Blown Away

7: To Lift the Curse

I had seen the inside of the McCallow's home only once. It was the time I broke my arm outside the shop trying to ride my bike in bad weather. My clothes soaked and my arm hurting made me look like that sad puppy on the street that just needs some love.

"Oh look at cha," she said with her hands on her hip while wearing a bloody apron. "I'm inside choppin' some meat and I see ya fall. Looks like ya hurt. And I can't have ya sailing home in this weather."

She picked me up and brought me inside.

This particular night as I entered with Zephyr, the home felt as if nothing had changed since that stormy day. The room radiated warmth and smelled of cedar. References to meat or butchery were strewn about the walls and shelves. A large whale bone filled up the adjacent wall by the small kitchen. It was strongly supported by hooks and chains from the ceiling. A shadowbox by the door showed many different sailor knots. The quote beneath it read, 'Love is like a knot. The more you try to pull it apart, the tighter and stronger it becomes.'

A chihuahua appeared on the couch's armrest. It barked and snarled at Zephyr and I until Mrs. McCallow snapped a stern finger at it. The dog grew silent and curled into a ball on top of the couch.

"Make y'rselves at home," she said dusting off a pillow. "My husband will be out late so we have all night for some dinner and a story."

She exited into the kitchen. The rattling of pots and pans and the occasional glassware clinked throughout the whole home, but it was the smell of sizzling meat that made my mouth water. Zephyr plopped down on the couch. She appeared a little amused by how soft it was and how far her body sank into it. I took the stone out of my pocket and placed it on the coffee table.

A few minutes later Mrs. McCallow arrived with two large plates in her arms. She placed them on the small table outside the kitchen.

"Come eat, kids," she said. "I wasn't sure what wind spirits eat so I made ya guys both some steak and potatoes. It'll put muscle on them bones for sure."

Zephyr approached the table. She studied the dish in front of her with apprehensive eyes. I sat down.

"Is it to yer liking, miss?" asked Mrs. McCallow.

"I haven't had a warm meal in many years. I don't need much to live on, but this home, this food, it's something truly refreshing." She turned to Mrs. McCallow with a smile. "Thank you, ma'am! It looks splendid!"

Mrs. McCallow sighed in relief.

"Now let me locate that photo album. It's been many years since I've bothered to pull it out." She started rummaging through an old wooden trunk. "I forgot I had that. Oh look at this. Monster, it's your old bone." Mrs. McCallow tossed a squeaky toy at the chihuahua. The dog's tail wagged with delight.

As we finished our supper, Mrs. McCallow had found what she was looking for. In her arms rested a large leather binder; the pages worn and yellow poked out from the side.

"Yer father was always a focused man. From the moment that stormcloud took his father, he made it his mission to find him. It was his determination and my curiosity that made us good friends. I wanted to leave the harbor and see the world. Nate was more than willing to let me tag along since I was the only one who believed him. So in our early twenties and unprepared for the world, we packed what little we had and set sail on a grand adventure."

"Not to interrupt," I said, "but how did you know where to start?"

"Ah, good point," said Mrs. McCallow. She flipped through the photo album. Images of her and my father when they were younger were scattered throughout. Some showed them on the boat with binoculars on, while others showed my dad leaning on a table full of notes and maps. "You see this picture of ya father?" She pointed to the table in the photo where my father's arm rested on an old book. "You see, we had one clue you did not. Yer grandpa left behind a journal. Not sure what yer pops did with it, but it spoke of yer family and the curse. It mentioned the Storm King and his minions. It told of the stone and its importance. But most importantly it gave us a mission and a clue." Mrs. McCallow sighed. She placed a hand softly on Zephyr's shoulder. "I have to apologize, Zephyr. Our mission was not one a hero takes, and looking back now we were doing wrong even if the intentions were good. The curse can only be broken by the one who placed it. Were to steal all the wind power and hand it over to the Storm King. For storms come and go as long as the wind blows. But should the wind blow in his favor, the storms will never stop."

Mrs. McCallow pointed to the rock on the coffee table.

"That is no normal stone. It is a prison for the winds, a device to control the world's weather."