Weekly Expression 3.3 By JRK - "Fool's Curse"

 

The wine bottle slipped from Laurent’s hand as he stumbled down the hallway. The blunder drew giggles from the equally intoxicated female companions at his side. Another night of drinking and partying...Maureen shook her head. Her grandson was more reckless and more incompetant than his father had been. At least his father had his wits about him enough to get married and find work to keep himself partially busy. Though that hadn’t lasted long at all. 

            Maureen stepped out of the shadows, tired of

watching her grandson waste every ounce of his life. Enough was enough and she

was prepared to make up for her lack of involvement in what ended up being the

demise of her own son. She would not watch her grandson make the same mistakes,

even if it cost her everything.

            Laurent stopped in his tracks, his two friends

gasped as Maureen stood in the hallway, blocking their path to the bedroom. 

            “Grandmother…” Laurent stood a little straighter

as he tried to compose himself. “I didn’t know...we were just…”

            “Enough!” Her voice was firm and to the point. “I

have sat by all these years waiting and hoping for you to turn things around.

Now I see that at the ripe age of 27 you still will not change.”

            “Grandmother…” He was trying to reason with her

but she would not hear of it. She held up her hand to silence him.

            “Wisdom is what you lack, a spell is needed to get

you on track!” She pulled out her wand...that faithful wand that had seen

better years. It still had a prick of magic left in it...flowing from her own

lifeforce. She stepped towards him, his two lady friends stepped away in fear.

Laurent didn’t have enough wits about him to run too. Maureen bopped him on the

forehead as mist encircled the hallway…“Awake you will, but not the same. Free

from the curse you’ll be when wisdom is your aim.” 

~

 

            Laurent sat up in a frenzy...another night plagued

by the nightmare of that last moment. It replayed in his mind over and over

again each and every night. For ten years he was imprisoned. Ten long,

agonizing years. He pulled himself up and onto the desk to look at himself in

the mirror…

            An owl looked back at him. A white and grey owl.

            He sighed knowing that nothing would change his

life. He’d forever be trapped in this creature's form, never to live a normal

life. All for what? Because his grandmother disapproved? He flew to the piano,

it’s notes played abruptly as he landed. The noise made his feathers stand on

edge. 

            The bell chimed indicating Aveline’s return to

their humble home. She came in, carrying her many loads. Laurent only looked

over his shoulder not even budging from his perch on the piano. He couldn’t

feathers as she passed him. “Brooding again today, are we Lou?”

help her even if he wanted to... She set her parcels down and ruffled his

            She kept going and picked up a couple parcels and

headed to the kitchen. He sat still at the piano, occasionally hitting the key

and listening to it’s tone. He once could light up a room with the beautiful

Such a waste.

melodies from a piano so fine as this...He’d never even seen Aveline play it.

            She was causing quite a ruckus in the kitchen

before she returned to him with a little tray. She set it beside him and

immediately he could smell the aroma of the fresh meat. And this was why he

stuck around! He gulped down the three little pieces of meat and turned his

attention towards her. She took such good care of him, of that he would admit. 

            “Are we friends again?” She asked with a slight

giggle. He wished he could tell her they never weren’t friends. She’d saved his

life that one winter night. He’d been flying blind for three days with no food,

distorted body. He’d crashed into the snow and was waiting for himself to

no warmth, lost in the chaos and confusion of his own mind trapped in this new succumb and end this nightmare he had found himself in. Until he woke up and

never stopped caring for him as they now had spent ten years together. He’d

found himself in a warm little bed, a fire roaring in the distance, and the sweet angel face of Aveline. She cared for him until he was well. And really watched her grow from the little girl that saved him to a working woman. She

twenties. 

was independent and lived alone other than his brooding company. But she seemed

happy and content to live that way. He wasn’t sure how old she was, perhaps mid

            She pulled a blanket around her and buried herself

into the couch. Laurent flew to her and perched on the couch’s arm. 

            “Did you know that the devil, Mr. Henderson dared

ask me on a proper date? Of course I refused. I would never be seen traipsing

around town with the likes of him. I will not be made a housewife to cook and

sat quietly as he listened. That’s all he ever got to do was listen. He became

clean all the day while my husband gets to see people and live his life.” He quite good at it...one had to when you had no other option to communicate. It

was his curse of being an animal. 

            “But, I picked up an extra shift which will be

perfect because then we can finally save up enough money to get out of this

town and start traveling. Oh, Lou! We are so close I can feel it!” 

            A cold breeze wafted in, sending a shiver through

Laurent. He nestled underneath the blanket that was wrapped around her. “Sorry,

Lou. No fire tonight. We need to save our money!” 

The girl was unbelievable

sometimes. He watched her as she fell asleep, occasionally shivering from the

dropping temperature of the room. She never fancied herself the way he thought

all young women did. She didn’t spend her money on frivolous things but only

looked at her and saw the opposite of himself. But she was kind and gentle. She

the absolute necessities. She wore simple gowns and never wore makeup. He

life. It always made Laurent wonder what his dreams were? Ten years had caused

cared for others and for him. And she had dreams of what she wanted out of her

aspirations for what to make of himself...and wasn’t that how he got into this

him to lose so much hope. He couldn’t even imagine what a life as a man would be again? What would he do? Who would he be? Even as a young man he had no

predicament? 

            His grandmother's words replayed in his mind. “Free from the curse you’ll be when wisdom is your

aim.” 

            He sighed as he tried to rest in Aveline's lap.

Wasn’t ten years long enough? Hadn’t he learned anything by now? And if this

long had passed with no change, what made him think anything ever would?

 

            ~

 

            Laurent stared out the heavily frosted window in

their little home. The weeks had been dragging on as winter settled onto the

land. Aveline had been gone all day and he expected her to arrive any moment

rest of the day. She had been working hard...he thought too hard. And as she

only long enough to feed him and leave for another shift that would last the

clothing and he could see the sickness and exhaustion deep in her eyes. Her face

finally returned, his fears were confirmed. She removed only one layer of her

didn’t even acknowledge them. He watched as she carefully sat down on the couch

was pale, dark circles clung to her eyes. She coughed non stop as she made her way around the little apartment and brought him his slivers of meat. But he

and laid her head back. He flew and perched beside her.

            “Oh Lou…” Another fit of coughing overtook her.

“It’s this dreadful winter but I can’t stop now, not when we are so close.” She

sat up and sighed as she put on her outer layer and headed toward the door.

“I’ll be home in a few hours.”

            Before he knew it, she was gone again. Laurent

sighed as he flew back to the window and stared out. He wished he could go with

her, watch over her as she had watched over him all these years. But the last

be a wild owl but he could defend himself against another predator if he needed

time he had left the safety of their home, he was nearly killed. He might not

he would rather not ever repeat. 

to. But men with muskets? That was an altogether entirely different story..one

            He perked up and realized that he had dozed off.

He could barely make out that the sun was setting for a severe snowstorm had

settled over the land. He took flight to join Aveline wherever she was hiding

in the apartment but after a quick sweep through he found himself to be alone.

He perched on the piano as he mulled over what it could mean. Perhaps she was

just working longer? 

            The wind blew and sent an eerie noise through the

boards of the walls. The storm was worsening, he couldn’t imagine that her employer

would keep her in such harsh conditions...especially with as ill as she had

become. 

            He waddled back and forth at the top of the piano

as he frantically waited for her to arrive. But as the minutes passed, his

sickening feeling got worse. He didn’t think she was coming back. 

            He returned to the window, unable to see out of it

anymore. What could he do? What could he possibly do as a tiny little owl in

such a terrible blizzard? And what would he do if he found her? He felt angry

almost, how could she do this to him? To herself? Didn’t she see she was

didn’t kill her tonight, her developing illness just might. Together, with a

overworking to the point of putting herself into an early grave? If the snow

warn her. Perhaps it wasn’t too late? Maybe she could still turn things around! 

setting sun spelled disaster. Oh how he wished he could run and find her and

            And yet, wasn’t that what his grandmother had been

trying to do all his life? She had waited and waited for him to change until

she knew he wouldn’t change on his own. Perhaps that was what Aveline needed

would die. And all of her dreaming, all of her hard work would be for nothing.

now? He wasn’t sure what he could do but he knew that if he did nothing, she

What good are dreams if you kill yourself trying to accomplish them? 

            What a pair they made, he thought to himself as he

began flying around the apartment, looking for any way out. One thing was

certain, he had to find her. 

            He felt a draft and followed it to the ceiling

above the rafters where he found a loose board. With a little finagling he was

able to squeeze out of it. He nearly fell to the ground before he realized he

was free and flew through the air. 

            It was difficult, but not impossible for him to

see where he was heading. He remembered the way to town from the one and only

time he had left the house so he headed that way in hopes of finding her. 

            He nearly flew into a branch that came out of

nowhere through the storm. He landed on it to catch his breath as he looked

through the park. He knew she traveled through this park for she talked about

it all the time. 

            Frantically he searched for any sign of her but

all he saw was the white blizzard covering everything.

            “Grandmother, please, if you are listening. I must

find her! I’ll stay an owl forever but don’t make me do it without Aveline!

Please…” 

            He was about to give up hope when he saw it...a

faint dash of purple in the onslaught of white. He took to the air and dove for

the color. He landed not so gently in the snow beside her. Aveline had fallen

face and then her heart to find any sign of life but with the snow pummeling

and was nearly completely covered by the heavy snow. He nestled closer to her

against her cheek hoping to wake her but nothing happened. He flew to the sky

them both, it was hard to tell if it was too late. “No, no, please!” He rubbed

again and looked around for any sign of help. But they were alone in this park. 

            Hope was gone. There was nothing more he could do

other than nestle in close so she didn’t die alone. He began to descend when a

cramp in his wings caused him to fall. He hit the snow hard and hs body ached

as blackness engulfed him 

            He wasn’t sure how long he had been out but a good

layer of snow had settled over him. He pushed himself up and looked down at his

hands in the snow.

            His hands! He sat up straight as surprise overtook

him. Was this a dream? He looked down at his hands and wrists and arms. He

patted his stomach and recognized the tunic he had been wearing when his world

had changed. He ran his hands through his snow wet hair. Laughter bubbled up in

him but it was short lived. He saw Aveline's form under the snow and dove after

her, clearing the snow off of her and pulling her up into his arms. 

            It took him longer than he would have liked to make

his way back to their home. He laid her on the couch and removed the soaking

wet outer layers. He could just barely make out a pulse as he covered her with

several blankets before leaving and starting a fire. He returned to her quickly

and joined her under the blankets and pulled her in close. Her body was as cold

would be enough to warm her back to life. 

as ice and he prayed as he waited that the warmth of the fire and of his body

            The night passed slowly as he held her in his

arms. He dared not sleep lest he awake to find her gone from him. He ran his

hand through her hair and caressed her cheek. Color was returning to her face

and her body didn’t feel cold anymore. He gently left her side to add a few

more logs to the dying fire. 

            He heard her cough, which was the first sound he

heard from her all night. He turned and saw her stirring, taking in her

surroundings. “Lou?” She asked as she looked around. Suddenly he realized how

confusing it would be to find him standing in her home. He was crouched low by

the fire so she hadn't seen him yet. 

            “Don’t freak out.” He said as he stood slowly. 

            Aveline jumped and started at him. “Who are you?”

            “My name is Laurent. I found you in the park and

brought you home.”

            “How did you know where I live? I don’t know you.”

            “Actually you do, just not by my real name or

face. I’m Lou.” He said it more like a question, for saying it out loud felt so

strange. 

            She looked at him at first like he was crazy but

then something in her face changed. A softness settled over her, one that took

him by surprise. She looked around as if to confirm that Lou was not there.

            “That sounds a little crazy.”

            “It is. But it’s true. I’ll tell you all about it.”