​

The group slows to a stop and attempts to catch their breath. Standing in the middle of the road, the street lights cast an ominous yellow glow over the scene. No one could bear to look at each other, as they shift from side to side, still trying to process what happened, still in utter shock and disbelief.

 

In between laboured breaths, Matt finally speaks, “We just ran 3 km from that house. I think we put enough distance between us.”

 

Sarah’s voice shakes as she struggles to hold back her tears, “What were we supposed to do with Thomas?! We just left him there!”

 

“Sarah… hey. Just breathe. It was an accident. He fell. It wasn't our fault!” Matt yells, attempting to reassure the others, as well as himself.
 

Fran finally pipes in, “We can’t let them know… we can’t let them figure out that this thing that we brought into that party, caused that to happen.”

 

“Well, we don’t know that’s the reason he was killed. We don’t know anything,” Matt counters, reaching for anything to make sense of the situation.

 

Fran just keeps looking off into the distance, “I know! But this thing. It’s energy. I just know it’s bad,” 

She shakes her head, “What else would have caused that? You saw it. I saw it. He didn’t just fall.” 

 

“But--” Matt begins in the last attempt, then falters.

 

There is a heavy silence. They know she’s right.

 

“Well, what now?!?” Sarah outbursts. “Can we please get rid of it? Let’s just get rid of it. I don't want it anywhere near me. I don’t even want to think about it,” She finally breaks and lets a few tears roll from her eyes.

 

Matt puts his hand on her shoulder and nods his head in agreement. “But how?”

 

There is another silence and two sets of eyes rest upon Fran, who won’t stop staring at the ground. “The river,” she says.

 

Without another word, the trio turns on their heels and starts towards the Thames. Everything looks different in the nighttime as they make their way down the streets they walk every day. Silently, each one of them realizes that after this night, they will never be able to look at these streets the same way again.

 

As they near the river’s edge, the artefact feels heavy in Fran’s fist. It seems to vibrate panicked energy, almost as if it knows what’s about to happen. 

 

Matt and Sarah stop a few paces from the water as Fran steps just a few inches from the riverwalk platform edge and stares into the dark, slow-moving current. The open space around them feels tense, like static electricity in the air. It is unusually silent, not even a police siren or passing car could be heard by the group as they stand perfectly still by the riverside. 

 

Fran holds the cursed item out over the water and hesitates for a split second, a second that hangs for what seems like an eternity, then sharply inhales and drops the thing into the water. 

 

As it splashes and disappears below the moving surface, the three friends exhale deeply, as though a huge weight has been severed from their souls.

 

They turn and walk away, exhausted and eager to forget the events of the past 24 hours. Yet as the object bobs and flows downstream with the current of the river, it calls out to the universe. It seeks a new owner like a magnet. 

​

Just as the clock strikes 3:33 am, an extremely unlucky rower on a passing boat reaches into the glassy dark water and pulls the intriguing item to the surface. 

​

“Look at this, Look what I’ve just found! Thought it was a piece of rubbish floating along but I’m glad I grabbed it.”

​

“Oh isn’t that nice?”

 

And the cycle begins again.