 My name is Derrick Jameson, and I'm an 18 year old high school graduate from Australia, and today I have a story to tell you which many of you probably won't even believe because of how crazy it all sounds. I went through this myself, and to this day I wouldn't even believe myself, but it happened, and a lot of times I wish it never did. It happened, which is why I'm here telling you all today of my story. It began around the time of my 18th birthday. I was fresh out of school in the summer after graduating, and it was also my birthday the same day. All my relatives and friends came to attend. It was like any other birthday I had in the past, with people bringing me presents, singing me happy birthday, and then I got a phone call. My mother hands me the phone after I saw her having what looked to be tears in her eyes, as if she was given some bad news. Was it involving me? I was worried, but I took the phone anyway, wondering if it was the family doctor telling me that I had some kind of life threatening illness and I only had a couple days to live. I answered, and indeed on the other end of the phone was the family doctor. I began to sweat in worry for what he was about to say. Derek, this is Dr. Patel, and I have some news for you that might make you very unsure about your life. I waited to hear the news I was sick with something terrible, but there was a long silence, and then Dr. Patel spoke again. Derek, I'm afraid I must inform you that you were switched at birth 18 years ago at the hospital you were born at, and I only discovered this just now from looking at your blood tests then comparing them to your parents. They didn't match up at all, Dr. Patel said. After hearing this news I was relieved I wasn't sick with anything life threatening, but now I had a new problem. I wasn't my parents biological son? It would be a few days after my 18th birthday, when my not-parents and I went to see Dr. Patel at the hospital to hear what he told us again but in person this time. We all took a seat in front of his desk, and Dr. Patel looked nervous and sad at the same time when having to look at all three of us and telling us that these past 18 years were all a lie, and my parents had raised someone else that wasn't their own flesh and blood. Dr. Patel had trouble speaking at first as he likely never had to deliver news like this to any of his patients before, as switched at birth situations were very, very rare, but the man did his best anyways. He told me how my blood type didn't match either of my parents blood type, that also me not being my parents biological son would explain why my hair color and eye color were also not the same as my parents. My eyes were dark brown, and my hair was brown. While my dad's hair was red and his eyes green, while my mom's hair was bright blonde and her eyes blue. This also explained while there was no resemblance, I had to either my mom or dad and why other people could never believe I was related to my parents. Many asked if I was adopted over the years. We were all shocked and our ears didn't want to listen anymore, but Dr. Patel had to tell us more as it was required by the law for him to disclose this news with us and we had to listen to all of it. Dr. Patel then said he needed my not parents and I to submit blood and cotton swab samples to confirm 100% that this was accurate. We ended up giving Dr. Patel the DNA samples he needed and a few weeks later we got a call to go into his office to get the results. We watched nervously as the doctor opened up the envelope and gave us the test results. I was not my parents biological son, indeed it was all true and we all knew it. My mother cried and my dad comforted her while I didn't know what to feel. I felt angry, scared, confused, and interested. I felt now interested in who my biological parents were, did they miss me, and where are they now? At the time after hearing the news I refrained from asking Dr. Patel with my not parents in the room as it might upset them farther. So I went home and I waited a few weeks to maybe ask Dr. Patel over the phone. During this time after the revelation my not parents and I kind of grew distant from each other and barely talked. My mom took the news the worst and I would hear her constantly screaming at my dad in the other room behind closed doors and how they just let their real baby be taken away by some strangers to somewhere else and what that life did to their real son now. I would hear this constantly and never bring it up with either of them. I also endured the somewhat coldness from them towards me. They still loved me like any other parents would, but after finding out I wasn't their biological son they couldn't help themselves from looking at me as a stranger in their own home instead of the boy they raised for the past 18 years. I ended up calling Dr. Patel one afternoon and I asked him about who my real parents were. He ended up telling me that they were not even Australian or even in the country currently. But my parents were an American couple that 18 years ago were just visiting Australia for vacation and happened to give birth in this country at the same time as my not parents did. I then asked for the names of my real parents and Dr. Patel said my real dad is named Mark Kirkwood and my real mom is Mary Kirkwood. How he got that information was a bit of a mystery that the doctor didn't really elaborate on farther. That was all I knew from what Dr. Patel told me about my real parents. I ended up spending weeks tirelessly searching for any information I could find on them on social media and what felt like the whole internet. I ended up discovering that Mark and Mary Kirkwood were living somewhere in San Francisco, California in the United States. I ended up using some of my birthday money from my not extended relatives to buy a first class plane ticket to San Francisco. My not parents didn't even bother to ask me where I was going as they were both still so hurt by the news that I wasn't their real son. I'd never rode on an airplane before nor even went outside of the country before but it was an adventure for me. When I landed at the San Francisco airport I managed to get a fairly cheap motel room to stay the night and I even rented a car. I searched through telephone books and local listings for a Mark and Mary Kirkwood and in the area I ended up finding an address located in another part of the city. I drove for a long time looking for it and I was surprised to find out that my biological parents lived in a district of the city where there were mansions and other rich people. I ended up finding that the biggest house on the block had belonged to Mark and Mary Kirkwood. I parked my rental car and headed up to the massive mansion that belonged to my biological parents. It was a somewhat old but nice looking mansion that had a creepy vibe to it for some reason. I rang the doorbell of the mansion and for a long while no one came to the door. I felt like leaving as it seemed no one was home but as I was about to leave the door opened. The front door was opened by a gray haired balding at the top middle aged man dressed in a tuxedo. He looked at me and asked, can I help you sir? The man spoke with a British accent which I didn't expect as I was told my biological dad was American and also this British man had blue eyes and a facial structure that didn't resemble me in the least yet he was answering the door. Was I even at the right place? I looked at the British man and said excuse me sir I was looking for Mark and Mary Kirkwood. He looked at me with a confused look on his face then asked for what reason young man are you looking for Mark and Mary Kirkwood may I ask? I was nervous and scared but I mustered up the courage and said I'm Mark and Mary's biological son. I was switched at birth 18 years ago. The British man's eyes went big and he opened up the door and let me inside. I began telling him about how I found out from the family doctor a few weeks ago how I bought a plane ticket here and how I found this place. The British man then told me that he is named Simon James and he is the butler of Mark and Mary Kirkwood whom he served for the past several years that like with my family and I my biological parents also eventually found out that the child they brought home from the hospital was not their own and they also did a DNA test to confirm it. I was then given pictures and documents from Simon that showed my biological parents their health records that confirmed my blood type being the same as them and the birth certificate that was supposed to be mine. I then saw a picture taken of me when I was just a baby at the hospital. It looked exactly like when I was a baby. These people I saw in the photos I was given were of my parents who looked a lot like me resemblance wise. I realized also that my biological parents looked younger than I expected and the old photos as my biological dad and mom looked to be in their teens compared to my not parents who were a bit older. I asked Simon why my biological parents look like teenagers and he told me that they were indeed teenagers 18 years ago. My biological dad and mom were both 15 at the time of my birth and were on a school trip in Australia 18 years ago. Then I asked Simon could he take me to meet Mark and Mary Kirkwood in person. He led me from the house into the massive backyard which looked to be several acres of land in a very beautiful garden. I was led to two tombstones that bear the names Mark and Mary Kirkwood. I instantly wondered if Simon murdered my real parents since the old saying goes the butler did it and he was now leading me to show me what he did to them then kill me next to have me join them. I must have looked freaked out for a while then almost on cue Simon looked up at me and as if he was reading my thoughts said no the butler didn't murder your biological parents and bury them in the backyard young man. The truth of their deaths are a much more complicated reason. I looked directly at Simon's eyes and I asked complicated reason what do you mean by my biological parents deaths were complicated. He merely looked at me silently with an expression I couldn't really read and said master Derek please follow me and I will show you what I mean. I wanted to know and I needed to know what caused their deaths and if it meant I had to follow Simon to find out why then I had no choice. I followed him as he led me away from my biological parents tombstones in the backyard and back into the mansion. He eventually led me into a long hallway that was very fancy, was painted dark green and on the walls were various trinkets and artifacts that I was told by Simon belonged to my parents. There were suits of armor from the middle ages seen standing all throughout the hall, some African sculptures of various animals, some Japanese fans and even a few katanas. As Simon led me to the end of the hall to a final door, I began seeing very strange sculptures, paintings, statues and even a slab of rock with strange writing on it near this final door on the walls near it. The strange art I saw all involved disgusting and grotesque creatures that looked demonic in nature and sent shivers down my spine. When Simon and I got to the door, he opened the door leading into a somewhat dark room which had a single light over something in the middle of the room. As Simon led me in farther and farther, I saw that the thing in the middle of the room had what looked to be a throne like a king or queen would sit on and sitting on the throne sitting on it was the strangest statue or sculpture I had ever seen. It looked very tall, had limbs that were very, very spindly. Also, I noticed as I got closer that this statue or sculpture sitting on the throne looked to be painted or had a color other than the usual rock or marble. There was something also very organic about it. Simon and I stood at least five feet across from the sitting strange art piece. I looked at Simon after looking at the strange art piece in the middle of the room and I asked what is this thing and why have you brought me here? I want answers of why my biological parents are dead. I don't want to look at some ugly statue. Simon then turned his head slowly to look at me which kind of creeped me out and said I said your biological parents' deaths were complicated. That sitting before you on the throne, Master Derek, is the complicated reason. I got angry then at Simon. He had to be kidding me that this ugly statue was the reason. I am here for answers, not to look at that ugly statue. I angrily shouted to Simon who just remained silent. And answers you shall have, Derek Jameson, all in good time said a very deep and gravelly voice near me that wasn't Simon. I turned a look in front of me where the ugly statue was and it began moving before my eyes. I watched as a very tall humanoid got up from the throne it was sitting on that I thought a second ago was a statue. This creature was indescribable like nothing I'd ever seen before or even knew existed in nature as everything about it seemed otherworldly. Its limbs were spindly long it had skin that was scaly like a reptile or a fish. Its torso was long thin and looked like someone who was starving for days. Then I looked at the face which was the most disturbing of all. It looked human and not human at the same time but also looked familiar. The tall creature had to have stood nine or ten feet looking down at me with its glassy eyes and its opened horrible mouth. Derek Jameson, nice to meet you in the flesh finally. I'm the complicated reason which led to your biological parents' deaths. I stood there paralyzed with fear unable to move or talk. Simon turned to look at me and said, Master Derek the complicated reason for your biological parents' death and I can clearly see that you're short of words or even movement at the moment. So I'll answer what you're likely thinking about but are unable through fear to speak about which is what the hell is this very tall fellow beside me and why is he happy to see you. I didn't move or say anything because I was just in such shock or maybe this creature had some kind of magical power over me. I just stood there with only the option to listen to what Simon was about to tell me. Master Derek when you came here telling me that you were switched at birth then begin asking about who your biological parents are you forgot to ask me one key thing which was the baby that your biological parents took home instead of you said Simon and after he told me this he pointed at the tall ugly creature and revealed to me that this this creature was the baby that my biological parents took home instead of me and was my not parents biological son without warning the tall creature with his right hand grabbed me then picked me up and brought me up to look at his ugly face as the dear butler Simon has revealed yes indeed I am the baby that your parents brought home instead of you Derek Jameson or should I say Damien Kirkwood the creature's face seemed to change to an expression of a bit of anger and I felt my body being crushed in his scissor like hand so my real name was Damien Kirkwood and this this creature looking at me now was was the real Derek Jameson how how did you get this way I asked the creature I felt it squeeze me more tightly out of its frustration and hatred and it said well Damien since you asked after I was brought home with your loving biological parents I was then offered as a sacrifice a sacrifice to whom I asked the creature fearfully feeling him crushing me more tightly the creature seemed to make his face even more angry and insane then replied a sacrifice to well some dark lord whose name I can't really pronounce in this this fragile and inefficient language of yours your language lacks the right sounds and characters for me to properly speak his name to you in your futile tongue I'm not going to tell you as your puny human mind wouldn't understand the complexity of the being I was sacrificed to I will only say he is very powerful and needed a host to come into this world the creature continued to squeeze me practically making it impossible for my lungs to get air what what happened the creature got even more angry in his expression and said you see Damien I was to be the dark lord's host before either of us were even born your parents had made a deal with the dark lord through a ritual that they performed when they were just teenagers your biological parents wanted unlimited wealth power and fame right away instead of working hard for years to get it so after they contacted the dark lord who gave him everything they wanted he only asked that your biological parents give him their first born you after we were both born and we were switched at the hospital I took your place as the first born to be sacrificed the dark lord realized midway through trying to possess me that I wasn't you and I didn't have the blood of your biological parents so he left me but decided to punish your parents for their betrayal of his contract the dark lord used his dark magic on the first born that wasn't you and I became this the creature crushed me even more making it nearly impossible to breathe and I felt the sense of sadness and guilt and what I had heard of his tail he took my place as a sacrifice and then he turned into a tool of this dark lord the creature brought me closer to his face and I looked on into its glassy eyes there was genuine sadness there and even in innocence lost because of the cards he'd been dealt after I became this I killed your biological parents for what they did to me Damien you had a life I should have had you took my caring and loving biological parents away from me and then made me into this I was the one who afterward many many years later on your 18th birthday arranged for your family doctor to find out about your true lineage using my magic to make him aware of the blood I also put the names Mark and Mary Kirkwood into his head along with what country they came from and I knew your curiosity would eventually lead you to me now I will end the last of the Kirkwood bloodline with you Damien I waited and waited for the creature to eventually kill me when at the last moment the door of the room flipped open through the door came a brown haired woman dressed in a maids outfit she looked into the room seeing Simon and said Mr. James I finished cleaning the the maid stopped men's sentence as she saw next to Simon was the creature holding me and about to kill me the maid began to get scared and such as I did seeing the creature for the first time only unlike me the maid screamed she screamed so loudly in terror that this noise began having an effect on the creature maybe the creature was all powerful but it still seemed to cause great discomfort when the woman screamed in terror I saw its face change from an expression of anger hatred and vengeance to that of great pain and irritation the maid screamed like a loud speaker and the creature dropped me to the floor I fell hard on the ground and it hurt the maid screamed and the creature moved around in great agony I managed to recover quickly and I made a dash for it and Simon charged at me to try to stop me luckily for me I was an athlete and I managed to punch him in the face and knocked him out cold I ran to the open door past the maid and then I ran into the hallway I was halfway out when the screaming maid suddenly stopped as I ran I saw her bloodied body being thrown over my head I turned to see the creature behind me had made a hole in the doorway and it was chasing me I ran with the creature close behind and then I got to the door of the outside of the mansion I was in the backyard and I ended up climbing over the fence of the home into the neighbor's yard I fell into the yard and was greeted by a portly middle-aged man that was angry at me for going on to his private property at first but then he forgave me instantly once he saw what was chasing me I ran through his yard as he saw the creature behind me and he ran too I managed to get to his front driveway and I headed for my rental car I got into it and I drove like crazy as I drove the neighbor's bloodied head landed on my windshield from above the car I screamed but I continued to drive with the creature behind me and all the people in the neighborhood screamed as well I had no idea where to drive so I decided to go back to the airport I drove and drove but the creature continued to chase me like it didn't really care about the destruction behind me I drove through red lights but the fear of cops coming after me for doing this didn't scare me the creature continued to chase me and the cops were distracted by it instead of me I by a miracle finally got to the airport and I arrived in and parked my car right at the front doors I ran in from here I ran through the lines of people to any and all flights out of San Francisco I didn't care where I was going as long as it was not here I managed to run to a line of people headed to Melbourne Australia and an angry guard was about to stop me but once screaming was heard behind me the guard forgot about me and I boarded the flight to Melbourne Australia without paying or having to show my passport which was still at the motel no one seemed to question mere care so I took a seat of some no-show passenger on the plane and lucky for me the plane took off I then saw as the plane took off the creature was on the airport grounds right below getting into a fight with the police the airport guards and I think even the army the forces fired at the creature but it just seemed to get madder and it fought back meanwhile I sat in the plane and closed my eyes hoping that when I open them I'll be back in Australia not the part of Australia I'm from but anywhere away from the monster below me the plane landed hours later in Melbourne Australia and I got off it into the airport then with what little money I had I called a cab and then headed to stay the night with a cousin of a friend of mine that I luckily knew that lived in Melbourne I stayed overnight then caught a bus home the next day and back to my not parents house when I opened the door and entered my not mother and not father ran up then hugged me they asked where I was they said they were worried about me I said I went to visit a friend out of town and I was sorry for not telling them my parents ended up believing me surprisingly and I went up to my room for days afterwards I wouldn't leave it I would just lay in bed trying to understand what I just went through I turned on the news that talk about San Francisco and it ended up saying that a strange animal got loose and killed a bunch of people along with a bad natural disaster which combined caused the deaths of several people there I saw the sights they showed on TV which were all the places the creature had chased me through and caused damage though the news reported everything I went through as some mundane accident I knew the truth and the truth was that things were more complicated than the lies they were telling right now I had no idea what happened to the creature I have no idea did he escape was he even alive or who took him down but all I knew was that me being switched at birth was possibly the best thing to ever happen to me as it spared me from becoming a monster like like that thing that was my not parents biological son at this point I shouldn't be referring to my parents as my not parents my parents may not be my biological parents nor are they wealthy like my biological parents were but at least they loved me and gave me the best life they could provide unlike what their real son ended up with I felt a sense of guilt for the creature in how I was living the life he should have been given but instead he was given the life I was supposed to have and he suffered in my place my biological parents were scum as far as I cared what they did to their only child or who they thought was their only child for immense wealth was truly disgusting and not something any child should have to go through what became of my biological parents was well deserved and they reaped what they had sown with the dark powers they were messing with I can only hope that wherever the creature is that somehow some way he was able to break the curse put on him and he could get a chance to live the life he deserved like the one I have stolen away from him by us being switched at birth