Chapter 2: Curse is much worse
The next day Stanley and Zero went back to the Sweet Feet store. They found Jonathan once more.
"Hello Jonathan!" exclaimed Zero.
"Bonjour!" he replied.
"We are back to finish our school report. We have a few questions for you. Is you great great great great grandmother named Rachel?" Zero questioned.
"Why yes! Also my mother and all my sisters are named Rachel. It goes with our last name. I was named Jonathan of course though and not Rachel since I am a male. How did you hear about that?" He questioned with a puzzled look on his face.
"Oh, you know we saw a magazine with a story about you and your business," Stanley lied.
They now knew exactly who he was and that they could end the curse by doing something nice for his family. But what? After more interrogating Stanley and Zero decided to go back to the hotel. They walked into a fully-lit lobby with beautiful black chandeliers. The floor was shining bright as they were moping with no ideas of how to end the curse. They decided to go for a swim at the hotel pool. It was an outdoor pool with an amazing view of the arc de triumph. The sun gleamed on their skin as they relaxed and tried to make the best of their vacation.
"What if we try to end the curse by exchanging something for the Sweet Feet formula?" Zero bargained.
"No, that wouldn't work. We're not giving him anything worth that much value in exchange. We'd only be replacing the Sweet Feet and giving him something else, nothing in addition to end the curse." Stanley reasoned.
"Well what can we do then?" Zero had no clue what do.
"I have a plan." Stanley confessed.
Zero and Stanley found Jonathan's address and went for a visit. Stanley brought with him all the treasure that his family had brought to France. He was going to give it to Jonathan. They arrived at the humble home that Jonathan had. It was the color of sand with a bloody-red door. There were lovely green bushes around and a light blue mail box. They then rang the bell. Ding-dong! It was Jonathan's daughter Clarissa that opened the door. She was wearing an antique white pearl necklace. She had short brown hair and gorgeous green eyes. At the same time Zero and Stanley both looked at each other. Clarissa welcome them inside the home. This time they decided to tell Jonathan the truth. After they explained to Jonathan the old curse they used to have and how the Sweet Feet formula was originally his dad and it was also the name of his dad's cure for stinky feet. He was not surprised at all. His face was calm as if he had known all along.
"I received the cure for stinky feet through the mail. I knew it was not my own work, but I decided why not to pursue this glorious miracle. My family does not have very much, but thanks to the cure I now have a business to maintain my family." Jonathan defended his actions.
"BUT YOU DID NOT DO ALL THE WORK TO FIND THE CURE! MY FATHER DID!" Stanley was furious. Zero calmed him down, but he agreed with him.
"I know Stanley, I need this though. I need a way to provide for my family." Jonathan replied.
"Keep it then. I'm sure my dad will allow you to keep the French market, but you cannot expand further than France without my dad's permission." Stanley sympathized. He had only been looking at the ground.
"Thank you, thank you so much!" Jonathan exclaimed.
They left the simple home and now needed to figure out how the anonymous note got to Jonathan. As they were leaving the apartment they found Stanley's mother. She trembled and was frozen.
"Why are you here mom?" Stanley questioned.
"I was….uhhh….Stanley, don't tell your father, but I mailed his cure to a random address in France and that is how Jonathan got the cure. I was angry and tired of your father obsessing over feet. I hate feet." She looked troubled and filled with regret.
"How could you mom? You know that is his life and his hard work!" Stanley yelled.
"I'm sorry, don't tell your father." She apologized.
"So how can we have a curse then? We don't. We thought we did, but you were the one who gave the cure away," Stanley realized what had actually happened.
Zero and Stanley were relieved. Now they had an even bigger problem to figure out. How to tell Stanley's his father what his mother had done. They never actually had a curse after all. They only thought they did. All along Stanley's current grandpa was right the beautiful, white, pearl necklace prevented them from having a curse. It was going to be a great vacation after all.
The end.