Blogtober, Day 17

Word of the day: Necklace

“Cursed objects can be defined a number of ways.” Tanner Mansfield led Marty through a maze of shelves lined with objects both ancient and contemporary. He pointed to an old black manual typewriter. “This, for instance, is said to have belonged to a writer whose best friend stole his work and published it as his own. The writer took his own life, using this typewriter to compose his suicide note. Anyone who possessed the typewriter after that began to experience dark dreams and severe depression.”

Marty said nothing. The place creeped him out. They worked their way out of the maze, passing dolls, toys, cameras, a beautiful ruby necklace, and a C.B. radio.

“What about furniture?” Marty asked. “Like a chair or something.”

“Oh, totally.” Tanner gestured for Marty to follow him into an adjoining room which featured furniture of all sorts. Dressers, bureaus, chairs, tables, beds of all sizes and styles. Some of the pieces appeared to be from the last twenty years, but much of it was early to mid-20th century. Tanner pointed at an entire bedroom suit displayed in a far corner.

“Those pieces there,” he said, “were originally owned by a riverboat captain and his young bride in the late 19th century. The young bride was having an affair, you see, because her husband was gone so much. The captain found her in bed with her lover. Killed them both. Her spirit lives in them.”

Marty stood in eerie silence.

“Shall I look at your chair?” Tanner asked.