The Curse of Rune TabletThe Curse of Rune Tablet(part 1)(part 1)

By Eugene LiBy Eugene Li

“ROAST SALMON AGAIN FOR DINNER!!! Doc, we ate nothing BUT fishes since we got here, and you know how much I hate fish!” Jimmy protested angrily at his father, He poked a fork at the orange-pinkish fish in disgust, watched the flaky chunk fell off. Jimmy was really hoping to get a burger in return for his effort.

“Eat your fish, it’s good for you.” Dr. Anderson, or, as his son Jimmy would call him, “the Doc”, muttered shortly without even lifting his head up from the paperwork.

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Jimmy sighed, and went outside. The wind swept across his face, carrying the smell of sea and wet hay on Echo Isle. Stupid island, stupid everything, he thought as he kicked the rock. Several days ago, Dr. Anderson received a strange mail with two tickets to Norway. The letter said there an important discovery which can change mankind forever. Being an archeologist, Dr. Anderson quickly took Jimmy on to the private plane, as a vacation spot for the summer, but the Doc only worked and worked. Today night is known to the locals as the night of Shadows, the locals will have a big party to welcome the return of their ancestors from the spirit world, but he’ll miss all of that too. An idea suddenly flashed “Maybe he will spend more time with me if I found something cool!” and he hurried down the muddy path..

Jimmy stopped at the local magic shop. He remembered his dad said it’s all a bunch of junk that the locals use to rob money out of foreigners, but Jimmy thought there is a strange aura around it.

“Yong man, vat you looking foor?” The old man’s yellow teeth showed as he talked rough English. Strings of spice and herbs dangled from the hay ceiling, releasing their odd aroma; all sorts of rings and necklaces are on the shelf, glowing mysteriously, just like the man’s bald head. Jars of things nobody can name is everywhere. Jimmy thought a jar holds a human heart.

“I’m looking for something very old.”“Hows tat rok flat tablt? Thousand year.”The tablet, sitting quietly in the corner, has

immediately to Jimmy.With its thin cracks, weathered edge, ancient text, it seems to have seem to touched his very soul, send chills down his spine.

“That’ll do, how much?”“You firs buy in five year, free. Bat, dont touch or

die.”“Yeah, whatever you say, old man.”

Later that night, Jimmy showed his dad the ancient rune tablet, all wrapped up in seaweed (the old man insisted). Finally, Dr. Anderson said:“ This obsidian tablet is very old, but I just don’t understand the rune.”

“Doc, enough with the drama, what is it?”“Curse ye, on this rock,on me sea fared dock,when shadow end by first light,thy blood shall turn the tide.”

“Odd” is the last word Dr. Anderson said for a long time, for his finger touched the tablet. Jimmy watch in horror as the life-force of his dad seems to be being suck into the tablet, the natural redness slowly became pale. He was dead.

Jimmy was too scared to even scream.

(To Be Continued)