Garnet or Garnets Curse

short and direct. It might be best to confront him face to face. Besides, I should be careful what I put in the post.

    Dear Charles,
    I have come to the end of my patience waiting for my father to return. I must demand that you send me money to return home. Please do not try to bargain with me the reason for my original exile. It no longer holds a threat, in view of the many things that have happened here. Garnet

    Even though it was early, it had been a weary day. I undressed and slipped into bed without blowing out the lamp. It had become my custom to leave the lamp burning at night.
    Only seconds after I had closed my eyes, I heard noises outside my bedroom window. In my carelessness, I had neglected to pull the curtains. My actions had been a glowing display for whoever was lurking outside.
    Keeping low to the floor, I blew out the light. I recalled seeing a butcher knife on the kitchen cabinet. If I were attacked, I should at least be prepared. Slowly I crept down the hall. In the moonlight, ghostly shadows bounced off the wall, seemingly to mock my every step.
    At last, I held the knife in my hand. The cold steel gave me courage to look out the window. In the moonlight, I saw movement near the porch and heard a strange howling noise. As my eyes focused I saw two wild dogs mating and quickly closed the curtains. If it were not for Maria, I would condemn the entire island as a den of illicit wickedness.
    The ordeal had left me wide awake and I decided to retire to the sofa. On the table in front of me was Maria’s Bible. My eyes fell on it as if it was calling me.
    This time, without hesitation I picked it up in my hands, closed my eyes and prayed:

    “Dear Almighty Lord, have you forsaken me? I am lost and bewildered and I have nowhere else to turn, but to you. Please look upon me with mercy and cleanse me of the evil that holds me hostage. I ask that you not let the poison from the curse that infects me spread to others. Forgive me, for I am fearful and untrusting. Show me your road and I will follow. Amen.”

    I had read many books, studied philosophy and even science, but not one page in the Bible. I, Garnet Dragos, was certainly not priestly. I felt unworthy to read God’s word for my own interpretation. However, there in the midnight hour, there was no priest, minister or holy man to read for me. I needed God and I needed his word.
    I asked aloud: “Dear Lord, answer my plea. What of the curse that has been cast upon me? Why was I chosen to be impure?” Then I closed my eyes and allowed the Bible to open up on its own. When I opened my eyes, I saw the Bible had parted to Proverbs. My eyes settled on this verse: Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.
    “A curse that is causeless does not alight?” I asked. With eager eyes I read the passages of God’s truth, mercy and wisdom. I felt my fears fading as I read from Psalm 23: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
    Sometime just before dawn, I closed the Bible, went to bed and slept soundly. It was nearly noon when I awoke. With the chore ahead of me to mail the letter to Charles, I dressed quickly and prepared the carriage. However, on the way to the village, something inside held me back in reserve. It was as if a voice was saying clearly, “Wait, until you have discussed all with Maria.” In view of my newly found knowledge of God, I had full belief that he spoke to me that day.
    When Maria came home, she found me cheerfully preparing supper. She hung up her coat and sat down on the sofa to rest. When I came in to greet her she looked up at me. “Aye, you have read the book?” she asked with a serious look on her face.
    I felt my face flush, fearing she was angry with me. “How did you know?” I asked.
    “My child, I see the peace in your eyes. Your eyes are not shadowed with fear.”
    That evening I told Maria everything, from the death of my Auntie—the return of my estranged father, the curse, the discovery of my Uncle Charles and the unexplainable deaths. She sat still with her hands folded in her lap, stopping me on occasion to ask me to clarify the details. When my story was finished, she stood up, walked to the window and turned her back on me. Then with all the drama of an actress, she turned quickly to face me. “Garnet, someone has planted this so-called curse