Hello everybody. Bless you!
This is Odette. I got news for you. I am sure many of you already know what happened to us in the previous two months (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7), so I better get going.
Michael sleeps in a tent, on the first level of our building. Poor guy, I really feel bad for him. Indeed, he behaved pretty thick-skinned with Sophie and Artanis, but now he is really trying to make amends. He really wants to sleep on the floor and eat poorly, like he did in the homeless shelter. Sophie is still pretty cold on him, but it is understandable. I feel really bad for him. I never imagined Doina could be the source of all this madness. I thought she was too meek for such great things, more wicked than evil, if you know what I mean…
I kept thinking about my father, on the possibility that he has become one of the Candles and this caused a lot of torment since that night. That night I dreamed that I was him. You see, many people do not understand how a man like him, a descendant of the old, pre-communist middle class, managed to maintain such a good social position, a good job and having to keep the old family house, when most people like our family were, at best, deposed of possession, force into lower jobs or even imprisoned or worse. I remember talking to him about many things when I was a child, then a teen and even as a young adult but, whenever I brought up those issues, he either avoided talking or even cut it harshly. He often gave a sigh.
The night before Michael arrived at our house, I had a dream. In my dream, I was my father. It seems to have been in the early 1980’s. The first thing I remember was inside the Corbilor abbey, a large monastery in Dâmbovița county, built on a valley in the Carpathian mountains, near the Corbilor lake. The abbey was built in several stages by the princes of Wallachia in the XVth century, the principality that resided in the south of modern day Romania. The regime wanted to build a lake on the valley, not just for electricity, but to create a resort on its banks. The monastery was supposed to be covered by water or destroyed before water would engulf the valley. My father had a function of inspector of patrimony and he had to take care of the paperwork for eviction and demolition.
The dream started with me (my father) sitting in the inner court of the abbey, near the main church. There were several monks around me, looking at me, some in anger, some in deep sadness. I said: ”They shall come to evict you anytime now. I could do nothing more.” An old, but tall, monk, who seemed to be the abbot, replied harshly: ”You could, and you know it too well. The least you could do was not to be part of it.”
Armed soldiers came into the yard and brutally started pushing and kicking the monks. I looked at them with pity, but I did not help them. Explosions started to be heard on the outer walls, bringing a cloud of dust inside. The abbot shouted at all: ”All whom are responsible for this desecration of the holy monastery, I curse I lay upon them, that shall have no rest in the life to come, being removed from the the part of the saved, broken from the Church of Christ and from the fate of the saved, their fate be torment and anguish, and their part shall be in the hands of Satan!” I remember something collapsed inside me then, shaking me to the bone, and it felt like a chasm opening underneath my feet. I wanted to scream, as reality and myself seem to start breaking. I felt like a fall, but also like an explosion inside of me at the same time.
I woke up screaming and panting. Aurelian was startled, as I shook uncontrollably. Sophie came fast, holding Artanis in her arms, who cried like wanting to break down the windows. I jumped on my feet, as I came to my senses and, soon enough, outside the window, I saw the silhouette of a Candle, in the street.
I looked into their grey, shining eyes, and something pierced my soul. The dream came back, feeling it again, as real, from the creature’s eyes, which were kind of hypnotic, and a sorrow beyond any sorrow engulfed my heart, and I heard, without actually hearing, the creature whispering my name, like from a great distance: ”Odette… Odette…” As I looked into their eyes, the sorrow became greater and greater, like falling into an abyss. I started screaming, Aurelian broke eye contact by force, thrusting me into the bed. It felt liberating, but I kept on screaming and crying, my soul feeling overwhelmed. Sophie looked at the window and saw the creature leaving towards downtown.
Helena, eventually, came out from downstairs and asked: ”What happened?” Sophie replied: ”Mom had a nightmare, and one Candle was outside, she looked at it and broke down.” Michael was behind her. She turned to Michael, then to Aurelian: ”You gentlemen, please get downstairs and check everything is ok.” They complied and Helena took me in her arms. She whispered gently: ”It’s ok… What is going on?”
I subbed, as I whipped out my tears: ”My dad… I was my dad… I know why he became one of the Candles… He took part in the destruction of the abbey and the abbot cursed him… Then, it was him: the Candle that called me at the window just now… Such a deep suffering… Such a deep loss…”
Helena held me in her arms and gently caressed me, like Sophie was caressing Artanis. I looked into her corpse eyes and something calming me came from there, then she whispered like a mom to her scared child: ”It is alright. Be at peace.” A veil of peace and calm came over me. I did not take the pain, but it threw it somewhere behind.
When I woke up, I remembered my childhood dream of being able to shapeshift into a swan. Little did knew then that the Elves of old did this and they are called, in this hypothesis, the Swan Maidens. I remember how I wanted to learn ballet, my father took me to ballet lessons, precisely because I wanted to learn to fly by dance. He encouraged me. He even chosen my name, Odette.
Elves, if we die, we can either go to Heaven, sharing the fate of saved Humans. If not, we remain bound to this world, to Earth. We can not die fully, we still have the life of Earth into us, we only half-way die. Humans die fully and they go to either Heaven or Hell. This is common to all Elves, regardless if they are Caterpillar Elves or Full Elves, High Ranking Elves or Lower Elves, Elves who dwelled in Elvenland or in a forest in Europe or in the oceans, having a tail, like marine mammals. Sometimes, very rarely, some of those who are not saved their souls are not gathered to the place Elven souls are gathered , those with really bad deeds or strong, deserved curses, can end up being controlled by evil forces. In this case, a combination of sorcerers and demons. And it seems my own father is one of those doomed and enslaved.
As morning came, we had another council. Sidonia came as well. Father George would have been back soon, finally, we hoped for some guidance. The pulsating signal was felt by all us Elves, meaning me, Sophie, Michael, Sidonia: Also Helena, albeit it seemed different. It was not strong, but it was like a beam in the back of our minds. Like targeting us. Aurelian, who is Human, did not feel it at all. It seems that neither other Caterpillar Elves, who were not awaken, but people who felt like being somehow, affected, (Without Helena, we could not make a difference ourselves between a Human with Elven blood and a true Caterpillar Elf, of course.), were easy to find in public spaces. Not a majority, but a strong minority. You could see it on their faces.
Helena hoped we could hold on until father George arrived, a few days later. We accepted this and decided to stand our ground a bit. Helena wanted some peace for herself, being so tired, she left pretty early, to get to her house, for some time off and sleep, until tonight.
Me, Michael and Sidonia stayed outside, in the yard, listening to the signal, in silence. Something doomy was into it, like announcing something to come, not there yet. Also it had an alluring thing to it. It felt a bit tickling in the places where the device of Securitate pierced my skull 34 years ago.
”I think it drives its way into the subconscious of Caterpillar Elves, calling them. Perhaps there are also some other dimensions that we ourselves are not aware of, perhaps not even a Full Elf would. But I feel it working, somehow. I can not figure it out.” I said.
”Seems pretty familiar,” said Sidonia. ”Last night, as I went to bed, I felt it. I tried to fall asleep using some music. I succeeded but, in the middle of the night, I felt something menacing near my bed. I struggled to wake up, I managed to open my eyes, or so I thought, and I saw what I would call a wood carved skeleton, near my bed. I jumped on stop and, jumping, I woke up and I realized it was a dream. But the pulsating signal was still strong. It felt pretty bad, my mind felt like a clogged water pipe. I managed in the end to read the Paraklesis of the Mother of God and got some silence and sleep.”
”It comes from north-west, doesn„t it?” I said. ”Yes, it does.” replied Michael. ”And I think I know where it comes from…” I looked into his eyes and he was right. ”Someone needs to go there and see. Not right there, but close enough. During daylight, when they are not out.” They all looked at me. I went on: ”I think I shall go. Sophie should stay here, with Artanis. I would not dare ask any of you to join me. ” Both Michael and Sidonia wanted to come, but I firmly rejected their offer. Coming indoors, I told everyone about my plan. Aurelian wanted to come, but I refused him. He said that, at least, I should wait for Helena to return. I said I want to let Helena rest since her presence is necessary for the night time. Aurelian suggested calling Ferdinand on this. I did and Ferdinand agreed, but this would happen after 3 pm, since he was at work until then.
Ferdinand came with his van on the crossroad between Ștefan cel Mare highway and Barbu Văcărescu street. The shortest route towards Mogoșoaia was through Barbu Văcărescu and Băneasa.
”You know, your guns helped us not just once, but especially when my niece was attacked. Without them, she would have really been taken. Helena really likes them.” I said. ”When I tested them a few years ago, I even thought of Helena and her legendary massacres, back in the day. If she had one of those toys back then, I think she would have brought down the regime. Of course, I thought she was long dead then.” ”She even said that, if she was awake during the happenings of 1989, she would have helped us.”
”I am sure she would. You know, me and my sister used to talk about her, even the whole of her gang knew about Helena and took her as a model for the rebellion that brought her down. None of us could ever imagine her as a devoted Orthodox Christian. In a way, she is pretty much how I imagined her to be, even more than I did. But also pretty different, in other ways. And not just her, but all of you seem so… devoted.”
He gave me a weird look. ”Well, Sophie first started going more to church, we were quite chill into this. Neither atheists, but neither devoted, like most Romanians. I used to have a devoted period back in the early 1990ies, after all it happened in December 1989, but I got cold on it, slowly. I met Aurelian, eventually, he seemed quite a nice and serious guy. He was not into faith.” ”You, I really wonder how a guy like him managed to get a woman like you as a wife. I mean, back in the day, you were pretty wanted by so many guys, your beauty was legendary. Perhaps the Elven nature mattered in this?” He gave a wink. I thought to myself: ”Unexpected compliment, how nice!”. I said: ”You are really nice, you know…” and smiled.
”Well, in the 1990ies, I changed. I thought to myself I became mature. Now, since recent events, I see it as a more complex thing, I repressed much of what I was due to all I have been through, I think. Helena helped a lot in the latest year in healing me. She is really amazing, she brought up to the surface parts of me, parts of the real me that I buried and though long gone. There is a power in her, a fire that rekindles other people, so to say. Heals and rekindles. Even when I look at Sidonia. That girl was really repressed, bitter, angry with herself, in life, on people. Helena released her, it has even started before meeting her in person by reading the testimonies. She is now such a positive, life loving, heartwarming girl.”
“Aurelian seems kind of hindered around all of you.” ”He is, for sure. But he adapted, in many ways. He loves Artanis, for sure, even if he was really angry at first, when Sophie got pregnant. He feared Helena a lot, at first, and I can not blame him. But, in time, he became more comfortable with all of it. He even respects Helena, in his own way. I think the fact that he realized she is a true patriot helped. Yet, he is not too devoted now, pretty secular still. Never got him to confess his sins to a confessor. I admit, it was hard for me as well, at first. I relied on Helena herself, for guidance. Indeed, I got a lot of guidance but she is not a priest, to be a confessor. I regret it.” I took a break and looked outside. I started to feel kind of tickling at my temples.
”I think I have not told you what happened this spring.” I continued, as we crossed near the Aurel Vlaicu subway station, after Gara Herăstrău street.” I assume you read Michael„s testimony, don„t you?” ”I did.” ”You know, the name of Mr. Breeze is not new to me at all.” Ferdinand gave me another long gaze. ”Back in spring, when the process was still new for me, and I relied on Helena for guidance, I refused to go confess. Even more, I became involved in online Orthodox communities, some not very Orthodox. I was interested in demons and their works and became friends with certain people who focused on what they called fighting with demons. Helena gently warned me that I should focus on God, not on demons. They are real, they work in the world and we need to fight them, but not for the sake of it. I remember I got particularly friendly with a user who got the username of Mr. Breeze.”
Now Ferdinand gave me an even more weird look. I gave a sigh and went on:
—
I got pretty secluded from my family, even from Helena. Sophie needed me, I could feel her frustration towards me, and she had every right. I talked to Mr. Breeze for hours. I felt drained, but I could not stop, I was sucked in. Some other user warned me to stop talking to him, that he is not a real person, but a chatbot. That was a few nights away from the one he convinced to read the Exorcism Formulas of Saint Basil the Great and the ones of Saint John Chrysostom, that are supposed to be read only by priests or bishops.
I got them online, got them printed and, after Aurelian and Sophie were asleep, I read them out loud. I remember the night I did this, Artanis was not born yet. As I did this, a veil of coldness and fear came over me, I felt a menacing presence around me. Something inside me told me to stop, but I forced myself to continue. Lights started going on and off, I started to shake, but I did not stop. I remember how, when I reached the end, the lamp on the ceiling turned on and moved back and forward. A rumble started to be felt in the house, furniture and wooden elements started to move, like in an Earthquake. Yet, the ground did not move. Aurelian got up and shouted: ”Earthquake! Come with me!” I was petrified, I did not follow him. Sophie came out as well, she looked terrified.
Cold winds started blowing inside the house, like a small storm. My heart was pumping out of my chest. I started doing the cross sign and shouted: ”Lord have mercy!” I fell to the ground, Sophie got beside me, mostly praying. At one point she asked: ”What have you done, mom?” I managed to reply: ”I read the Exorcism Formulas of Saint Basil, because Mr. Breeze told me to…” Sophie got pale and said: ”Let’s get dressed and get to Helena„s house right now.”
Fortunately, we were able to do this and Helena lives pretty close. I remember that father George did not answer the phone that night, but he did in the morning. I remember I felt pinched from time to time on the road, cold breezes and unexplainable shadows came that night. Helena„s presence managed to keep calmer then I would have been, in those circumstances. Father George came that afternoon and held some unbinding services, including reading the Exorcism Formulas that I read on my own without being allowed to and the house itself became quite quiet. (I warn all who read this, do not provoke demons doing this, only priests and bishops can fight them using those tools.)
Myself experienced some nightmares, anxiety all over the place for a while, Aurelian thought of some psychiatric help, father George considered better that I reside in a nunnery for a while. And I did, for almost a month, miss Easter and the birth of Artanis. Sophie had to face Joimărița, the pre-Easter monster, on her own. Helena helped her, fortunately.
came back home after all, I think I learned my lesson. But the moment I heard Michael saying the name of Mr. Breeze, it was like a cold claw on my heart.
—
Ferdinand looked a little abashed, a little worried at me, then continued to drive. ”What can I say… I am a pretty down to Earth person myself, even if I am shapeshifter and from a family of shapeshifters. The spirit world exists, including demons, and it works, but.. I don„t know… I am not a Christian myself, as most of you seem to be. For sure this is not a coincidence and something really nasty is at work and, without help from dark spirits, Doina and the other woman could not have worked it all out.”
I gave a sigh, as the beacon itself became stronger. Ferdinand looked at me: ”Are you sure you want to do this?” ”I am. Somebody needs to see what is there.” We kept silent for most of the way. When we entered Mogoșoaia, I wanted to stop at the church built by Saint Constantin Brâncoveanu, at his palace in Mogoșoaia, before heading to the dread house. It was pretty clear already, the source of it was close by. The Doina„s house was kind of removed from other living spaces of the area, it also had pretty much empty land around it. We decided to park the van somewhere before the road to the house started and get into the fields.
The house had next to it the tower Michael talked about. It was finished by then. Not very tall, but it had some emitters on top of it, similar, yet different from the standard GSM antennas. It was clear, the tower was the source for the signal. My temples hurt, not unbearable, but pretty clear and I had a strong feeling I was not supposed to be here, that is a mortal danger. The pulse was rhythmic and, with each pulse, something of me trembled. The signal was not sound, but something in my mind heard it. It was not visible, but something in my mind saw it. There were like two flashes of light or sound that rotated it, like a type of double lighthouse light. I knew I had to avoid being struck by the beams, as they touched down, from time to time.
Although it was still daylight, the house looked dark in a way I do not know how to describe… The windows showed a dark interior, an unnatural dark, it seemed to me, something residing there, lurking. I could feel why Michael did not want to return home. He left in time. It was some sort of whisper, in the air, coming from the tower and the house, it was not clear by any means. Yet it called me, and imperatively, called the Elvinesh in me, and not just in me, but in any Elf close enough to ”hear” it. A dark will sought me and those who have the same nature as me. I stayed behind a bush, feeling the need to hide from it, although I didn’t know how much it was able to sense me. The area had some bushes, fortunately, allowing me to hide.
I started to feel confused, foggy intrusive thoughts, some hard to comprehend, as the pulsation on my temples increased gradually. I realized I had to start fighting those things to my mind and remembered that evil spirits can not read our minds, they can only send thoughts from outside. I listened to the fog that tried to get into my mind, it was akin to a group of voices that kept on speaking, but were behind a curtain, draining the sense of the words, fortunately. I felt a hand pushing me down. It was Ferdinand, whispering: ”Get down. Now! And be quiet.”
I complied. While we were both down, I heard footsteps of boots on the ground. I did my best to hide underneath the bush. We barely fit in, but it seemed to work. I could see passing by two men, in uniforms similar to that of supermarket security guards. They patrolled around, reaching pretty close to us.
There was a shaven headed one, with no facial hair, and a second one, with brown hair and a brown beard. The shaven one said: ”This was probably a stray cat. Nothing can be seen here.” The bearded one replied: ”Or some homeless man, at best. I do not think even those would stay in this place for long.” He looked at the tower: ”This is already pretty crappy. Each day spent here means the next one will be with headaches laying, mostly, in bed. When I joined I never thought I would have to endure this. ”
”You are a soldier, you comply. Through the end.” ”I know, man, but look at us. Look at yourself. You already seem sickly. You may think you are tougher than me, but you shall not resist too much yourself. ““No, I do not think I am tougher than you, but more mature and less whiny. You get into this, you go through the end.” ”I am telling you, I do not know how much I can stand it. The doctor creeps me out each time I meet her, like something inside of me wants to run for my life each time she is around, like she is a being lusting for my very own life. Like she wanted to hunt and eat me, somehow. And all the crap she pulled up since she came back from the US. I am not even sure this is truly authorized.”
”What do you mean?” ”Remember what she did last year, on that night before Christmas? How she chased the other freak through downtown, using the experimental equipment, just to get it wrecked in the Circus Park?” (That was news. It seems this woman was one of the ones who tormented Sophie, while she was pregnant with Artanis, last year, on that night that changed all of their lives, eventually.)”Yes, there was a lot of hassle, it was even the chance she would have been pushed back and even punished, but it did not. Even if that operation was, supposedly, authorized. I don’t even know, there are some things that are above our ranks decided and known. ““Remember those who were in the Ada Kaleh operation, how they ended up? We could end up even worse. Look at this tower, at this house. Dare to tell me you would step in that house willingly. ”
”Willingly, no, but ordered, I would.” ”This new stage, when they shall release the rest of the power of the transmitter, makes my heart sink inside. If things are already this bad, who knows what will happen after they turn them on? I may not resist and just run away.” ”If you do that, I shall stop you. Even shoot you, if necessary. And, if somehow, you manage to escape without me noticing, I shall report that you wanted to escape.” ”Ok, go ahead, if so. But I have a feeling you shall want to escape as well, when it happens.” Their chat was stopped by the coming of another guard/soldier. He said: ”The doctor is here, the operation starts at sunset, as planned. She wants to talk to you, while she inspects the area.” Indeed, soon enough, a woman with magenta hair, in a black suit and white shirt came forwards. I recognized this was Dr. Irene Sanderson, described by Michael. So this is how the mastermind or one of the masterminds of the abomination that happened to Sophie, Artanis and Helena last year looked like.
A clear anxiety came over me, like in mortal danger of this woman. An instinctual reaction that most people, being mere humans, have. Even my outer Human shell that covers my true, deep, Elven nature, felt it. But this was not an unfamiliar sensation, not at all. Actually, it felt pretty similar to something daily. I turned to Ferdinand and whispered: ”I think you realized it too, isn’t it?” ”Yes.” ”Like Helena, this woman is a Vampire.” Sanderson came to the two guards/soldiers and spoke with a slimy voice: “All clear, so far?” ”Yes, ma’am, nothing out of the ordinary, as it seems. ” ”Ok then. Get ready, we shall first turn on the inner tweezers, then the rest. At sunset, this needs to be operational.”
She came close to our bush for a few seconds, like smelling something. I almost held my breath, and prayed. I knew Vampires can sense Elves. I prayed to the Mother of God to cover us. And, indeed, Sanderson left and went towards the house and the tower. The soldiers continued patrolling. ”Ferdinand, I think we need to leave, and fast.” ”Look around, there are many soldiers around. The risk of being spotted is high.” ”I want to take my chances. I feel this will be really, really bad.” He tried to hold me, but I started walking, keeping my head down, from bush to bush. He followed me, until it happened.
I think this is what they meant by the ”tweezers”. A mental noise that, perhaps, was also audible, started suddenly. In a few seconds, something changed all around me, like it became less from the world and more from another plane. And this made me feel dizzy and nauseated. A strange sensation of detachment came over me, of queerness. And a pretty strong one. My temples kept pulsating now. Ferdinand did his best to stop me from exposing myself, when we saw those two soldiers from earlier running away, towards the outer road.
The shaven head shouted towards the bearded one: ”Stop it right now or I’ll shoot. I mean it and you know it.” ”Man, I prefer to risk death then stay one more minute in here. It is clear it will ruin me when it gets fully operational, in a few minutes.” The shaven one shoots a warning shot in the air. The other one got his gun as well and fired into the shaven one, hitting him in the shoulder. The response was a bullet to the abdomen. Things got serious, other soldiers from around started coming. Others started shooting, we tried to escape, keeping our heads down, as they started shooting each other. Several bullets almost hit us.
I started running towards the van, Ferdinand followed. We managed to get to it and Ferdinand started driving out. My mind was in havoc by now, we needed to be as distant as possible to the place. Soon enough, coming out of the bunch of trees; i felt it. It turned out.
I was like a roar, the moment it came out I got a small shock. I shook uncontrollably, placing my hand on my temples, crying. The pain in the temples was next to huge already and I could ”hear” legions of merciless ”voices”. It headed towards the sky, the clouds, also some tentacles seemed to have come out. Remember, I could not see this directly, only felt them. For a few seconds, I looked outside the window, but not behind and I could see some tentacle in the air, made of the same thing as the signal, but stronger, darker than night, coming for us.
Fortunately, Ferdinand pushed the van fast enough to be safely out. When we were out of Mogoșoaia, I dared to look behind and noticed those tentacles moving from the direction of the tower, but I could not see the tower directly, against the already night sky. It was like a beast, an unnatural creature, that defied the laws of creation. And it had an insatiable greed, through the sky. It wanted Elves, Elven blood. Elven souls. I whispered to Ferdinand: ”Mr Breeze is in there!”
I looked at the Humans on the road, near us, they seemed little to no affected to what was going on, they felt it only a little, if at all. Reaching home, I realized this signal was now strong, announcing something that felt apocalyptic. It was like darkening the night sky, even when there were no physical clouds. Of course, it did not darken it in a way so that Humans could see it, at least not consciously. As I said previously, this was both physical and non physical. A menace that tried to talk to us.
Sophie, Sidonia, Michael and Helena came to talk. ”You feel all of you, isn”t it?” I said. Even Helena. But I think she feels it differently and it is not targeted at her, at her kind, but ours. Irene Sanderson is a Vampire, yet.” Helena flinched and looked at me. ”She was one of those people who did that thing to you and Sophie last year.” She looked at me, but said nothing. ”This is something against our kin, our Elven kin.”
Sophie replied: ”It is. We need to fight it. It is not just for me, for you, for all those present in this room, but for all our kin, for all our people. We can not let it happen. There may not be any Full Elves, our days may be gone, our Elvenland may be gone, but we are here, even in this meek form. We are true Elves, like the ones of old, even if we have not unlocked yet what we carry in us, our natural state. And it is only natural to love your own people, regardless of what kin there are, and your own identity. We need to fight.”
Helena replied: ”I suggest we wait for father George. A lot can be settled on them. Until then, we stick to our positions, pray and post our testimonies online.”
I end this post with a much grimmer heart than the last one. But we shall not give. We shall do our best to keep you updated.
Take care of you and stay safe
Odette
Update: Part 9