Curse of Immortality
By: Set3

Author's note at end of story to avoid spoilers.

John Elwood, a man of ninety-three years of age, was laying in a hospital bed surrounded by his children and grand children. He was there because of an infection that got out of control, causing him to collapse. He refused any treatment except that to keep him comfortable. It was his time. Looking back on his life, he smiled at his family that surrounded his bed. He did his best to make sure they all got the best start to become the best they could be. Even outliving his wife hadn't put a damper on the family bond.

"...I'm.. Sooo.. Proud of you... All!" he managed to whisper with a smile, he was so tired. It took all he had to tell them. Much to his pride, there wasn't a dry eye in the room, including his own. He continued, "Never.. stop being the best... I know you all can be."

His son and daughter, on either side of his bed squeezed each of his hands in theirs.

"I know there will be times.. when it will be hard to do that,.. especially after I finally leave this world, but," he took a shaky breath, "But take it from an old man like me.. Who's seen so many wonderful things... and lots of bad things.. It's never too late to be the best you can be," he smiled, closing his eyes a moment and taking another breath, "I think that old army jingle was on to something!" he said with a laugh. His family gave a light-hearted chuckle in return, but, the worry in their eyes remained. "Just because I won't be here for much longer.. doesn't mean I won't be watchin' to make sure you keep your promise to me!" Everyone nodded, some verbally promising to be the best they can, some breaking into fresh sobs. "I mean it!" he continued, "I don't want any of you slacking just because I won't be here to set you back on track again. Just know that my love for you all will still be there when you need it." He laid back in his bed, he was so tired now. "I love you all!" he whispered as he finally started to nod off to sleep.

The men of the family took turns giving John's hands a squeeze before leaving, the girls and women alternated between giving him a hug to giving him a kiss on the forehead. Each, in turn, hug one another before leaving John alone. His daughter turned out the light before leaving.

It was some time later when John woke again to see his youngest grandchild, Jenifer (sixteen years old), sitting beside his bed looking nervous. He blinked the sleep from his eyes away a few times before speaking, "Jenny, what brings you here today?" he smiled at her, the sun from the window beaming through lit up he hair like a halo, "What time is it?" he asked.

She fidgeted in her seat, "It's about noon, Grampa," she said as she ran her thumb over a piece of paper in her hand, nervously glancing between it and John.

"You shouldn't be skipping school, young lady," he admonished her, but, the smile on his lips allayed the seriousness behind the words, "What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

She visibly swallowed, "I'm on a lunch break and thought I'd see you, Grampa," she moved the paper to her other hand so she could grasp his with her now vacant one. She blinked as a tear fell down her cheek and swallowed the lump in her throat, "I... I wanted to see you one last time before..." she paused, trying to think of what to say, couldn't, so she started again, "I'm not doing so good in school right now, Grampa. I've been getting picked on a lot. Since my best friend moved away last year, its all been going downhill, since. It's been getting so bad that I..." she bit her lip as she forced back a sob, "I don't want to break my promise to you, Grampa," she said with tears in her eyes, "And I don't want mom and dad to get sad, especially not if you go away," she wiped the tears from her eyes and rubbed her nose on her sleeve, she was so upset that she was periodically vibrating with grief.

"Oh Jenny, my star," he reached with his other hand to hold her hand in both of his, the act was exhausting but worth it, "Never give up! it only seems bad right now and nothing will get better, but the bad times will only last as long as you stay in them."

This time Jenifer couldn't hold back her sob, "I'm sorry Grampa, I'm not as strong as you, that's why I'm gonna..." she looked at the paper again. Swallowing another lump in her throat, "I'm gonna switch us so you can be the best I can be," she started reading the words on the paper to herself before speaking the words out loud.

In that moment, clarity of the situation sparked through John's mind as he made a grab for the paper, "NO!" he shouted. But, he was too weak and slow, Jenifer pulled the paper away from his reach.

"I'm sorry Grampa, I've made up my mind," she continued to hold onto his hand as she read the magic words again to make sure she will get everything right.

John shook his head, "No, I don't want to do this again, not again. You can't give up your live, not for me. You're star's so small still, don't let an old man like me take that from you! I don't want it, it's yours to live!" he pleaded. His voice was hoarse and what energy he had was already beginning to leave him. Still, he pleaded with his eyes, "Not again, please!" he begged.

Jenifer let another sob out, "I'm sorry, Grampa. My star is yours now." and she began to read the words on the paper out loud.

John desperately tried to reach for the call button in a last ditch effort to stop his grand daughter, but, with his exhaustion setting in and having lost place of the damn thing, he couldn't find it. He gasped as he was too late now as his grand daughter spoke the final words on the paper.

"Not again," he said weakly as a tear ran down his cheek. He didn't want it, would never wish for it, but it happened again. His curse was as eternal as his immortality. He tried to fight the magic as it pulled him away from his body. His vision seemed to obscure and twist as it changed from his view of his grand daughter, to one of himself. He turned to the paper in hopes of redoing the spell, but, the magic had already aged the paper to dust in his younger hands. He quickly searched the pockets on the teenage clothing he was now wearing and her bag in hopes of finding a copy of the spell. He even looked through her phone for recent searches for the spell, but found nothing. He turned to his grand daughter who was silently weeping, but, had a smile on her now aged face, "Now," she started with his raspy voice in a whisper, "Now you can be the best Jenifer you can be."

John sat back down in the chair, tears running down his young face in defeat, "What have you done?" he asked in her young, light voice, "I've lived too long to take over another life again. I can't have another's life added to my conscience again."

Jenifer looked at him confused. He wasn't sure if it was from what he said or if she was just so tired that she could only hear every other word now. John sighed as he pulled the chair closer with his smaller body, grimacing as he felt parts of her body move, from her long hair to "other" things. and began his story once again. "I wasn't born as your Grampa, little star," he started, "I was born well over five-hundred years ago, now," he looked out the window reminiscing briefly, "It first started when I saved the life of a sorcerer. He was so thankful for my help that before placing this curse on me, he told me that a kind soul like me needs to stay in this world," he waved his hand briefly in mock dismissal, "I didn't think magic was real at the time and moved on with my life. I since then moved on, had a family, grew old. Well, back then, it was old for the time," he said with a chuckle that came out a giggle. He paused, placing a hand over his mouth, self-consciously. He continued, "Then one day, I saw a child was in the way of a man riding a horse. I pushed the child out of the way and I was ran over by the horse instead. The last thing I saw before, what I thought was, passing on, was seeing the child hit her head on a rock. When I woke up, I was then that child," he breathed a sigh as he rubbed his grand daughter's old wrinkled hand, "It was quite a shock, being a girl, even more so back then. And it would continue from there. I would grow up, live my life as best I can, and before I pass on, I'm in a new body and life."

"Why have you never told any of us?" Jenifer asked.

John shrugged, "The few times I've tried, no one believed me. One of those times, I ended up in a sanatory. I switched with another when they lobotomized me," he turned away, trying not to relive the experience. He squeezed Jenifer's hand for support before turning back to her. "Something always happens before the end of my life, from bumping into some one, to a magic item, sometimes I simply wake up as someone new," he bit his feminine lip, "To someone finding a magic spell somewhere," he said with a shaky voice. He took another breath, "I've been ready to go for a long time, but, that sorcerer's curse won't let me." He blinked more tears back, "I left so many loved ones behind," his voice broke at the end. Tears were flowing freely down his young face, "Some, like you, I'll never be able to see again." He shut his eyes tight as he snorted the snot leaking from his nose. He felt Jenifer squeeze his hand, he looked up to see her smiling, her eyes barely open.

"That guy was right about one thing," she said slowly, "Growing up with you as my Grampa just proves the world needs more people like you," she told him with all the conviction in the world as her eyes finally closed.

And then she was gone.

John wailed with grief, he never cried so hard. He cried as he remembered babysitting her when his children, being newly-minted parents, needed a break. He changed her diapers when she was little and was even fortunate enough to be there to hear her first word, "star". That was when she became his little star. He remembered watching her first play in kindergarten. It was a version of "Three blind Mice" where the blind mice took the old lady to court for cutting their tails off. He was so proud of her. And it broke his heart that only now, he found out that she was being bullied in school. And that was what lead her to giving up and forcing her life on him.

He barely notice the doctors and nurses coming in, and made an effort of restarting the old man's heart. After a time, they finally called time of death. Twelve thirty-eight PM.

John was devastated and when Jenifer's mom was called in to take him home. To Jenifer's home. With numbed emotion, John climbed the stairs to Jenifer's room, he closed the door before collapsing on the bed and cried again into the night. Jenifer's mom called the school to let him have some time at home to process the loss of his grandfather. For three days, John alternated between eating, sleeping, and relieving himself. It wasn't until the fourth day that, with reluctance, he had a shower to clean himself. On exiting the shower, he wiped the mirror clean and was startled to see Jenifer looking back at him. The still wet hair framed her sad face, eyes red from crying for days. It felt like she was staring at him, not accusingly, but, mournfully. She had given him her life because she felt she couldn't be the best she could. And, so far, he was wasting it.

He had to do something to make sure her effort wasn't in waste. He couldn't waste it. He condemned the curse for causing this, he swore hell on the sorcerer who started this, but, he refused to let Jenifer's effort go to waste. He closed his eyes as he brought the towel on his face to wipe the water droplets away while he took a deep breath. When he pulled the towel away, he let out the cleansing breath.

She then opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. It was up to her now to be the best Jenifer she could be for Jenifer. And the first major thing on her list was to learn about the things Jenifer kept to herself so she can be the best Jenifer she could be. The next thing after that, was to take care of those bullies that kept Jenifer from being her best self. The new Jenifer will look for names of the bullies and make sure that the bullies stopped being bullies so they can be the best person they can be. She lived for too long to bring herself down to their level.

The End.

Author's note: I really didn't like how I wrote the ending. It feels like I made the main character sound vendictive, like he was going to make the bullies "pay" with their lives or seek some other form of vengeance like putting the bullies into the same position they put his grand daughter in. What the main character will do is the best he can to live her life that she could at her best. To do otherwise would sully her memory.