Demon saved by The Devil I Cassandra Dimitrescu

Forest beauty

Every little child in a Romanian village heard about Zână Pădurii living in the forest surrounding the whole region. Parents would scare their children that if they'll disobey, she will come for them from the forest and take them away, using them in her sacred rituals. That witch was described as a mix of Muma Pădurii, a mad and mischievous old woman, and Zână, beauty fairies that give unborn children gifts of kindness, beauty, and luck.

Zână Pădurii was beautiful and magnificent as an angel but inside, inside she was The Devil itself. Madwoman luring men and women into the woods and let the villagers wonder what happened to them. Stories of body parts laying around the forest, skulls and bones hung on the trees or paths of blood on the ground were always connected to Zână Pădurii.

However, when it sounded like a simple tale, she was real.

When the Spanish flu appeared in the Romanian village, an unknown beauty from the forest started to help people, trying to cure them from the sickness.

Her methods were extraordinary, curing only some of the people, and when she couldn't help one person who was connected with some powerful people, she quickly was announced as Zână Pădurii. The same day they tried to burn her alive for her actions, a small group of wealthy men, saying that the flu came because of her.

She didn't scream when flames were swallowing her alive and when orange tongues started to reach her waist, she smiled at them. Her eyes turned red, the white of her eyes changed into pure empty blackness and then it was over. For men.

Turned into madness they killed each other, ripping their arms and legs apart like some animals. The last one that was standing alive, freed the witch, apologize for the mistake and then took her place. He sacrificed himself for her, burning in her place as his screams reached the whole region.

From that day no one dared to walk into the forest and the ones who were stupid enough either ran away from the woods or never came back. But with years that tale started to fade, becoming forgotten just like the witch. Whoever passed the woods, close to her territory, always would say they heard woman's voice, simple humming coming from the forest, often explaining it as the wind.

Zână Pădurii turned into a forgotten legend, an old tale, although many inhabitants of Romanian village would speak about her to their children to scare them about the woods.

And Lady Dimitrescu was no different, telling about Zână Pădurii to her children before bed. It worked for a while, only some years to be honest.

Her eldest always loved the stories about her from curiosity as she was a riddle for her just waiting to be solved. Daniela would listen from boredom and the only way to make her truly listen was by making some new stories about Zână that the youngest child didn't heard. And Cassandra? She pretended to listen just enough to be able to answer some questions from her mother, nothing more nothing less.

However, if Cassandra would listen closely, she would know that once the humming starts, there is no coming back from the woods.

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