*Nestor closes the book in front of him*
How shocking. I would've felt the same way myself if a walking scarecrow happened to be following me wherever I go. But this goes to show that you can never trust a scarecrow. Especially with a large turnip for a head.
But...
I would say that the moral of that story is: Always look over your shoulder, because you never know if someone behind you may be watching.
And if you don't run, he may just follow you. Everywhere.
*thunder and lightning crash from outside*
*Nestor sits back down on his armchair, then opens the book again*
Now, let's listen to a story that may shock you. *opens the book*
We begin our story in a quaint little farm in the countryside of Russia. It had started as any other day in the autumn season. But unbeknownst to young master Tintin, a wave of bad luck is yet to plague him. But for a better explanation, let me set the stage...
Story 4: The Curse of Tintin
"Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
...
Tintin rolled around in his bed lazily. "Ugh, Haddock! Can you turn the alarm clock off?!" he yelled out. "I'm trying to sleep here!" Groaning, Tintin fluttered his eyes open. "Wait a minute, I'm not dreaming. This is reality," he grumbled as he sat up in his bed. It was yet another crystal clear morning in the Russian countryside. Tintin and his friends Alex, Benton, and Captain Haddock all came because the day before, Alex had told her little gypsy friend Miarka about Tintin's friends Nadia and Peter. And Miarka was so excited and couldn't wait to meet them. So, they had planned a week-long trip to the beautiful Russian village of Mikatyushka.
As Tintin decided to crawl back into bed, he felt a tapping on his shoulder. "Arg, Haddock! I told you already: I don't want to..." Tintin paused, for he saw Miarka by his bedside, carrying Snowy in one arm. "Oh, hi," Tintin said. "Sorry. I thought you were someone else." "Mr. Haddock told me to wake you," Miarka told Tintin. "He told me to tell you that the breakfast is ready. "Okay, kid. Hold on, I'll go get dressed," Tintin said as he got up. "I'll be down in a few." As soon as he said this, Miarka then skipped outside the door.
Tintin rose out of bed and started digging into his suitcase. After he had removed his pajama shirt and exposing his chest, he was just about to pick the right shirt...until Alex burst into the room.
"Alex!" Tintin said, covering himself with his shirt. "A little privacy, please!" "Sorry, hunky boy," Alex teased, making Tintin blush red all over. "Mrs. Dorevsky wants you guys to finish getting dressed and downstairs for breakfast. We're having kasha, whatever that is. I hope it's cereal. Also, they're cooking toast with ham, cheese, the works! Man, just saying all that is making me hungry!" "Okay okay, I'll be down in a minute," Tintin said. "Oh, wait! Wait!" Alex said. "What?" Tintin asked, slightly annoyed. At that moment, Alex snapped a picture of Tintin's chest with her camera. "There. Perfection," Alex said while walking out the door.
...
A few minutes later, Tintin trudged down the stairs into the kitchen, all decked out in his white and red tunic with black trousers and black boots. "Friend Tintin!" Nadia exclaimed. "You're here for breakfast!" "I guess I am," Tintin muttered as he sat down at the table. Little Miarka came in last, holding Snowy as she sat down. "I just knew you'd come down for breakfast this morning, brother," Benton said. "The kids wouldn't stop chatting my ear off about you." "Aye, and that lady Sonia really knows how to treat her guests!" Haddock added in.
"Tintin dear, would you like to be the first one to serve?" Sonia asked, passing the kasha to Tintin. "Oh, okay. Sure," Tintin said as he ladled a spoonful of the mush into his bowl. The other friends continued as they served the porridge for themselves. Then, they began passing out plates as they served themselves ham, cheese, and bread slices.
"So, what's new today?" Tintin asked while eating his food. "Care to tell, Nadia?" Richard asked Nadia. Nadia was too eager. "We're expecting a visit from another circus group!" she exclaimed. "A visiting circus? That's great!" Tintin said while munching on a piece of bread with cheese. "I've never seen another circus visit before!" "That's right," Richard said. "This circus is called the Cirque de Mystique. They're a traveling gypsy circus. The reason why is that some of their patrons are gypsies." "Just like me!" Miarka exclaimed. "Hey, now we get to meet other gypsies!" Alex said. "I can hardly wait!"
"And just why do they call this here circus The Cirque de Mystique, anyway?" Haddock asked, confused. "Because their acts and performances focus on the surreal imagination and fantasy of the supernatural world," Peter replied. "Wow, those are some big words there," Benton said. "Sometimes, their acts are rumored to be secret rituals to summon the inhabitants of the supernatural world," Sonia added in. "Wow, a supernatural circus," Benton said, wide-eyed. "I've always wanted to see that."
Richard looked at his watch. He heard the wheels of a caravan screech to a stop. "It looks like they're here!" he said. "Finish up your breakfast and get yourselves straightened up!" Tintin and the others then hurried to eat, and they cleaned the tables soon after.
...
A knock on the door. Richard grabbed his notepad and went to answer it. The door opened to reveal Mr. Van de Poussaint, the head manager of the Cirque de Mystique. "You Mr. Richard Dorevsky?" he asked. "It is such an honor to finally meet you," Richard said, shaking the manager's hand. "Ah, yes! And I'd like you to meet my family." He introduced Mr. Van de Poussaint to his family. "This is my wife, Sonia. And these are my two children, Nadia and Peter." "A pleasure to meet you," Mr. Van de Poussaint said as he bent down to greet Peter and Nadia.
Then, his attention turned to Tintin. "And who might these lovely folk be?" he asked. "Ah yes, of course!" Richard said. "These are friends from Belgium. That's Tintin, his brother Benton, and his friends Alex and Captain Haddock." "Hello," Tintin said, speaking up as he waved.
Mr. Van de Poussaint stepped up to Tintin. "Have you ever seen real life spirit before, boy?" he asked mysteriously. Tintin was stunned. "No?" Mr. Van de Poussaint asked. "If you haven't, the next thing you know, you'll be in for the shock of your life! Understand?" Tintin gulped and smiled nervously, answering him with a firm "Yes, sir." "Come outside," Mr. Van de Poussaint said. "You all can get to see the rest of the circus."
Outside, the yard was full of gypsy caravans, wagons, carts full of animals, and a dressing cart that held the costumes. "It's like a gypsy's dream come true," Alex said dreamily. "Never though I'd live to see all this," Benton said as a gypsy woman unloading the props gave him a rare wink. "Aren't they just a rare beauty?" Mr. Van de Poussaint asked. "I say,it's really quite...mysical," Tintin said. "How does all this work, exactly?" Haddock asked. As he glanced at cage holding a chimp, the chimp extended his hairy arm and grabbed the Captain's beard. "Arg! Blistering barnacles, get this simian's paws off me!" he yelled as the others laughed.
While the friends scoped out the rest of the circus, Tintin and Miarka continued down a path, where they found a caravan with the sign "Dama Fortuna, Soothsayer and Card Reader". "Can we go in there?" Miarka asked Tintin. "Can we go inside? Please, please, please?" Nadia came running up to them and glanced at the sign. "I see you guys found the fortune teller," she said. "You guys should go in."
Tintin, however, was quick to critique. "I don't know," Tintin said. "I really don't trust fortune tellers. They could get a prediction wrong, or even make a mistake in reading tarot cards." Still, he went in anyway, since Nadia and Miarka kept begging him.
...
"H-hello?"
Tintin opened the door of the caravan slowly and peeped inside. It was dark inside, with shelves full of books, jars, skulls, scarves, and plants. Drapes were hung everywhere. The air was musty, with a hint of jasmine-scented perfume filling the air. Keeping the girls close to him, Tintin surveyed the entire caravan. "Smells nice in here," he muttered.
"Who dares enter Dama Fortuna's caravan?" a mysterious voice said. Tintin turned and saw a middle-aged woman seated at a table covered with a purple and gold sequined tablecloth. She had lots of jewelry on her, and for some reason, had a small ring pierced on her nose. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I disturb you?" Tintin said. "I was just leaving." He headed for the door. "No. Come, my child," Dama Fortuna said, gesturing to him with one finger. "How about letting Dama Fortuna tell you your fortune? Come here, and I will read your palm." "Um...Okay, I guess," Tintin said, coming back around.
"You sit," Dama Fortuna said. Tintin sat down on his seat firmly. "Give hand," Dama Fortuna said. Tintin reached out and extended his hand. Dama Fortuna felt his palm and said, "Oh, yes. I see. A reporter. Lucky to get out of a fight without a scratch, yes. And...Ooh!" Dama Fortuna paused, horror stricken in her eyes. "What's wrong?" Tintin asked.
Dama Fortuna immediately placed Tintin's hand on her crystal ball. She looked absolutely horrified. "Oh, my dear," she said. "Your life is in danger." "Danger?" Nadia asked. "What kind of danger?" Miarka asked. "My child," Dama Fortuna told Tintin, "you better be warned. A plague of bad luck will strike you. Wherever you, go, you'll be cursed with bad luck. Beware black cats. Avoid cracks. Fear will be your enemy." She took a card that had the symbol of a hand holding an eye in light.
"Take this card, child," she said. "Do not let it out of your sight." "Okay...I guess?" Tintin said as he gently took the card from the woman and got up to leave.
...
After they left the caravan, Tintin just laughed. "Bad luck, my right!" Tintin said. "I don't believe in bad luck. That's why you should never trust fortune tellers." He threw the card down on the sidewalk, but Nadia picked it up. "Wait, Tintin!" she said. "You should keep it in case." "Yes. What if the curse is real?" Miarka asked. She slipped the card inside of Tintin's pocket. "Come now, Miarka," Tintin told the girl. "Bad luck isn't real. It's just a myth. Like a fairy tale."
Along the way, Tintin noticed a black cat straying along the path. At that moment, Nadia instantly remembered the fortune teller's warning: "Beware black cats."
"Aah, a black cat!" Miarka said. "Tintin, don't go near it!" Nadia exclaimed. "What, this little guy? I see no spot or inch of bad luck on this creature." Tintin said, petting the cat and letting it lick his hand. "C'mon guys, he's harmless," Tintin said, urging the girls to come to him. "He wouldn't even hurt a living soul!" Suddenly, the cat sank its teeth into Tintin's hand!
From far away, Richard was busy talking when he suddenly heard the scream. "What was that?" he asked. "That doesn't sound good," Benton said. "Could that be Tintin?" Peter asked. "Well, whatever it is we have to go see it!" Haddock said. They all ran until they came across Tintin and the girls. Tintin was doubled over, wincing in pain as he held his hand.
"What happened to you?" Richard asked. "A...cat...bit...me," Tintin managed to say. He pried his hand away to reveal a tiny and bloody bite mark on his hand. "How did this happen?" Haddock asked. "He has bad luck!" Miarka said. "Bad luck, really?" Alex said. "You know what Tintin said. There's no such thing as bad luck," Benton said. "Yes! Thank you!" Tintin said, turning to Nadia. "Told ya." "Well, if we don't fix his hand real soon, we'll all have bad luck," Richard said. "For all we know, that cat could have had rabies or something."
Back at the house, Richard had washed Tintin's bitten hand and wrapped it in a tight bandage. "There!" he said. "Your hand will be better in no time!" "Thanks," Tintin said. "I know that bad luck isn't real, but I doubt nothing else could happen as well." As he got up, he felt a slight creak. Then, a crack. He found himself falling to the floor. "Huh. The chair broke," Tintin said. "It's probably old anyway." "Bad luck," Nadia said.
"Ugh, enough with this bad luck nonsense!" Alex said. "She's right. We have to forget all about this..." Tintin screamed and fell. He had twisted his foot while trying to walk to the couch! "Somebody get a cane!" he exclaimed. Peter ran to grab a nearby cane. "Here you are, Tintin!" he said. Tintin took hold of the cane and tried to stand up. But the twisting agony in his foot got in the way. "Okay, ow! I am hurt! I am very much hurt!" Tintin exclaimed. "Maybe you ought to rest for now," Benton said. "Just let your ankles heal up."
"No way!" Tintin said. "I would, um, very much like to take a walk around town." "I'm going with you!" Miarka exclaimed. "Are you sure you'll be okay out there?" Sonia asked. "Your ankle is still in bad shape." "Don't worry, Miss Sonia," Tintin said, heading out the door. "I'll be fine!"
...
At the village, Tintin tried to walk with his cane while holding up his foot. However, the pain was still excruciatingly sharp. Miarka was still thinking that it was bad luck. But Tintin just thought it was a mere conspiracy. No matter how hard she tried, she still could not convince Tintin that he would be cursed.
As they passed by a an outdoor restaurant, a customer had trouble shaking salt on his meat. "Excuse me, comrade," he told Tintin. "I seem to have difficulty getting salt out of this salt shaker. Help me, will you?" "Of course," Tintin said. He reached for the salt shaker, and just before he could shake the salt out, it slipped from his fingers and spilled on the floor.
"Oops, butter fingers," Tintin said as he returned the shaker to the man. "But at least you have enough salt." When he left, Tintin thought he had it in the bag. But, then, he stepped on his cane and fell into a mud puddle! From nearby, passing onlookers began to laugh. "Are you okay, Tintin?" Miarka asked as she was shooing away the onlooking passerby. "Ugh, I'm fine," Tintin said, wiping the mud off his face. "But I'm a mess now."
To add to the problem, a car passed by and sprayed water all over Tintin! Nearby, a little boy who was walking with his mother began to laugh at Tintin. "Mommy! Mommy, the man got wet!" The boy said, giggling. "Misha!" The mother snapped. "What have I told you about gawking at strangers?" The boy fell silent as the mother scolded him.
"My day just keeps getting better," Tintin said as he got to his feet. "It's bad luck!" Miarka said. "Miarka, how many times do I got to tell you? There's no such thing as bad luck!" Tintin said, getting steamed. "How can there be such a thing as bad luck? I am not going to believe some confounded conspiracy that a crazy old fortune teller told me!"
He then found his answer when he stepped on a crack on the the sidewalk. At that moment, Tintin doubled over in pain, with one hand to his back. "Ow, my spine!" Tintin exclaimed, doubling over in pain. Maybe it wasn't all a myth anymore. This time, it was real.
"Oh no," Tintin said, suddenly coming to terms with the truth. "So it's true. Maybe I am cursed!"
...
Back at the house, Benton and the others began to grow worried. "I wonder when Tintin will be back?" Alex asked. "I just hope he hasn't gone out too far," Benton said. "Don't worry, the lad will be fine! I'm sure of it!" Haddock said.
"I'm getting worried," Benton said. "I don't like it. I should probably go to the town and see how Tintin is holding up." He then grabbed his coat and headed for the door, only to be stopped by Peter. "Benton, you can't go outside alone," Peter said. "Sometimes the road back to the village can be dangerous."
"But still, I feel like Nadia was right about Tintin. Maybe he really does have bad luck," Benton said. "It is possible," Nadia said. "Then we may have to go and see that Tintin is okay!" Peter said. Then, all three friends went out to search for their friend.
...
Meanwhile, Tintin was downright miserable. He was dirty and aching all over.
At one point, he accidentally lost a shoe after he got his foot stuck in a sewer drain. It happened when Tintin and Miarka were now walking in the street alongside the sidewalk curb. At that point, Tintin felt his foot get caught in something. He turned around and saw that his foot was stuck in the sewer drain. "Miarka!" Tintin said. "Help me, will you?" Miarka nodded and then got to helping Tintin. As nearby onlookers watched, Miarka managed to free Tintin's foot. But at the cost of his left shoe.
"Well, isn't that something?" Tintin said. "Now my foot is cold." "Don't worry," Miarka said. "Maybe somebody will find your shoe and give it back to you." "Gee, thanks for the support," Tintin grumbled.
As the two friends continued to walk, they passed a nearby booth that sold tapioca pudding. Tintin sighed and sniffed a little. "Hmm, I feel a little hungry," Tintin said as he approached the booth. "Can I help you?" The vendor asked. "Can I have a bowl of tapioca pudding please?" Tintin asked.
The vendor nodded and spooned a bit of pudding into a plastic bowl. "That'll be ten rubles," the vendor told Tintin. "Sure," Tintin said. "Let me get my wallet." Tintin put his hand in his pocket, and his heart sank. It was then that he discovered that he left his wallet at home. "Oh. I seem to have forgotten it," Tintin mumbled. The vendor huffed. "No money, no bowl for you," he said gruffly, returning the bowl to its place. Miarka grew worried.
"Are you okay?" she asked as she saw Tintin sitting on a bench. Tintin turned around angrily. "What do you think? I'm aching. And I'm in bad shape," Tintin muttered angrily. "I'm hungry. My feet ache. And my good foot is getting cold." He rubbed his foot against his pants to keep it warm.
Suddenly, a bee flew down and began to circle Tintin. Using his cane, Tintin tried to swat the bee away. Unfortunately, his cane hit a telephone pole, and it electrocuted Tintin. Tintin fell over, unconscious. "Sir, are you all right?" a man said while helping Tintin to his feet. Still jittery from the electric shock, Tintin was still okay. Suddenly, it began to rain. "Great," Tintin said. "Just what I needed!"
Suddenly, Tintin began to cry silently. "Oh, how am I going to live with a curse of bad luck ruining my life?" he said through his tears. "I can't even show my face to this world!" He then began to run deep into the snow-covered forests. "Wait!" Miarka cried out after him.
...
Running deeper into the forests, Tintin was breathing heavily and shamelessly as he pushed through the trees and bushes. The snow was already beginning to make his other foot grow numb from the cold. The trees and sharp branches scratched and tore his clothes. His face ended up scratched and scarred.
He trioped into an ice cold lake. He screamed when the water hit his face. "Ugh, you stupid, stupid curse!" he shouted to the sky. "You've done enough damage to me! So come and get me!" He threw his hands in the air, his hands balled into fists. "What are you waiting for?!" Tintin screamed. "Come and get me!"
Suddenly, a clump of snow fell and toppled onto Tintin. "Drat," Tintin grumbled. "So that's how they want to play, huh? Suddenly, the clouds grew dark. Glowing eyes began to peer out of every bush. A cold breeze began to blow. The trees swayed this way and that, uttering a low howl. "Oh no!" Tintin muttered. "The curse is growing even worse!" "Your fear grows," a voice said. "Now you will succumy to my death!"
"No, please, no!" Tintin exclaimed, sobbing as he hid under a bush. Now he was beginning to regret ever dismissing the fortune teller's warning about the curse. "I-I'm sorry that I didn't believe everyone! I should've known from the start that bad luck was real! Just please! Don't hurt me! Please, I'm begging you!"
"Under one condition!"
"Yes, what is it?" Tintin cried out, feeling scared.
"Let Alex dress you up in cowboy duds!"
"Okay okay! I'll let Alex...wait a minute, what?"
...
Tintin suddenly turned and sifted through the bushes. There, he found Alex pretending to be the "ghost" haunting him. "Let Alex and friends eat all your brownies for dessert after dinner!" Alex kept saying.
Tintin was seething with rage. "ALEX!" He exploded as he forcibly grabbed Alex from the bushes and thrust her out. "What is going on?! How did you guys find me?! Tintin shouted. "You-atch!-you almost nearly-achoo!-nearly scared me!" Oh, a little someone helped us," Alex said.
"Hi Tintin!" Miarka said. Soon, the other friends all came, clad in their winter wear. "Brother!" Benton exclaimed, hugging his brother. "Lad, we were so worried about you! Where have you been?" "I tried running away from the curse-achoo!" Tintin said. "Tintin, I just realized something!" Nadia said. "There is no bad luck!" Peter said. "Yea! It was just strange coincidences that just happened to you!" Benton said. "Now we're all good here!"
"So, this whole time, I never had bad luck? All of that was just one big blunder just to get me?!" Tintin ssid, his voice raising. "AAAAUUUGGGHHH! THE IRONY OF IT ALL! ALL OF THAT WAS JUST ONE BIG BAD CONSPIRACY! I CANNOT BELIEVE I GOT SCARED FOR NOTHING! I-oh! My stomach!" Tintin said, doubling over. He was still hungry, and it left him tired and aching all over. "You know what? I think we should take you home," Alex said. "Yea. You might catch cold," Benton said. They wrapped Tintin in a blanket and took him back to the house.
...
Back at the house, Tintin was sneezing and sniffling all over as he was propped on a comfy chair toward the fire. "You sure do look like you've been out too long," Benton said as he stirred the soup. "Thanks," Tintin said. "So you think I really did have bad luck?" "Of course not," Benton said. "I think you're one lucky guy." "I love you, Tintin!" Miarka said, hugging Tintin. "Achoo! I love you too," Tintin said, hugging her back.