A tree of the curse solitary sway branches near the Vidin village of Shishentsi. The natives do not dare to approach it for fear that trouble will befall them.
Over the years, many have tried to cut down the tree or break its branches, but all have been cursed, people say. Vegetation does not grow around the stem. Only it rises proudly and lonely in the middle of acres of cornfields. As far as the eye can see, only the empty border fields stretch to the Serbian border.
The Legend tells for a brutal massacre under the branches of a tree. In the past, the old neighborhoods of Shishentsi – the village of Dyurino – were located around it. The natives had a tradition of gathering on the square every Sunday, drinking wine and singing old songs. Once a raven flew over a can of wine and send word for a bad omen, say people, who still keep the memories of their ancestors.
A week later, at another fair of the peasants, Circassians passed through the neighborhoods in search of jewelry and coins. In his panic, whoever had anything threw it into the well. Almost all were slaughtered. The few survivors began building houses and moving away from Durino. The only life left as a lone watchman to preserve the memory of the tragedy to this day is the tree. Subsequent attempts to cut it down so as not to interfere with sowing and care for the fields failed.
How true these stories are and whether the spirit of the mystery is not their reality, no one knows. But in their daily lives, people keep the memories bequeathed to them by ancestors, stories of old times and legends coexist peacefully. However, the natives are sure of one thing: “There is something here that is not happy, weighs over the village and has not calmed down yet.”
The tragedy of the buried property
Years ago, a man worked here with a tractor, who preparing the area around the tree for sowing. While working, he discovered the old churchyard in Durino. He also seems to have come across a fortune he has collected. He dead a month later, say the natives. As they tell, because of the Circassian raids, people hid their property in a well or buried it with their loved ones in the ground. However, this gold is miserable and whoever finds it does not see peace until he returns it to the earth.
Another mystery related to the sworn property is that during a wedding in Shishentsi years ago, a treasurer, tormented by countless troubles due to found wealth, stepped on a lamb to slaughter him like a sacrifice to wash away the tragedy over him. However, he failed because his leg hurt badly and he had to go home. Later, the limb dried up and the man was crippled, locals say.
Mysterious symbols hide a secret message from the past
At the base of the stem of the ancient tree near the village of Shishentsi is located a stone block with incomprehensible symbols carved into the slab. Their secret is still unsolved. To this day, no one has read the mysterious message of the signs. The locals do not know what is written. “Old legends, traditions and stories of our fathers and grandmothers are also silent,” people say, but do not dare to approach the tree to avoid trouble. They are convinced that it jealously keeps the memory of the slaughter of their ancestors and does not allow the spirits of the dead to be disturbed. The plant itself rises in the cornfields as a sad monument to the tragic events. It is not even known by whom or how the mysterious stone slab and its mysterious symbols were placed at the base of the trunk.