• The Demon's Child

    In the small village of Northwood, England, there lived a man named George. George lived in a small cottage a bit outside of Northwood with his wife, Mary. George and Mary had been living together for a few years now, and were ready to continue their family line. They tried and tried, but simply could not have a child. They were absolutely distraught, and visited the local doctor in hopes that he might have a solution to their problem. The doctor was unable to help them, so they turned to the local priest. The priest blessed Mary, and yet the couple were still unable able to have offspring.
    Both Mary and George grieved immensely over this, as that was the greatest duty of a couple. George took to drinking every night, and often came home deep in a drunken fit. Mary, meanwhile, blamed George in her grief. She took to rendezvous with other men while George was away at the pub. There lives were steeped in misery, bound together in word only, not in heart.
    As things became progressively worse, Mary was one night visited by a dashing fellow in a dark black suit, with eyes covered in the shadow from his top hat. Mary took an immediate likening to him, and spent the night trying to coax him to bed. Yet he did not fall for the bait, but when the night was nearly over, he asked Mary if she would like a son. Mary replied that she greatly wished that she could have one, but her husband was unable to supply her with one.
    The man pulled a bottle from his pocket and told Mary to take it. He said to drink from it, and later invite her husband to bed. As Mary drank the concoction, she suddenly collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Mary woke later in bed, and heard her door slam shut. She walked out to the front room and saw that it was still night and that her husband was home. Remembering the curious man's words, she went over to her husband and lured him into the bed.
    The next few days after that went as usual, but then Mary found out that she was pregnant. Both her and her naïve husband were absolutely elated. The months passed by with George and Mary's love reforged. Finally, the fateful day came that Mary gave birth to a baby boy. The boy's parents decided to name him Arthur, and they were happy for a few years.

    Yet as Arthur grew up, it became evident that he was not like other children. Arthur was very temperamental, and could become very violent at times. On his sixth birthday, a bully teased him and hit him. Arthur became very angry, and grabbed a tree branch from the ground. Arthur jabbed it at the bully, and lodged it in the child's eye. An again when in school, he smashed a child's head in with a rock because the boy had refused to give him money. And one day out in the fields, Arthur stole and tortured one of the local farmer's livestock, and when caught, simply replied he did it for fun.
    Finally Arthur started to reach puberty, and Mary had a startling surprise. In a slight argument with another boy, Arthur got so furious that he had cut the boy's throat. Just a few days before the police were going to come and arrest Arthur, the man in the dark clothes reappeared at Mary's door, demanding his son back. Mary was in shock as she realized that Arthur was not her and George's son, but her and the man's. As Mary refused to hand Arthur over, George came in and heard the story. He was not angry that Arthur wasn't his son by blood, but still refused to give Arthur to the man. Arthur heard the conversation from his room, and became very angry at the thought that his parents would want him to stay and get arrested rather than flee to safety. Arthur went to the kitchen and grabbed a knife, then killed his mother and father while they were talking with the man.
    The man simply told Arthur that he must get rid of the evidence, and Arthur obeyed by burning down the house. Arthur then fled into the night with the man, never to be seen again except for in the villager's nightmares.
    And so another fable ends, my loyal audience. The ending of yet another tragic tale is revealed to you. And with the closing of the curtains, I bid you adieu. Farewell ladies and gents, have a good night.
    I sincerely hope it's filed with terror and fright.