Ominous Uncovering

I was walking through the woods when my life drastically changed. It all happened so fast. I had taken the woods many times. It was my shortcut to get to my secret place. I went there when I painted. It was a very inspirational place, and some of my most famous pieces were created on that very lake. As I walked, I saw the most beautiful leaf. It was yellow, almost gold with prominent veins. I picked it up with the intention of using it for my next project. When I looked back down I saw something shining. I crouched down to look and saw a silver ring with a pink gemstone. It looked fairly new and expensive. I picked it up and brushed the dirt off of it. It was the prettiest ring I’d ever seen. The leaf had hidden it. It was pure luck that I grabbed the leaf-or so I had thought. 

At the time, I was doing great. I had money, thanks to my paintings. I had prospective buyers all over and was about to open a gallery for my work. I had a nice house, a fiance who adored me. Life was good. Some would say I was over privileged, but I referred to it as hard work. Basically, I had everything I ever wanted. I shoved the ring in my pocket and kept walking. When I arrived at my place, I set up my canvas and began to focus. After a few minutes I realized I had no inspiration. This was normal for artists, so I decided to pack up early and head home.

      Time skip

When I arrived at my house, I decided on a hot cup of coffee while I watched the news. As I took my coat off, I heard a ping and looked down. The ring-I had completely forgotten the ring-had fallen on the floor. I picked it up and slipped it on my finger. It fit perfectly.  I decided I’d get it appraised when the weekend was over and carried on my nightly routine. I watched the news, ate a light dinner, and eventually began to drift to sleep. 

It was hot. Very hot. I couldn’t breathe. In my dream I was in the hot sun. The light shining on my back burned. I woke up coughing to the smell of smoke. It was pitch black in my house. It wasn’t a dream! My house was on fire. The smoke alarms weren’t even going off. The batteries must have died. I got up and ran through the house looking for the best escape route. Thankfully, my front door wasn’t blocked and I rushed out gasping for breath. Once I could breathe again, I dialed 9-1-1 and explained what had happened. It took them the rest of the night to put the fire out, and when it was gone, so was my house. There was absolutely nothing left. I began crying for everything I had lost. All my paintings, clothes and everything was gone. I would never be able to replace the personal items or my art. I’d have to start over again. I decided to stay with my sister for a little while. My fiance was in Hong Kong on business and wouldn’t be awake for a few more hours, so I couldn’t even message him. 

After the night I’d had, I just wanted to fall into a deep sleep and wake up from the nightmare my life had just become. My sister lent me her couch until I could find a new place. I spent the next few days searching for rentals and trying desperately to recreate my old paintings. I was still waiting for a call about the gallery space. The art exhibit would help me pay for a new place to stay. Alex was heartbroken that our house was gone, but he was grateful I was alright. 

It was about a week later when I got a call from my manager. Unfortunately for me, it wasn't good news. The gallery space had been rented out to another vendor, and I was being dropped. In simple terms, I wasn’t making the cut anymore and I was fired. It was just perfect. I’d managed to lose my house and my job all in two weeks. I wouldn’t be able to afford an apartment without money, so I needed a new job. I spent the next two days filling out job applications. I was on my way to an interview when my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number, but something told me to answer it. It was Alex’s boss. The next thing I knew I was on the ground surrounded by people. I heard an awful screaming noise, and it took me a minute to figure out the sound was coming from me. Alex was dead. He had died in a car crash on his way to the airport. My fiance. My one true love would never come home. I’d never see his smile again. He would not walk through our door with exotic gifts. I could handle everything that had happened over the past few weeks, but this was too much. How would I go on without the man who was supposed to be my everything? How had it gotten to be this way? How had I lost everything in such a short time? My luck had run out. After assuring everyone I didn’t need an ambulance. I hung up and headed back to my sisters. I had a funeral to plan and I wanted to be alone.

On the way home, I walked past a fortune teller shop. I decided to stop in because hey, what else did I have to lose? I walked up to her table and sat down. She took a deep breath, and then gasped. 

“I see darkness! Black all around! Death is near you! DEATH!!!” she exclaimed. I didn’t know what to think. She had picked up on everything in only a few seconds.

“It’s true.” I said. “I’ve lost everything in only a few weeks! I don’t understand.” I cried. She took another deep breath.

“Cursed.” she whispered.

“What? I’m cursed?” I asked. She grabbed my hand and looked closely at my ring. The ring I had found in the woods. It was the only thing I had left from the fire.

“This! This is dangerous! Where did you get this from?” She asked

“I-I found it.” I stammered. 

“You need to get rid of it now! It is evil! Cursed! It has given you terrible luck. I sense you’ve lost a lot. Property as well as love. The next thing it will take i-is you.” She said, urgency in her voice. I got up and ran out of the shop. I went up to the Hudson River and tried to pull the ring off. At first it wouldn’t budge, but I eventually got it off and threw it in the river. The eerie cold left my body.

  Time Skip

One Year Later

I finally managed to get my life back under control. I had a steady job as an art teacher. I had a new apartment. I was saving my money so I could eventually get a studio gallery. I was even dating someone. I was starting to feel happy again. I searched for weeks trying to find anything about the ring, but I had no luck. It was like it didn’t exist. I gave up and decided to move on in life. I no longer go through the woods, and I’ll never wear another ring for as long as I live.