Friday the 13th
Tom was the perfect child; he was adorable, had chubby cheeks, and his eyes wanted to take in all the sights. He was special because he was born on Friday the 13th, and Sally, his mom, was superstitious.
Friday the 13th
Lights Flickering
Overall, Tom was born later than expected, and Sally was anxious because he wouldn’t come. However, she felt that Friday the 13th was a truly unlucky number, and the hospital lights flickered while she headed to the delivery room.
Lights Flickering
What Was in Store
Sally’s nurse told her that her doctor wouldn’t be at the hospital because she’d fallen down the stairs. Though another doctor was available, she was troubled by the news. Would her son bring bad luck to everyone?!
What Was in Store
Happy Baby
Though distraught, her son was healthy. Soon, she was released from the hospital and given reassurances by the nurses. Overall, Tom was very stress-free and relaxed, but she was paranoid. Finally, the worst happened!
Happy Baby
Researching Old Stories
Tom was an easy baby and only cried when he was hungry. In fact, he adjusted to things quickly. However, Sally constantly worried that his birthdate would bring bad luck. She researched stories online.
Researching Old Stories
A Village Stroll
Sally read books about kids being born on that day, and they didn’t help. Therefore, she went to the internet but still didn’t find anything specific. Finally, she decided to take Tom to a special shop in the village.
A Village Stroll
Old Antoinette’s
Arriving at the small shop, she saw the sign that read “Antoinette’s Healing Spices and Herbs.” It bore a symbol similar to what Sally wore around her neck. She’d passed it many times but wasn’t brave enough to go in. Now, she needed answers.
Old Antoinette’s
Disturbing Stories
Sally took Tom out of the stroller and scanned book titles. She found one that seemed interesting, and there was no description. Therefore, she went through the pages. Roughly 20 minutes later, she was feeling upset and sick to her stomach.
Disturbing Stories
Rushed Home
She bought the expensive book and rushed home to perform the cleansing ritual within. Then, she held her peacefully sleeping son and cuddled him until the worry went away. Finally, she took a nap herself.
Rushed Home
Much Too Late
Sally’s nap turned into a long sleep, and she checked the clock when she woke up to see it was 10:30 p.m. Tom had to be hungry but wasn’t crying, and she felt horrible. Still, she got out of bed to check on her son.
Much Too Late
Weird Feelings
As Sally went into the hallway, she had an unsettled feeling. She knew she’d overslept and felt bad she hadn’t heard Tom crying. Something was definitely wrong, and she rushed to his bedroom. Though there was peaceful silence, it seemed bad.
Weird Feelings
Peacefully Sleeping
Sally peeked into the crib and saw Tom. She was surprised to see him staring at her. The baby was visibly awake, and she felt something was wrong. Finally, she moved the netting aside and gasped in shock!
Peacefully Sleeping
Can’t Smile Back
Tom blinked and smiled when he saw his recognizable mom. She couldn’t return it. This was horrible, and she was so upset for sleeping when this bad thing was happening to her son in the next room!
Can’t Smile Back
Not as Happy
Sally was on autopilot, grabbing her son and going to the kitchen. She turned on the lights with her heart pounding and stared at her son. Tom seemed happy, but how could he smile and be calm when he was so ill?!
Not as Happy
In the Sink
Desperately trying to decide how to help her son, she decided to clean him. She put her son in the sink, supporting his head while it filled up with water. Knowing he couldn’t slip underneath the water, she paced up and down.
In the Sink
Panicking
Sally remembered the book she’d bought earlier and read through it to find cleansing remedies. She grabbed the ingredients and mixed together some lotions. Gently, she dried her son and put them on his skin, but there was no improvement.
Panicking
Nothing Like It
This wasn’t good, so she searched through the book for another remedy. It seemed to work, and she relaxed a little. In fact, she’d never seen red bumps like those before, but they were now gone, right?!
Nothing Like It
Abnormal Cry
Overnight, the rash returned and was worse. Tom’s skin was red and had itchy scales on them. It was like something you saw in a horror film. Sally worried that she’d activated the curse, and her son was wailing and screaming.
Abnormal Cry
Searching for Answers
Sally tried the remedies to soothe her son, but nothing worked. In fact, she did cleansing baths and put lotions on, but he wouldn’t smile. Overall, the sink with warm water seemed to be the only helpful thing.
Searching for Answers
Growing Fear
The mother was in a full panic mode while she watched that curse consume her son. She was running out of the ingredients needed for her home remedies and couldn’t just leave him in that sink forever.
Growing Fear
Professional Help
Sally’s only other option was to take Tom to a doctor, and she didn’t like the idea. She hated doctor’s offices because she’d spent a lot of her childhood visiting them. Overall, she didn’t want her son to have that life.
Professional Help
Mystery Illness
Sally dealt with a strange illness during childhood, so she was constantly in the hospital for tests, trials, observations, and other scary things. The doctors claimed they could cure what she had, but they couldn’t find the cause.
Mystery Illness
Small Improvements
At 15 years old, she was exhausted by doctors, hospitals, and false hope. She got depressed and finally found a holistic doctor. He’d prescribed something that improved her health and gave her a normal life. Had her son inherited her curse?!
Small Improvements
Reaching Out
Though she didn’t have money for treatment, Sally located the holistic doctor who helped her. She’d beg for assistance for her son if needed. In fact, he might be able to do the same thing for Tom, but she received horrible news.
Reaching Out
Curious Death
Sally was shocked to learn that the doctor had died a few days earlier, and the circumstances were strange. No one knew the cause of death, and the body appeared to be healthy. Though she thanked the receptionist, she had to do the unthinkable now!
Curious Death
Exit Plan
The scared mother put the lotions in her purse because she thought the doctors would want to know what she’d used. Then, she dressed her son while he cried and put him in the stroller to head to the doctor’s office.
Exit Plan
The Walk of Shame
Tom screamed the whole way, and everyone stared at Sally. She was so ashamed and walked as quickly as she could. In fact, she knew they were thinking she was a bad mom, but she had to do what was best for him.
The Walk of Shame
Waiting
When Sally got to the ER, it was packed with people. The receptionist said she might wait an hour. Though she tried to stay calm, she wanted to cry because of exhaustion and frustration. This entire day had been horrible!
Waiting
Unhappy Baby
Sally put the stroller into the corner, away from others, and sat with Tom on her lap. He whined and whimpered, though he finally fell asleep because he was tired from the crying. Hopefully, he’d stay that way until she got in to see the doctor.
Unhappy Baby
Endless Waiting
She heard multiple names called within the hour, and she asked the receptionist how much longer it might be a few times. However, the woman wasn’t sure. Meanwhile, Sally was terrified that Tom would begin screaming again.
Endless Waiting
Broken Glass
Sally hadn’t slept or eaten well the last few days and was searching in her purse for water. However, she dropped a glass bottle with the lotion, and the liquid sprayed everywhere. This also woke up Tom, and he started wailing.
Broken Glass
Family History
When the other patients heard him, they let her go ahead of them, and the doctor gave Sally water when she got into the room. Tom wasn’t crying as loudly, and Sally began her story about the childhood of doctors and passing that strange illness to her son.
Family History
Smiling Widely
As Sally got comfortable, she told the doctors that she feared Tom’s illness occurred because of the curse of being born on Friday the 13th. Though she thought he’d be shocked, she couldn’t have imagined that he would smile.
Smiling Widely
No Laughing Matter
The doctor waited for a moment before speaking, and the grin showed that he thought it was a joke. Sally was angry now and knew it was wrong to go to a doctor because they were all the same.
No Laughing Matter
Missing the Joke
When the doctor opened his mouth, he burst into laughter and even had tears in his eyes. She was embarrassed and angry, feeling that he’d disrespected her. This is why she hated the hospital; she was vulnerable and needed help and got laughed at!
Missing the Joke
Attention-Grabbing
To show the doctor how serious this situation was, she got Tom out of the stroller, lifting his shirt to see the peeling and red rash. Finally, the doctor realized it wasn’t a prank from his colleagues; he felt terrible for laughing at the distraught mom.
Attention-Grabbing
Looking for Answers
The man took Tom and examined the baby, talking quietly and being gentle. Then, he asked Sally about the homemade lotions she had used, trying to be non-judgmental. He thought Tom might be allergic to the ingredients.
Looking for Answers
Herbal Helpers
Sally gave him the book, and he looked at the recipes. Most of them were traditional herbal remedies. Then, he used his computer to look something up and wrote some notes. Sally was waiting nervously for his answer.
Herbal Helpers
Uncovering the Truth
The doctor finally asked Sally what she’d done the past few days to help Tom and wondered why she’d waited so long to visit the hospital. She said she’d put her son in the sink with warm water, which soothed him. Finally, the realization came to the doctor!
Uncovering the Truth
Simple Solution
Overall, the doctor told Sally that Tom had a strong case of the chicken pox, which would clear up soon. However, the redness and scaling were caused by being put in the warm water all the time. He gave her a special lotion, which cured her son!
Simple Solution