To Curse a Black Swan: A Swan Lake Retelling (The Shattered Tales) by Leialoha Humpherys

Author:Leialoha Humpherys [Humpherys, Leialoha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781959157014
Publisher: Hokulani Press
Published: 2023-11-20T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

“Papa?” I knocked on my father’s door, unable to sleep a moment longer… Although I probably hadn’t slept at all. I tossed and turned, elated that Bo loved me, then devastated at what I had done to Cordelia.

Surely he would not love me now. If only he knew how dark I truly was inside.

“Papa?” I knocked again, and the door swung open.

Father stood there, half awake, but worried. I never bothered him when he slept, because he was exhausted. He worked long hours chopping trees or working at the mill. Sir Walton worked his loggers until they could do nothing else.

It was sad, really, but Sir Walton also paid more than anyone else in town. Father said he found purpose in working hard and getting paid well, and I had the same problem. I was working to death but Cordelia was the only one who would hire me… so we didn’t argue about his exhaustion anymore.

“What’s wrong?” He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus on me.

“Papa, I've done something terrible.” I shook like a leaf in the wind, and Father grabbed my shoulders. Again, we weren’t touchy people so this meant he was very concerned for me.

But he should be more concerned about Cordelia. “What happened?” He pulled me to sit by the woodstove, getting it started in no time.

My hands were still sweaty, and I felt tired, but not tired enough to sleep. I had to do something… now. But what? In desperation, I needed my father’s help. We’d both dealt with my mother, so would he know a secret from her that I didn’t? Something, perhaps, to break the curse?

“What happened?” Father gave me a hot cup of tea and knelt across from me. His graying hair was disheveled, and Father was usually so well-groomed and clean. Again, my heart ached at how much my father cared for me.

“I turned Cordelia into a swan.” Saying the words aloud to someone was a huge relief. At the same time, it hurt. Because father’s face first turned to utter shock… then disappointment.

“Ayane, I thought we talked about it.”

“We did, and then…” I put my cup of tea to the side and rubbed my face. “I was just so mad. And so tired of Cordelia bullying me.”

There was a long silence, in which my father must have been thinking horribly of me. I picked up my tea again and stared at it, unable to drink.

“I’m sorry, Papa.” I was sorry. I wish I had never done such a stupid thing…

But she deserved it. I thought of all the times she mistreated me, even after she was turned into a swan in the night. How could I still justify my actions? I couldn’t, especially since I missed a very huge detail… one that brought me to my father, pleading for help.

“So what are the parameters of the curse?” my father asked, looking at the black book I’d been carrying. I had set it between us when we came to the living room.

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