TREE OF DEMONS

TREE OF DEMONS

It is called the Tree of Demons and it stands with branches held high in the middle of a cemetery, on the edge of the small town of Cottage Grove. The tree was planted over the body of an old gypsy woman who had practiced the art of curses and demons one hundred fifty years ago. When she died a tree was planted over her grave in hopes of keeping her evil spirit in the ground. No one had thought about the roots growing into the ground finding the rotted flesh of her corpse feeding on her, consuming her, until she was within the tree.

It has been said that if a curse has been cast upon you, it is brought to you in the form of one of the many demons whose face can be seen in this tree. There is only one way to break the curse cast upon you. You must go to the Tree of Demons. Once there you must look for the faces of the different demons among the branches and leaves until you see the demon of the curse cast upon you. You must battle your demon here, under the branches of the Tree of Demons.

It was a sunny October afternoon, 2004, yet there was a chill in the air that caused the woman standing at the gates of the cemetery, to pull the collar of her sweater tighter to her neck. She was starring at the huge tree in the middle of the cemetery. She noticed that fall's colors of bright red, flaming orange and golden yellow, had caused the leaves on the tree to appear aglow with fire in the late afternoon sun.

"So, this is the tree," she said to herself.

Her name was Cassandra and she lived in the small town of Cottage Grove. She knew a curse had been cast upon her and was sent in the form of a Dragon.

At first she had not noticed the Dragon. He stayed in the shadows and hid in dark places. Always near, waiting, watching. Sometimes she thought she had caught a glimpse of something moving in the shadows. For the next few days she would not feel very well. This was the curse the Dragon brought.


It was to her grandmother she had gone, explaining about the glimpse of something moving in the shadows and the strange illness that followed. She told her grandmother she was sure that it was a Dragon that she had seen in the shadows.

Her grandmother was very wise about such matters, she had been taught the ways of witchcraft. She knew of the Dragon Cassandra had told her about. This same Dragon had brought a curse upon her when she too was a young woman.

Her Grandmother's name was Sandra and she also lived in the small town of Cottage Grove. It was her grandmother Sandra who told her the story of the old gypsy woman who had practiced the art of demons and curses one hundred fifty years ago. How she had cast a curse upon a young woman and it came in the form of an evil Dragon. The young woman was Cassandra's great, great grandmother, Andra, who knew the ways of witch craft and how to use it. She had battled this Dragon and broke the curse cast upon her. She then turned her attention to the old gypsy woman.

Many stories have been told about this battle. Andra had battled the old gypsy woman, seven times a day, for seven days, and each battle had been her victory. It was after Andra had won the seventh battle on the seventh day that the old gypsy woman died. With her last breath, the old gypsy woman had cast a curse upon all of the women to follow in this young woman's family.

This was the curse cast upon Cassandra that came in the form of a Dragon.

She stared at the tree in the middle of the cemetery; she was ready for this battle to begin. Her grandmother had made sure she was ready, teaching her to use the ways of withcraft and it's spells. She whispered to the tree, "Tomorrow night, when the moon shines bright and full, dear old friend under your branches a battle we shall win." She turned and walked away.

The following evening she was dressed in a robe of white linen with a hood that covered her head as she stood before the Tree of Demons. The moon was shinning bright and full overhead. There were six white waxen candles burning at each of the points of the hexagram she had drawn in the dirt at the base of this tree with a bloodstone. This was known as the Shield of David and it was used to control demons.

Around her neck she wore a talisman, a powerful charm against all magic. It was made from a piece of wood cut from the Tree of Demons and carved in the shape of a Dragon. She had used a knife of pure silver to cut her finger, letting her blood drip on the talisman. This would draw out into the open this evil Dragon that loved the taste of blood.

She stood before the Tree of Demons, removed the hood of the robe from her head, and then stretched her arms upward towards the tree. "O most potent tree, thou art my guardian and my help. I, wearing this charm carved from you, nothing can touch me, wearer of this charm."

She had her back to the Dragon as he quietly stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight. Moving quietly closer to her until he could feel her hair against his nose. He then exhaled hot breath on her neck, causing her to become ridged with fear.

She slowly began to turn around to see what was standing so close behind her. As she turned she first seen a large tail covered with scales. Her breath caught with fear and she clutched her talisman as she continued to turn seeing large piercing claws on a huge foot covered with scales. She began to shake as she turned a little more and saw the drool dripping from a grimacing smile of large sharp teeth.

She was face to face with the Dragon, terror trembling through her body. With flames dripping from his nostrils, he sniffed at her. "I can smell your fear, woman," the Dragon told her. "You think your silly spells will work on me?"

She held her talisman up to show the Dragon. It was the smell of her blood on this charm, that drew him out of the branches and down out of the tree. The Dragons eyes glowed like hot angry fire when he saw that this charm had been carved in the shape of a Dragon.

Dark clouds began to cover the stars in the night sky. She gathered her courage and with a bloodstone drew a circle in the dirt around her and the hexagram at the base of this tree. Looking towards the celestial heavens she said these words, "Herein this circle I call with humility, God the Almighty." The Dragon was raising up its angry head at the sound of these words.

She spoke to the heavens, "May the Angels of Peace help and defend this circle." The Dragon took in a deep long breath then exhaled a stream of flames that only lick at the edges of the circle.

There was a thunder and lightning storm amongst the branches of the tree. She faced the Dragon still clutching her talisman. "I call thee, evil spirit, cruel spirit, merciless spirit. I call thee, bad spirit who sittest in the cemetery and does harm to man"

The Dragon became furious when he heard these words. Rising up taller till he was almost as tall as the tree. He was drawing in a long deep breath filling his Dragon size lungs, causing a windstorm she had to brace herself against. "Release me, evil power; please release me, the unfortunate victim of your malice," she demanded of the Dragon. "Let me escape this evil thing." The Dragon exhaled a long breath of scorching hot flames at her. Cassandra stood in the circle untouched by the flames of the Dragons breath.

She was ready to banish this Dragon from the tree and from her. "This tree is my guardian, as I am this tree's guardian, I adjure you, ancient Dragon, by the Judge of the living and the dead." Still holding her talisman up to the Dragon, she continued, "By the Creator of the universe, who has power to send you to Gehenna, that you depart forthwith from this tree, that you depart forthwith from me."

The Dragon was still exhaling his breath of flames, only they were getting smaller. When he had exhaled all the breath out of his lungs, his huge body began to shrivel and shrink smaller until he disappeared altogether with a howl of pain that would shake you to your soul.

Like her great great grandmother Andra had done before her, she turned her attention to the old gypsy woman, who now was within the tree.

All of these long years, since the old gypsy had interred into the tree through the feeding roots then turned her demons of curses loose amongst the branches, this tree has been known as the Tree of Demons. The tree waited all these years for help to banish this old gypsy woman from within. That help was Cassandra, for she understood that the tree which grew of wood pure and solid, was not evil. It was the old gypsy woman within and her demons of curses amongst the tree's branches that made the tree appear to be evil.

This is why Cassandra had carved her talisman out of wood cut from this tree. When she dripped her blood on the talisman, this wielded the strength of this tree with Cassandra's strength. Together they would battle this old gypsy woman and banish her forever.


She stood before the Tree of Demons, clutching her talisman, stretched her arms upward towards the tree. "O most potent tree, thou were my guardian and my help. I am now your guardian and your help, wearing this charm carved from you, nothing can touch me, wearer of this charm."

She was ready to banish this old gypsy woman from the tree. "I am this tree's guardian, I adjure you, old gypsy woman, by the Judge of the living and the dead." Still holding her talisman up to the tree, she continued, "By the Creator of the universe, who has power to send you to Gehenna, that you depart forthwith from this tree.?

Dark clouds still covered the night sky as the ground around the tree began to shake. "I call thee, evil spirit, cruel spirit, merciless spirit. I call thee, bad spirit who sittest in the cemetery and does harm to man" Again there was a thunder and lightning storm amongst the branches of the tree.

"Release this tree, evil power; please release this tree, the unfortunate victim of your malice," she demanded of the old gypsy woman. "Let this tree escape this evil thing."

With these words the bright reds, flaming oranges, and golden yellows of the leaves began to drip down through the branches onto the ground. There was such a loud shriek of pain Cassandra had to cover her ears and braced herself against a whirlwind blowing around her. This was the old gypsy woman being banished from the tree.

Dark clouds cleared from the night sky displaying a billion stars, the moon still shinning bright and full

Cassandra stood before this tree that was no longer the Tree of Demons as she pulled her hood over her head. "Dear old friend I stand before you under your branches, victorious in our battle." Removing her talisman from her neck Cassandra placed it back in the spot where the wood it was carved in had been cut from the tree.

With a smile of gratifying victory on her face, she turned and walked out of the cemetery, never looking back. Thinking to herself, "Thank you Grandmother, you taught me well"