Chapter 16: The Cousin's Tale
Armed with the old map and driven by the revelations found in the hidden room, Karma and Joker set their sights on the heart of the woods surrounding Eldridge. Before they embarked on this new quest, however, they decided to confront the one person who might hold the key to understanding the curse and its connection to Anna's fate: her cousin, Marcus.
Convinced that Marcus knew more than he had previously admitted, they found him at his workplace, insisting on speaking with him away from prying eyes. Reluctantly, he agreed, leading them to a secluded spot, the seriousness of their expressions promising revelations he had long feared would surface.
"Marcus, we found something," Karma began, her voice steady. "A map and letters about a curse on the Thompson family. It's tied to a treasure, something that's brought nothing but misery. Does this sound familiar?"
Marcus, visibly shaken, sighed deeply, the weight of years pressing down on him. "I thought this was all behind us," he confessed, his voice barely above a whisper. "Anna found out about the curse. She became obsessed with it, thought it was the key to fixing everything wrong in her life... in our lives."
Joker leaned in, his demeanor intense. "What exactly is this curse? And how does it relate to Anna's death?"
"The curse... it's an old family legend," Marcus explained, his gaze lost in the distance. "Supposedly, our ancestor was wronged, cheated out of a fortune. In retaliation, they cursed the thief and all their descendants. That curse... it's been said to hang over our family, causing misfortune and despair."
"And the treasure?" Karma pressed, her interest piqued.
"It's said to be hidden in the woods, guarded by the curse. Many have tried to find it, only to meet tragic ends. Anna... she thought she could break the curse, find the treasure, and use it to save our family from its legacy of misfortune."
"But something went wrong," Joker concluded, the pieces beginning to fall into place.
Marcus nodded, his expression pained. "She became obsessed, spending days in the woods, poring over old maps and documents. She changed, became distant, paranoid. And then... she vanished. I warned her, tried to tell her it was madness, but she wouldn't listen. And now..."
His voice trailed off, the implication hanging heavy in the air. Anna's disappearance, her untimely death, was entwined with the curse and the elusive treasure she sought.
Karma and Joker exchanged a glance, the magnitude of their discovery settling in. What had started as an investigation into a young girl's tragic death had now morphed into a quest that straddled the line between greed, obsession, and the supernatural.
"Marcus, we're going to find this treasure," Karma declared, more determined than ever. "Not for the wealth, but to uncover the truth about Anna and break this curse once and for all."
Marcus looked at them, a mixture of fear and admiration in his eyes. "Be careful," he warned. "The woods... they're not what they seem. The curse is real, and it protects its secrets fiercely."
With Marcus's warnings echoing in their minds, Karma and Joker prepared to venture into the heart of the woods, guided by the map and driven by a resolve to unearth the truth. The mystery of Anna's fate was more complex than they had ever imagined, intertwining family legacies, cursed treasures, and supernatural forces.
As they stepped into the shadowed embrace of the forest, the map in hand, they knew that what lay ahead was a journey fraught with dangers both real and beyond comprehension. But for Anna, and for the truth, they were willing to face whatever the curse had in store for them.