Edmund Clive was sentenced to gallows in the spring of 1654 for the crimes of sodomy associated with the practice of witchcraft. Under the wooden structure, with the rope already around his neck, Edmund, beaten and bleeding watched the people scream, the village is all there, and his tears mingled with the blood, and then, when the men of law pulled the string, the deaf crack of his neck breaking filled the air. His old father watched the barbarism from afar, waiting for it to end so he could bury his son in peace. The crowd screamed in cheers, celebrating with great fervor when Edmund's last spasm of the weak body was gone.
Then, at the end of the big show, everyone went home, get ready for the prayers that preceded Easter, and on their knees bent, and hands together, they would thank God for deliverance from evil, which according to them, hid sneaky among those who considered themselves God's people.
Edmund was buried at dusk, when the last rays of sunshine rose in the sky. And then when the moon rose sovereign in the sky, casting its silver light like a candle in the midst of darkness, casting its heavenly light under the graves, Edmund Clive's heart again beat. Something in that land once sacred to an ancient people had called him back to life, an ancient force seized his being, and taken from that strength, he dug the earth, making his way through the darkness, until his lungs were filled with the icy air of the night, and at Edmund's first breath, the forest with its sounds went silent, as the force that filled him was alive well before the world creation, and it was superior to all and everything that existed on earth.
An animalistic cry sprang from his throat still full of soil, a hideous sound that filled the entire forest, just like a bear who calls its companions so that together they can enjoy a beautiful feast.
The ground around Edmund began to revolve, skeletal arms rising from the dark earth, groping frantically through the shadows, seeking the one who had awakened them from their eternal sleep.
And then what had once been Edmund went to the village accompanied by his funeral horde, his newly pounding heart cried out for revenge, bloodlust was what filled his veins, which pulsed as if he were at war. Soon the church appeared at the end of the road that connected the village to the cemetery, the sound of the choir filled his ears, the moon above his head lit up his face, an expression of hatred and resentment marked his face, which had once been soft and cheerful.
The white and puerile doors were locked when he opened them with a push, the candles inside shook, its flames dancing back and forth in a deadly waltz.
The eyes of the faithful could not believe what they saw “He had returned from the world of the dead” was what everyone thought in amazement. “It's a demon” someone whispered in the distance. Edmund in response to the terrified glances, only roared gutturally, making his army of the dead to enter the church by slaughtering them all. Stomachs were removed with the corpses' own hands, pastor White was hung from a gallows made with his own viscera.
The fire came to crown the revenge, while the moon witnessed everything. At the end, the shadows led him into the forest, where Edmund found a man, riding an imposing black horse, wearing under his body a robe made of bearskin.
- Come with me, son - said the man reaching out to Edmund.
- No, I'm not finished yet - the soot from the fire began to fall up his head.
The dark man set off in the pine forest, Edmund Clive stood in vigil until the moon reached the top of the sky. His torpor was interrupted by a loud laughter that rose through the branches of the trees. A melody called him to go towards the church that still burned in flames. In front of the flaming church, naked men and women danced around them, on their heads large wooden horns appeared, ancient symbols marked their slender bodies that smelled of burnt wood and human flesh that had been roasted until the bones were blackened by the heat. Suddenly the dead stopped dancing, before the fire a woman with tangled brown hair and moss-covered face approached smiling with perfectly white pointed teeth.
- Offer - babbled the woman, pointing to the moon.
- Offer - said the others in unison.
Edmund bowed before the flames.
- It is for you Goddess who hides in the moon, silver lady, lady of all that is magical who thirsts for the blood of those who follow your father YAHWEH.
The men and women screamed in ecstasy, the flames changed color suddenly just as everyone around them fell prostrate on their knees while shouting a prayer like a chant older than the word itself.
From the flames a female voice came.
- You have fulfilled your purpose, child. I gave your life back, filled your lungs with the breath of life in the land of my children who have gone to many ages. Now, devour the heart of the one who brought you to the world, so that you may be my legitimate son and go fetch your lost brothers into the world since the Age of Noah.
Edmund stood silent, lifting his head he saw the silhouette of his father emerging from the ashes. The naked body was still warm when he touched the man's chest, the brown-haired woman brought a silver blade, his bone cord was shaped like a doe.
- Do it - said the woman, holding the young man's head between her hands. Her eyes were dark as a night without moonlight.
The woman touched his hand carrying the blade to his father's chest, the blood sprouted like in a fountain fouling the young man's face. She leaned under the body sucking the red liquid, then taking it to Edmund's lips that felt on his tongue the warmth of his father's life. The blade brought the heart out of the still warm and pulsating body. The others bowed one by one to drink the dead man's blood.
The woman undressed Edmund who the still warm heart in his hands that he sank his teeth into. The taste of blood flooded his mouth even more. With an effort, he broke the muscle fibers, soiling his face with red droplets. His stomach churned in spasms until the last bite. He felt he was going to faint at any moment. The dead started dancing again around the flames. Edmund was not a human anymore.
