was definitely not in Kansas anymore, or Oz, or wherever the heck this place was, but I was going to find out.

  “Hello?” I called out into the open air. There was no answer. I was probably miles from any civilization. I didn’t know what I was expecting. The flutter of animal sounds quieted for second as my voice echoed through the trees but then restarted within a vengeance. They appeared to be chattering amongst themselves. Chattering about me. Nothing weird about that.

  But wait. How could that happen? They were animals. Dumb things, really. Why would they even be bothered about me? They were probably more afraid of me than I was of them, or so the saying went.

  “What is this place?”

  I had no idea what it all meant. The location was a pretty forest, full of life and gorgeous vegetation, but that’s all it was. I experimented with the ring several more times. It always took me there, but the moment I removed it, I was back in my boring old apartment. I eventually discovered that my apartment was the only place where the magic occurred. It didn’t happen outside or anywhere else.

  I’d walked around the forest for hours until my feet blistered and my limbs ached, but there were no fairies and nothing overtly magical in that place. I was beginning to think I’d been cheated. It seemed the ring had no special magic other than taking me to that one place in the forest. Why it chose that spot I couldn’t figure out, so I did what I did best when stressed out, tired, and disappointed—I went to bed.

  Maybe in the morning I would see the homeless guy again and I could ask him more about the ring and its peculiar magic. He had to enlighten me, right? As I twirled it in my fingers, I sighed. This thing had magic, but it sure didn’t grant wishes. That was impossible.

  I sat staring at the whiteboard, trying as I might to understand the diagrams, labels, and formulas scrawled across it. No matter how hard I tried, it was an alien language to me. The words didn’t click, and the diagrams made me want to pull my eyes out and squash them under my shoe. I was completely lost, and my teacher, Mrs. Nathans didn’t even care.

  It didn’t help that I wasn’t sure what I was doing there. Nor did I remember walking in or even what day it was. It left me perplexed as I tried in vain to understand the lecture.

  I failed my test, and I’m failing this course.

  The thought came rushing back to me while I sat in my usual desk chair. Confused, I stood up, feeling sick to my stomach.

  “Is there a problem, Miss Peters?” Mrs. Nathans narrowed her eyes at me, and the entire classroom turned to see what the problem was. I felt the weight of their stares sucking the oxygen away, and I choked on my words as I tried to respond.

  “I failed the test,” I muttered.

  “Excuse me? We haven’t taken the midterm yet. That’s next week.” She tightened her mouth, and the look in her eyes told me her concern probably involved calling in the school counselor to examine my head. Was I truly losing it?

  “What?” I said. How could this be? “But I failed it. Then I—I was home… sleeping. Um… how did I get here?”

  The entire class burst out laughing, and I felt my knees weaken. I slumped back down into my chair, which felt impossibly small. I wanted to bolt out of there.

  “You must pay more attention in class, but I’m not sure it would be worth it since you’re saying you’re going to fail the midterm exam. You might as well toss your tuition into a burning garbage can.”

  Again, the whole room roared in a maniacal laughter that dug under my skin with a thousand pins. There was no air, and I couldn’t think. What was I doing there? We hadn’t yet taken the exam? How was that possible?

  Had I wished it in my sleep? Oh no….

  “I—I think I need to get some air,” I whispered, feeling my chest tighten. I couldn’t stay there. It was… wrong somehow. I knew it. Maybe it was a just a nightmare.

  I felt for the ring on my finger, and lo and behold, the silvery thing was there, like it was wedged on me forever.

  I wish they’d all shut the hell up, I thought.

  Immediately, the incessant chatter and chuckling stopped. The complete silence caught me off guard as I stumbled out of my row and slid to the bottom of the carpeted steps. The whole room was up out of their chairs in a desperate panic. Most were pointing to their mouths, their lips gaping open and shut like dying fish out of water.

  What was happening?

  Even the teacher couldn’t speak, and her eyes bulged out like goldfish suffering from hypoxia.

  I reached down to my finger, twisting the ring. It had worked! But how? I watched as some girls near me began crying as they tried in vain to speak. They were now desperately texting to each with their smartphones, trying to make sense of what was happening.

  I can’t talk!

  Me neither!

  What’s going on?

  Can you talk?

  No! Help!

  I shrank against the wall. The students were now leaving, rushing out, even more frightened than I had ever felt. The teacher, Mrs. Nathans was on the floor, passed out from shock.

  Oh… I wish they could all speak again.

  The room erupted with noise, and everyone stopped in their steps, shocked once more. Their chatter died down for a few seconds as they all shared a moment of confusion then rose up once more. No one seemed to suspect that I had anything to do with their temporary muteness, but I wasn’t going to stick around, just in case. Before I left, I paused outside the door and snuck a look at Mrs. Nathans, who was being held up by some students and fanned back to consciousness.

  I wish my grade was an A on the Microbiology midterm, and I wish it was that day again.

  I walked out into the hallway, but nothing seemed changed. I pulled out my cell phone to look up my grades online and check the date. My grade was no longer an F but now a shiny A, and it was again the day of the exam.

  I was giddy with excitement. The stupid ring worked! Who knew such a pathetic piece of possibly counterfeit metal had such magical properties? I was going to have to thank that homeless guy for the gift.

  What if he wanted it back? Would he? I paused as I placed my hand on the main doors of the building and peered through the glass, across the lawn, and toward the busy street. I didn’t see him anywhere. That didn’t mean he couldn’t just pop up out of nowhere and demand his gift back. Nevertheless, he’d said that if I wanted to get rid of it, I’d have to find some kind of ruler to give it to. Why would I want to do that?

  I turned away and headed toward the back exit of the building. I’d take the long way around to get home today. That’s what I’d do. Whatever happened, he couldn’t have his ring back. At least, not yet.

  Back in the overly bright sunlight of the Las Vegas day, I squinted and wished for sunglasses. Immediately, a dark, oversized pair was on the bridge of my nose. Grinning like a fool, I began to think of all things I needed, wanted to do, or had to have. It was a long list, and I’d have to write it all down once I got home. Hurrying there, I kept one eye out for the homeless guy and another on the shiny ring.

  Too bad I hadn’t notice the Cadillac turning the corner with a bit too much speed. The screech of tires woke me from my daydreams and sent my heart racing. T
he guy behind the wheel laid on his horn as the smell of burnt rubber surrounded me in a nauseating cloud. I cursed at him and slammed my palm on his hood. I finally stopped my stream of curses and moved to the side of the road.

  “Move it, lady!”

  “Watch where you’re going!” I yelled, giving him the finger. He threw back a trail of obscenities along with a matching middle finger as he slammed down on his gas pedal, squealing away. I almost wished him a nice car crash but managed to nip that thought in the bud.

  I had to be careful. It wouldn’t be prudent to filter my thoughts a bit more. I could wish terrible things on people, and they would happen, whether I’d really want them to or not. With this ring on me, there was no telling what could happen or what sort of wishes could slip from my subconscious mind.

  I quietly made my way home, clearing my thoughts until I got somewhere safe. No matter what, I had to keep things under control.

  That was the understatement of the year.

  I jumped. Had I just heard someone yelling for help? I was back in the clearing of the forest where the ring took me whenever I wore it in my apartment. Why it didn’t do that when I was at the university or even outside my apartment was a mystery. I liked this bubble of forest. It was soothing to me somehow, and it was the one place I couldn’t wish someone would turn into a pile of steaming poo for being rude to me. Even subconsciously, my mind was wreaking havoc on everything and everyone back in my real life.

  I’d turned the neighbor’s cat into a cactus, the neighbor now had hives covering her body, and her demon child son was now bald and wearing wigs to cover up his shiny pink scalp. Childish wishes—no, curses—I had muttered under my breath. I couldn’t think anything anymore; it all came true. I was dangerous, and I had to be contained. That or get rid of this ring, but the homeless man remained elusive. I’d not seen him for weeks, and I had no idea where to find the ruler to give the ring to. I had tried throwing it away, but it would return to my hand in an instant.

  “Help!”

  I spun around. The voice had sounded like it had come from right next to me, but it had to have been farther away, for there was no one nearby.

  “Who’s there?” I called out. Whoever was out there needed help, and I was the only person there, so it was obvious I was going to have to throw on my superhero panties. I headed toward the direction of the voice, hoping I’d find something sooner or later.

  Soon enough, I found the source of the voice, but I was also sliding down into a deep, dark Alice-in-Wonderland-like hole and wondering if I was ever going to stop falling. The hole was a lot deeper than I’d imagined, and I kept sliding down the dampened tunnel of earth. If I hadn’t been so terrified of falling to my death in the dark, I would have had fun sliding down this tunnel. But I definitely wasn’t having any fun. Moments later, I landed right on my bottom and felt my tailbone sting as it bruised from the hard thump.

  Crap, I thought. How was I supposed to get out of this?

  I peered around, but I didn’t have a flashlight on me, and all I could see was the tiny little halo of light high above me. It might as well have been miles and miles away. I had no rope and no one who knew where I was. There was no hope of rescue in this forlorn place.

  “Some rescue.”

  I startled at the voice. Someone had spoken right next to my ear. The voice had sounded like the one I’d heard calling for help. Could it be the same girl?

  “Who are you?” I asked. I was ready to pummel her if she was going to be a threat. I felt around in the darkness for a rock or something to hit her with just in case she attacked me. All I could hear was her shuffling and the grinding of shoes against the pebbles while she shifted her weight around in the darkness.

  “I was hoping for a rescue, not a companion.”

  I wished for a flashlight, and it popped into my hand. I flicked it on, but it shorted within a millisecond.

  “Oh, you’re from the other side of the Variance. Your special instruments don’t work here.”

  Great.

  “How do you know that?” I asked.

  “I read it. In books. I read a lot.”

  I heard something scrape against something else, maybe a knife or a stone. I wasn’t sure. The girl lit a match and held it up so I could see her face and then held it out toward mine so she could see me.

  “Ouch!” She blew it out as it scorched her fingertips, and we were back in the darkness along with the stench of the match.

  “Well, I thought you were going to rescue me, but obviously I was sorely mistaken.” She sighed melodramatically.

  “So,” I began, “how did you end up here?”

  “I was chasing Runner. She’s a rabbit. I caught her stealing a bunch of my carrots, so I chased her. I only wanted to give her a good scare, but she’s quick, and I found this hole.”

  “Oh, okay.” That sounded like the truth to me.

  “And you?”

  “And me what?”

  She groaned. “How did you end up down here?”

  “Oh.” I squirmed, wondering if she was entitled to the truth. I figured there would be no harm in it. She was from this weird bubble of forest, so I wanted to ask her a bunch of questions about it anyway.

  “I fell in trying to find you. I don’t know how it works, but when I put on this ring I end up here in this patch of forest. It’s this stupid ring. It always messes things up and sometimes turns my wishes into things I don’t want.”

  I heard her shuffle around before lighting another match, illuminating the darkness with a sudden flash. It was just enough for her to see my ring gleam in the firelight before it went out.

  “Oh, that’s magnificent!” she exclaimed.

  “Yeah,” I mumbled as I twirled the ring on my finger. “It’s beautiful, as was the guy who gave it to me. I don’t know why he did; he was some homeless guy who could’ve gotten more use out of it than me. Make some cash off it, you know?”

  I could hear the girl scratching her head, probably pondering if my story was true or not.

  “Why don’t you just wish us out of this place?”

  “Um….” Yeah, why didn’t I? It made me realize how tired I was. Taking tests and going to college was no joke. After changing my midterm grade, I’d made a decision not to use the ring for school. It felt too much like cheating. So I was usually up at the crack of dawn and got home when the sun was setting, only to burn the midnight oil studying. I was gone all day, and it was hard work.

  “Well, maybe it’s dangerous. Things are never what they seem here.”

  “True. This ring doesn’t do exactly what I want it to. Wait… what do you mean by things aren’t what they seem?” I asked.

  She didn’t reply right away, and my suspicions rose.

  “Well,” she said slowly, “there’s this one legend I read about of a man who goes around and tricks people. It sounds like your homeless man. He lives in the Variance, but he probably went where you live and tried to trick you.”

  “Who is this guy that you’re talking about?”

  “Oh, he’s some sort of prince or something like that. I’m not really sure. It’s been so long since I read that story.”

  I settled back against the cold tunnel wall, sighing. She made no sense—no more than the homeless man did—but I really didn’t want to use my ring now. I even worried that taking it off might not return me home at this point. The girl had filled me with doubts, and I was ready to go melt the infernal thing if I ever did get free.

  “Do you know of any other way we could get out of here?” I asked.

  “No, but I’m sure someone will come along sooner or later, and we’ll be rescued before dinnertime. We’re near a town.”

  “But it’s already dinnertime,” I pointed out. I could almost feel her frown.

  I had heard her sigh and settle back too. “Well in that case, it’s going to be a long night until the morning wagons appear. Then we can call out to them.”

  Soon enough, I heard her soft sn
ores in the darkness. I peered up at the fading circle of light above me. There’s no way I’m going to die like this, I thought. If someone didn’t come soon, I would start on my way back up, clawing if I had to. I’d only use my ring if the situation got desperate. Whatever happened, it would be better than dying of starvation and dehydration. In the meantime, I decided I might as well take my cue from the girl and get some sleep. I settled back even more, leaning my head against tunnel wall. Even though it was hard and uncomfortable, something about the cave was comforting, so I curled up into a tight ball, leaned on my side, and went to sleep.

  Aylin was the girl’s name. We’d both slept through the night, but once we were awake again, we began talking to pass the time.

  “So you’ve never left the Variance or been anywhere else?” I asked her.

  “No. I’ve never gone anywhere nor ever seen anything truly amazing, and now here I am stuck in a hole where I will surely never see anything ever again.” She sighed, and I could almost see her rubbing her face and wiping gritty tears away, but it was so dark I didn’t think I could even see my hand in front of my face.

  “Look, if you’re really worried, I could make a wish and get us out of here,” I offered. “I just hope it goes the way I’d want it to.”

  The silence that followed didn’t tell me much of what she was thinking. In fact, I wondered if she had fallen asleep again.

  “How do you do it? How do you make wishes?” Her voice finally cracked the quiet pressing down on us.

  “I just wish, out loud or even in my head. Anything I wish for happens, but I have to be careful. Sometimes things that I never mean to happen do, and sometimes the wish comes out all wrong and goes haywire.”

  “Haywire?” Aylin had apparently never heard the word before.

  “As in crazy. Mad. Not the right way.”

  “Oh.” The girl sighed. “So you won’t wish us out of here?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve tried to stop wishing. It’s a curse, really. Not any kind of fun anymore. But I guess if you really want me to….”

  She let out a delighted little sound, and I gave in.