Fire

Carla rushed to the library bathroom, where she hung her head over the sink and splashed cold water on her face. Her body surged with adrenaline and she raised her head to look in the mirror. Shock was etched in her eyes and she grappled with her thoughts. A century of relationships in her family had been affected, including her own marriage to Aaron, and now her relationship with Tom. Why else would she be here, looking for other men while her fiancé was with his ex in America? Did everything originate from a curse uttered by Isabelle Roelof, one hundred years ago?

It seemed too ridiculous to contemplate. But poor Lars Aakster had died at the altar, before he’d taken his vows of marriage, while his fiancée Agatha had looked on. Carla’s mouth flooded with something that tasted metallic.

When someone else entered the room, she snatched a paper towel and blotted her cheeks. Her ankles felt clumsy as she returned to the computer, where Anastacia sat waiting for her.

“Are you okay? I wondered where you’d gone to. You left your bag behind.”

“Sorry, I had to dash.” Carla’s words sounded strangled, as if someone else had spoken them. She glanced fearfully at the screen to see the photograph and article were still on display.

Anastacia followed her eyes and scanned the piece. “Oh,” she said, her lips forming a perfect circle. “I see you’ve found something.”

Carla nodded, still in a daze.

“Can I get you a glass of water or some sweet tea?”

Carla shook her head, not sure what to do next or how to function normally in this situation.

“I can print off this information for you...” Anastacia offered.

Carla fumbled for her phone in her bag. She needed to get out of here, to breathe some fresh air and digest what she’d discovered. “I’ll take a photograph,” she said. “I feel queasy and should go.”

Anastacia offered to continue the search and asked Carla to leave her phone number, so she could get in touch if she found anything else. Carla only half-listened to her words as she pulled on her coat. She thanked Anastacia for her help, scribbled down her own number and hurried out of the library. With no idea where she was heading, she stumbled on the first step and started to walk, her stride feeling aimless. She focused on her feet, watching the toes of her pumps as they hit against concrete, then grass, then gravel.

A curse exists, a curse exists.

She kept repeating it in her head, trying to make sense of something she’d denied for decades.

A road sign told her she was heading in the opposite direction to the city, and Carla turned and retraced her steps, telling herself she needed to concentrate.

She’d usually call Tom at times like this, but he’d probably think this was too bizarre, or not understand why she was so shaken. She was sure he’d say this had happened a century ago and she should just ignore it. He didn’t know the full story of Myrtle’s prediction, and Carla would have to explain everything to him in detail in order for him to understand the full magnitude of her discovery. She’d have to admit she was seriously questioning their suitability and upcoming marriage.

Carla also couldn’t speak to members of her family about her discovery. Evelyn was in the first throes of love with Bertrand, Mimi was happily married (for now), and Carla didn’t want to worry Jess while she was looking for a new relationship. Anything she told them might be amplified, questioned and passed around.

Carla found a bench overlooking a canal and sat down with a thump. She watched the water ripple and reflect the trees for so long that it was difficult to detect which was the real landscape—the image on top or its upside-down counterpart. There was only one person she could turn to given all of the circumstances. Babs.

Her throat burned as she made the call.

“Oh, hello, petal. Everything okay?” Babs asked, her voice high-pitched and almost too cheerful. “I’ve been thinking about you.”

Carla paused, detecting something wasn’t quite right. She decided to delay sharing her own news. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you okay?”

Babs gave an audible swallow. “Yes, course, all’s hunky-dory...”

But Carla heard the warble in her words. “Are you upset about something?”

“No... Yes.” Babs fell quiet for a while, sniffling. “Fran’s gone,” she said eventually.

“Gone where? What’s happened?”

Babs’s breathing came in short bursts. “There was a small fire in the bar, some electronics onstage.”

Carla’s fingers crept across the bench to ground her. “Oh, gosh. Are you okay?”

“I was in bed when it happened,” Babs said. “Fran mustn’t have unplugged everything. He’s always messing with the speakers, lights and stuff. I woke up and could smell smoke, so I pulled on my dressing gown and got out of there. Fortunately, the fire people came quickly. The bar and the stairs took the main hit. It could have been a lot worse.”

“I’m so sorry to hear this.” Carla gave a sympathetic sigh. “Was Fran there, too?”

“I haven’t seen him since. I asked around, but nothing. Looks like he’s run off. You’d think he’d at least check if I was okay.” Babs’s voice grew smaller. “I thought I meant more to him...”

Carla wished she could hold her tight. “At least you’re okay. Are you at the bar now? Maybe he’ll come back.”

“I doubt it. I’ve had to move out, can’t get to my bedroom to reach my stuff because the stairs are all charred. A few of my friends are on holiday, so I didn’t want to bother them.

“One of Diego’s mum’s properties was vacant for a couple of weeks, so I’m staying here for a while. It’s a bit out in the sticks, in Girona. If I look out of the window, I can see hills, fields and sky, and not much else.”

Carla closed her eyes, her heartstrings tugging for her friend. “I wish I could help you. Is Diego there with you?”

“He’s away for a couple of nights, so I’m here on my own. It’s a bit spooky at night, too dark and quiet. His mum’s given me some clothes to wear, but she’s ninety and dresses like a nun.” Babs forced a laugh. “Anyway, that’s enough about my woes. How are you?”

Carla didn’t manage to suppress a sigh. “You’ve got enough to deal with...”

“That bad, eh? Want to play swapsies with our misfortunes?”

Carla couldn’t bottle up the discovery of her family curse inside her. It seemed to have a life of its own and refused to stay imprisoned. Keeping the detail light so she didn’t overwhelm Babs at this difficult time, she told her about Ruben, how he definitely wasn’t the man she was looking for, how she’d met Anastacia at an exhibition and then found out her family curse was real. “Things have ground to a halt for me here,” she admitted.

“Don’t you have two cards left, two men to find?”

“Supposedly, but what’s the point? Fidele hasn’t replied from Sardinia yet and I have no idea who The Lovers card relates to.” She paused as a couple walked past her, kissing each other’s lips and giggling. Carla resisted her urge to push them into the canal.

“I’m speechless, and that doesn’t happen very often,” Babs admitted. “From what you’ve told me, you and Tom are solid. You love each other, so don’t let this stuff get to you. This thing happened years ago in a different time with different beliefs. The story might be tittle-tattle, like gossip magazines today. Don’t read too much into it.”

It was exactly what Carla needed to hear and she wanted more of it. “Sorry for telling you all this when you’ve got problems of your own.”

“Your tribulations have made me feel less alone. If you need to wallow somewhere that’s lonely, dull and very rural, feel free to join me.”

Although Babs was joking around, Carla could hear the stress and longing in her voice. Maybe some place in the sticks was exactly what Carla needed right now. She felt like she had the flu, and her head was blocked, her senses numbed. She needed some time to think of her next plan of action and to recalibrate before she returned to the UK. “Does Girona have an airport?” she asked.

“You mean, you’ll come?” Babs’s voice brightened and she started to babble. “The airport’s only thirty minutes away from here and you could jump in a taxi to where I’m staying. There’s a spare room and you could bring me clothes that don’t skim the floor and, oh, some underwear. I cannot wear Diego’s mother’s underwear garments, even if they’re new with the labels attached. I need makeup too. My skin looks like tree bark.”

Carla let out a cackle and it felt welcome. She knew there’d be more laughter to come if she spent time with Babs, and it sounded like she needed her, too.

“I can’t say I’m at my best, either,” Carla said, noticing a heaviness had returned to her legs. “I’ll catch the next flight I can.”

“You’re an absolute star, petal.”

Carla went to find a taxi to take her back to her Airbnb and called Ruben from the back seat. She told him she had to leave Amsterdam quickly and thanked him for their time together.