The Crystal Curse

In the backseat of her family’s rented 4WD, Lina Felgrove played with the buttons on her dead MP3 player. She hit the up key, tap, tap. She hit the down key, tap-tap. Then, she scratched at her arm.

“Don’t scratch!” said her mother from the front seat, and Lina pretended not to hear.

During the first part of their trip north, Lina had fended off boredom and the desire to scratch at the red spot on her arm by listening to the sad harmonies of her favorite boy band. Smooth pop ballads had blared through her headphones at a volume sure to damage her hearing. The songs were effective at keeping her mind off the itch and even more importantly, they kept her parents at a reasonable distance. Her parents had learned the hard way that with her headphones in, Lina may as well have been in another room.

Tap-tap, up. Tap-tap, down. Scratch, scratch.

“Don’t scratch,” her mother said.

She’d been allowed to bring the MP3 player, but it came with a condition.

Tap-tap, up. Tap-tap, down. Scratch.

It seemed like Lina was always living under one condition or another. Lina would ask, her mother would bend, but her father would forbid it. Lina would beg, her mother would insist, and finally, her father would give in. However, not all the way, never all the way. These sorts of limitations were his way of staying in control no matter what the two women wanted. They couldn’t brand him as unfair because he had relented, at least a little. He used these conditions to add a cruel twist of misery to Lina’s wishes like a mischievous genie.

Tap, tap, tap, tap, scratch.

These stipulations ranged from small, such as being allowed to stay at a friend’s house if she was home before dark, to larger such as being allowed to attend the school dance with a date as long as her father could chaperone. Lina would, begrudgingly, accept the offered terms with the grace of a prisoner who had not actually been given any choice at all.

Taptaptap, taptaptap, scratch, scratch.

Of course, the condition almost always ruined what Lina wanted. Such was the case when her father had stared at Lina’s date so intensely that the boy had gotten cold feet and decided not to dance with Lina at all. Her date had instead gone off to dance with another girl, a girl whose father wasn’t constantly staring from across the tissue-paper-decorated gymnasium. A girl whose father wasn’t so intimidating with his dark, menacing eyes and his odd fashion of religious dress.

Tap, tap, tap. Scratch.

Even now, in the car, she was suffering under the conditions of her father. The entire trip had been his idea, a condition of his finest making. Lina would be allowed to go off to study at a university in the city, allowed to leave her small town and family behind. However, she must first go on one last trip with her parents.

Tap, taptaptaptaptaptaptap. Scratch.

“Don’t scratch!”

His conditions even had their own conditions, including the one that had cut her boyband-loving heart to its core.

Taptaptaptaptaptaptapscratch.

She could listen to her MP3 player all she wanted, but she had to leave the charger at home.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Her father may have his conditions, but she had her ways. Her father knew the battery would die after some time but, Lina wagered he had no idea how long the battery actually lasted. The battery had died several hours ago, but she still wore her white, tangled headphones as if nothing was amiss. And so, her parents chatted in the front seat without her.

Up until this point the pilgrimage had been a flop, a failure, and an epic waste of Lina’s last summer with her high school friends.

The previous day, they had arrived at the barn. Lina had gotten out of the 4wd and stared with bemusement. There was no way the dilapidated structure was the same building shown in the black and white photo on the back cover of the small, leather pocket bible she was mandated to carry.

“Alien gods!” She heard the taunts of her classmates as they ripped her bible to pieces. She begged her father to stop forcing her to carry it to school. He relented, but of course, there was a condition. She would carry it in a hidden pocket in her bag instead. Still, her classmates found it.

The building was even more disappointing inside. The dirt floor was overgrown with weeds and sunlight passed through the holes in the roof where boards had fallen in. There was no indication of the history the building held, nor any feeling of resurging religious zeal.

Lina’s parents wept together quietly, dark robes blowing in the curt wind. They pulled their green crystal necklaces out from beneath their robes and kissed them.

"We'd kneel in the dirt," her mother said and wiped her eyes.

Lina kicked at the weeds, waiting to feel some connection to her gods for the first time in years. She tried to imagine the people in their religious robes, robes that were banned over most of the country for the visual tie to the strange gods. All Lina felt was a relief she wasn't forced to pray in the dirt every day, crystal pressed to her lips.

Even that simple relief faded when her mother bid them to kneel in the weeds and pray.

"N'galeth'an g'tanda," the three of them said together in prayer but to Lina, the words felt empty.

When they were done, Lina dusted the knees of her black denim jeans, and her parents tucked their crystals away.

With the next monument, Lina knew better what to expect, but, was still disappointed. It was just a pile of rocks in the countryside. Lina stayed respectfully quiet while her parents held each other and wept. If the stories she'd heard were true, the monument had been erected to symbolize the place their greatest martyr had been executed.

Was this truly all they had to show for their religion? Other beliefs had cathedrals and massive monuments. She'd been shamed for her beliefs over the previous years but no blow had struck her so deeply as the realization that her parents' gods amounted only to a barn and a pile of rocks. Lina had stared at the rocks, feeling the last remnants of her belief in the ‘alien’ gods fade out of her body.

"N'galeth'an g'tanda," the three of them had said together in prayer before leaving the monument, but Lina felt empty.

Tap tap tap, Lina hit the volume buttons- up, then down.

Today was the final day of the trip before they headed home. The 4WD passed along the main street of a small town, then came to a stop in front of a house. The house was unremarkable in every way, and Lina felt her last hopes she’d see something special slip away.

Lina and her parents crowded on the small porch. Her father rang the doorbell, and a single DING DONG sounded inside. Her mother looked back at her and lifted a finger to her lips.

A woman opened the door with a smile. Her long, white hair was tangled elegantly on top of her head in a messy bun and she wore the same dark robes as Lina’s parents. “Come in, come in,” she said, stepping aside and motioning with one arm. “Nice to see you again,” the woman said to Lina’s parents.

The foyer was a small, dingy, wallpapered room with several coats and hats on a stand. There was a red, ornate carpet on the floor, dulled by the bootsteps of countless years.

“It’s been a long time,” Lina’s father said, looking around.

The woman smiled. “Hasn’t changed much, as you can tell.”

"N'galeth'an g'tanda,” Lina’s mother said with a nod and the other two laughed.

Her father stepped forward. “Sadie, this is Lina, our daughter. Lina, Sadie is going to help us with a very important process today.”

Important? Ugh. How boring.

“You’ve come to see the girl,” Sadie said, and Lina’s parents nodded.

Sadie looked at Lina. “How old are you now?”

“17,” Lina said and scratched her arm.

“This is a special day for you,” Sadie said. She pulled a crystal on a cord out from beneath her robes. It was yellow. “You’ll be getting your crystal today.”

“A big day for our girl,” Lina’s father said and put his arm on Lina's shoulder. She shrugged it off.

“There are some important rules,” Sadie said. “So, please, listen closely. Your parents had to go through this same process,” she said with a nod over to them. Lina’s parents took their green crystals out and let them hang down.

“Every adult goes through this process to get their crystal. Remain calm and quiet. This is a matter of utmost secrecy, and it is required you tell no one about what you'll see today,” Sadie said. “You may be frightened, but keep in mind, what you’re about to witness is a gift from our many gods, and you shouldn’t be afraid. Follow me, please.”

Sadie led the trio upstairs and down a narrow, carpeted hallway. The floral wallpaper had yellowed with age. Sadie stopped next to a wash basin and instructed Lina through the process of cleaning her hands in the cool water.

"Remember," Sadie said, "If you feel faint at any time, please let me know and I’ll escort you downstairs. However, you must complete the process in order to earn your crystal and, you must go alone.”

Lina looked at her parents, but their expressions offered no comfort. "By myself?"

“It’s the way it's always been done," her father said. "We’ll be right here when you’re finished.”

Sadie opened a door and ushered Lina in. Sitting in a rocking chair by a lace-curtained window, was a young woman. The woman looked up at her as they entered.

“Kara, you have a guest,” Sadie said.

Kara wore a simple, white nightgown. Her skin was pale, paler than Lina had ever seen, and covered in red splotches. Lina's first thought was of the red, weeping plague sores she’d learned about in school. Slowly, her mind made sense of what she was seeing.

“This is Lina,” Sadie said.

“She looks young,” Kara said with a frown. What had initially looked like sores were actually growths. Bloody clusters of red crystal jutted out of the flesh along her arms, neck, and face.

“I’m going to leave now," Sadie said. "It shouldn’t take long. We’ll be there if you need anything." The room was quiet for a long moment after Sadie left.

“I won't bite, you know,” Kara said, startling Lina so badly that she let out a small cry. Kara laughed. It was short and mocking, but not unkind. She wore a playful smile. “I know, they didn’t tell you anything about the miracle of the gods you’d witness here today. They love to do that, I don’t know why. Makes it more uncomfortable for everyone involved.” Kara scratched at a patch of crystal on her arm. Her fingernails made a rough sound on the skin as if it was scale instead of flesh. “You’re going to earn your crystal today, which I’m sure you're excited about. A crystal is a big deal.”

It was Lina's turn to frown.

“Not excited? Let me guess. Your parents brought you here from some big city down south. You want to go to university, they want you to stay home and worship. Am I right?”

“How did you know?”

“I’ve been doing this a while,” she said and scratched again. “Don’t tell Sadie I scratched. Promise?”

Lina nodded.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions. We can talk while you work.” Kara got up and walked to the other side of the room. Next to a massive bookshelf of paperback novels was a vanity with a chair, and a second small bed. Lina sat down in the chair. “This is going to be awkward. Are you okay with awkward?”

Lina nodded. “It’s already awkward.” That brought a laugh from Kara, and she looked over her shoulder at Lina in the mirror. “Good one.” Before Lina could reply, Kara slipped the white nightgown off over her head, leaving her naked.

Lina couldn't help but stare at the older girl's body. There was a dark kind of beauty about it, like being covered in wine-red birthmarks. Huge clusters of red crystal poked out her skin all over her back, chest, and legs.

Kara opened a drawer on the vanity and grabbed a pair of pliers, then handed them to Lina. “You’ve probably guessed how this part works. Take your choice of crystal. They all hurt the same when removed so don’t worry about it, get yourself something pretty."

“Are you sure?”

“N'galeth'an g'tanda," as they always say.

The crystals pierced out of the skin in small patches and constellations, leaving her skin open and bleeding. Lina selected a medium-sized crystal from a larger patch on Kara’s back.

“Do I just…”

“Yup. Just pull it out. Go ahead, times a wastin’ and I’m sure you want to go home.”

Lina used the pliers to grab the crystal, then pulled.

“Harder.”

Lina shifted her grip on the pliers and pulled. It didn’t move. She reset and tried again. This time, the pliers slipped off.

“I don’t mean to stress you out, but it does kinda hurt. You gotta yank it like an abscessed tooth. Just get in there, and grab it.”

Lina put her left hand on Kara’s back, gripped the crystal, and pulled. The red stone came loose and blood gushed from the open wound. Kara handed Lina a washcloth and Lina pressed it to the hole to stop the bleeding. While Lina waited, she looked at her prize. The red crystal was faceted and beautiful but covered in a small amount of flesh at the bottom. Lina looked at the deep red of the crystal, so similar in color to Kara's blood. She passed it over to Kara who put it in a small dish, then added a bubbling liquid.

"This will clean it off, make it sanitary. Keep pressure on the wound, has it stopped bleeding?"

A small amount of blood still trickled from the hole. After another minute, it was finished. Lina passed the washcloth to Kara who dipped it in the basin of water on the vanity, then rung it out and dabbed at a crystal formation on her arm.

“They're like sores. They need to be cleaned. That’s what you’ll help me with, now. Your sacred duty as a follower of Z’th’n’r." She looked up, meeting Lina’s eyes in the mirror. “Are you okay with that?”

She wasn’t, not really. “Just tell me what you need me to do.”

Kara handed her the washcloth and Lina set to work following her instruction. She dabbed at the patches, cleaning dried blood from areas the crystals had recently broken through the skin. When the rag became discolored with blood, Lina rinsed it in the basin and continued.

“There used to be another woman," Kara said. "She died a few years back. What color are your parents' crystals?”

“Green.”

“They were from Andis, then, while she was still alive.”

“Are there many of you? Those who are…. Blessed by the gods. In such a way.”

"There's two, but, like I said about Andis, she died some time ago. It was just her for a while. She used to regale me with stories about those years, she called them The Lonetime. Like some sort of storybook thing. She was always reading, all those books were hers, over on the wall there. But, I prefer it this way. Andis was a basketcase, always going on and on about the gods and their blessings and how fortunate we were. If she hadn’t died when she did, I might have done it myself! Shut her up for good, just so I could get some peace and- ow! Careful!”

“Sorry,” Lina said. She dabbed at the small spot of blood that welled from the scab she’d disturbed.

“Is it bleeding?”

“Uhh... yeah."

Kara signed. “It’ll stop, just hold pressure on it until it does.” After a moment the bleeding stopped, and Lina rinsed the rag. The water had become discolored with blood and flecks of scabs that had come loose.

“You don’t see it as a blessing, do you?” Lina asked.

“A blessing? Why wouldn't I? Who wouldn’t want to spend their entire life locked in a room? You know, I haven’t been outside in years. I was 17 when they put me here and I haven’t left much since, except to go to the bathroom and, that’s recent! When Andis was here we used to have bedpans. Can you imagine shitting in a little bucket every day? Talk about embarrassing."

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have-“

“It’s okay. It’s good to talk about it. Talk therapy, isn’t that what it’s called? Anyhow, things are better now. Andis has been dead for some time. The crystals got her in the end, ya'know. They grow, and grow, and grow. Unfortunate, but, there’s bound to be another girl soon. I’m counting the days until I get some company. I hope she likes westerns, we’ve got dozens.”

“I’m done with your back,” Lina said.

“That’s all. I won't subject you to cleaning my jewel-encrusted tits. I save that for the cute boys." Kara reached down to grab her nightgown off the ground and for the first time, Lina saw the deep scars that marked the inside of Kara's wrists.

Kara noticed her gaze. She slipped her nightgown over her head and then held her wrist out so Lina could see the lines closer. "The crystals spread pretty fast, and once they got to my face, I stopped being able to run away. Once I figured out there was no escape, I tried to leave this place another way. I'm just lucky they didn't require a doctor to stitch up, no one found out about the crystals."

"Wouldn't a real miracle convert a lot of followers? They should be worshiping you in the streets."

"You're kidding, right? Our religion is nearly forbidden. The last thing I need is to be dragged to some city down south. Imagine what they would do to me, what kind of tests they'd run. I'd be a lab rat. At least here, I'm at peace. Except for visitors like you, that is."

"If you had a knife, would you..."

"End it? Oh, for sure. This time I'd go for the throat, that's a lot harder to stitch up. Don't get me wrong, I haven't tried in a few years, but that's just because they stopped letting me have anything sharp. If you had a pocket knife, I'd steal it and end it all right here in front of you and your folks." Kara laughed. "Maybe it will be better when the next miracle girl comes."

A knocking sounded at the door, startling them both. Sadie peeked her head in. "Are you finished?"

"Nearly," Kara said. She used a pair of tweezers to grab Lina's crystal out of the solution which had dissolved the tissue, then put it on a towel and dried it off. "There you go. We're finished, you can go now," Kara said.

Lina stared at Kara for a long moment, unsure of what to say. "It was nice meeting you," she said and Kara smiled.

"You too."

Sadie took Lina and her parents downstairs to her workshop. She drilled a small hole in the top of the crystal, then fed a thin wire through the hole so she could wear it on a necklace.

When they'd all said their goodbyes, Lina followed her parents outside. Her mother blathered on about the time 22 years ago when she'd gotten her own crystal, and about how different things had been with Andis.

In the backseat of her family’s rented 4WD, Lina Felgrove played with the buttons on her dead MP3 player. She hit the up key, tap, tap. She hit the down key, tap-tap. Then, she scratched at her arm.

“Don’t scratch!” Her mother said from the front seat, and Lina pretended not to hear.