A Fairy Tale From A Demon

A Fairy Tale From A Demon

by omegax45

 

 

                        Good day to you.  Or good evening, if it is nighttime.  I won't keep you long if you are in a hurry, for I just wanted to tell you a tale.  A fairy tale, if you want to see it that way.  Who am I, you asked?  Well, you already know that I am a demon by the look on your faces, but I am not here to cause mischief or harm.  Not yet, anyway.  I just want to tell you a story, one that happened a long time ago. 

                        You will not find it in that weird device you are holding... a smart phone, right?  To be honest, I do not see why you humans need those things to communicate when you are next to each other.  Aw, well.  I am a really old demon and stuck to the old ways.  Now, where was I?  Oh, yes.  The story.  Let's begin.

                        Once upon a time, there was a village in a small forest on an island off the coast of a country.  The people living there were those that ran from their own countries and their tyrant kings, wanting to worship their own religion without fear or prejudice.  The men grew the crops and built housings while the women tended to the children.  It was a simple life, where one made what they owned, not like today where you can buy something from a store.  You have such luxuries today, but back then, you had to earn your keep.

                        One day, a young woman came to the village.  She was a nun-in-training, seeking the priest there for his blessing.  She passed a young man and fell head over heels in love with him.  He was a good man, the only son of the mayor.  He was kind to all, and helped his fellow villagers when called upon.  She couldn't have found a greater man for a husband.  However, as one to be a nun, she was not allowed to take a husband or have children.  That was her greatest sorrow.  But that sorrow soon changed... to hate.

                        Another young woman appeared in the village shortly after her.  She was the daughter of a doctor, and had an extensive knowledge of healing.  To many, that would've been a grave sin.  Only men were suppose to have such knowledge.  The villagers turned a blind eye, for they were in need of such talents.  The young man was smitten with her, and she with him.  The two fell in love with each other, their smiles brightening the village even on its darkest days.  The nun-in-training never felt such a jealousy nor a hatred inside of her before.  She knew that if nothing was done, she would lose the man forever.  Her status as a nun be damned, she hatched a plan to get rid of the competition for good.

                        She came before the man one day, the young woman out in the forest.  She claimed the young woman to be a witch and had seen her making potions to ensure that he loved her.  She claimed that his love for her was a spell placed upon him.  The young man would've laughed at such notions, had this happened today, but alas, it was during a time that everything was believable.  He had watched her afar, making the pastes and medicines needed to aid the ill and thought them to be potions to bring harm to all.  Heartbroken, he confronted her and cut off her hair while the nun in training spread the word to all in the village.  The immense hatred of the village was a delicious sight for one such as myself, and you would laugh today at such idiocy had a woman's life not been in danger.

                        The young woman was tied to a cross and pelted with rocks by the villagers, demanding her to repent and confess her sins.  Not that it would help, for she would've been killed either way.  The worst of it all for her, was that the one she loved looked at her not with hatred or a desire to kill her.  No, he looked at her with disappointment and despair, the worst he could do to her.  When she did not confess to being a witch, the townspeople burned her.  The nun-in-training was delighted by the woman's death, and went to her beloved.  She found him carving a name in a tree, feeling guilty and ashamed for some reason.  The nun-in-training told him that it was just the spell and it would wear off soon,  confessing her feelings to him and helping him to forget the young woman.

                        Now, here is where I come in, boys and girls.  I was in purgatory at the time, the realm where souls go to wait their judgment, and will wait many eons before so.  That woman was there, all curled up in a corner and in agony from her burns.  I asked her if she wanted to make a deal:  she goes to hell, and I kill the one responsible for her death.  She refused my offer, wanting no more death or hatred.  You wonder why I offered such a deal, and the reason being is that I am an avenging demon.  I give people vengeance in exchange for their immortal souls.  I was about to walk away when my master called me.  It seemed that the angels were interested in the woman, but she could not go on to heaven so long as her killer ran loose.  They wanted the nun-in-training to be sent to Hell for her sins of fraud and abandoning her post.  In exchange, they got the woman.  It mattered not to me how that arrangement came about, just that I got to do something with my time.

                        I appeared in the mortal world in a church.  The nun-in-training was marrying the man, and everyone was up in arms against me. 

                        "Leave this holy place," the priest demanded, the Bible and holy water in hand, "You will not harm any of us for that witch!"

                        "Relax priest," I told him, "I don't want you.  I want the bride that abandoned her post as a nun."

                        "What,"  just about everyone said.  It made me giddy that they were so stupid.

                        "Is that true," the groom demanded in shock.

                        "It's a lie," the bride shouted in fright, "Don't believe this demon!  He came here to avenge his mistress, the witch!"

                        "You are such fools,"  I laughed, "There is no such thing as a witch.  Lucifer would sooner gut his own heart out than accept deals with humans.  You lot are the reason he resides in Hell, your very existence stealing away the love of God from him and the other angels."

                        "No such thing?  I saw her making potions!  She was a witch!"

                        "She was also the daughter of a doctor, so how are you certain that those 'potions' are really potions and not medicine?  Did you try them yourself?  Used others to try them?  See their results?  You didn't, did you?  You just assumed and destroyed them so no one else could try and find out the truth.

                        "Besides, I got permission from God to be here for your soul.  If I did not have His permission, would I be standing here in His house?"

                        Many of the villages were looking confused, some agreeing with me.  Churches are sacred grounds, and demons cannot enter without being destroyed by their purity.  Even now, I can feel the ground beneath my feet burn a little.  The angels needed to better their protection spells.

                        "But why would God send a demon here to fulfill His wishes," the priest asked, "Why not his loyal angels?"

                        "Angels can't enter Hell, just as demons can't enter Heaven.  That girl is going to Hell for her sins, and the angels are not too keen on waiting for her to die first.  Whatever the reason is none of my concern.  I'm here on a mission, and I will complete it."

                        "No," the bride was panicking now, "It's lying!  LYING!! WE HAVE TO KILL IT NOW BEFORE IT SENDS US ALL TO HELL!!!"

                        "That letter..."

                        Everyone turned to the groom.  His eyes had a faraway look and it seemed that he remembered something very important.  That was the moment that sealed the little nun-in-training's fate.

                        "The other day," he turned to his bride, "a letter came to our home.  It had a red seal upon it in the shape of a cross.  You took the letter from me urgently and burned it.  When I asked why, you said that it was a spell from another witch trying to steal me away.  But... when do witches use the seal of the church in their spells?  How can one obtain such a seal?"

                        "They can't," the priest answered before the bride could, "The seals are one-of-a-kind, and there's only one church I know of that has such a seal.  It is the Holy Church of Carolina."

                        "You're wrong," the bride yelled, turning to everyone, "It's not the right seal!  It was a spell!  I'm sure of it!  What are you staring at?!  Kill the demon now!!  Burn it!!  Stone it!!"

                        No one moved to do so, and she kept screaming at them like they were her slaves.  From what I know, humans don't like that.  Even her groom was looking at her with disappointment in his eyes, but also another emotion:  regret.  That wasn't surprising.  He helped in killing his true love over a lie and almost made another horrendous mistake. I shall not lie to you boys and girls, but did enjoyed the way the humans were looking at each other, trying to shift the blame to one another.  Facts were facts, for they killed an innocent woman and they were all responsible.  I find humans to be fascinating creatures when they commit such sins and claim they were absolved because it was in the name of God.  Silly humans.  It takes much more than to say it was in the name of something to be absolved.  Much more.

                        The bride-to-be saw that no one was going to help her, so she ran.  Everyone was too shocked, angry, and confused to follow her, so I easily slipped out.  I found her near a palisade, carving a word in it.  Ah, the old carve a demon's name in sacred wood.  Supposed to save oneself and banish a demon.  Supposed to, but doesn't.  She didn't even know my real name anyhow.  The name she was carving was outrageous.  No demon in their right mind would have such a name.  Croatoan.  What kind of name is that?  

                        I simply grabbed her shoulder and she screamed as all that she knew melted away from us and we fell straight into Hell.  The fall varies, depending on the sins.  The more sins you'd committed, the greater the fall and the more painful it was upon landing.  Along the way, the sinners' bodies are burned until all they had left was their skin.  She screamed and writhed in the flames.  I was fine, since I was fireproof.  We landed, and she tried to crawl away.  The lesser demons grabbed her and dragged her away.  I didn't even bother to give her a few parting words.  I had none to say to her.

                        I came back to Purgatory to see the angels grooming that young woman that started it all into an angel.  It was rare for a human soul to become an angel, so it was no wonder why the angels had wanted her.  A good end for her, but not so for her town.  The people decided to leave in a hurry.  Didn't even bother to pack anything.  They feared the wrath of God upon them for killing an innocent girl and following a sinner.  They fled the island and into parts unknown, changing names and seeking refuge elsewhere.  But, there was no place to go.  In the end, they all had to repent for their sins.  The empty town was found by other settlers, but no one knew what became of those villagers.

                        Ah, you had heard of this mysterious town, hadn't you?  Well, my beloved audience, it had been a mystery to your kind for centuries.  Even now, none of your 'detectives' can find out what happened.  You now know this, and what you do with it is up to you. 

                        And that, my young humans, is the end of my fairy tale...

The End

                       

Author's Note

I always wanted to write a story about the mystery behind the Roanoke Colony and my thoughts as to why it was abandoned. It could be possible, but I guess we'll never know.

Reviews

[Barbara Tennyson]

Tail/tale --homophone confusion. Check a dictionary for which one is appropriated here.

[Omegax45]

Thank you for pointing that out to me. My spellcheck isn't working properly. It was suppose to be fairy tale, not fairytail. I'm trying to get my spellcheck fixed before I post my next story. Thank you again, and sorry about the confusion.