After My Jinx Daughter Cursed Us

My daughter was a jinx. Her first word was Die. No one thought much of it, but the next day her grandfather was hit by a truck and killed. When she started preschool, her second sentence was, The snow by the door is red. My mother-in-law went downstairs and was struck by a falling flowerpother head split open, blood pooling on the ground and staining the snow crimson.

Grief-stricken, my husband wanted to get rid of her. Then she said, Daddy, watch out for the car. Terrified, he barely left the house. But he slipped on a toy car, fell, and suffered a cerebral hemorrhagehe died instantly.

I begged her to stop cursing us. She looked cold and guiltless. Mommy, she said flatly, stay away from the fire.

On New Years Eve, I climbed to the roof. I didnt want to burnI chose my own end. As I jumped, fireworks exploded below, engulfing me in sparks. I died instantly, amid screams. My daughter watched blankly from the roof. Even in death, I couldnt understand why she cursed us all.

Then I woke upback to the day she first learned to speak. This time, Id finally know what her cursed words really meant.

My eyes fluttered open to see my one-year-old daughter pointing a chubby finger at my father-in-law, her baby voice clear and chilling. Die.

At first, no one reacted. Her grandfather was still tickling her chin playfully. Whats my little Nora saying, huh? Say Grandpa, and Grandpa will give you a big surprise!

But Noras little face was a cold mask. She repeated the word. Die.

A wave of fear and anger washed over me. I clamped my hand over her mouth.

Dont you ever say that word! How could you wish for Grandpa to die?

Nora struggled against my hand, her face turning red as she began to wail.

My father-in-law rushed to intervene. Shes just learning to talk, Anna! Why are you getting so worked up?

I bit my lip, my body trembling uncontrollably.

Dad, shes cursing you!

He stared at me for a moment, then burst out laughing.

What are you talking about? Shes a baby. She doesnt even know what die means.

I didnt know how to explain it. All I could do was plead with him to be careful when he went out.

Especially watch out for traffic, I begged.

He agreed, but I could tell he wasn't taking me seriously.

I told my husband, Mark, the same thing. He just laughed and said I was overreacting.

He looked at Nora with adoration. Shes my lucky star, Anna, not some jinx. Then his expression softened with concern. Are you sure youre not suffering from postpartum anxiety? Maybe you should take a break. Let my parents watch Nora for a while.

A jolt of panic shot through me. I shook my head violently.

No. What if she cursed someone else when I wasnt looking?

But a small, hopeful part of me wondered if maybe, just maybe, everything before had been a string of horrible coincidences.

I kept my father-in-law at home for the next few days. I even gathered up all the toy cars and locked them away, terrified of a repeat of what happened to Mark.

After a few days of being cooped up, my father-in-law couldn't stand it anymore. Im just going down to the community garden for some fresh air. Dont fuss over me!

I pleaded with him again and again not to go anywhere near the road.

But the accident happened anyway.

2

He missed a step on the way down the stairs. He tumbled, rolling all the way to the bottom, and his head landed squarely on a nail sticking out of a floorboard.

He died instantly. When the paramedics arrived, they just told us to call the funeral home.

My mother-in-law knelt beside him, her cries echoing in the stairwell. How could you leave me so soon? What am I going to do without you?

But her kind, gentle husband would never answer her again.

Mark rushed home from work, his eyes immediately turning red. But he held himself together, calmly calling relatives to make arrangements for the funeral.

I held Nora in my arms, guilt and self-loathing threatening to drown me.

But my daughter just looked on with wide, innocent eyes, as if nothing had happened.

I gently turned her face towards mine. Nora, tell Mommy. Why did you say that word? Please? I whispered, my voice breaking. Why did you have to curse Grandpa?

She couldnt answer. The pressure of my fingers on her cheeks made her uncomfortable, and she burst into tears.

Hearing her cries, Mark hurried over and took her from me.

He frowned, his eyes filled with reproach. It was an accident, Anna. It has nothing to do with Nora!

My own tears started to fall. I wished more than anything that he was right.

But my father-in-law was dead. That was real.

From that day on, I stopped speaking to Nora. I forbade anyone else from speaking to her, too.

Mark thought I was losing my mind. My mother-in-law would hold Nora close and scold me.

Anna, your father-in-laws death was a tragic accident. You cant blame a child for it.

Nora would just play with her rattle, offering me a sweet, innocent smile.

And every time she did, a chill would run down my spine.

I didnt know how to stop her curse, so I just tried to warn my family, over and over again.

Years passed in uneasy peace. I had almost managed to forget about the curse.

Until one day, Nora was watching TV and spoke her second sentence. The snow by the door is red.

My heart hammered against my ribs. I bolted downstairs and swept the front entrance clean of every last flake of snow.

There, I thought, panting. Lets see the curse come true now.

Then my phone rang. It was Mark, his voice choked with sobs. Anna! Get to the entrance of the complex, quick! Its Mom somethings happened to Mom!

My hands trembling, I locked Nora inside the apartment.

When I sprinted to the entrance, I found my mother-in-law lying on the ground, covered in blood. A bag of salt shed bought had burst open, the white crystals scattered around her, glittering in the sun like freshly fallen snow

Noras curse had come true again.

She had been killed by a car that ran a red light. I couldnt even hear the drivers apologies over the roaring in my ears.

I couldnt let her do this anymore.

I clutched the object in my pocket and turned back towards home.

3

Nora was sitting like a little wooden doll, staring at the TV. When I called her name, she turned her head with a stiff, robotic motion.

Grandma is dead, I said, my voice shaking. Dont you have anything to say?

She just shook her head. No tears, no emotion.

My heart turned to ice. My mother-in-law had raised her, loved her, and now that she was dead, this child felt nothing.

I grabbed her by the shoulders, my anger boiling over. What do you want from us? Did our family wrong you in a past life? I screamed. Why do you have to curse your own family?

Her lower lip trembled, and she started to wail. Mommy, youre hurting me!

I froze and let go. In that moment, she seemed human again. For a second, I had truly believed she was a demon sent to destroy us.

Nora, I pleaded, my voice soft now. Promise me youll never, ever curse our family again. Please?

But her eyes drifted past me, towards the door.

Mark had just returned from the funeral home, his face pale and drawn.

Nora spoke again. Daddy, you need to watch out for the car, too.

For a second, I was stunned. Then, pure rage consumed me. I slapped her across the face.

Why are you doing this? Do you want to kill your father and me?

She had never been hit before. She clutched her cheek and howled.

Mark was horrified. He scooped her into his arms and roared at me. Anna, cant you just give it a rest? Shes a child! What could she possibly do? If you had been a little more considerate of Mom, she wouldnt have had to go out for groceries in a snowstorm in the first place!

His words were a punch to the gut. Fine, I choked out. If you dont believe me, then dont.

Mark grabbed a few things and headed out to his car, intending to go buy a burial plot.

The moment he walked out to the parking garage, I was filled with regret.

His parents were gone. I couldnt lose him, too.

He must have still been angry, because he didnt answer my calls.

I must have called him thirty times before he finally picked up.

His voice was a terrified gasp. Anna, you were right! Nora shes a jinx! My brakes failed! Help me!

By the time I got to him and rushed him to the hospital, the doctors told me they had to amputate his legs to save his life.

I agreed without a seconds hesitation. As long as he was alive, that was all that mattered.

But when Nora saw her father lying in the hospital bed, her face was still a blank slate.

Her indifference was so complete that even Marks heart grew cold.

I seethed with resentment. This child was selfish, only ever crying for herself.

I secretly took her to a child psychologist.

The doctor said there was nothing wrong with her, and just advised us to limit our interactions with her.

If even a doctor couldnt find what was wrong, my mind turned to more esoteric solutions.

But every mystic or spiritualist I took her to see turned pale at the sight of her and said they couldnt help.

After long and agonizing deliberation, I decided to put the substance into my daughters cup of water.

That night, Noras agonizing screams echoed from her room.

4

I listened from the room next door, tears of anguish streaming down my face.

But I knew I had to do it. Otherwise, the next person to die would be me.

The next morning, I opened her door. The walls were covered in scratches.

She was huddled in a corner like a feral animal, clawing at her own throat, her eyes bloodshot and filled with a burning hatred for me.

I wept as I held her. Forgive me, Nora. Mommy didnt want to do this.

After I gave her the concoction, my daughter became a mute.

Our happy family was shattered.

But it was better than the alternative, where everyone ended up dead.

I threw myself into my work, trying my best to take care of my broken family.

But ever since Mark became disabled, his personality had twisted into something bitter and cruel.

Id come home from a long day at work to his sullen face. If my cooking wasnt to his liking, hed throw his chopsticks across the table.

One night, he looked at me and said, Anna, lets get a divorce.

I was stunned. I frantically asked what I had done wrong.

He pointed a shaking finger from me to Nora. If it werent for you two, my parents would still be alive, and I wouldnt be a useless cripple!

I was consumed with guilt. I begged him not to leave us.

I pulled Nora over, trying to make her apologize with me.

But she ripped her hand from mine and ran back to her room.

I clung to him, sobbing. Youre all I have left. Please, dont leave us.

Mark was silent for a long time. Then he wrapped his arms around me, his voice a low, pained growl. Why? What did we ever do to deserve her?

I didnt know why Nora would curse us.

What had we done wrong?

Nora treated us like her mortal enemies.

But I had forgotten one crucial thing. She couldnt speak, but she could still write.

While cleaning her room one day, I found her diary. On one of the pages, she had written:

Mommy, Daddy, stay away from the fire. Be careful not to get burned to death!