Chapter 4
Lucy and Philip walked back to camp, hand in hand in the dark. They were both happy to have each other, although nervous at how the others would react. As Philip rubbed Lucy’s hand with his thumb, they both knew it would all be okay. They spent a lot of time at the lake talking about the curse and how to break it. Lucy discovered the ‘tiger-gene’ as she called it, was passed through the male line of Philip’s family. As his mother was a single parent and Philip had never known his father, it had been hard for Philip to overcome this first hurdle. She couldn’t imagine how terrifying it must have been to find yourself changing species rapidly one day. She pictured Philip as a child, not knowing what was happening to him. She wanted to protect him and help him more than ever and vowed to do all she could.
“Before we get back, you never said how you traced it to Bhutan, only that it was difficult. How did you come to be here?” Lucy asked. “I’m so glad you are,” she added rapidly.
Philip laughed, feeling as relaxed as he had ever been. “The path here was a long and bloody one. The men in my family have all spread out; either tracing the curse themselves or staying away from loved ones in case they hurt them. Every country I visited that one of my relatives had dwelled in, I discovered that a male family member had died. Their secret somehow always discovered; and either sacrificed, butchered in their sleep or sadly, committed suicide. I’d love to break this curse and stop looking over my shoulder all the time.”
Lucy stopped and hugged him. She was so happy he felt he could talk to her. She wanted to share in return, but her life had none of the hardships his did.
“Lucy, can I ask you something?” Philip said.
“Sure, what’s up?” she replied.
“Why are you so hard on yourself? You’re beautiful, funny, and clever. Why do you push yourself so hard? You’re perfect the way you are. Anyone would have cried seeing a tiger. You stroked me. You’re wonderful.”
Lucy sighed with happiness; nobody had ever told her how amazing she was. She found herself falling in love with Philip; she adored everything about him. “I always felt I had to. I’m an only child; my father was desperate for a son. My parents decided to have children late in life. Instead of a son, they got me. I always felt I wasn’t enough for him, or anyone else. I push myself because on some level, I want to earn his approval. I thought I had moved past it, but if you can notice it, perhaps I haven’t.”
“Lucy, perhaps this is too early to say, I don’t know. But, I love you,” Philip confessed. It was as if he was reading her mind. “There is nothing I do not love about you. I’m so happy we’re together.”
“I love you too; you understand me almost as well as I understand myself.”
At that moment, they shared a kiss, before heading into the camp. Ignoring the stares of everyone there, they went straight into Philip’s room, curled up in bed and fell asleep together.
* * *
From the next morning, Lucy and Philip became a pair; rarely seen apart. Making love each day, looking after each other, they were inseparable. Falling deeper and deeper in love, they roamed all the land they could reach on foot much to Damcho’s disapproval. Lucy wasn’t afraid; she knew Philip would protect her, as a tiger or as a man. They were both researching the Monpa people with the same objectives now; to find both a reason and cure for the curse.
One morning, as Philip was bathing, Lucy had an idea. She decided to put it into play without Philip’s knowledge, in case it didn’t work. She waited patiently for Damcho to appear and struck up a conversation with him.
“Morning, Damcho. How is your wife?”
“Good morning Lucy, it’s lovely to see you. She’s very well thank you, how are you?”
“I’m great thanks; my research has taken a new path. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
“Not at all, Lucy. Anything I can do to help. What do you need to know?”
“Well,” Lucy began. “Do the Monpa people have any folk tales? Like fairytales, or stories passed down from generations? It’s interesting to listen to how information is spread, don’t you think?”
“What kinds of tales are you after, Lucy? I’ll try and think of some of the more interesting ones,” Damcho offered. He was secretly pleased she wasn’t with Philip; he knew she was safe at this moment and wanted to keep her here.
“Well, I heard an interesting tale about a curse placed on someone by the Monpa people. They turned into animals. The girls were swapping stories and I thought I’d ask you where it came from,” Lucy lied.
Damcho looked at her suspiciously; he knew she had not spent time with the girls since she and Philip became an item. Still, he had heard the tale, what was the harm in telling her?
“Yes, I know the story you mean well. Centuries ago, there was a tiny village where everyone helped each other. One family did not share this community spirit. They used to undercut others in trades and grew incredibly selfish. The more money they had, the greedier they became. The villagers resented this greed; they disliked the bad intentions this family had. They were intimidated and upset. They felt like prey. One night, the head male of each family met in secret, to hatch a plan to prevent the selfish family from taking over. They placed a curse on the male line; until they were truly selfless, each male would turn into a tiger, sometimes at will, sometimes uncontrollably. One night, there was a terrible accident. The head of the family killed his wife when he was in tiger form. The family moved away. To this day, I don’t know what happened to them. I don’t know if that family is alive anymore. The village thrived thereafter. It was my village in fact.”
“Wow! So all Phil – I mean the male – would have to do is to be truly selfless. That is fascinating! How would you do that?” Lucy babbled excitedly.
Damcho frowned openly. “Philip?” he demanded. “Did you hear this from Philip? Has he descended from here? If he has, he will die, there is no other way.”
“N-n-no!” Lucy stammered.
Damcho turned and stormed out, He was proud of his job, but he was more proud of his village. He was furious that Philip was here. He had to tell someone. He was sorry for Lucy, but there was going to be a sacrifice, he didn’t know what else to do.
Lucy was in a blind panic. She knew that if she did nothing, Philip was going to die. In haste, she left a note for him to find. She had to fix this before it was too late.
Packing a small rucksack, she ran in the direction of Damcho’s village, completely disregarding her own personal safety.
Shortly after Lucy’s disappearance, Philip returned to his bed, intending to spend the rest of the morning in it, with Lucy. Instead of finding a beautiful girl waiting for him, he found a note.
Dear Philip, it read. I’ve made a terrible mistake; I revealed your identity whilst trying to find more out about the curse. I’ve gone to sort things out now, stay safe. I’ll be back soon. Love, Lucy xxx
Philip was worried; he had no idea where she’d gone or who she’d been speaking to. Thoughts raced through his mind. She wouldn’t be this worried if she’d told Charly or Kevin. She wouldn’t ask them about the curse anyway. It must be a person from the village, someone who spoke English. Damcho! Dressing hurriedly, he too ran towards the village.
Lucy made it to the village without incident and desperately tried to find Damcho. The village was silent; it appeared almost deserted. Perhaps it was too late. Where was Damcho?
Looking around for Damcho, she did not hear the silent gathering standing behind her. Quick as a flash, the villagers attacked en masse; covering her head with a cloth and binding her arms and legs together. Lucy didn’t even have time to scream.
Lucy was terrified; she hoped with all of her heart that Philip wouldn’t come looking for her. She wanted him to be safe; this was her fault, her problem and she would suffer the consequences. She knew for the second time in Bhutan, her life was in danger. This time, however, she was sure she was going to die. This time, her regrets were far fewer; recently, she was the happiest she had ever been. They had removed the cloth covering her head. She could see a pole on a wooden stage. She assumed she would be tied to it, but she wasn’t sure of anything else.
“Lucy! What are you doing here?” Damcho cried. He had heard the commotion. He came to the village intending to call a village meeting and share the news about Philip. He had already met with the men; the women must have caught Lucy.
“I came looking for you; I wanted to stop you from sharing the information about Philip. I love him, Damcho. He’s a good man. He doesn’t deserve death, I want to save him.”
Damcho looked worried; “Lucy, you shouldn’t have come here. I’m scared for you. I’m going to try and change your fate.”
“Damcho, please, I know you’re a good man too. What’s going to happen to me? I’d like to know, I hate surprises.”
“Well. I don’t want to say really. You don’t deserve this. I have a horrible feeling they’re going to stone you. I’ll be back soon, I promise I’ll try.”
Damcho hurried off, worried about the consequences of his actions. Almost as soon as he went, the female villagers came to get Lucy. Knowing her fate, she became immediately terrified, still refusing to scream; she didn’t want Philip to risk his life. Tears poured silently down her cheeks. They carried her through the village to the stage and as Damcho predicted, tied to the pole, before an audience. Where was Damcho? Whom was he talking with to try to save her?
Meanwhile, Philip was running as fast as he could. Where was she? He hoped she was okay. He didn’t know what he’d do without her; she was his soulmate, she completed him. He loved her with every fiber of his being. He hoped Lucy knew how truly special she was. He got to the village in double quick time, also finding it eerily deserted. Philip was suspicious; he knew the Monpa people were sociable. Where were the children playing, the woman chatting and cooking outside?
He looked frantically for Lucy. Too nervous to shout her name, he ran around searching for her. He spotted a wooden stage with a pole; looking on with horror, he saw Lucy being carried to it. Automatically, he took his tiger form. He saw the audience, but didn’t care. He only wanted so save Lucy. Powerfully pacing, he got to the stage just in time, as the rocks started pelting. He would willingly die for the woman he loved. Covering her with his body, rocks hit him from every angle. In agony, he stayed there until he passed out with pain. His final thought was of Lucy and her perfection, before everything went black.
Lucy for the first time screamed. “Philip! Philip I love you, save yourself!” She thought it was too late; she could see consciousness fading in his eyes and he slowly passed out. His form changed before her eyes, the rocks stopped coming and the villagers stood motionless. Was he dead?
Damcho ran onto the stage, waving his arms. Lucy couldn’t understand what he was saying; he was gesturing wildly and talking in Bhutanese. She began sobbing, crying in desperation for the love she’d lost. Philip was dead; he had to be. He was losing so much blood and she couldn’t even help him.
Suddenly, the villagers gasped and Damcho turned to Lucy. “Lucy, are you okay? Did any stones hit you?”
Lucy could only shake her head, crying too much to be able to speak.
“Lucy, I think this will be okay. Look at his hair and teeth.”
Lucy looked down at the man she loved. His auburn hair was now a darker shade of brown, his teeth less pointed and sharp. He was changing, becoming less tiger and more human. She was even more convinced now that he was dead.
“Lucy,” Damcho began, “I think the curse has broken. Philip tried to save you, without hurting anyone. He was willing to die to save your life. I told the villagers what I think happened. They don’t want to hurt an innocent, good man. Let me check his pulse.”
Damcho bent down as Lucy held her breath in hope.
“He’s alive, Lucy. He’s going to be okay. When he comes round, I’ll check his eyes. Now, let me untie you.”
Damcho untied Lucy, apologizing for his behavior earlier; he was truly sorry for being responsible for this, though secretly thrilled the curse appeared to be broken.
As soon as Lucy was free, she fell upon Philip, sobbing from a mixture of fright and relief. “I love you, I love you. Please wake up,” she pleaded, between sobs.
As if he heard her, Philip stirred slightly. He opened his eyes and Lucy was startled to see they were a dark shade of hazel, no longer emerald green. It was then she knew the curse was truly broken. They were both going to be free together, forever.
* * *
In the months that followed, Lucy and Philip grew closer than ever. The curse was truly broken and they were the happiest they had ever been. Lucy found it difficult at first to wake up to hazel eyes, rather than the bright green ones she fell in love with, but she soon adjusted. She had never felt so loved or wanted; she was truly content.
Lucy and Philip decided never to return to England, instead choosing to travel the world together until they felt at home. She called her family and told them of her plans. She told her mother she had fallen in love and her mother seemed genuinely thrilled for her; she was even planning to visit them in Thailand. Rob didn’t return her calls; he had met someone the day Lucy left. Lucy was happy for him too; her life was so perfect it was hard not to be happy.
For the first time, Philip felt truly free. Their futures planned and their love was true. Leaning forward, Philip kissed Lucy, her delight radiating as a sign of things to come.
The End