The Curse of Pompeii

She was watching people turn to stone in her room when the tremendous volcano eruption shakes Pompeii city, followed by rapidly spreading lava.

Her fingers clung convulsively to the lightsome, moss green curtain. A habitual, recurring movement was this, its imprint already refracted the material's folds running in a wide arc. It only took 5-10 minutes, whilst staring out the window reveals the reality of no present. Billowing, ominous, dense black smoke arrives from the mountain towards the town. It throws a thick ash layer to the life. The bright sun disappears from the sky. The fresh green trees and bushes suddenly grow old, become hoary. The colours are washed away from the flowers, the mosaic pieces, the glazed crockery. The dazzlingly white walls, the red roofs draw dirty-grey veil on themselves. The peaceful Vesuvius grumbles and pours a rockfall to Pompeii. People are desperately running to cellars, houses. The sound of heart-wrenching screams, sobs echoes again in the lady's head as she clings to the green curtain. Then slowly unhands it. She knows this is the end of vision, thus she can go on with her life. The same burden's been carried  in her family by women through generations.

When Vesuvius was forced to relieve the pressure on itself, the wealthy Sylvia Samonita was in her mansion. Since her hill-house was the furthest from the volcano, she even had time to eat the honeysweet grapes from the burgundy glass bowl, to tie up her black hair with golden buckles and to put on her favourite blue dress. Afterwards she took in her hands a chest containing her fortune and jumped into the carriage to save herself. At the gate, a young woman stopped her. She asked Sylvia to take her children with her. The payment's a bracelet: special alloy, precious jewel. Sylvia snatched it from her hand. Thenceforth she continued her way...

The curse lasts until the ten obsidian links lose colour.