It was a sunny morning. Amanda was getting ready for work, just like she did every day. She put on her long black dress and trainers, grabbed her favourite cappuccino, and threw a book into her bag. She didn’t care much about makeup or hairstyles — her hair was always a bit messy, but it looked good on her.
Amanda was almost always friendly and polite. She was an English teacher. Every morning, she went to work. At exactly 6:30, she took the A10 bus and sat in the same place — the window seat behind the driver. It was quiet there and perfect for reading. She liked it a lot, especially since she loved crime stories with surprising twists. This morning seemed perfectly normal — until 6:30.
The bus arrived at the stop. Everyone got on board. Amanda, as usual, headed for her seat — but at the same time, a strange man did exactly the same. Why did he seem strange? He was very tall and skinny, wearing a clean white shirt, a dark green suit, a purple tie, and shiny white shoes. He looked like he was on his way to something important. Without looking around, he walked straight to Amanda’s usual seat.
Amanda quickly stepped forward and said, “Sorry, I usually sit there.”
But the man didn’t even look at her. He just said, “Okay. But now I’m sitting here.”
She replied, “You could let me sit. I mean… it’s just polite.”
“I don’t care,” he said. “I have an interview. I need peace and quiet.”
Amanda didn’t give up and said, “This place is cursed — and I’m a witch.”
He laughed and replied, “Well, you actually look the part. But where’s your broom?” Then he sat down. Amanda stared at him, furious. There were no other empty seats. She stood behind him, holding the rail, and sipped her coffee loudly. She wanted to read — Fred, the main character in her book, had just found a clue, and she was excited to see what would happen next.
After a moment, she put her coffee cup on the ticket machine near the front and opened her book. At that exact moment, the bus stopped abruptly. Amanda lost her balance for a second — and the coffee spilled — right onto the man’s clean white shirt.
Amanda froze. She seemed unable to say anything except, “Sorry, it wasn’t my fault,” but in fact, she shouted, “See? Hell slap it into you!”
The man jumped up, now furious. “Are you kidding me?! I have an important interview! I can’t go like this! I have to change my clothes! This was my only chance!”
While he shouted and ran around the bus, Amanda quietly sat down in her usual seat.
Then a voice came over the speakers: “Dear passengers, there has been an accident on National Road 90. We will be delayed for at least thirty minutes. Please stay on the bus until we can change the route.”
At these words, Amanda replied ironically, “I told you that seat was cursed.”
by Klaudia Morawska
