{"id":7723,"date":"2024-10-16T19:22:53","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T19:22:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/?p=7723"},"modified":"2024-10-18T11:33:08","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T11:33:08","slug":"cursed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/2024\/10\/16\/cursed\/","title":{"rendered":"Cursed"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Photo\/illustration: Merle Emrich<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Cursed<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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By: Erik \u00d6stenberg<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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16\/10\/2024<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u201cCursed\u201d by Erik \u00d6stenberg is the 2nd place winner of the Monsters Short Story Competition, organised by SUM and C\u00e1lice Magazine.\u00a0This story was also published in the issue #113 of SUM. Read the 1st and 3rd place stories here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Alone, I enter\u2014undergrowth brushing my legs and canopies far overhead, allowing only slivers of moonlight to pass through. Despite the eerie feeling in the chill air, I muster enough courage to set upon a crooked path. I get the feeling that the forest closes in on me, the trees judging the intrusion and the fauna quieting down, watching. The silence makes my spine tingle, the feeling slowly spreading, covering every inch of my skin, seeping into my flesh, and slowly clouding my senses. Yet, I continue.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

When everyone else lost hope that he was coming home, I had to continue alone. My brother wasn\u2019t the kind of boy to simply wander off. I\u2019d practically raised him myself, and as a result, I knew every inch of his equally stubborn and thoughtful mind. Something had brought him into the woods\u2014and something had refused to let him go.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

With this in mind, I set one foot in front of the other; armed with a flashlight, and a youthful conviction not to give up. I continue calling his name until my voice grows hoarse. Hours go by without a response, but despite the silence and the cold, I don\u2019t feel lost\u2014it\u2019s as if something inside me knows where I\u2019m going.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Reaching the end of the animal-trodden path, I see a weak light flickering between the tree trunks. A light: ominous, terrifying, and inviting\u2014all at the same time. It flickers like a candle in the wind, but as the carrier approaches, it grows bigger and brighter. I stand frozen, my voice catching in my throat.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Soon, I can see her; she looks like an elderly woman carrying a lantern, her face hidden behind a veil. By the way she flows towards me, unhindered through the underbrush, I finally accept it: She\u2019s no human. Within the blink of an eye, she towers before me. I see antlers protruding on both sides of her head, her legs are bent backward like those of a goat, and what should have been her fingers are curled around the lantern\u2019s handle, resembling spider legs: hairy, stick-thin, and long. Darkness covers her body like a cloak, but I see tufts of coarse black hair when the lamplight flickers across it.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

I don\u2019t draw breath; I can\u2019t move. My heart pounds in my ears and something in the murky depths of my mind screams to run. I can\u2019t tear my eyes away. Then, she speaks, in a voice that resembles the wind sweeping through dry leaves, brittle and cracking.<\/p>

\u201cYou\u2019ve come far\u201d she whispers, her head tilting to one side. \u201cWhat is it you seek?\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

The spell breaks, and my voice returns \u201cMy brother,\u201d I croak. \u201cI\u2019m looking for my brother.\u201d<\/p>

She nods, and at that moment, I can see eyes glowing faintly behind the veil, two stripes of yellow light burning through it. \u201cMany come\u2014few find what they seek… but I can help you.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Was that a smile? I hesitate, a few heartbeats\u2014that feel like an eternity\u2014pass by, and finally, desperation pushes the words through my quivering lips. \u201cPlease,\u201d I say, tears stinging my eyes. \u201cI\u2019ll do anything.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Her head slowly tilts the other way, and a long, bony finger reaches up to lift the veil revealing a smile\u2014too wide, with teeth sharp and glistening like those of a predator. When the veil finally reveals her eyes, I see two dark sockets with a fire burning inside them\u2014pits of hell, where two lobes should be. She speaks then, in a new, terminal tone; the eye contact sealing some unholy agreement. \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

I manage a nod, my heart sinking, but I can\u2019t turn back now.<\/p>

Finally letting go of the veil, she turns and without realizing it\u2014I follow.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Her lantern casts strange, shifting shadows across the forest floor. We continue, cutting straight through the darkness and vegetation.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Without thinking, I find myself asking \u201cWhy do you carry the lantern?\u201d My guide simply pauses, and for a moment, I am certain I have overstepped a line. Then, she speaks, in a softer voice this time, as if a sliver of humanity still remains deep within: \u201cOnce, I too was lost\u2014searching for someone precious to me.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

In a whisper, I ask \u201cDid you find who you were looking for?\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

She laughs, a dry, hollow sound that sends shivers down my spine. \u201cYes,\u201d she says simply. One simple word, which should mean hope\u2014but which lends only despair.<\/p>

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We continue in silence until at last, she stops. \u201cWe\u2019re here,\u201d she whispers, and I see him, curled up between the roots of a great tree. He is pale, his eyes closed. I rush over.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

\u201cPlease wake up, I found you!\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

His eyes flutter open, and for a moment, I see recognition and relief. But then his gaze shifts and I see dread within his eyes. \u201cNo,\u201d he whispers. \u201cShe\u2019ll take you too.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

I turn, but my demonic guide isn\u2019t there. All that remains is a faint echo of her voice, and I hear\u2014or rather feel\u2014the words: \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

As I turn back to the spot where my brother lies, I see a faint light in my periphery and dread takes hold of me. I force myself to glance down and see that I hold the lantern now, its flickering glow reflecting in my eyes. No, not my eyes. I see yellow slits in the sooted glass and instinctively, I attempt to drop the lantern. It simply hangs in the air beside me, clinging to me by a chain of shadow. I feel my fingers elongate, dark hair pushing through my skin, merging with an arm I barely recognize.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Before transforming entirely, I carry my brother to the edge of the woods. I know I can\u2019t return home with him. I know it\u2019s too late for me as the lantern pulls me back into the dark of the forest, to a den in the damp earth.\u00a0<\/p>

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The lantern guides me, just as I will guide lost souls through the dark; returning one, while claiming another\u2014until the end of time. It is my curse.<\/p>

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\u201cCursed\u201d by Erik \u00d6stenberg is the 2nd place winner of the Monsters Short Story Competition, organised by SUM and C\u00e1lice Magazine. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7731,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[328],"tags":[329,294,330,291,23],"class_list":["post-7723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-short-story-competition","tag-calice-magazine","tag-creative-writing","tag-monster","tag-short-story","tag-sum","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7723"}],"version-history":[{"count":43,"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7971,"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7723\/revisions\/7971"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sum.malmostudenter.se\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}