KD's Short Stories

Cursed

I should have known there was a reason they returned the treasure. They're pirates, they never return  treasure. Unless it's fake or it's cursed. And this treasure is both.

My mind wandered as I walked through the path I remembered so well. We had stolen the pirate's map and their ship on this very soil. We had weaved through all the booby traps and the old and falling apart structures. Somehow we had outsmarted the dangerous animals living around it. Now the land is deserted, and there is no living thing in sight.It's obvious to me now the treasure kept this place running. Or should I say the jewel? It produced heat and energy that ran throughout the land around it. Without it the land is worthless and empty. The animals and plants have died in its absence. The area has faded completely. I climbed into the crumbling tunnels once more. There were now more skulls and dead bodies lying around. Also, more spider webs and bats hiding in the dark. I shivered, the place gave me the chills. Even though now I knew it by heart. 

The jewel can bring life and it can also bring destruction and death. If the jewel is not in its special temple it brings violence and struggles to whoever holds it. My family and friends used to have it. Before the jewel, singlehandedly killed them all. That's why I'm here today. To finally get rid of it before it takes me too.

The jewel was shining in a more glamorous way. As if it was aware of being inside the temple. To me, the jewel almost seemed lifelike itself. It changed colors and shined differently at different times. Which was cool except when turned red. Every time it turned red something bad happened. Thankfully, as I was walking through the temple the jewel stayed purple.

I scaled the wall and tiptoed around the broken floor. The temple was quite quiet which made my heartbeat sound like a drum. It didn't take long for me to get to the main part of the underground temple. It looked old and beaten like before but much worse. I looked around the place before noticing the jewels' change in color. Light blue, beautiful. I climbed up the stairs carefully and placed the jewel back in its original spot. The temple immediately came back to life and the jewel began glowing even more. My eyes widen because the jewel began slowly turned red. I scratched my head in confusion. I took it back to the temple to get rid of the curse and now it's turning red again. What am I supposed to do? The temple began crumbling and giant rocks fall from the top. I ran for the entrance, but it was blocked by rocks and dirt. The jewel continued to turn a darker and darker red.

"HEY, I TOOK YOU BACK! DON'T TURN ON ME NOW" I shouted.

The temple continued crumbling as if the jewel was mocking me. I shuddered in fear, as it got harder and harder to breathe. At least the jewel is back, I thought. It can't possibly hurt anyone else other than me. I mean the temple is caving in on itself. No one will ever find the jewel. Hopefully. My thoughts were interrupted as more and more rocks fell. I guess the jewel was getting its revenge on me once and for all.