”You careless brats!” the woman scolded. “Our items are of a VERY sensitive nature!”
”We’re—we’re sorry!” Derek stuttered. “We’ll pay for it!”
The woman’s breathing slowed and she appeared to be forcing herself to calm down. ”Even if you had the money, it wouldn’t repay the damage you’ve done. The statue was enchanted, and breaking it unleashed a curse.” Sonya shot a queer look at Derek as the woman continued. “Just be on your way, and may Heaven help you.”
A few minutes later, the two teens were getting into Derek’s car, still rattled by their experience at the store.
"I can't believe she let us go without paying," Sonya remarked.
Derek murmured in agreement, though he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something hovering over them. Although they didn't have to pay, he wasn't about to make the claim that they had both gotten away scott free.
They had driven several blocks when Sonya grabbed his arm and said "Oh, let's stop here! This is my favorite deli."
Derek was still distracted by what seemed like a brush with disaster and wasn't very hungry, but he ordered a six-inch sub so Sonya didn't feel uncomfortable eating by herself. Sonya, however, seemed to be ordering a lot of food. When they sat down at a small two-person table, it was almost unable to fit the two subs and four bags of chips she had ordered.
"Skip breakfast this morning?" he asked.
She took a moment to respond, since her mouth was quite full. After swallowing, she said "You want me to starve myself to keep a figure you'll be happy with?" and then bit off another sizable chunk from the first sub.
"What? No. I'm just saying--" he started, but sighed and began to eat his own sub...very slowly.
"Oh, that's so much better! I was feeling ravenous," Sonya sighed with relief after getting back into the car. She burped softly, laughed and excused herself. "I guess I went a little overboard," she chuckled as she patted her stomach. "Try not to let me pig out like that again." Derek dropped Sonya off at her house and headed home to finish a paper. It was a Friday afternoon, but he had important plans with Sonya and others for the next couple days that he didn't want to cut short because of homework.
That night he called Sonya to see how she was doing. He still felt like something was going wrong, and her unusual behavior at the deli just increased his worries.
"Don't worry about that woman at the store," she said. "It was an accident. It was all my fault and I'm not as broken up about it as you are."
"Sorry, I just can't help but feel like this isn't over."
"There's nothing to get over. I broke a statue, we got chased out of the store, the end." Then Derek heard Sonya groan.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," she sighed. "My stomach's been bothering me since lunch. It's nothing I can't sleep off." She didn't sound totally sure of that, however. In fact, she sounded a bit muffled.
"Are you eating?" he asked.
"Just a snack, to get my stomach to calm down. Mom said vegetables help with digestion"
"Okay," Derek said warily. "I'll see you tomorrow at ten, then."
"Sounds great," she said, now much more perky. "Can't wait. Love you."
"Love you too," he said, and put down the phone.
When he finished his paper he realized it was nearly one in the morning. He stood up and suddenly felt incredibly woozy. He was barely able to slip out of his pants and socks before he was too groggy to stay awake. He collapsed on his bed, that foreboding feeling that something was wrong growing stronger than ever as he dove into unconsciousness.