Edgy Mama

Scroll down for Genesis–Part One.

Father emphasized over and over, and I do believe this, for some deep part of my soul tells me it is true, that the curse specifies that the medallion must stay with the Segru family, preferably with the oldest known living member, and that person must stay in contact with the other living Segrus, or ill will befall them all.

Father and Mother chose not to heed this part of the curse, and they paid dearly. Ultimately, Father believed that they paid with their lives. After thinking for many years that the curse was merely a superstitious tale, Father died a believer.

I know this sounds unscientific to your modern ears, as it did to mine. An ancient curse? A medallion with magical properties? Please, please try to suspend your disbelief—as I have. Since learning of the curse, I have ruminated long on the untimely and tragic deaths of much of our family. Like Father, I now believe.

Back to the tale I must tell. You well know the family motto: “Segru: Runs with the Wolf,” as it is imprinted on the medallion in the language of our ancestors. Supposedly, those people lived a primitive, tribal existence in the caves near our home in the Carpathian Mountains. Remember the taunts and insults of the townspeople of Tirgue? As children, we could not understand why we were treated as outcasts. As I tell this story, the anger and fears of the townspeople will begin to make sense to you.

A long, long time ago, the Segrus domesticated a pack of wolves. The Segru family wolf pack were important members of the tribe. The wolves helped the family hunt, kept them warm at night, and provided protection, both from beasts of the forests and from enemies.

Remember how frightened we were as children listening to the wolves howl through the mountain night? Remember Father telling us not to be afraid, that the wolves would never harm us, that they remembered us and knew our family? We would roll our eyes at each other and think that he was crazy. But our fears were quelled.

The Segrus and their wolves survived together for many years, until a horrible event occurred, an event that left only one Segru alive: he who, unfortunately, is our direct progenitor. This man, Vlad Segru, did something that we all do, yet with terrible consequences.

Vlad Segru fell in love. But his love was wrong and unnatural and would cause violent death to many, including his family. This is the part that you may find difficult to comprehend. Vlad Segru fell in love with a she-wolf, a member of the wolf pack that lived with the family.

When his family discovered this bestial relationship, they begged Vlad to forego his lust. He refused. So the family ousted Vlad and the she-wolf, abandoning them to the wilds of the forest. Vlad was a cruel and angry man, and he vowed revenge. Late one night, in the fury of their passion, Vlad and the she-wolf crept into the Segru cave and murdered all of the family and the wolf pack. Then they feasted on the bodies of the dead.