Hello again, Ruxandra broadcasting.
In case you have not caught up with the first part of my story, you can find in in here https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/vzxear/helena_of_obor_part_1/
You know, we, investigation journalists, need something that, lets say, strikes gold. I know that all this incident that took place in Colentina with the woman in black is being covered up. All of us were given clear orders not proceed with it. Somebody in power, either in the government or police, at least. I do not know who it is, but is definitely somebody in power. The corruption during the police department comes along very well with Romani mafia, but also with powerful companies, that use corruption to take control over the institutions. Mainstream media is being bought, I know myself I need to lie on camera so much. But this is something from beyond. I feel a call to see it, to know it, this series of posts is my only way to say to the world what I have discovered and what is next for me, to discover, hopefully. I am playing with fire, I admit, but this is my chance. A chance for what? I do not know yet. But this is my chance. And yes, I have stroke gold.
I have returned to the corner of Colentina during several days. I have seen the crime scene. Pretty clean, some blood spots. No security camera there. So I did know I knew works, I started knocking at the peoples gates. As expected, most of them refused to talk. Fear was taking over the neighbourhood. I have tried to ask the kids, the little punks. One thing I have managed to find out: There is a very old lady, about 98 years old, named Martha, who lives in one small house, that the refuses to leave. Her son is already old himself, she has one great-grand-son. They sparsely visit her, yet I thought my presence would find her open. After several knocks on the door, no answer. I was wondering if she was afraid. So, I have knocked one last time and just said: ”Please… I am reporter. I need to know the truth. I shall not involve you, I am not send by the broadcasting, I am on my own. Please… I know that you know. People like you are now old and forgotten, you have so many things, so many treasure in them. Allow to come and share with me from them. Whatever you want.” After a minute of silence, I backed away. Then, I heard the gate creep open. I tuned around and so a very short old lady, dressed in clothes that were fashionable about seventy years ago. But it was fine.
”Hello, darling. May I help you?” ””You sure can.” ”Come in.”
She gave me some delightful linden tea, with lemon and honey. We sat in here small garden and waited. She looked very much like my own grandmother who has past away years ago. Right now, even if she did not told me anything of the woman in black, if she just talked about here childhood, youth, I would be happy. People like her are parts of a world that I know from books, movies, even my family. She shall soon die, the house will be bought by someone who will bring it down and make a villa or a small apartment block. But at least some small pieces I shall get now. There were many things, many delightful, but I shall leave them out now, and reproduce only what I consider relevant for the issue at hand.
”I know what you are interested in. People those days do not know about this. Even my children laugh of them. Younger people not just that they did not believe them, but they have not even heard them, most of them. I lived something, when I was a child, that I could not comprehend then, and I can not comprehend now. You see, back then people did not had neither the TV or the internet, cinema was just beginning, radio as well. So fairs, besides their commercial value, were a great source of entertainment, they were like permanent carnivals. Indeed, there was the circus, something in between between the dirty fair and the elevated theater. Obor, the great marketplace of Obor, the bazaar of Obor, that is in close proximity with us now, just after the cemetery and the Colentina highway, was filled with carnival attractions. You can not imagine, even if you so pictures of it. The place was alive, so alive…” I guess she meant magical, but people like her do not use the word in that meaning.
”Besides carousels and freak show, a different type of show appeared one day. It firstly appeared at the circus, but they were removed from there. They lasted at the fair of Obor for several years indeed. It was the first time ventriloquism was in Romania, as far as I know. We have had a human-sized ventriloquist doll called Helena the Clown. She was dressed in all black, like the 1900 style, elegant. The Puppeteer was a middle ages man, he came from England, from what I am aware of. At first, Helena the Clown was presented at a private circus, where rich people, aristocratic people came. People were amazed of how life-like this doll was, how skilled she seem to have been. The Puppeteer was praised.
Then, she started interacting with children in the public. She started calling them names, scolding them for one transgression or the other. I do not know how much was real or not, if the Puppeteer was pushing the kids to speak up their misdeeds. At some point, a limit was crossed when, on the stage, she starting doing her silent performance (an amazing one, for sure), and then started to scold the primary school boy of some politician. She started to tell him he was a brat, that he deserves to be punished for what he does to poor kids at school who have no chance to ever have a start in life like him, that his father deserves not just to go to prison, but much more then that. Outrage came into the circus arena and Helena was out. I was there, but I can not remember the details, I was afraid I shall be the next victim of Helena so I stayed quiet. That was the last time Helena performed in the circus.
But soon after the Puppeteer and his wooden clown appeared on the fair of Obor. Their presence lasted much more. At first, Helena was far more quite, she danced and more, although she still did what kick her out of the circus, interrogation of the people in the public, mostly kids. People were afraid of all this, but lower class citizens were far more attracted to all this then the high class. Unlike the circus, where Helena was moving, in here she sit on a wooded chair, like a headmistress of a boarding school or like a judge. Elegant and imposing. I do not know how many of the things she seem to know were real, and how many were mere guessing that made people themselves give much more information.
There was another thing she did, but not very much. Sometimes, she played with invisible objects. Sometimes just playing, sometimes dancing in a strange, but graceful way. People guessed the object, at times she waved it close to somebody, sometimes even touching them with the invisible object. There were some people who said they actually felt being touched. Or, if it was waved, the air moving close to them. But this was rare, indeed.
During the day or the times when the show was not performed, Helena seemed to rest on some sort of coffin with glass cover, standing, like the giant doll that she was. She was not easy to access in this state, probably due to fear that she might be stolen or damaged. The shack was covered with some sort of tent, I remember. I can not tell for sure now, there is so much time since then.
The next stage of all this was when people started whispering that they so Helena alone, walking in the night, with blades on her belt and purse. On the streets near Obor, but more and outside Obor and Colentina. She was seen especially towards the west, into Herastrau (Herastrau is the largest park in Bucharest, like a small forest.) where a circus resided back then. But not just there, she was seen even around the North Train Station (in Romanian, Gara de Nord, the largest train station in Bucharest and the entire Romania), some say even beyond, to the Dambovita. (Dambovita is the largest river that crosses Bucharest, the second one is Colentina.) Some so her on the opposite place, into Pantelimon, towards the exit to Cernica (a famours monastery near Bucharest). Yet, she was never seen, in Dristor, close the Inn of the Wolf (Hanul Lupului in Romanian, a famous haunted inn in Bucharest.) She went into downtown, close the University and Unirii areas.
At first, there were only the sightings. Then, the rest. Crooks, robbers, pimps, but sometimes just random people, it seems, were found killed or mutilated. The entire city was filled with this new fear, with legend of this strigoaica. Some told kids that Helena will come for them if they misbehave. Some other said it is a bunch of nonsense urban legend and that Helena is just a ventriloquist wooden puppet that can only be seen performing at Obor.”
At this point, Martha stopped for a bit. I already knew who the women the black was suppose to be. I do know if this is an impersonator of that old urban legend or what. I could not understand who she was, what she was. This needs to be some psychopath impersonator of the old, forgotten urban legend from the times between World War I and World War II. But why? Who can actually be that strong to brake bones? Some wrestler in drag? And why?
”You know, one evening, I ended up alone in the fair. Got lost. My father was separated from me in the crowd. As a child, I started to panic and move away back and forth. Soon, I found myself near the shack where Helena was kept. My hands went cold, but a voice in my head pushed me in. I know I was not suppose to do that, but I have entered. Like a small burglar. And then, I so her. In her box. Or, more to say, coffin. She was standing still, like a statue. A wooden statue with long, braided hair, and an elegance old fashion dress. She looked lifeless, so I came closer. The hands and head seemed to be made of polished wood. Some weird clown makeup was present over the wooded or wood-like face that stared in a point, rigidly. Then I realized, she looked very much like a dead person. Like a corpse. My body went really cold when this realization came to my mind. Suddenly, her right hand moved gently. I turned my back and ran. And ran into the fair. After that panic, in circles, in a few minutes, I ended up on a dark alley and there she was.
Helena was standing there. I froze. She started moving toward me, stiffly. Her eyes, how shall I describe them… blank yet alive and piercing… She looked like a dead witch coming for me. I managed to turn around and run, but I heard there fast and rigid footsteps behind. In no time, she got me by should with one hand, and covered my mouth with the other, in order to stop me to scream. Her arms were like wood, but also so strong, like they could crush me in a moment. I have turned around and so those fierce eyes, like knives. ”You have been naughty.” she said. ”You need to be punished.” Her un-human voice was hissing, similar to a snake voice. When she opened her mouth to speak, I have managed to see that her canine teeth did not look like human teeth. They were long and sharp. I started crying and fell on my knees. I have tried to talk through her gloved hand: ”I know. I know be a good girl, I promise. ” She let my mouth free. ”Please, I promise. I shall change, I shall do my best”. After a period that I do not know how long was it, minutes, seconds, I do not know, I was sobbing, she came to my level and said like sharp knife: ”If you will be bad. I shall came for you. You know that, right?” I nodded. She released me and I ran away.”
Martha remained silent and looked at the sky, between the branches of the tree outside her home. A gentle summer breeze burst through the leafs. We both kept silent. Then I heard the ghost train of Lizeanu. It came and went. Gently. I so nothing, just heard it coming beside me. It passed. I was not afraid. I could never be the same after it. Martha was chill. Nothing disturbed her. She gave a gentle smile.
We started talking soon, but I feel already tired and I think I shall end this post now. I promise, I have so much more to tell you, but I feel I need to stop now. Ruxandra, out.