The Black Widow Curse

'''The Beginning '''

This whole mess started quite a few months ago when my best friend and I drove down to Westville one Saturday afternoon to get some good deals off of a few yard sales. I told him that I wasn't feeling up to it and maybe another time, but being that he and my sister had been dating for nearly two years, I caved and went with him anyways. As we passed what was known as Skid Row, I tried to change his mind once more, arguing that since it was close enough to dinner that we wouldn't have time to take our time and look for something of relevance. Again, he ignored my complaints and turned down a street leading into a nice suburban neighborhood, the houses all lined with table after table of assorted junk. We searched several, but none had anything that my sister would appreciate. Slowly, the sun had began to go down, and most who wandered the streets and rummaged through the tables had made their way home, and the murmurs of children boasting about their newly acquired items had dissipated. I could tell my friend was ready to leave, dissapointed that he had not found a nice gift. There was an old Victorian style house near the end of the street with their table still set up, and left with no other option, we decided to check it. As we approached, I caught the glare of the old woman behind the table, rocking slowly back and forth in a creaky rocking chair.Her features were thin, her eyes glassy, her faintly red hair draped down to her neck. Slowly she rocked, holding her gaze on me and then on my friend. When she spoke, her surprisingly shrill voice simply stated, "Make it quick." I shook the comment off and continued to browse the table. After a few minutes, my friend lifted his head with something in hand, satisfied that he had found something. It was a beautiful black necklace, with what looked like a stylized spider as the pendant and a dark red gem on the abdomen. Being that my sister loved the unnatural, it was the perfect fit for her. When the woman saw what he had picked out, she pursed her lips and darted her eyes away. It seems as if she refused to look at it. He went to ask her about it, but as he approached, she began to shake. Confused, he was at a loss of words. The woman seemed as if she was in pain, when suddenly, she relaxed and gave him a wry smile. Her eyes unnerved me, being that she just made an emotional 180. "You seem like a nice young man.......you can have it for free." Caught off guard, he warily accepted the offer and stuck the necklace into his pocket. We went home and he took the necklace with him. Upon giving it to my sister, she was elated. We had organized a small get-together to celebrate their 3 year anniversary. It was a mix of his friends and hers, exchanging pleasantries and casually sipping punch. Thanking my friend a hundred times over, my sister immediately put the necklace on. I didn't think about that woman or the necklace for the many days. Late one night, my sister called me, crying and breathless. She said that things had fallen apart between her and my friend, and he had broken up with her. Continuing to cry, she remained silent. I tried to console her, but she still said nothing, After a long silence, I simply said that I would be there if she needed anything and hung up.

'''The Curse '''

The next day, I met up with my friend for lunch, not only to discuss what had happened, but I felt that he needed some quality friend time. He said that over the weeks, she became more overly attached to him to the point of obsession. Becoming more and more compulsive with her obsession, he said he simply couldn't take her radical change and decided to end relations. We chatted a bit more, but what had happened recently most certainly lingered over our heads. Over the next few days, he texted me complaining of lack of sleep. I hadn't lost any sleep, so I felt alone when he described the situation. I called my sister to ask if she too had lost sleep, but she didn't answer. Much like my sister, my friend was now irritable and bitter, turning down my offers to hang out or go out for a meal. I was entirely confused. Did the break-up hit them that hard? Either way, it worried me. Concerned, I went to see my sister the next day, and while the visit was normal, I couldn't help but notice that she was still wearing that necklace. After exchanging a few words, I headed home. Later that evening I decided to text some of her friends as well as some of my own to see if they had picked up on their recent change in behavior. Each and every one acted the same way that my sister and friend had: bitter and not willing to talk and apathetic. But what caught my attention the most was that before turning their phones off, all but one complained about lack of adequate sleep. That struck me as odd, being that my other friend complained of the exact same thing. That made me wonder about the one that didn't. Did he sleep well? More importantly, why were they all acting so odd? What had happened to make them all so rude? They were all very nice to me and always had been ever since...until now. I was becoming less and less confused, but more and more frightened.The next few days were very surreal. It seemed as if I had lost communications with everyone. Nobody answered me. I felt like I was going crazy. No longer in touch, I had to take action somehow. I went to the local library and decided to do research on whatever I could that related to my situation. I searched high and low, but only found one book pertaining to my situation. It was a dirty old dilapedated book with a dark red gem on it, much like the one on the necklace. The necklace. could it....no. I couldn't believe I was sitting here actually thinking the necklace was the culprit. But then again, I couldn't find a rational answer for what had happened thus far. Opening the book, I found nothing but old documents from various old town, dating from as recent as twenty years ago to as far back as two hundred years ago. They were interesting, but not what I needed. Eventually, I came across the obituaries....and thats where I came across what I needed. I saw hundreds of names, and next to many were photos. Most if not all of these had women wearing something oddly familiar...the necklace. Dropping the book I crashed to my knees and vomited several times, doubling over. Whatever I did, I had to get that necklace away from my sister. Upon arrival, I used my key and virtually ran through the apartment, calling her name. I ran up to her room, and to my relief, she was simply taking a nap. As I approached, her breathing seemed oddly quiet. She was stock still. I slowly reached down and unfastened the necklace. I froze. Something strange struck me. She was pale, and seemed thinner than usual. She looked alot like that woman who gave it to us....I continued when suddenly her eyes snapped open, red. I yanked the necklace away as a voice other than hers shrieked in a cry of rage, resonating throughout the house. I ran as fast as I could down the stairs and out the door, glad to be out. New thoughts flooded my mind as my feet thudded against the pavement. The woman who gave us the necklace was glad to be rid of it. I tried to throw the necklace aside, but found that it didn't budge, as if it were glued to my hand. Terrified, I ran up to the nearest house and knocked furiously. A young girl answered the door, and before she let out a word, I put my hand in hers and simply stated, "Please, take this." I pulled my hand away and ran, and to my relief the necklace stayed with her. Before pulling my hand away, I noticed the gemstone on the necklace seemed darker....but none of that was my concern anymore. I feel awful for putting whatever wretched thing that was into that poor girls hands. Whatever that necklace concerned...it was absolutely sinister. I just hope I'm finally rid of it, and here's hoping for the best.

