The Petersen Curse: The Documentary

Brendan was starting to regret his decision to quit his day job and follow his dream of becoming a filmmaker. Working as an accountant may have been dull and monotonous, but it had also brought in a very healthy and steady income. It had been that which had allowed him to build up a significant amount of savings to pursue his dream career. That nest egg, however, was in severe danger of running out if he didn't manage to create content that would bring him a hit soon. He didn't hold out much hope that this latest lead was going to change his luck, but he was running out of ideas by now and didn't have anything better.

Brendan's angle for all of the documentaries on his channel was an exploration of the supernatural - ghosts, magic, curses and the like. The paranormal had always fascinated him and his theory was that, if he were able to film proof that any of that spooky stuff actually existed, he would have a truly groundbreaking and compelling documentary on his hands. The major problem was, it didn't seem like it did.

So far, every lead he had followed had taken him directly into a dead end. Every "haunted" house had turned out to just be a regular house with a slightly eerie vibe or tragic history. Each person claiming to possess supernatural abilities was either an obvious charlatan or lunatic when Brendan met them. The viewing figures for his online content had been predictably pitiful as a result, and chasing his dream was costing him way more than the mere pennies he was making.

So now he had moved onto curses, and this latest one at least sounded interesting on paper. Sexy even. A hexed family line of beautiful women, each able to be claimed and controlled by one lucky master, with near limitless possibilities of what they could then be made to do. He was sure this was going to be another dead end, but it might at least be an intriguing one.

Brendan's research had tracked the most direct descendants of the original curse victim to North Carolina, a state that conveniently bordered his native Virginia. He had decided the ideal subject for his movie would be Holly Petersen, the oldest daughter of the youngest generation of that family line. Unbeknown to her, he had been on her trail for a few days now, collecting footage of her going about her every day life.

Holly was the perfect fit for his show - ordinary, relatable and easy on the eye. She went to work, went home, went to the shops, maybe went out with friends for drinks or to watch a movie. There was nothing about her that screamed curse victim, which was a good thing. She was also single, which would make what was planned for her a lot less complicated.

The main part of the film had already been mostly assembled, consisting of footage of Holly interspersed with a history of the curse that mixed the information Brendan had been able to find with a few dramatic flourishes he had come up with himself to fill in the gaps. The finale was going to be him approaching Holly and trying to claim her on camera. Of course, that is where he felt certain the whole thing would fall apart. At this point he wasn't above offering her cash to pretend to be mind controlled a little by him.

As the star of the show left her home that morning on her way to work, Brendan sprang into action, following her with his camera rolling.

"Excuse me, Holly!" Brendan called out as he approached her.

Holly turned her head and, on seeing a stranger inexplicably filming her, did what most people in her situation would have done and quickened her pace. Brendan did the same, and was soon walking along side her.

"Holly Petersen, I know about your curse!" he told her.

This got a very different reaction to what he had expected. He thought she would either laugh in his face or dismiss him as a crazy person, but instead she looked legitimately terrified before running as fast as she could from him. That only spurred the Director on.

"Holly Petersen, I claim you!" he yelled after her "Holly, stop!"

All of a sudden, Holly froze in place, as if unable to move. Brendan now walked calmly after her. She still looked petrified. It was starting to feel like there might be something in this curse, or maybe she just believed there was. He had to test it out to be sure, using a classic method he had read about online.

"Holly, I want your hair to turn blonde for me"

Incredibly, the dark brunette was now a blonde. It didn't look like her hair had been dyed either, but seemed completely natural. For the first time in his life, Brendan had witnessed the impossible. And it was all on camera. The curse was real and soon, thanks to him, the whole world was going to know about it.