The Guardian of the Curse
ep mountains of Appalach
a gift. It
y mean it with all the pain and conviction
ken a word. I write notes. I use my hands. Everyone in our small town,
mmunity college. It' s a qu
and power. Her family owns a massive pharmaceutical co
been told by a fortune teller that marrying a "silent man born under a certain star" would pro
ted to see me settled and happy. She came to live with us in Nicol
t for Nicole' s company. He' s also from my hometown. My family, through our church, helped him w
he looked at me with a mix of pity and con
came crashing do
e. My mother, wanting only to help, decided to make her special pecan pie. It
ge, carefully pressing the crust. The smell of toasted
. He and Nicole were in the living room, the
china plate. "For Nicole," she whispered to me, her
ore I could get to Nicole
angel," he said, his voice sm
oo slow to react. I knew. I knew he had a nut allergy. A deadly one
o sound came out. My throat was locked from yea
took a l
, a strange, tr
He started clawing at his throat, making horribl
r phone call, a critical one with
other, who stood frozen in the doorway,
ng, turning a dark, ugly r
It was happening r
that chilled me to the bone