Mogtober 2022

Day 1. - ›Cursed me‹

Morrigan:

     Jack and I returned from swimming in the pool.
     Hawthorne went home already, and Jupiter's nephew and I were sitting in the dining room eating sandwiches that Martha had given us for dinner. We were each left in our thoughts and did not perceive the surroundings.
     Jack suddenly turned to me. "Listen, why... Why didn't you ever tell me about how you lived... Like... before. In the Republic. Uncle Jove didn't want to tell me anything, so... Look, I'm not going to tell you stupiditues about how much you can trust me, and that I'll be there for you, etc, etc..." he rolled his eyes and continued: "Well... but we both had an obviously bad past and... I just wanted to... Well..." he paused.
     I turned at him and watched him blankly. I didn't know what he was pointing at.
     He took a deep breath and then frowned. "Tell me how it all was. Please."
     I sighed quietly, resignedly.
     Jupiter is still not here, and yet, with the exception of my patron, Jack is the first to really know what am I, and who am I.
     "Okay. Let's go to the Shadow Hall."

     When we got there, we sat on the floor, one side by side by candlelight, and I started resolutely.
     "I'll tell you a story.
     So...
     Our story takes place in the Wintersea Republic, state Great Wolfacre, in the heart of its largest city, Jackalfax, in the mannor of the state chancellor, Corvus Crow. "
     I created a shadow of a building behind a fence.
     "It was cold, eleventh year... Um... the seventh age of Wintersea.
Mrs. Crow was due to... erm... lie down soon, and she and her husband were looking forward to the uhm... addition to their Crow family. But the Eventide came and the Crows started to have a bad feeling.
     At midnight their suspicion was fulfilled and a daughter was born to them. They gave her a name that would suit every Crow. Morrigan Odelle. "
     I let the shadow of the building disappear, and instead I made a bed with the heavens, with a man beside her, and a woman embracing her child.
     "But a few hours after giving birth, the baby's mother died. And Morrigan was to blame. She was born on the Eventide night, and according to the custom of the people and the long-standing truth, she was cursed.
     The second part of her curse was even worse. She was supposed to die at the next Eventide, at midnight.
     Little Morrigan grew up in disfavor. Her father hated her all the more, than he had looked forward to her before. He didn't want a cursed daughter. It disadvantaged his position in parliament and in his politics it was unstable and fragile because of her.
     The Registry Office for Cursed Children had more of them registered. There were two cursed children in South Light. The other was somewhere in the Far East Sang. However, Morrigan was still the best-known and most accused child, as she was the only one of the four cursed to have a 'personality' as her father. "
     At that word, I rolled my eyes at the pillar and created a shadow of a girl leaning over, as she writes.
     "She had to write apologies to people or companies who were spoiled by a batch of jam or didn't win the competition after wishing them good luck."
     I saw Jack squeeze his lips, so I decided to make it a little easier.
     "But it wasn't that bad. She didn't have to do housework or even lick the envelopes to avoid a heart attack or a tornado."
     I spoke truthfully but in an ironic voice, and Jack finally smiled a little.
     "Once, it was three days before the end of the eleventh year of the eighth age of Wintersea, so it was a day like any other, but it was still one of the worst. This is where the more interesting part begins.
     It was early in the morning and Morrigan was sitting on the back door. A dead cat laying in front of her."
     I made the stairs, the squatting girl and the small shape in front of her.
     "The cook opened the back door and jumped in surprise when she saw the scariest inhabitant of Jackalfax sitting in front of the dead animal. She immediately went into it: -I liked that cat!-
     Morrigan didn't know what to snap back, so she just muttered: -So did I.-
     The cook snorted contemptuously:
-I see.-
     And immediately she ran to the kitchen and grabbed the chalk. She wrote on the board at the door of the KITCHIN CAT - DEAD. There were also 'sins' on the list, such as SPOT ON THE NEW TABLECLOTH, DAMAGED FISH, or FLOODS IN THE SOUTH PROSPER.
     Morrigan just waved at the cook, and she kissed the cross hung around her neck. 'Miss Cursed' didn't even bother anymore. She just rolled her eyes and went to her father, who was waiting in the study for a caseworker.
     When Morrigan came in, he didn't even note her.
     In a few minutes, the worker came - wet because it was raining outside and praising Morrigan for causing only a dozen disasters.
     Miss Crow was to write only three apologies this month. One for a lady who broke her hips after allegedly making eye contact with Morrigan in a few seconds, ... "
     Jack covered his grin with his hand.
     'Very Jupiterian gesture' I thought, but then I kept going the story forward:
     "... one for the boy who lost the national competition after Morrigan wished him good luck, and the Jackalfax Jam Company for a spoiled batch of jam, who knows why.
     Morrigan's curator left, and Corvus sent his daughter to write letters to those sad unfortunates. "
     Jack couldn't stand it anymore and snorted. I smirked at him and made more shadows.
     "She wrote the decent sentences on clean sheets of paper and put them in an envelope, but did not stick it. It was partly so that the father could check the letters, and partly so that it would not cause a crash or something."
      I dictated the words of the letters and the shadow pen wrote them with the shadow ink right at the wall. Jack laughed at the strikethrough, and I was glad my story didn't come to him so drastically. It made a big deal in my personality, but I didn't want him to feel bad about me. Although I maybe didn't like him twice, but I didn't want my story to don't let him sleep.
     I haven't even gotten to the finale yet.
     Then I looked at my watch and found that it was already nine in the evening. What did I do here for hour and half?!
     "Okay, I'll cut it short. Corvus's assistants suggested her to go with Corvus to a Bid Day.
     Along the way, Corvus led a monologue and addressed it to his unwanted daughter:
     -You'll listen nicely. I don't want any devastating tornadoes, deadly heart attacks or ... or ...-
     -Wild sharks?- added Morrigan and Corvus got provoked:
      -Do you think it's funny?! Are you trying actively to ruin my career?!-
     -No. Actively not.- murmured the Cursed and wiped the saliva from her face, that he splashed at her in anger...
     Well, let's move on. She got four offers and her father almost went crazy because... "
     I couldn't go on because Jack jumped to his feet and his eyes like the plates.
     "FOUR !!! I didn't get even one!"
     I grabbed his elbow and pulled him back slightly onto the rough wooden floor.
     "Two were fake. And the third was from Squall. And you're certainly not so stupid as to know who the fourth was from. So. Morrigan met with Squall Industries' assistant, Mr. Jones. He gave her an offer. But the moment she was about to sign the papers, her father entered the room and Mr. Jones disappeared.
     She convinced Corvus that Mr. Jones was indeed there, but he angrily silenced her. His career was hit hard and he blamed his daughter for it again.
     As they went home, they had to stop, and Corvus shouted at the coach why they aren't going.
     An incredible number of people gathered in the square under Skyfaced Clock. Everyone was looking at the unnaturally dark dial. 'It's supposed to be blue ...' Morrigan thought, frightened.
     Everyone outside was shouting, laughing, crying and hugging.
     Eventide has arrived.
     The bells rang, announcing the arrival of the last day of the Age.
     Morrigan couldn't sleep that night. Around midnight, a white rectangle slipped under her door. It was an envelope.

     Captain Jupiter Amantius North would like to make an offer to Miss Morrigan Odelle Crow.
     Again.

     She signed the contract without hesitation, of course, she did. But it was worthless to her, so she burned it. She didn't believe, it wasn't a joke. Not really.
     The next evening they had a "mourning" dinner at the Crow Manor.
     Suddenly someone knocked on the door. Ivy Crow - Morrigan's stepmother - complained about the annoying journalists and sent a maid to pack them away.
     In the hallway, instead of a bang on the oak door, there was a quiet, polite conversation, followed by the footsteps of heavy shoes.
     Morrigan panicked despite the fact that death certainly doesn't knock on the door and aren't arguing with the maid. There were so lot of thoughts in her head: 'Did a death come for me already? Wait! Does death wear heavy boots?'
     The dining room door opened and there was a... man standing in it. "
     I made an opening door and a pretty tall man leaning against the doorframe.
     "He introduced himself as Jupiter North from the Wundrous Society. He said: -Morrigan, listen to me. I'll take the curtain off in a minute and you'll see out. Whatever you see there, don't worry. They'll know you're scared.-
     Morrigan didn't even have time to object, and Jupiter was already acting.
     First he dusted Morrigan with something and then, - to the other members of the household - he blew silver powder in their faces. He tore off the curtain and threw it into the couch on the floor. He shook his head sadly, grabbed Corvus and Ivy by the shoulders, and said: -Oh dear Morrigan. So kind and full of life. She could have given the world so much. But they took her from us. Too soon.-
     Ivy sobbed: -She looks so small and young.-
     Jupiter seemed to mourn his lips: -Yes. It's almost like she's made of... Fabric.-
     Morrigan snorted, but... "
I couldn't go on because Jack started laughing. I couldn't help but laugh with him. The shadows have faded so far, and I have been able to continue:
     "But for a moment the laughter passed her. Behind the windows she could hear the stamping of hooves. She saw shadow and smoke. And red eyes. Lots of red eyes.
     -Quickly.- Jupiter said, dragging her to the second floor. He opened the window and they had to jump into..." I made a shadow of the building, but suddenly I didn't have enough money to...
     Jack made an arachnipod and smiled, when I looked at him surprised.
     He continued: "Yes. They went through the Skyfaced Clock. Morrigan cheated her death and got the second chance because of the time difference. A great life she didn't have the courage to dream about in the Republic, and it was only made annoying by Flintlock and one black-haired idiot with an eyepatch.
     But he realized what a fool he did a year ago, a few days before Christmas.
     He saw her on the stairs as he spilled that damned milk."
     I smiled: "Well... But we really don't have to cry over this one."

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When you inherit a broken family, you can't throw it away and get a new one.
What you can do is find people and situations that provide for you what your family cannot.

- Iyanla Vazant -