Madam Soroya`s Curse

As the numbing grey haze began to filter out of my mind I became aware of vague shapes hovering on the periphery of my world. I struggled to bring them into focus but they continued to elude me. Brief snatches

of a conversation drifted through the mists of my consciousness.

“He obviously believes it happened” a voice said, “I’ve never known regression under hypnosis to fail”.

“It’s impossible; utterly fantastic” a second voice retorted, “there has to be some logical explanation for his delusion.” It`s odd though, the first voice countered “You saw the wounds on his hands, how do you account for those, they are in keeping with his description of what took place at the fairground” The fragile thread of consciousness gave way and I slipped off into the grey haze.

When I dragged my senses back to reality, shafts of sunlight were slanting through the blinds, shimmering

on the floating dust particles. The voices and vague shapes had now assumed solid forms and wore white

coats. They were sitting, framed in a window seat, in what I took to be a hospital or clinic judging by the antiseptic smell which permeated the air. They didn’t notice my return to consciousness – if indeed this was

the `here and now` and not some alternative fantasy world.

I tried to force my mind back to the sequence of events that had taken place, was it really only yesterday, it seemed so much longer ago now. The next question and the vital one was, had it actually happened or was it merely a harrowing distorted episode in a nightmare that was still being played out with me as the central character? I wished fervently that such were the case. At least if that were so I would eventually awaken and then the horror would be over. I felt the incessant throb beneath the bandage on my hand and realised with a sense of despair that I was not going to awaken, I was wide awake now and living the nightmare.

                                                       ………………………….

 I had always been interested in the paranormal and, after being made redundant, decided to take the  opportunity provided to write that novel that is supposed to be in all of us. It was inevitable that it would be 

in this genre. The novel got off to a good start but following the first big scene my ideas began to falter. It

was one evening during this frustrating period that I went for a walk to think through the plot. I was

wandering along oblivious to my surroundings when suddenly I became aware of hurdy-gurdy music

and found myself outside a fairground. I hadn’t been to a fair since my student days and, on a sudden impulse

I walked through the gaudily painted façade. The bright lights of the carousel and whirling amusements

seemed to lighten my mood for the first time in weeks. I wandered around for a while and eventually ended

up outside a particularly gaudy booth displaying the epithet ‘Madam Soroya–fortune-teller`. I smiled cynically and was about to pass on when I thought, ‘Why not, just for a laugh’. I needed something to snap me out of the rut I had become bogged down in. Needless to say, I have never been to a Fortune Teller, I knew all about the tricks of the trade. After a quick check that there was no one around who might know me I entered the booth.

The interior was empty except for a green baize card table and two rickety wooden folding chairs, one on

each side of it. The floor was bare earth and a red bead curtain lead to an inner sanctum of the booth.

I began to think there was no one there and was on the point of leaning when, with a swish and a rattle, the

bead curtain was thrown aside by a brass-bangled forearm and there in all her glory stood the ample figure

of Madam Soroya.“ Sit down young man and let Madam Soroya`s crystal ball reveal what the future has

in store for you” Madam Soroya intoned in a well-practised chant. She informed me that the traditional

palm crossing with silver was now obsolete due to inflation and suggested a ‘Tenner’. It quickly vanished

somewhere in the vicinity of that ample bosom as she retraced her steps to the inner sanctum. She

immediately returned with a glowing orb - her crystal ball which she placed on the card table and motioned

me to sit down on one of the chairs.

She leaned forward, gazed with a feigned intensity into the orb and seemed about to speak then, stopped abruptly.  The expression on her face had changed - the assumed pose had disappeared. Slowly she raised

her head and her eyes met mine. What I saw in those dark eyes was a look of unfeigned horror. This was not part of the charade - Madam Soroya was not that good an actress. I dragged my gaze away from her eyes

and looked down into the crystal. As I stared it seemed as if the globe was growing larger - impossible! I

looked away, shook my head and looked back – but my eyes had not deceived me - as I watched transfixed

it continued to expand until the periphery was almost touching me. Frantically I tried to get up but my legs

were useless. As I reached this point of petrified panic the crystal began to engulf me and the sounds of the fairground were gradually blotted out as the walls of the crystal closed around me.

Stretching ahead was a long passageway and approaching, as if on a conveyor belt, were images and faces vaguely remembered from my very early childhood. The images kept coming. It seemed that I was being

given a re-run of my past life – like the images supposedly experienced by a drowning man.

I stared transfixed in disbelief and fear as the cascade of images continued to approach and pass. It began

to dawn on me that this horrorscope was not going to stop unless I could do something to bring it to an end before it reached the present and careered forward and on into the future.

Do people really want to know the future – I don’t think so.  I certainly didn’t. Then I remembered the pencil

in my pocket ! With a huge physical and mental effort I managed to clasp my fingers round it. I pressed the point hard against my hand until the pain became intense.  I felt the blood trickling between my fingers - I continued. This began to distract my tormented mind from the rapidly accelerating images. I was still aware

of them and, alarmingly  they had reached the present and were moving forward into the future!  No, no – I

had to stop looking, stop this mad kaleidoscope before my whole future was laid bare! But it continued. More and more visions emerged. I moved the point of the pencil to my other hand and pressed even harder. The pain was intense now. Suddenly,  with a sharp crack, the pencil broke. The images began to spiral out of control

like a whirlpool and I felt myself caught up and spinning…. spinning , being sucked down … down….down

I reached up to save myself and, as I did so, a tremendous shock shot up both arms and then total darkness!

I came to lying on the floor of Madam Soroya’s booth holding her crystal ball in my blood-soaked hand. Madam Soroya was slumped over the table. She seemed to be in a deep sleep or trance and was breathing heavily. I lay for a few minutes gathering my strength then the terror returned. I struggled to my feet and

reeled blindly from the fairground forcing myself faster to get away – anywhere from that haunting panorama. My legs were growing leaden and the breath was wheezing in my chest but I couldn’t escape the terror of

My vision and Madam Soroya’s curse – to show me my future!  I vaguely remember flashing lights and a

siren just after I felt my legs buckle.

Then I came through the grey haze and heard the voices. The sun was shining but it was not a bright new

day, I had seen it all before, awareness was leering at me through the blinds. I had to find a way to

‘unlearn’ the knowledge that had been revealed to me. The snatches of conversation that I had heard convinced me that the white-coated men of science were not going to be of any help. There seemed only one possibility however slim or illogical. As the doctors left the room with a glance in my direction, I feigned unconsciousness. I had made up my mind, there was no time to lose. Quickly I slipped out of bed and dressed. There was a trolley in my room and I found a white doctor`s coat hanging behind the door. I put it on and, disguised as a member of staff, I pushed the trolley out and down to the lift..

In a few minutes I was out and running. The rain beating on my face helped to revived me. There was only one thought in my mind. I knew instinctively where I had to get to - the fairground. I had to find Madam Soroya - my only hope of freedom from this horrific vision of the future with which she had shackled me.