“What’s the matter?” Wolf said.

“There’s an eyeball in it!”

 

He grabbed the cup and the eyeball tumbled out onto the floor with a thud. Wolf bent down, picked it up, and rolled it around in his hand before handing it Sassy.

“That’s not an eyeball, child,” Sassy said. “The curse is makin’ you see things.” She held out her hand. Something bloody and white rested in her palm. “It’s a tooth,” Sassy said. “And it’s not just any tooth.” She pointed to my mouth. “It’s yours. Unless you want to lose them all, you better listen up.”

I rolled my tongue around my mouth, tasted blood and found an empty socket near the back. Pain shot into my jaw where a molar used to be. My stomach dropped. I’d always had nice teeth. Mom hardly ever took us to the dentist, and I knew if I didn’t take good care of them they’d rot out of my head. Last year, I even had them whitened.

“Look, I don’t mean any disrespect, Ms. Smit, but I really don’t feel good. I just want to get back to the house and rest. The doctor said I’d be fine in a few days.”

“It’s only gonna get worse. Don’t you wait too long to come back and see me.”

Wolf blocked the door. “Dharma, wait, listen to what she has to say. I mean, what can it hurt? I don’t like the feeling I get in that house. And what if it’s true?”

“Don’t tell me you’re buying into all this curse stuff,” I said. “I’m sorry but I don’t believe in ghosts, and I certainly don’t believe in curses. All the freaky things I saw were just hallucinations because I’m sick with some bacteria. I feel horrible and I just want to go back to the creepy house, take a hot bath and change into my sweat pants.”

“You’re not from around here,” Wolf said. “Strange things happen in these swamps. Unexplainable things. I didn't want to say anything before but there’s something wrong with that place. That’s why no one will work there except me and I do it only because Mom needs the extra money.”

I glared at Wolf for what seemed like several minutes as the world swirled around me. I could almost see a reflection of myself in Wolf’s eyes, a shell of who I once was. I didn’t want to give in. But all the same, I didn’t have the strength to fight against this guy who clearly only cared about me.

My legs wobbled beneath me. With a heavy sigh, I tore my gaze from Wolf. “Okay,” I said, my voice cracking. “What do I have to do to break the curse?”

Sassy carefully sat down in the rocking chair. “First off, you have to believe. I know you don’t, so I might be wasting my breath. But I’m going to tell you anyhow. You’ve heard the expression keep your friends close and your enemies even closer?”

I nodded.

“Well, it’s true in this case. You’re gonna have to find ol’ Sabine’s skull in that pond and you must go alone. After you get it, you must stay in that old house with the skull under your bed, until she gives up her secrets and tells you how to break the curse.”

I shuddered. No way would I sleep with a skull under my bed or go back into that pond. “That’s it? Wait for a nasty skull to speak? No drawing lines, no magic powder?”

“Nope, but you must sleep alone and you must wait for her to speak, and pray she tells you. You only get one chance. If she doesn’t tell you what you need to know, the curse will only get stronger.”

“Okay then, it all sounds perfectly nuts.” I glanced at Wolf. “Can we go now?”

He nodded and I reached out to shake Sassy’s hand. She caught it in hers and held on tight. “This is no laughing matter, child. Please do what I tell you.”

“All right, so with all those bones, how would I know which skull is which?”

“You must look for her gold front tooth.”

Wolf frowned. “How would a slave get a gold tooth?”

Sassy shrugged. “Some said she came from Africa with it, and it was the only tooth she didn’t lose as a child because she kept it by some kind of black magic. Coulda been something the general gave her. Hard to say after all this time...”

I stood up. I’d heard enough. It was sounding more and more like something out of a bad pirate movie. “Thanks for everything, but I better get going.”

Wolf shook Sassy’s hand. “Thank you, Miss Sassy.”

“Sure thing. You be careful getting home now.” She paused and lowered her voice. “You take great care in that house—you hear?”

“Thanks. We will.” Wolf closed the door.

“You really believe all that?” I whispered.

Wolf helped me down the steps. “I don't know what I believe anymore,” he said as he guided me through the thicket to the truck. “All I know is that we have to try to beat this thing, whatever it is.” He pinned me with his eyes. “I won’t let the evil win—I won’t let it hurt you anymore.”

Something deep inside of me melted. I stared into his hard, dark eyes, drawing strength from him. Feeling his courage steel my backbone, pushing me forward even though inside I wanted to give up. I reached for his hand and he took it in his, strong fingers wrapped securely around mine, engulfing me in safety.