Vampire of Taylfingena

Engelhen - angel

Vampire of Taylfingena

This article I found on the pages torn out of a certain old magazine whose name I never managed to learn. Its author Sergey Pervushin. Here I will publish it in the reduction

Raven

Events unfolded like a well-organized criminal (or would say now - espionage and sabotage) shares. The purpose of the group of young people was a cemetery in the small town Taylfingene, near Stuttgart. It was early spring 1898, the day was coming to an end, when someone knocked at the door of the hut. Under the pretext of All Souls' cousin saw cut to an elderly caretaker bottle''Doppel-Kummell.'' Late visitor only pretended to drink a par - in the wine was mixed with sleeping pills. Seeing that the old man snoring peacefully, his head on the table, the visitor gently carried it to the bed, curled wick of a lamp. I lit a lantern brought to''Die Fledermaus''came out of the lodge and several times waved a lantern. Immediately out of the bushes on the other side of the road came out a few people and headed into the depths of the cemetery - it was clear that they know where to go.
We stopped at the snow-covered grave, lit a stone stele at the head -''Fraulein''Celia Groningen. Dates of birth and death. Wishes of peace, the promise of memory ...
But the peace of the grave was disturbed. Lighted a couple of lanterns, shovels vgryzlis in frozen ground. People are displaced each other, hurrying to finish their sinister business. What they sought in this girl's grave?
To answer this question we need to retreat in the recent past - for six months.
At the beginning of hunting season the company of local hunters, who were accompanied by three women in the early morning went to the lower swampy woods. They were divided, like assigning seats. But the 23-year-old Celia somehow excused myself and was on the line of fire, which was fatal.
Ranks of the criminal police Württemberg arrived promptly. Careful investigation revealed no malicious intent. The girl was killed by his own negligence.
But the culprit - the son of wealthy parents - was surrounded by scorn and soon much - then left.
The dead - from the impoverished gentry - served as a governess in the family of the mayor. Blond and blue-eyed, slim, pretty, she enjoyed the sympathy of citizens. Older lady called it''Engelhen''(angel).
The unexpected death caused general sorrow. The funeral was modest (she was an orphan as a child). Gradually, the tragedy and about her began to forget ...
Six months after these events, the tomb was opened unhappy Celia - secretly, at night, without informing the authorities.
One local physician, Dr. Seifert looked through their records of past years. In the fashion image of some graphs he drew a curve showing the number of infant deaths in the county. The number of unexpected departure from life, and remains unexplained, sudden increase in a few years ago. Special Commission of the pillars of the local medicine was unable to determine the cause. The cases were continued, parents of newborns with fear and daily prayers expected sad fate.
Assumptions were made about some unknown''miasma''. (For example, continued to call agents of infectious diseases, despite the opening of Pasteur, Koch and other great fighters for human health.) But there was no valid reason.
In general, the medicine was powerless.
And suddenly these strange deaths ceased. This coincided with the death of dear Fraulein Groningen. Dr. Seifert is not terrified assumption of what kind of communication - morally, he was ready for it. He was very interested in the occult, ordered from Berlin books and magazines about the mysterious phenomena.
People period,''hairdryer de Siecle''- the end of the century (in this case - 19th) - were inclined to perceive reality through the prism of magic and terrible. The then art-known scientist V. Fritsche defined as''poetry of nightmares and horrors.''
And Seifert was not surprised when according to its archive found that sinister''epidemic''of deaths began soon after his arrival in a provincial Taylfingen Fraulein Celia.
Careful investigation conducted by them showed that a modest and pleasant Fraulein Groningen visited the families of children who died before the accident occurred there. Her visits were quite understandable - she had a degree of care for infants and willingly shared their knowledge and skills to young mothers.
Seifert compared the facts that are encountered by chance. To think that my dear Fraulein was the bearer of some malevolent''miasma,''the doctor did not.
The conclusion was simple - it was a concentration of some dark forces, some deadly scourge. Most likely she was a vampire.
The fact that the bodies of the dead (but according to Seifert - killed her) babies no more sinister teeth marks, the then literature was simple - the vampire can suck the blood, and some''vitality'', citing the victim to death.
It was a harbinger of energy vampirism, so well known to us.
Almost a week Seifert doubted, tormented by his discovery. Then, secretly briefed with their terrible predictions of several inconsolable fathers. Do not turn to the authorities (''do not believe it''), church (''tried for blasphemy, incompatible with the Christian faith''), scientists (''just laugh at''), - reasonable fear of impeding their plans.
A plan, went to the cemetery ...
When the grave was dug, the coffin was decided not to raise the top. Crowbar carefully picked up the lid. You can imagine their dismay when they saw that the corpse, resting in the ground more than six months, was not changed. Deceased, it seemed, just sleeping. There was no smell, no signs of decomposition.
''Her face shone with almost unearthly purity''- said later one of grobokapateley.
''What, staring at this''angel''? - Rudely shouted one surrounding the excavated pit. - Appearances are deceiving! It is clear that it is a vampire!''
He jumped down and, shuddering with disgust, stabbed advance made aspen stake in the heart of the immortal monster. The corpse did not move, not huddled in convulsions, did not utter a cry, zhivopisuemy in stories about such actions.
Cover quickly closed. The coffin was sprinkled with holy water, allegedly impeding further escapades vampire.
''We had, of course, to cut off her hand and foot. The National Council for the ancient paths of the intersection of evil. But we decided not to such to such actions. Only when he saw a dead Miss Celia, I'm sorry that took part in all this. The doctor was so convincing in its conclusions ...'', - said afterwards one of the members of this grim procedure.
Tomb in order. Rammed earth, covered with dry leaves. Laid back decayed wreaths. The next morning, nothing could raise suspicions that the dumping of grossly desecrated. Even with the noble goal of understandable revenge fathers.
For a while everything was kept secret. After a month and a half then I could not stand the conscience of one of the participants''graveyard''of the action, whether his wife mixed confession and gossip. The priest found himself facing a serious dilemma - keep the secrecy of confession and blasphemous rite that is incompatible with Christian dogma, or notify the church authorities.
He asked the bishop to give him an audience and told in detail everything that had to learn not only in the confessional, but in a careful discussion with other participants in the rite. The bishop assured him, saying that such actions against alleged vampires were widespread in the Middle Ages. But the important message - a vampire in the neighborhood!
Under the pretext of visiting one of the local barons, the bishop personally arrived Taylfingen. It was assembled a narrow range of representatives of local authorities - only those in the fortress of faith which could not doubt. Taking an oath on the Bible all the participants planned exhumation, the bishop blessed them. Other way to verify the allegations had been terrible.
Again at night, the light of lanterns, the tomb was excavated. When the coffin was opened, the eyes of those present presented itself fully decomposing body of the deceased. Her breasts are still stuck aspen stake. The bishop was beside himself with indignation and hastily withdrew from the re-desecration.
There was a meeting at which all participants of the first hide the coffin offered to repeat under oath that they had discovered had not changed for six months in the grave the corpse. They believed that the expansion began after the vampire's heart was pierced with an aspen stake, that is, he was killed. They have not repented of their deed, confident that their actions were correct ...