“Ill-wishing is a curse on the woman who does it, as well as the one who receives it. When you put such words out in the world, they can overshoot—like an arrow—that’s what my great-aunt Jehanne told me. A curse can go beyond your target and harm another. A wise woman curses very sparingly. I would hope that you never curse at all.” Even as I speak I feel the shadow of the future on her. “I pray that you never have cause to curse,” I say.
