The Crimson Lattice

20250913

Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

Gable didn’t realise it was happening at first. He didn’t even know how long it’d been going on. He’d always been a raucous, outdoorsy kid, so cuts and scrapes were a normal part of his life. The scars didn’t hurt, didn’t look any different to a fading injury.
But they didn’t fade. They just collected. One day he was towelling off after a shower and realised how many he had. Little red lines all across his body.
Weird. And once he was looking at them he found himself freaking out. He went and asked his parents if this was yet another puberty thing; they said it might be, they’d ask the doctor, in the meantime keep an eye on it.
So he did. And now he was paying attention, he swiftly realised a new scar appeared every time he went to sleep. Another little red line on a seemingly random part of his body.
It didn’t matter what he wore to bed, or what bedding he used, or what detergent they washed things in. The scars weren’t affected by how often he showered, or the products he used, or what he ate.
They just… happened.
The doctor sent him to the dermatologist. The dermatologist sent him to the endocrinologist. The endocrinologist sent him for a sleep study.
As Gable prepared to settle in on the unfamiliar bed, painfully self-conscious about the fact he was going to be watched all night by total strangers, one of the somnologists approached him and pointed to his arm, which by now was wrapped in a lattice of curving red lines.
He’d worn long sleeves all summer, and was terrified about going back to school. The standard uniform would hide most of the scars, but the moment he had to do PE… People were going to notice. They were going to ask, or worse still assume things. He didn’t know what to do. He needed answers.
“I have that too.” The stranger told him. “I’m afraid nobody here can help.”
“You - what is it??” Gable instinctively grabbed at their sleeve, his eyes pleading. “How do I get rid of it?”
They hesitated, then gently said “It’s a curse. A blood-curse. Someone… I’m afraid one of your family did this to you.”
Gable blinked. Dropped their arm and stepped back. “That’s not-”
“Only blood relations can unleash this curse.” Their tone was sorrowful but adamant. “Mine was done by my mother.”
They rolled up one sleeve to reveal the skin of their arm entirely covered with the red lattice, dying them crimson. Now that Gable inspected their face closely, he realised what he’d taken for a healthy rosy glow was actually scars covered by a thick layer of makeup.
He’d noticed the scars were starting to appear on his neck, and hoped they wouldn’t go any higher.
“Mine was done by my mother. When she cast me out. And only the curser can break this curse, so… I’m stuck like this. Until the horrible woman finally dies.”
“My mum would never-”
“I’m not saying she did. But it was someone tied to you by blood.” They gently squeezed his elbow in wordless, helpless comfort. “I’m sorry. I can recommend a cursologist…”
Gable took the scribbled number. And then did the sleep study, it being he was here and maybe it’d turn out the stranger was incorrect and he just needed more iron or less iron or something. Something normal, which didn’t involve the people closest to him casting curses.
Naturally his parents were horrified and dismissed the concept. But as test after test found nothing, and several doctors recommended looking for a cursologist, they caved.
School was right around the corner. Gable kept having nightmares about being forced to get undressed in front of his classmates.
As if things weren’t bad enough, his big sister Sadie dropped by to visit. There was over a decade between them, they had nothing in common, and something about the way she looked at him always reminded Gable that he’d been unplanned.
Not unloved, his parents always firmly said. But Gable didn’t feel that way when Sadie was around.
Wait.
It was a crazy thought. Ludicrous. But so was the thought of anyone else in his family cursing him.
Had Sadie…?
No.
But while Gable usually wouldn’t confess any personal stuff to Sadie, particularly issues, he decided to tell her about the curse and see how she reacted.
“What??” She gawped, then covered her mouth with one hand and cringed. “Oh god. Oh god. Did they say what kind of curse??”
“Um, a blood curse? Apparently someone related to me-”
“Shit shit shit I am so sorry!!!”
Sadie had never willingly hugged him before. He was utterly baffled to suddenly find her squeezing him tight and gabbling apologies down his ear.
“I was fourteen and stupid and I didn’t think it would work I read about it on a random chatroom for fucks sake! Oh god, this is terrible, I - I’ll figure out who to call and we’ll sort it out, there has to be a way to…”
“I, um…” Gable tactfully extracted himself from the hug, his head spinning. “They said the person who laid the curse can lift it, so if it was you…”
Sadie was bright red and close to tears. “I bet it was. I… I was at a sleepover, and you were colicky, and I’d read that stupid chat thread so me and my friends followed the instructions for a laugh. And, I mean, it looked like nonsense and nothing seemed to happen, so…”
Did that mean he’d spent his whole life cursed? That was… hard to wrap his head around.
“I am the worst big sister ever!!”
“Well… yeah.” Gable managed a smile and tentatively hugged her. “But fix it, and let me use your car for lessons, and we’re even.”
Sadie screwed her face up. Guilt struggling with habit. Then she mumbled “Fair. Just don’t let Mum and Dad skin me.”

Prompt was “Each morning, a boy discovers a new scar on his body. They don’t hurt, and he can’t recall how they got there - until one day, a stranger points to one and says, ‘I have that too.’”