Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the book series "Little House on the Prairie" by Laura Ingalls Wilder, nor will I ever. I am not related to the people featured in the series or in this story in any way. I do not own any characters or settings you recognize, and I do not profit from this in any way. "The Crone's Curse" is a story written by me (IceCreamGurl6455), purely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of others. No part of this story may be duplicated, quoted, or replicated without my permission and proper citation. Thank you for understanding the terms on which this story was and continues to be written. I appreciate your time and thank you in advance for complying by my personal standards, rules, and international laws.
1858
It was Christmastime, and Caroline Quiner was cold.
Sure, she was wearing a muffler and a long coat, but her nose felt like it was frozen and ready to fall off at any time. She kept wrinkling it in order to arrive home in one piece.
If only I had mittens, she thought with a sigh. But her teacher's salary of $9.50 each month was hardly enough to cover her room and board costs.
But it was Christmastime, and Caroline was finally going home.
Brookfield was fifteen miles away from the school in Milwaukee where Caroline had taught at for the fall semester. She was dreadfully homesick, but Caroline knew that her family didn't have enough money to bring her that far more than once a month.
But at Christmastime, Caroline could be at home for a whole three weeks. They would celebrate her nineteenth birthday and watch 1859 arrive together.
And she could see her beau, Charles.
Caroline's cheeks became pinker just by thinking about him, with his brown hair, and his grin, and how safe he made her feel…
Charles was ready to sweep Caroline off her feet and whisk her away to the West, where, he swore, he could "breathe freely and live with the land." Caroline, however, couldn't even imagine living far away from her baby sister Lottie. So they, for now, stayed in Wisconsin, and Caroline refused to accept his proposal of marriage. Yet.
Caroline had already bought some Christmas gifts—a silver letter opener for Ma, a new tractor seat for Pa, lace hats for Martha Jane and Eliza, and neckties for the boys—but she hadn't found anything for Lottie or Charles yet.
She gazed at the storefronts, walking slowly down the street. A bright display caught her eye; there was penny candy at Milford's General Store. Lottie loved candy! Caroline picked up her skirt with one hand and hurried inside.
"Good day, miss," the man at the counter said with a kind smile.
Caroline smiled back. "Good day, and Merry Christmas! May I please buy some candy?"
He nodded. "Pick out what you want, and tell me when you're ready to pay," he replied, gesturing to the bins filled to the brim with sweets next to him.
Caroline picked out three striped sticks and four butterscotch candies for Lottie. Then, she saw a lump of toffee in another, smaller bin. Charles had always said that he could eat toffee for every meal and still never tire of eating it. Toffee would be perfect for him! She added the new present to her pile and handed them to the salesman.
"One penny," he said, after carefully calculating the total.
Caroline started to protest, knowing that he wasn't charging her the full price, but the man winked and said, "Merry Christmas, miss." She sighed and handed over the coin.
An older woman walked into the store, holding hands with a young boy. "Mummy, I want sweets!" he wailed.
"No, Peter, you can't have any more sweets! Just stay put!" his mother growled. She caught Caroline looking at her and snapped, "Mind your own self, you little broad."
Caroline was offended, but she didn't respond. She knew that the woman was probably just tired and angry, and didn't mean to be rude. Caroline didn't need to respond to hate with hate. Instead, she turned around and left the store.
Unfortunately, the little boy, Peter, slipped out of the store when Caroline opened the door. He ran outside, onto the busy street, and into the path of an oncoming wagon.
"Peter!" his mother cried. But it was too late. Peter was gone.
Caroline was horrified. She felt awful about what had happened. As she rushed up to where Peter was lying in the street, the old woman turned around with a grief-stricken wail.
"You!" she moaned, pointing to Caroline. "You killed my boy! For that you will pay. Never will a son of your line live longer than my Peter."
More people were forming a crowd around the boy's lifeless body, and Caroline soon couldn't see the pair anymore. She had to leave, anyway, to meet her father and come home.
Though she soon forgot the cursed words that were screamed at her, Caroline always remembered the tragic events of that cold December day. And she was a strict mother because of it, determined to keep her children safe and alive.
1876
September the first was a humid, drizzly day. This was, nonetheless, appropriate weather for the day's happenings.
Friday, September 1st was Freddie's funeral.
Today he would have been ten months old.
He was a tiny little baby (finally a boy!), and everything was going well until he got sick. And then he got sicker and sicker until, finally, he stopped getting sicker and started getting colder.
Caroline and Charles were heartbroken. So were their little girls.
It was a sad day.
1889
Laura's heart was in pain.
Her baby boy was gone after only twelve days.
Two year old Rose didn't understand. She kept asking for her brother. Almanzo kept trying to explain that Brother wasn't coming back.
The house sounded so empty without his crying.
Caroline came to the house to comfort her daughter, but she was still mourning the loss of her only son.
And so another of Caroline's male descendants was claimed by the curse.
1910
Rose's baby only took four breaths before he started turning blue. Rose didn't allow herself to mourn much. I'll just have twice as many, the determined twenty-three year old decided.
Her mother warned her that it might not happen.
Her husband, Clare, wanted to spare her more grief.
But in the end, it was her body that gave up. After surgeries that Rose desperately needed, she found out that she could never have another child.
It was when she received the news that she finally mourned for her loss.
And the last of Caroline Quiner's line was left childless, thus ending the reach of the old crone's curse.
A/N: It is a known fact that Charles Frederick Ingalls, Jr., died in infancy. Laura, too, had a son that died young, as did Rose. "Freddie" died of convulsions, Baby Boy Wilder probably died of SIDS, and Rose's son was either stillborn or died of complications soon after birth.
Obviously, this story is ficticious in nature. Was there really a curse? Probably not. But I found it curious and devastating that all three women lost their only sons in infancy.
If you find any inconsistencies with historical fact in this fic, please notify me of them; I will correct them immediately.
Please share your opinions and theories by reviewing!