Cursed

By Margaret McCarthy

The main character, Captain McCallister, sets out to correct a situation that he himself did not create. Through hardship and heartache, his determination provides him much needed strength.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jul 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662414596

Margaret McCarthy

Margaret Harper McCarthy is assistant professor of theological anthropology at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America, Washington DC.

Book preview

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Cursed

Margaret McCarthy

Copyright © 2020 Margaret McCarthy

All rights reserved

First Edition

PAGE PUBLISHING, INC.

Conneaut Lake, PA

First originally published by Page Publishing 2020

ISBN 978-1-6624-1458-9 (pbk)

ISBN 978-1-6624-1459-6 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Cursed

The Lost Story

Curse? Myth? Spell? Or plain bad luck?

Could it be that bad things come to pass as a result from an overwhelming fear associated with the mere mention that something or someone may be under a curse or a spell?

Had I not read the journals left behind by past victims, I would have told you these beliefs had been left behind in Medieval Times, that this simply could not and did not occur!

Well…here it is…just as it happened…

Let us go back to 1865. The Civil War was over! Our country was being rebuilt. People began to recover from the trauma both physical and emotional. For the most part all was right with the world again, or so it seemed.

However, in another part of the country a single piece of jewelry began a war of its own! A broach hand crafted from the finest twenty-four karat gold, incased an outstanding ruby the size of a large acorn. Surrounding the precious stone with exquisitely cut diamonds, polished to a brilliant sparkle, this beauty dominated other pieces of jewelry designed throughout history thus far!

A renowned jeweler Giovanni originally from Italy sailed across the seas searching for exotic priceless gems. He discovered the most perfect ruby known to man on a tiny island in the South Pacific. This semi-precious stone embedded in the islands sacred cross, symbolized Christ’s blood that was shed for humanity. Hopes of obtaining the stone were shattered when the island’s native chief denied Giovanni’s request to purchase the jewel. Countless attempts were made to obtain the large ruby. The chief was offered other fine stones, along with a small chest of gold coins. With all offers rejected, the obsessed jeweler devised a plan, he had to have the beautiful red prize! The insistent man was not going to leave the island without that ruby!

Discovering a dull red stone, the same size as the ruby, Giovanni polished it to a high gloss, hoping to trick the islanders. Carefully removing the treasured ruby from the cross, it was replaced with the plain red stone, then the jeweler quietly crept back to the shoreline. One of the tribe’s men was waiting behind the thick brush and threw his spear into Giovanni’s left shoulder. Groaning in pain the thief fell to the ground dropping the ruby.

Within minutes Giovanni was surrounded by tribe’s men threatening to kill him unless he vacated the island immediately! The ruby was set back into the cross, the fake stone was tossed into the shrubs.

Just before dawn Giovanni returned with two of his crewmen. The native guarding the precious gem was overpowered by Giovanni and his men who ran him through with a sword killing him instantly! Now not only was Giovanni a thief, he was a murderer as well! He removed the precious ruby laughing wickedly as he did so. He and his men slipped through the overgrown brush completely unnoticed to a small rowboat making their way back to their vessel that was set for the open sea. Giovanni’s two accomplices never imagined this would be their last voyage. Giovanni arrived home with only a few cuts, scrapes and bruises after experiencing a violent storm that destroyed his ship, claiming the lives of his crewmen. How Giovanni survived, no one knew.

Did his greedy obsession to own the ruby turn him into a crazed animal that gave him the strength to survive? Or could it have been the insanity he was experiencing caused by the curse the natives put on the ruby to afflict anyone who attempted to steal it?

Giovanni thought he had been clever, but he soon would realize his mistake!

Back home in his workshop he worked feverishly day and night creating a most fascinating beautifully designed resting place for his ruby, encircling it with diamonds, set in the finest twenty-four karat gold. Some would say this piece sported the most outrageous, almost hypnotizing glow, surpassing any piece of jewelry seen in their lifetimes, making the piece impossible to ignore!

Upon completion of the broach, Giovanni sold it to a young man for a handsome fee. Later that evening the jeweler, completely out of his mind, threw himself over the edge of a very tall cliff. His body hit the jagged rocks below and the ocean swallowed him!

Giovanni kept a journal in which his widow completed which included his untimely demise thus ending his story.

Note: Most pieces of jewelry have been known to be handed down within the same family generation after generation. However, not in this case.

With the exchange of this piece, each person obtaining it unknowingly was signing his or her death warrant! Maybe not immediately, yet it would come to