Little Black Book

Thud! Crack! The turf flew like grenade shrapnel underneath the horse hooves as they bounded down the track. Emma’s heart was beating so loudly she didn’t hear the roar of the crowd as the horses stampeded towards the finish line. Lighting Blaze’s nostrils flared, and fire burnt in its eyes as it flew down the track with determination inching its way up the side. Closer and closer to the front. Emma held her breath as Lightning Blaze lurched forward to win the race!

Earlier that week she had received an unexpected phone call that had turned her life upside down.

“Hello, Emma Daly at Thomson Publishing House, how may I help you?” “Miss Daly, my name is Claude Van Der Hill, I was your Great Aunt Winifred’s solicitor and am sorry to inform you of her sad passing. I have her last will and she has bequeathed you her savings and some sentimental belongings.”

Confused Emma stuttered “I don’t have a Great Aunt Winifred; I think you have the wrong person.”

“No Miss Daly, your Aunt was a recluse and did not get along with her family. But was very specific that your mother was the only niece she felt warmly towards and you are her only daughter.”

In shock, she listened as he described her existence and recent passing explaining she left $20, 000 to her. Emma was a sensible girl and had always worked hard and been frugal with her money. Like anyone would expect of her she put the money in her savings, but the box of mysterious items was very curious indeed. It had trophies from competitions she had never heard of, an antique spoon collection, a university secret society letter, an old jewellery box, and a little black book.

Inside the book, she found future names, dates, times, and places of horse races with the “winning” horse pick. At first, she thought that her Great Aunt had been an eccentric old lady that had lost her mind and was obsessed with gambling. Finally, curiosity got the better of her and she decided to check the first race.

"Emma, why are you listening to the radio in the middle of work?” Asked her friend Demi. “Shhhh, it’s about to start. There is something strange about this book, and maybe, just maybe…” The race began and Angel Eyes was at the back of the pack. She rolled her eyes and opened the lid of the bin ready to toss the book.

“Angel Eyes is making a move. Angel Eyes is now in fourth place and still picking up speed. Angel Eyes is neck and neck with Old Fashion for the lead. ANGEL EYES FOR THE WIN!!!”

Emma dropped the book then dove forward to fish it out of the bin. The horse had won! Was this real?

“No,” she told herself. “Don’t be ridiculous, it MUST be a coincidence.”

She busied herself trying to concentrate on her work again with Demi watching her with bemusement.

But that night as she prepared for a meeting with a potential new writer and her chance to prove she was ready to be a Senior Editor at her Company; she couldn’t shake one nagging thought.

“What if it wasn’t a coincidence?”

She had always been the type of person that worked hard to achieve her goals and had NEVER just been given anything. Was this her chance?

She fought with herself all night until she decided she would go to the track early the next morning, place one bet on the next horse in the little black book, then after watching the race promptly go to work for her big day. She was sure the horse wouldn’t win, and she would go on with her ordinary life just as before.

Emma’s palms sweated as she sat in an empty row of seats at the horse tracks the next day. Ticket gripped tightly in her hand. She nervously tapped the ground with her foot.

Thud! Crack! The turf flew like grenade shrapnel underneath the horse hooves as they bounded down the track. Emma’s heart was beating so loudly she didn’t hear the roar of the crowd as the horses stampeded towards the finish line. Lighting Blaze’s nostrils flared, and fire burnt in its eyes as it flew down the track with determination inching its way up the side. Closer and closer to the front. Emma held her breath as Lightning Blaze lurched forward to win the race!

“It works,” she thought to herself breathlessly. “The little black book ACTUALLY works!”

She couldn’t believe it! She kept going back for a ticket after ticket and each time she won! Her desire for more increased as she flicked through the little black book incessantly and watch race after race like dominoes falling into place.

That night when she got home she was shaking with excitement from her winnings and sat consumed reading and re-reading the book. She didn’t notice the flashing light on her machine. It was her friend Demi asking where she had been and why she had blown her meeting and chance for a promotion.

The next day she bounded out of bed and almost trampled her boyfriend Henry as she flew out the door of her apartment.

“Emma, where are you going? I thought we had breakfast plans?”

“Oh, something at work has come up. It’s an Emergency! I have to run. I’m so sorry!”

“Ok…are we still on for our date tonight though?”

“Oh, yeah of course,” Emma mumbled absentmindedly as she stumbled off in pursuit of her second day of winning, leaving a puzzled Henry in the dust.

Just like the day before she was on a roll, winning every race with her little black book tucked tightly in her coat. The day became a blur of people congratulating, well-wishing, fawning over her, and asking for her secret. She became intoxicated with winning and couldn’t draw herself away until the tracks were empty and all that was left were tickets littered on the ground like sad snowflakes discarded after a storm.

She was just about to leave when a limousine pulled up at her feet. The door swung open.

“Emma, I have been watching you. Let me introduce myself, I am Fredrick Ferrari, I own these tracks. You have had an exceptional day of winning. You must join us for the winner’s circle party tonight to celebrate your excellent fortune. Hop in!”

Emma hesitated; she was meant to meet Henry.

Mr. Ferrari leaned forward and in a low voice said, “This is a party of decadence like you will have never seen before. Just come for a little bit, then my driver can take you wherever you need to go.”

Her dissolve crumbled and she slid into the limousine next to him.

“I will just stay for one drink and then leave to meet Henry.” She told herself naively.

Seduced by the glitter and glamour of every luxury money could buy she drank French champagne, ate the rarest of delicacies, and had people fawn over her with their fake adorations she was completely enthralled. Feeling like royalty she became lost in the luxury of the party. Whilst Henry sat waiting… for hours. As the restaurant closed he sadly pushed the engagement ring deep back into his pocket and walked home as a storm raged above him and the rain washed over him licking at his wounds.

Emma had become addicted to the little black book and its contents. Day after day she kept going to the tracks and winning and living a fake reality. She couldn’t stop, she was hooked on the thrill of each race and the money and attention her fake friends gave her every time she won. She NEEDED the little black book and she NEEDED to win! Every night she poured over her winnings becoming more and more obsessed with her heart filling with unquenchable greed. Meanwhile, Demi was desperately trying to contact her sending emails, messages, and calling constantly to no avail.

Beep! It was her voicemail again!

“Emma, it’s Demi! I don’t know what's going on. I guess it's got something to do with your long-lost relative's death, but I can only cover for so long. The boss is sniffing around asking when your compassionate leave finishes. He knows something is up. He has already fired two people this week! If you want to keep your job you need to come in!”

Emma deleted the message and placed the next bet.

Henry had also been trying to get onto Emma desperately. He went so far as to follow her one day as she had been avoiding him for a week and silenced his communication. He had slept outside her door under the stairs and followed her to the tracks.

He confronted her after watching her buy a ticket and clutch at her little black book.

“Emma is this what you have been doing? I don’t understand. Do you have a gambling problem?”

“What are you doing here?” Emma unleashed in a panic whirling around to see if there was anyone else with him.

“I was worried about you and I was right to be, what is going on?”

“Nothing that concerns you,” she said in an icy tone her eyes expressionless and hardened.

“This is not you Emma, what has happened?”

“Or maybe this is who I was always meant to be,” she countered with a smirk. “A richer, happier me!”

Turning on her heels she entered the VIP boxes glancing back to watch security stop Henry, as he shouted helplessly into the wind pleading with her.

As the very last resort, Henry turned up at the tracks one afternoon distraught and dishevelled. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days!

“Emma,” he pleaded “This is not you. You are throwing your life away in the pursuit of greed. Leave the little black book and we can be happy together like we planned.”

“I can’t. I NEED it!” She said.

“I went to your Aunt’s home; she had become obsessed like you about this little black book and it is what drove her to her death!”

“What?” Emma stumbled backward. “You're lying!” She cried in disbelief.

“You want proof. Here are the photos of her study!”

He thrust his phone into her face and scrolled through image after image of a woman obsessed and like a detective's web, there was a trail of how her life had crumbled from the moment she found the book. It destroyed everything until it destroyed her! Finally, snapping out of her money fixed dazed Emma looked at the shell of the man she loved and finally realized that this book was destroying her life too, not making it better. Hands trembling, she handed it to him.

“We will destroy it!” He said with determination.

She nodded slowly then whimpered, “Can I just have one last look?”

He agreed hesitantly and as she opened the book it transformed before her eyes. There were plans to help her get her job promotion and ways to propose to Henry to bring back her happiness.

An inscription appeared on the front page from her Aunt “This book holds the key to the greatest treasure or the greatest curse, the choice is yours. Don’t make the wrong choice as I did.”