Matter Of Heritage
Entry by: Phina
10th March 2015
black life lines
The sun reflected from the blue teardrop pendant as it swung from the tips of her fingers, black solid but smoky lines cutting across it's centre at contrasting angles. Her pale thin skin drooping from he forearm as it extended towards me.
"You must listen this time, you need to hear this, before I die. You need to know our curse, you need to be able to tell your daughter" Her blue eyes were feverish with urgency, her breathing rapid.
"OK Mum, I will listen" She did not need to be stressing herself out like this, not that I need to hear about this curse that she had started rambling on about around the same time she had gotten sick, about 4 months ago. Her muddled mind which was crumbling along with her body, latched on to the fact that doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong and she had set upon this curse idea.
"Many generations ago, your great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Elizabeth, fell in love with a man who was betrothed already. Aaron had agreed to the betrothal, because his family was poor and Christine would come with a good dowry, that would keep his family fed and safe for many years. He was a good son and brother. But that was before he met Elizabeth.
Elizabeth and her family moved to Aaron's town, escaping drought. They first saw each other in the town square, on market day, and both fell instantly in love. They tried to keep it in, to keep it hidden, but Aaron finally burst at the spring ball, and they admitted their feelings for each other. For months they kept it secret still, meeting up for short trysts when they could, while Aaron tried to find a way to tell his family and break his betrothal.
Christine seemed to have an inking that this was happening, she was never nice to Elizabeth, always pointing out her clothes, homemade from cheap cloth, or sending her off on arduous errands. Christine also moved her wedding date up, suddenly she and Aaron were to be married in a month's time. Aaron's family were delighted of course and he still could not find a way to shatter their hopes and dreams.
As gutless as it may seem, Elizabeth and Aaron agreed to elope, this way Aaron would not have to see his family's disappointment. They genuinely believed that everything would work out in the end, that they would earn good money and be able to send some home so that his family were well looked after despite the failed wedding. They were caught up in their world full of love, laughter and endless possibilities, they believed that all would be right in the world if they were together.
They planned on sneaking off the night before the wedding. The notion was that everyone would be busy making preparations, and no one would notice the two of them slip quietly away. In the days leading up to the wedding, they packed some of their belongings and put them aside, hidden so as not to cause questions. They met as often as they dared to finalise plans, where they were going to go, how they were going to get there. They decided to meet at midnight behind Aaron's stables, so that they could harness a horse and ride together several towns over. Elizabeth had started collecting small bits of food that would not be noticed as missing, so that they could eat on their way. Aaron had started working extra hours so that they had some small amount of money to fill their needs until they found work.
On the wedding eve, they met as planned, but had difficulty in harnessing a horse. Jeb, the horse, didn't like going out at night, and was creating fuss. Fearful that they might be heard,, they decided to leave Jeb and make their way around the outskirts of town, to the livery to hire a horse. Aaron would just say he wanted it as a gift for a morning ride with his bride. unbeknownst to them, outside of the town, a herd of wild buffalo had been spooked and were heading towards them, followed by some ranchers who were trying to direct them back out to the plains.
As Elizabeth and Aaron moved around the town, the herd thundered close enough to the couple that when a rancher shot in to the dark, far enough behind the buffalo so as not to hurt them, just scare them in the right direction, his bullet crashed in to Aaron's chest instead, killing him instantly. Elizabeth's wails of grief and pain attracted most of the town folk, including Christine. Having already been suspicious, Christine quickly surmised what was happening, from their packed bags and Elizabeth's cries.
What no one had considered was that Christine truly loved Aaron, from the depths of her heart. She had orchestrated the betrothal through her father so that she could be with him. What no one realised as well, was that Christine was a natural witch. I don't think Christine knew it herself until after this. Faced with the sudden loss of her love, enraged at Elizabeth for having taken Aaron from herChristine ripped her blue crystal pendant and chain from her neck, grating her flesh as she did so, blood running along the chain and on the pendant, then threw it at Elizabeth, screaming 'may you and all of your descendants wither and die as old maids at an early age, not having been joined with true love".
Elizabeth gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl before her health began to deteriorate rapidly. She watched as a black line, made as if from smoke, but sharp and strong still, cut it's way through the centre of the pendant, growing as her health ebbed. She cried when a new line, just a dot really, started to form at the base on the day her daughter was born. She realised that these lines were the curse she had brought upon her family. These lines were her and her daughter's life lines. Christine's words rang in her ears repeatedly as she planned for her early death, and her daughter's life, making sure her sister, who would take on care of her daughter, accepted and understood the curse, only comfortable that she did in her last days as she walked around the house, a 21 year old in a 91 year old's body. It may have been the dawning acceptance in her sisters eyes that finally allowed Elizabeth to let go, or it may have just been her time, but she passed quickly after that.
Each of us, each girl descendant from Elizabeth, has had to struggle with this curse. Each generation has kept it a secret until the very end, not wanting to spoil their daughter's lives, not wanting to pressure them to look for love no matter the cost, not wanting to believe that it really will happen to them, to their daughters. Until, like me, their line begins to reach the opposite side of the pendant, their life begins to wane, their body begins to degenerate.
Maybe, maybe you will break this curse. Maybe you will find true love. I thought your father was it, I thought I loved him beyond compare, but it did not last, it was not true. I had no choice, I had to move on, I had to try to find my true love, I had to try to break the curse, to live. Didn't I?"
Her voice was breaking now, from emotion as well as over use. Her aged throat no longer able to carry on for so many minutes without faltering, dropping to a whisper. I gave her a glass of water, buying myself time to respond, as much as to soother her throat, moisten her mouth.
"Mum, "I started, but her eyes grew sad, depthless as she placed the pendant and chain in my palm, curling her fingers over mine to close my fist around the cold crystal.
"Please, just watch your line, find your true love before it is complete, please, promise me"
I nodded, crying without really knowing why, until her hand fell away from mine, sliding to the bed, her eyes fading, her chest ceasing to move. "I promise Mum, OK, I promise" I did not know how, but I knew that I would do whatever I could to keep a promise that she had asked so desperately of me, her last words, her last request. I did not know if I believed, but finding true love is a good thing anyway, and can't be that hard can it?
The sun reflected from the blue teardrop pendant as it swung from the tips of her fingers, black solid but smoky lines cutting across it's centre at contrasting angles. Her pale thin skin drooping from he forearm as it extended towards me.
"You must listen this time, you need to hear this, before I die. You need to know our curse, you need to be able to tell your daughter" Her blue eyes were feverish with urgency, her breathing rapid.
"OK Mum, I will listen" She did not need to be stressing herself out like this, not that I need to hear about this curse that she had started rambling on about around the same time she had gotten sick, about 4 months ago. Her muddled mind which was crumbling along with her body, latched on to the fact that doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong and she had set upon this curse idea.
"Many generations ago, your great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Elizabeth, fell in love with a man who was betrothed already. Aaron had agreed to the betrothal, because his family was poor and Christine would come with a good dowry, that would keep his family fed and safe for many years. He was a good son and brother. But that was before he met Elizabeth.
Elizabeth and her family moved to Aaron's town, escaping drought. They first saw each other in the town square, on market day, and both fell instantly in love. They tried to keep it in, to keep it hidden, but Aaron finally burst at the spring ball, and they admitted their feelings for each other. For months they kept it secret still, meeting up for short trysts when they could, while Aaron tried to find a way to tell his family and break his betrothal.
Christine seemed to have an inking that this was happening, she was never nice to Elizabeth, always pointing out her clothes, homemade from cheap cloth, or sending her off on arduous errands. Christine also moved her wedding date up, suddenly she and Aaron were to be married in a month's time. Aaron's family were delighted of course and he still could not find a way to shatter their hopes and dreams.
As gutless as it may seem, Elizabeth and Aaron agreed to elope, this way Aaron would not have to see his family's disappointment. They genuinely believed that everything would work out in the end, that they would earn good money and be able to send some home so that his family were well looked after despite the failed wedding. They were caught up in their world full of love, laughter and endless possibilities, they believed that all would be right in the world if they were together.
They planned on sneaking off the night before the wedding. The notion was that everyone would be busy making preparations, and no one would notice the two of them slip quietly away. In the days leading up to the wedding, they packed some of their belongings and put them aside, hidden so as not to cause questions. They met as often as they dared to finalise plans, where they were going to go, how they were going to get there. They decided to meet at midnight behind Aaron's stables, so that they could harness a horse and ride together several towns over. Elizabeth had started collecting small bits of food that would not be noticed as missing, so that they could eat on their way. Aaron had started working extra hours so that they had some small amount of money to fill their needs until they found work.
On the wedding eve, they met as planned, but had difficulty in harnessing a horse. Jeb, the horse, didn't like going out at night, and was creating fuss. Fearful that they might be heard,, they decided to leave Jeb and make their way around the outskirts of town, to the livery to hire a horse. Aaron would just say he wanted it as a gift for a morning ride with his bride. unbeknownst to them, outside of the town, a herd of wild buffalo had been spooked and were heading towards them, followed by some ranchers who were trying to direct them back out to the plains.
As Elizabeth and Aaron moved around the town, the herd thundered close enough to the couple that when a rancher shot in to the dark, far enough behind the buffalo so as not to hurt them, just scare them in the right direction, his bullet crashed in to Aaron's chest instead, killing him instantly. Elizabeth's wails of grief and pain attracted most of the town folk, including Christine. Having already been suspicious, Christine quickly surmised what was happening, from their packed bags and Elizabeth's cries.
What no one had considered was that Christine truly loved Aaron, from the depths of her heart. She had orchestrated the betrothal through her father so that she could be with him. What no one realised as well, was that Christine was a natural witch. I don't think Christine knew it herself until after this. Faced with the sudden loss of her love, enraged at Elizabeth for having taken Aaron from herChristine ripped her blue crystal pendant and chain from her neck, grating her flesh as she did so, blood running along the chain and on the pendant, then threw it at Elizabeth, screaming 'may you and all of your descendants wither and die as old maids at an early age, not having been joined with true love".
Elizabeth gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl before her health began to deteriorate rapidly. She watched as a black line, made as if from smoke, but sharp and strong still, cut it's way through the centre of the pendant, growing as her health ebbed. She cried when a new line, just a dot really, started to form at the base on the day her daughter was born. She realised that these lines were the curse she had brought upon her family. These lines were her and her daughter's life lines. Christine's words rang in her ears repeatedly as she planned for her early death, and her daughter's life, making sure her sister, who would take on care of her daughter, accepted and understood the curse, only comfortable that she did in her last days as she walked around the house, a 21 year old in a 91 year old's body. It may have been the dawning acceptance in her sisters eyes that finally allowed Elizabeth to let go, or it may have just been her time, but she passed quickly after that.
Each of us, each girl descendant from Elizabeth, has had to struggle with this curse. Each generation has kept it a secret until the very end, not wanting to spoil their daughter's lives, not wanting to pressure them to look for love no matter the cost, not wanting to believe that it really will happen to them, to their daughters. Until, like me, their line begins to reach the opposite side of the pendant, their life begins to wane, their body begins to degenerate.
Maybe, maybe you will break this curse. Maybe you will find true love. I thought your father was it, I thought I loved him beyond compare, but it did not last, it was not true. I had no choice, I had to move on, I had to try to find my true love, I had to try to break the curse, to live. Didn't I?"
Her voice was breaking now, from emotion as well as over use. Her aged throat no longer able to carry on for so many minutes without faltering, dropping to a whisper. I gave her a glass of water, buying myself time to respond, as much as to soother her throat, moisten her mouth.
"Mum, "I started, but her eyes grew sad, depthless as she placed the pendant and chain in my palm, curling her fingers over mine to close my fist around the cold crystal.
"Please, just watch your line, find your true love before it is complete, please, promise me"
I nodded, crying without really knowing why, until her hand fell away from mine, sliding to the bed, her eyes fading, her chest ceasing to move. "I promise Mum, OK, I promise" I did not know how, but I knew that I would do whatever I could to keep a promise that she had asked so desperately of me, her last words, her last request. I did not know if I believed, but finding true love is a good thing anyway, and can't be that hard can it?
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