What the Devil Says

Foreword by the Author

This is what quarantine wants us to do.

It wants us to be productive, to feel safe and sound within the confines of our own creativity and imagination. I feel happy and satisfied that I have finally expounded this premise which I have been developing and working on since 2018.

Two years ago, I saw the film that changed my perspective when viewing crafts concerning the horror genre. The film that, up to this day, I still consider the best among everything else I've seen, the one that still stands to be my most favorite film of all-time.

"Hereditary" changed the way I see the horror genre—back when I was younger, I was a coward whenever my family and I watched horror movies. And yes, like most of you, I was and I am still afraid of the dark. But then at some point in time, I began to slowly like pieces of fiction under the horror genre because its premises always intrigued me and captured my curiosity. And when I've watched Ari Aster's Hereditary, that's when my love for the horror genre sparked anew.

It was as if this love, this passion of mine, was reborn.

It is the human mind's limitless curiosity that propels us to explore, to jump out of our comfort zone, to try new, daring things we haven't done before.

To make you guys curious, Hereditary is a psychological horror film about a family slowly breaking apart because of a tragedy. But beware, there are dire external forces which catalyze this "breaking apart" process. Check it out. It's amazing—it has a layered storyline, striking details, stellar performances, awesome cinematography, no jumpscares but instead induces genuine fear that will linger around for a while even after the credits. And above all, it makes you think afterwards and say, "Wait, what the fuck did I just watch?"

The reason why I'm mentioning (and probably promoting) Hereditary a lot is that I want to tell you guys, that this is the film that inspired me to try my hand at the horror genre.

I've been writing journalistic articles as a campus journalist and countless poems (and a few short stories too) as a self-proclaimed writer in the past decade, which is, in fact, how I found my passion for writing. I've also a handful of undeveloped premises, which I keep in my phone's default notepad app. "What the Devil Says" is part of the very first batch of premises my mind had conceived, along with a number of other concepts under genres related to horror.

Every night since the quarantine had been implemented, ideas and tons more of other ideas flow freely in my mind. I was overthinking almost every night so I wanted some peace of mind. And also, I find joy in doing what I want, so I did what the hell I want. Lately I began writing and bringing to life the concept that was stuck in my head for two years.

Not only do I want to achieve peace of mind and catharsis, but, by writing this story, I am also hoping to send a powerful message to this generation regarding one of the most widely-debated topics within this century.

For years, women have been treated as an inferior sex to the, you know, "supreme" sex. That is, the male gender I'm talking about. This story will be including themes of womanhood and will tackle the stereotypes that have been trying to pull even the most powerful women down, ever since history started.

But please be guided: this story will be explicit, as I wanted it to obtain a very bold tone that will match its mood. There will be parts that might be scary to some of you—or scary as hell to some of you, as we all have different tolerance when it comes to handling frightening scenes. And take note that this will also provide explicit lewd content, as sex and pleasure are a normal part of our lives.

I had initial doubts about publishing this story because I was afraid that readers might not receive it well. I mean, who wouldn't be afraid of that? But I have trust in my art and I want people to see it.

I want you to have the best experience while reading this story, so I will try to update on a regular basis. Although as of now, studying is my top priority and I'm scared that I might struggle with my responsibilities. But I promise I will do my best to keep things updated.

I have to end this here. It's getting a lot more personal. But when time allows, I might want to share some more with you.

Every read, vote and comment will be genuinely appreciated. Don't forget to share it to your friends online. Spread the word. Tell your friends to share it to their friends, too. Because, you know, sharing is caring.

Enjoy.

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This piece is purely fictional. Any similarities of character names, places and happenings to anything in real life are coincidental and for entertainment purposes only.

ⓒ Photo of rosary used on the story's cover was grabbed from favpng.com, uploaded by user RomanKings. Also, cover art was made with Canva, but the graphic design was specifically made by me. Forgive me for the quality of the design for right now I have no budget to hire a real, professional graphic artist. I'm currently doing everything on my own. If only I had the money, though, I wouldn't settle for anything mediocre.