{"id":3293,"date":"2017-05-28T20:59:16","date_gmt":"2017-05-28T10:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/69.30.214.42\/blog\/?p=3293"},"modified":"2026-03-04T14:04:05","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T04:04:05","slug":"felicitys-curse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/felicitys-curse\/","title":{"rendered":"A Heartstopper Horror: Felicity&#8217;s Curse by Robin Helene Vogel"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"product-component-1738337862494\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/*<![CDATA[*\/ (function () { var scriptURL = 'https:\/\/sdks.shopifycdn.com\/buy-button\/latest\/buy-button-storefront.min.js'; if (window.ShopifyBuy) { if (window.ShopifyBuy.UI) { ShopifyBuyInit(); } else { loadScript(); } } else { loadScript(); } function loadScript() { var script = document.createElement('script'); script.async = true; script.src = scriptURL; (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(script); 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wp-image-226297 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-1-brad-simpson-continue-the-series-2026-version2.jpg?resize=300%2C106&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A Heartstopper Horror: Brad Simpson and the Ghostly Field continue the series 2026 version 2\" width=\"300\" height=\"106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-1-brad-simpson-continue-the-series-2026-version2.jpg?resize=300%2C106&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-1-brad-simpson-continue-the-series-2026-version2.jpg?resize=200%2C71&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-1-brad-simpson-continue-the-series-2026-version2.jpg?w=310&amp;ssl=1 310w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.writers-exchange.com\/felicitys-curse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-226288 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-2-felicitys-curse-continue-the-series.jpg?resize=300%2C106&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A Heartstopper Horror: Felicity's Curse continue the series 2026\" width=\"300\" height=\"106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-2-felicitys-curse-continue-the-series.jpg?resize=300%2C106&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-2-felicitys-curse-continue-the-series.jpg?resize=200%2C71&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-2-felicitys-curse-continue-the-series.jpg?w=310&amp;ssl=1 310w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/a-heartstopper-horror-series-collection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-226300 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-3-series-collection-continue-the-series-copy.jpg?resize=300%2C106&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A Heartstopper Horror Series Collection Continue the Series\" width=\"300\" height=\"106\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-3-series-collection-continue-the-series-copy.jpg?resize=300%2C106&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-3-series-collection-continue-the-series-copy.jpg?resize=200%2C71&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/a-heartstopper-horror-3-series-collection-continue-the-series-copy.jpg?w=310&amp;ssl=1 310w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1670\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/blue-line.gif?resize=300%2C8&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"8\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\">Chapter 1<\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Loch Ness Monster!&#8221; Daddy chuckled.\u00a0 &#8220;Big, green, mean, lives in the ocean and feeds off people faster than you can say &#8216;jaws&#8217;!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Bigfoot!&#8221; Mom said.\u00a0 &#8220;Tall, dark, not at all handsome, very hairy.\u00a0 Every mother&#8217;s nightmare&#8211;leaves huge, muddy footprints wherever he goes!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Dracula!&#8221; Frankie exclaimed.\u00a0 In a thick, terrible accent, he said, &#8220;He vants to suck your blood and prefers A positive to any other flavor!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Casper the Friendly Ghost,&#8221; Tracy said weakly.\u00a0 &#8220;Doesn&#8217;t scare anyone&#8211; just wants to be everyone&#8217;s friend.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Tracy bit her lip.\u00a0 Talk about wimpy&#8211;she always came out last in these long-trip games, way too slow on the uptake.\u00a0 The subject had been &#8216;terrifying creatures&#8217;.\u00a0 Casper?\u00a0 Why not Wolfman or Frankenstein?\u00a0\u00a0 There were so many better choices; why did she pick Casper?\u00a0 &#8220;Frankenstein!&#8221; she shouted triumphantly.\u00a0 &#8220;Your <u>real<\/u> name, brother!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Too late!&#8221; Frankie sang.\u00a0 &#8220;No second chances!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Tracy glared at him.\u00a0 Her twin brother had been born three and a half minutes ahead of her and insisted the whopping 210 seconds not only made him her &#8220;big&#8221; brother, but superior in every way.<\/p>\n<p>Like their mother, they both had deep-set green eyes and black hair.\u00a0 Tracy wore hers long and straight, parted on the side.\u00a0 Frankie kept his clipped crewcut-short with a tail in the back.\u00a0 Both of them had long, skinny bodies and deep dimples in their chins, also inherited from Mom&#8217;s side of the family.\u00a0 Somehow, it all looked a lot better on him than it did on her, Tracy mused, and that made her so mad!\u00a0 Back on Long Island, all her girlfriends (including her best friend, who was intelligent enough to know better), were starting to talk about how cute he was.\u00a0 They kept asking her to set up group dates with him.\u00a0 Tracy couldn&#8217;t see what the big deal was.\u00a0 To her, he was just a trouble making &#8220;older&#8221; brother whose only purpose in life was to drive her crazy!<\/p>\n<p>Now he was smirking at her, his sarcasm button cranked up high.\u00a0 He put on a lisping little girl&#8217;s voice and said, &#8220;Oh, wow, sis, Casper sure strikes terror in my heart!\u00a0 Talk about a horrifying legendary creature. I&#8217;m trembling in my Nikes!&#8221;\u00a0 In his normal, obnoxious 12-year-old tone, he added, &#8220;I think this calls for one of my famous rhymes, don&#8217;t you?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Oh, no,&#8221; Dad groaned.<\/p>\n<p>Mom said warningly, &#8220;Frankie, don&#8217;t!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Ignoring them, Frankie chanted, &#8220;Tracy, Tracy Considine, if you&#8217;ve a brain, give us a sign, five foot seven, eyes of green, a sister to make fun of today&#8211;and every day in-between!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Tracy made a fist and gave her brother&#8217;s arm a swift punch.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Owwwww!&#8221; he cried, an exaggerated yell.\u00a0 He grabbed his arm, rubbed it, rolled his mischievous green eyes, then kicked Tracy&#8217;s shin.<\/p>\n<p>Muffin, their four-year-old black poodle, let out a sharp warning bark and pressed her nose into Tracy&#8217;s hand, begging for love, not war amongst her people.\u00a0 She hated when the two of them fought.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Will you two please cut it out?&#8221; Mom asked wearily.\u00a0 &#8220;This has been going on non-stop ever since we left Long Island.\u00a0 You&#8217;ll both be 13 in three days.\u00a0 How about showing some signs of maturity?\u00a0 You&#8217;re not kids anymore!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Frankie stuck his tongue out at Tracy and she returned the favor, sticking hers out further, wiggling it at him for several seconds.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Oooh, I knew it&#8211;yours is forked!&#8221; Frankie said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Oh, that&#8217;s much better,&#8221; Mom said sarcastically.\u00a0 &#8220;The height of sophistication.\u00a0 Settle down, kids, please.\u00a0 We&#8217;ll be at Grandma&#8217;s&#8211;our&#8211;house in less than half an hour.\u00a0 Then you can snipe at each other in a brand new home!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mom rubbed her right arm as if it was bothering her.\u00a0 Tracy noticed a black and blue bruise an inch or so above her vaccination mark and gently touched it with her fingertip.\u00a0 Mom flinched.\u00a0 Her eyes narrowed angrily and she pushed her hand away.\u00a0 &#8220;Don&#8217;t, Tracy, that hurts!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Sorry, Mom,&#8221; Tracy said.\u00a0 The bruise didn&#8217;t look that bad.\u00a0 Mom&#8217;s reaction seemed extreme.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll be there in five minutes!&#8221; Dad announced.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Hooray!&#8221; Tracy cried.\u00a0 That was great news.\u00a0 As roomy as the new van was, Tracy couldn&#8217;t wait until they reached their destination.\u00a0 Mom&#8217;s mother had died five months ago and left them her huge house in a remote Massachusetts town called Leams.\u00a0\u00a0 Tracy had visited there often over summer and other vacations, and she loved the country atmosphere.\u00a0 It always gave her a delightful sense of peace to go to Leams&#8211;and now they were going to be living here all year round!\u00a0 It didn&#8217;t get any better than this!<\/p>\n<p>Being cooped up with her brother in such close quarters for so many hours was rough, however.\u00a0 He kept winning Travel Scrabble, coming up with words Tracy had never heard of.\u00a0 She couldn&#8217;t challenge because they had no dictionary.\u00a0 He made such a big deal after each win, banging his chest and kissing his hands, Tracy wanted to toss him out a window.\u00a0 He made fake anagrams of her name on the Scrabble game board, turning Tracy into Arcty, Carty or Craty, just to irritate her.<\/p>\n<p>He constantly called her inflammatory names like Fart Bomb or Dopey, and reveled in playing dumb tricks on her.\u00a0 On one of their rest stops, he asked Tracy if she was thirsty.\u00a0 Surprised by his rare show of concern, she nodded.\u00a0 He handed her a can of soda from the cooler resting on the seat between them.\u00a0 Since thoughtfulness was rarely a part of Frankie&#8217;s and her relationship, Tracy should have been suspicious, but she always held out hope that, from one moment to the next, he&#8217;d turn into a human being.\u00a0 When Tracy peeled open the pull-tab, however, she was showered with sticky soda&#8211;he&#8217;d shaken it up thoroughly.<\/p>\n<p>Frankie also loved to leap out at her and scream &#8220;Boo!&#8221; in the loudest, screamiest voice possible.\u00a0 Tracy nearly always fell for it and cried out in fear.\u00a0 He did that to her on two other rest stops, leaping from behind the van or around a corner.\u00a0 At every opportunity, he teased her about her weak bladder and how the family was always forced to make extra stops so Tracy could go to the bathroom.\u00a0 Tracy complained to their parents about all of it, but, tired of playing referees, they&#8217;d long ago ordered them to work out their sibling disagreements themselves.\u00a0 &#8220;And Frankie,&#8221; said Dad severely, &#8220;you&#8217;ve overdone it this trip.\u00a0 Teasing is one thing, but being cruel is not acceptable&#8211;stop it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Did you hear that this whole town is supposed to be haunted?&#8221; Frankie asked, winking at Tracy.\u00a0 &#8220;Every house has its own ghost, vampire and witch in residence, in some cases two or three of each?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Frankie&#8230;&#8221; Mom said warningly.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Really, Mom,&#8221; Frankie continued. &#8220;I heard this story a bunch of times from the old-timers who hang out around Mr. McGhee&#8217;s hardware store in town.\u00a0 I think Tracy looks like a witch, don&#8217;t you?\u00a0 Maybe we can talk them into adopting her!\u00a0 She&#8217;d look great in a pointy hat, don&#8217;t you think?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yeah, right,&#8221; Tracy retorted.\u00a0 &#8220;Maybe if I give them all the allowance I&#8217;ve saved, they&#8217;d adopt you.\u00a0 You&#8217;d fit right in, casting nasty spells on everyone!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You&#8217;d be the first I&#8217;d turn into a toad, I promise!&#8221; Frankie said.\u00a0 &#8220;Oops, too late!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Tracy was about to elbow him in the side when Daddy pulled the van into the maple tree-lined driveway of their mother&#8217;s childhood home.\u00a0 He drove slowly up the narrow dirt road and parked in front of the giant cream-colored colonial that Mom had lived in until she got married.\u00a0 Mom and Dad had been grammar and high school sweethearts, had gotten married right after high school and lived in one wing of this house until the twins turned three.\u00a0 When Daddy was offered a terrific job on Long Island, they packed up and moved, but Mom always vowed they&#8217;d go back to Leams to live someday, and here they were!<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Yuck, Boondocks City,&#8221; Frankie said, frowning.\u00a0 When he learned of the impending move, he insisted he would only come along because he couldn&#8217;t afford his own apartment on Long Island.\u00a0 &#8220;I bet the nearest game room is in the state capital!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Not that far,&#8221; Mom said.\u00a0 Her light green eyes glowed.\u00a0 She and Daddy both looked really happy.\u00a0 They&#8217;d been complaining for a long time that Long Island was too crowded and confining.\u00a0 Mom especially missed her old friends, seemingly all of whom had stayed in Leams, married local guys and were raising their children.<\/p>\n<p>The old house was going to need a lot of work to make it comfortable. Daddy had transferred to a branch office of his Long Island company only a few miles from Leams (with a huge raise), so after Grandma&#8217;s will was settled, the family agreed to make the move to the six-bedroom home&#8211;as long as everyone agreed Tracy would have a room on the opposite side of the house from Frankie.\u00a0 &#8220;I can&#8217;t believe we&#8217;re here!&#8221; Mom said excitedly.\u00a0 &#8220;We&#8217;re home!\u00a0 Isn&#8217;t it beautiful?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It <em>was<\/em> a lovely place, country-serene.\u00a0 The huge colonial house was surrounded by multi-colored flowerbeds on all four sides.\u00a0 Beyond was the panorama of the woods, towering oaks, willows and maples leaning against a cloudless, azure summer sky.<\/p>\n<p>Muffin leapt out the instant Tracy shoved the door open.\u00a0 The poodle ran, barking wildly, towards the back of the house.\u00a0 Frankie and Tracy, afraid she&#8217;d get lost, chased after her, alternately calling &#8220;Muffin!&#8221; in sing-song voices.<\/p>\n<p>When they caught up with their dog in the back yard, she was sniffing around the remains of a campfire, whimpering.\u00a0 Tracy noticed something mixed in with the ashes and kneeled down to check it out more closely.\u00a0 She covered her mouth with her hand and gasped, her heart galloping in her chest.\u00a0 &#8220;Frankie!&#8221; she gasped. &#8220;Look!\u00a0 It&#8217;s bones&#8230;a pile of bones!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3DHSmXI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-226295 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/felicitys-curse-print-cover-800-2026.jpg?resize=800%2C623&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A Heartstopper Horror: Felicity's Curse print cover 2026\" width=\"800\" height=\"623\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/felicitys-curse-print-cover-800-2026.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/felicitys-curse-print-cover-800-2026.jpg?resize=300%2C234&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/felicitys-curse-print-cover-800-2026.jpg?resize=200%2C156&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/felicitys-curse-print-cover-800-2026.jpg?resize=768%2C598&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; Continue the series: Chapter 1 &nbsp; &#8220;The Loch Ness Monster!&#8221; Daddy chuckled.\u00a0 &#8220;Big, green, mean, lives in the ocean and feeds off people faster than you can say &#8216;jaws&#8217;!&#8221; &#8220;Bigfoot!&#8221; Mom said.\u00a0 &#8220;Tall, dark, not at all handsome, very hairy.\u00a0 Every mother&#8217;s nightmare&#8211;leaves huge, muddy footprints wherever he goes!&#8221; &#8220;Dracula!&#8221; Frankie exclaimed.\u00a0 In a thick, terrible accent, he said, &#8220;He vants to suck your blood and prefers A positive to any other flavor!&#8221; &#8220;Casper the Friendly Ghost,&#8221; Tracy&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":226282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208],"tags":[862,859,861,81,858,868,56,717,713,711,714,106,710,121,52,123,334,936,716,129,712,663,561,646,937,120,126,417,14,258],"class_list":["post-3293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-young-adult","tag-bookaddict","tag-bookrecommendations","tag-booksbooksbooks","tag-kindle","tag-readingcommunity","tag-readinglists","tag-amazon","tag-bibliophile","tag-bookblogger","tag-bookgram","tag-booklover","tag-books","tag-bookstagram","tag-bookworm","tag-ebook","tag-greatreads","tag-horror","tag-horrornovels","tag-ilovebooks","tag-indiepub","tag-instabooks","tag-reading","tag-robinhelenevogel","tag-robinvogel","tag-teenhorror","tag-weeauthors","tag-whattoread","tag-writersexchangeepublishing","tag-ya","tag-youngadult"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/writers-exchange.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/felicitys-curse-3d-cover-2026-500high.png?fit=359%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1tQiy-R7","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3293","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3293"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":226334,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3293\/revisions\/226334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/226282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/writers-exchange.com\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}