It all started on a cold summer night in Romania which was normal because of the rainy season. We had to take a taxi all the way to Zalau from a bus stop in Cluj, unfortunately the next bus was in several hours and we were all tired. I along with my mother and little sister got in the first taxi along with another woman who needed the ride. It was getting really late and my Romanian wasn’t that good nor did I feel like socializing so I put on my headsets and put one of my favorite songs on loop.
We passed many villages but the one that caught my eye was the one near the haunted forest. You may have heard of the great forest in Romania that ranks in the top ten most haunted places in the world. The name doesn’t come back to me now but unlike my other visits all the people seemed scared like something was coming. I brushed it off as the bad weather getting on their nerves and just decided to look into the forest. When I looked just behind the tree line there was a figure there.
The figure was very skinny and had a weirdly shaped head. It had something that looked like horns sticking out of their rounded face and they had glowing white eyes. This caught me off guard but I told myself that it was just the shadows and my imagination. Still it was odd to see a five foot demon like shadow that could move. It followed us until we passed the forest and when I looked back its head was upside down on its neck. I left the thought alone for the rest of the trip.
For a while the trip was silent and peaceful except for the rock and roll in my ears. The mountainous region was a pleasant sight and it was so soothing to see all the life that is completely untouched. Sure there was the occasional abandoned house that gave an eerie vibe but I think it just made the whole scenery a nicer image. This peace didn’t last of course, if it did I wouldn’t exactly be writing about it.
When we were on one of the mountain roads I looked to my left and saw something amazing. It was a lake of fog, in the valley of three mountains a big lake of fog. I was so fascinated until I noticed something, something moving in the mass of fog getting bigger. Then it realized it wasn’t getting bigger, it was getting closer. All of a sudden a giant serpent completely made of mist leaped from the lake and hit us. I don’t know how it did since it was supposedly made of gas but the lady and the driver in the front seat were smashed into a pile of blood and gore.
Thankfully in Romania you don’t necessarily need seatbelts for taxis so we got out of the car as fast as we could and ran into the trees to our right. We ran until we all stopped in a clearing, out of breath and out of ideas. In this clearing was a big tree, its silver trunk stretching far into the sky. As far as we knew there was no such tree in the area, I started to walk toward it but then I stopped dead in my tracks. There, lurking behind the tree, was the demon shaped figure I saw earlier. Its white eyes looked into mine and I fell unconscious, like blinking but never opening your eyes.
I think I was dreaming but I awoke to be in a… well I don’t know exactly. Everything was black and the only other being there was the demon. Then it spoke “Hello Adam” I was shocked that it spoke English or at least I heard English. In Romania not many people I know speak English. Its voice raspy and sort of a whisper. “H-how do you know my name?” I asked “I know the names of all who pass my forest, I see the memories of all who meet my gaze” it whispered. Then me, having the ability to be a smartass in any scenario said “Well you know that’s quite rude, you may want to consider asking first. Have you ever considered counseling?” to no one’s surprise it narrowed its eyes and said “You saw it did you not. The serpent” this… thing somehow made a question sound like a statement.
So I responded naturally with “You mean the big cloud thing that smashed the taxi and made soup out of those two people? I may have seen it.” It walked closer to where I could almost kiss it and it said “You are in a great danger-“before it could talk I said “No s**t Sherlock I had no idea, I thought I was quite safe”. It continued with “I am your only way of getting out alive. I only ask that you let me in, when that happens we will become one being. After we escape this place we will leave your family where they belong and you will come with me.” So I responded with a casual “Ok doctor who listen I don’t feel like becoming your TARDIS just so we can get out of here”. Suddenly behind me I saw an image of my mother and sister being slaughtered by the wyvern from the lake. It then whispered in my ear “This will become reality if you do not let me in. Join me Adam and I will show you things you could not imagine” my response was childish but my only way to deal with this. “Ok before you make this sound like a s*x tape what do I have to do” I responded “Let your anger fill you” it whispered. I thought of all the pain I felt thinking my family would be harmed because of some freak of nature. Suddenly I felt so much power pouring into me, but along with it a great loneliness.
When I opened my eyes I was facing the serpent on the road. My skin turned black and my fingers now talons. My head rounded with horns instead of my pointy ears. I was taller now, even though the demon was five foot tall I somehow ended up being almost eight feet. However all of this was just quick thinking, “Your family is safe” the demon said. With that comforting thought I almost forgot of the monster before me. I locked eyes with its gaping sockets where its eyes should be and as if summoned solely by my pain a ball of purple and black flame erupted in my right hand.
“You have the power, now use it” it whispered to me as if it were my proud teacher watching me finally get the hang of algebraic equations. I threw the ball of flame just like my friend from school showed me how to throw a baseball. The difference is this time I hit my target and the serpent backed off, the heat dissipating its form. “Now we go to different lands” it said in my mind. “Wait so you made me give up my life just so we could go sightseeing for the rest of eternity!?” I said to it “I was bound to the forests for so long, but no. We are going to find more like us” it responded “Lovely more friends who have a demon on their back” I said sarcastically. We took off as soon as my body sprouted wings, as we flew at MOC 5 out of Romania. I decided maybe it was best to leave my family. In the end I didn’t want too much to do with this human life but now maybe I can enjoy my existence and all I can do is hope they enjoy theirs.