I stared at the grave. I know he will no longer be terrified by the curse. I mean the curse he imagined. “Shall we begin?” the journalist asked. “Oh, sure,” and I started telling him the story which began two years ago.
I was a new blood of the powerful gang at that time. We stole little accessories like handkerchieves and jewellery from these absent–minded passengers in street. Being a thief was exciting and I was fascinated in those audacious tricks. However, there was still a mystery in my mind somehow – we have never seen our head. We were only told that his name was Ted. He was still a legend to us until the day came.
That day I was planning to have a burglary in Lancashire. A man waved his hand towards me when I was inspecting the area. He had a most terrified face with scars. “Hey, buddy! Planning to go inside for jewellery?” The man had recognized my tattoo has located on my neck he showed his to me. This was a symbol to the gang for recognition. I nodded my head and he uttered, ”Ted is my name.” I was shocked. “No one will call himself Ted, except……” “He was the only Ted the head,” Ted grinned like an evil. “Okay, the family has gone out for dinner. Let’s go inside.”
We had finished all our work like putting the jewellery into our bag and cleaning all the traces before the family reached their home. Ted was doing all the procedures quickly and carefully. After the success of burglary, Ted gave me most of the spoils except a few worth ones like a ring crowned with a large black opal and left.
I had never met him again until a few months later. He found me through his subordinates. He was absolutely weak, shrank in a corner of the sofa and holding a newspaper. The ring with black opal was put on the table. I heard his chanting voice. “I was struck with the curse,” he said. I laughed off, “What curse?” he lent me a newspaper and I read it. “You mean the ring that was under a seal with protection? And the master of the ring has invoked the curse? Haha……” I laughed. “It’s true! At first, I didn’t get into any troubles. But after I read the news, I believed that bad luck had happened to me over and over, like I fell off from the stairs yesterday! “Ted was screaming like a mad one. And indeed, he had gone mad. “Take it away from me! Take it away from me! “Ted started pulling his hair. “Okay, okay! I am looking forward to seeing the bad luck to me!” I sighed, shrinking my shoulders.
Weeks and weeks passed. Bad luck had not come to me and I returned to Ted’s department. When I walked through the corridor, a man wore a cap bumped into me and quickly went away. I had a hunch that I had met him somewhere before. I knocked on Ted’s door but no one answered. And I suddenly discovered that the door was unlocked. I entered it. It was shock that Ted was lying on the floor he was covered with blood. Luckily, he was still alive. “Oh, I am a coward! There is no curse in the world. Ben wants to replace me and makes himself the head. So, he set some traps and made me believe in bad luck! How dare he lie to me! “he screamed with his last breath. And then I realized that the man bumped into me was Ben, escaping after he murdered Ted. Following the dead of Ted, Ben became the head and I left the gang.
I have dreamed of Ted’s death of thousand times in my sleep. He shouted at me that there was no curse in the world. I have soon got into insomnia. I would stare at the ring wearing on my finger in those sleepless nights. My head seemed to be burst into pieces. I thought it was the ring, reminding me of the last scene of Ted. So, I had returned the ring to its master and I was recovered accordingly, like I was finally released from a curse.
“That’s the end of the story?” The journalist asked. “It ends finally.” I replied, putting a rose on the grave of Ted.