Dawn Berkoski

As I headed away from Brasov, higher into the mountains, a strange sense of peace came over me. As if a vail had been lifted, animals started to appear. Here a deer, there a baby bear, nature guiding me to where I needed to be. Why animals would point me towards vampires, I had no idea. Because that was reason, I was headed to Pelisor Castle, to find evidence that vampires were real. I’d heard a tale at Bran Castle about a heart kept separate from the body of a princess. So, I was off to follow this heart and see the Golden Room in which it was apparently kept.

The mountains were gorgeous, lush, and green. As we drove, a trickling river wove through the forest, appearing now and then by the roadside, and again near the cobblestone driveway heading towards the castle. The turrets were visible from the parking area, peeking between the towering trees. Excitement filled my veins. I could easily live in this summer house of royalty, away from it all. It was isolated, but there was so much life.

Unfortunately, construction was under way at Pelisor, and I couldn’t go inside to see the heart. The smile slipped from my face. A tragic loss and another dead end. I trudged back down the hill when the sound of a bird call made me look up at a lamppost.

Follow the Ravens.

Up the path, framed by mountain peaks and evergreens, sat a larger castle called Peles. And when the bird took flight, I followed it. Instead of the heart of Princess Marie, I was drawn to the garden and the statue of another woman, Queen Elizabeth of Romania.

I pulled up her history as I neared, and as I read, the wind picked up. She was a writer, like me, with themes of love, nature, and spirituality, subjects close to my heart. She even encouraged Princess Marie to write. Her pseudonym was Carmen Sylva, born Elizabeth of Weid, and her words… A shiver ran down my spine. Several of her poems had lines about the call of birds.

I knew this woman, or rather, she knew me. The thought drifted through my mind, enveloping me with the scent of pine. We were worlds apart and yet there was a creative connection that spanned centuries, inspired by the place I stood, where her figure lounged in repose as if reading her favorite novel.

Spoiler: The statue shows her sewing, but I think a book and pen would have been more fitting.

I went to Sinaia searching for vampires, following the trail of Vlad Tepes, the inspiration for Dracula. I also followed a connection to Corvinus, a well-known name in vampire lore, and somehow, I had wound up here, drawn to a woman whose poetry spoke of bird song and love. I moved to the stone wall surrounding the castle, trying to capture the endless view with my camera, but it was obvious where I had to go next. I entered the courtyard of Peles Castle, circa 1800’s, wondering how this woman of romance and art lived.

Dawn B~