old gnome furniture remains, a reminder of skilled
hands.
Kira says, ‘You wish to know what lives in the
castle yonder?’
I will tell you,’tis the creature Scobberlotcher,
tall, humanoid with bat like wings,
jet black all over with four soulless eyes, horrible
things,
front and back, one either side,
it is all seeing, there is nowhere to hide,
long legs, long arms and long grasping fingers,
a mouth full of pointy teeth, the sight of it lingers.
This is a frightful beast, best to leave it alone,
as it roams the night, for reasons unknown,
but you are safe here, and well protected,
for behind the water we cannot be detected.’
Minty and Kira talk hour after hour,
Kira tells her secret, fascinating yet sad and dour,
‘Four thousand years ago, in lands of sand and
pyramids of stone,
I was cursed by a dying pharaoh, the earth forever to
roam,
he cursed me for my cruel savagery,
never to rest for all eternity,
the only time I can take my rest,
is proof of action, and so attest,
that my soul is clean, evil no more,
sacrificing myself, for mortality to restore.’
Minty grows tired, she needs to sleep,
what an adventure, for the spellbound sheep,
Kira gives Minty a home next door,
then bids her goodnight, after enjoying their rapport.
SAD GOODBYES
One year soon passes, unbelievably so,
Minty regrets that it is time to go,
Minty and the werewolves have become good friends,
but alas, all good things must come to an end,
she needs to leave, and break the spell,
to return to normal, and say a sad farewell,
her time here has been happy and gaye,
but yesterday her closest friend, Misty, passed away,
Minty was there for the last goodbye,
holding her friend, with a tear in her eye.
But this is not the end, the werewolves believe,
a new life awaits, as this life you leave,
but today will be a solemn day,
as the werewolves say goodbye to Misty, in their own
special way.
Misty is carried to the river’s end,
where a huge pool sits, before the water descends,
over the edge, to fall far below,
where this leads, none of the werewolves know.
Kira speaks words in ancient tongue,
then all the werewolves sing a soft and gentle song,
suddenly, in the centre of the pool,
bubbles rise up from below, and the air starts to cool,
a creature rises up, slow and with grace,
it breaks the surface, to reveal a human face.
All the werewolves bow to show respect,
to the mermaid of the pool, the one who can resurrect,
a beautiful face and long black hair,
she approaches Kira, their eyes locked in a stare,
Misty is placed gently onto the water,
into the mermaid’s arms, held out to collect her,
silently they sink out of sight,
Misty is gone, for a new life to invite.
Two days later, Kira and Minty prepare to leave,
best wishes from the werewolves they receive,
it will be a difficult path Minty will tread,
with some surprises on the journey ahead.
THE DRAGON WITH NO SHOES
Uphill and down dale, Kira and minty walk,
mile after mile they tread, enjoying their talk,
the hills roll on, the sky is blue,
a warm breeze blows upon werewolf and spellbound ewe,
a half a day has quickly past,
but gradually Minty starts to feel downcast,
a tense melancholy begins to take hold,
as her changed body is uncontrolled.
Minty’s hair has grown long, down to her waist,
but her beard gives her the most distaste,
a bedraggled and grey itchy thing,
resting upon her feet, it sways and it swings.
Minty asks, ‘Can you please cut my beard?
it has grown much longer than feared.’
‘No,’ replies Kira, ‘Leave it be,
you will need it soon, I guarantee.’
‘Please cut it with your claw,
I really cannot stand it anymore!’
‘No!’ Kira says, in a firm tone,
‘You will soon be thankful of a beard overgrown.’
They walk on in silence, without a word,
Minty feels beleaguered, needing a beard is totally absurd.
Minty asks, ‘Where are we going, may I ask?
for the leprechaun’s spell to unmask.’
‘We must reach the dragon, before the day’s end,
there we can rest, into his den we can descend.’
‘A dragon!’ Minty gasps, ‘A dragon for real?’
Her excitement impossible to conceal.
‘Be warned,’ Kira says, ‘Despite his behaviour, he
is no fool,
if you cross him, he can be vicious, heartless and cruel,
Daventh The Merciless, is his name,
he guards our way forwards, with fang and flame,
he can be somewhat, melodramatic,
but gain his trust, and this dragon’s friendship is
automatic,
for dragons are very intelligent, loyal and true,
any friendships formed, are held in high value.’
The day moves on, and the sun starts to fade,
Kira and Minty reach a hilltop, their destination now
surveyed,
a huge bowl shape is carved out of the land,
green grass on sloping hill, dances to the wind’s command,
a narrow path of earth and stone,
lead down to the bottom, to a dark circular zone.
Just beyond, sits a large jagged hole in the hillside,
is this where Daventh The Merciless does reside?
Around the dark circle is a ring of shale,
Kira tells Minty what she must do to prevail,
‘Before you now, is the circle of trust,
dispel your fears, your faith in me you must entrust.’
Fire rises up from the dark depths below,
faces in the flames, contort in the glow.
‘Step onto the darkness,’ says Kira, ‘Believe in me,
then walk into the middle, and do not flee.’
‘But I will fall into void and flame, and will die,
I cannot walk on air, why do you ask me to try?’
‘Control your fear to keep your mind clear,
to do what must be done, no matter how severe,
you must enter and remain within the circle of trust,
only then will you prevent the dragon’s mistrust.’
Minty pauses, and takes a deep breath,
then walks forwards, perhaps to her death,
although she feels nothing below her feet,
she walks on air, with a racing heartbeat,
Minty stops in the centre, and looks down,
out of the void flames rise and start to surround,
the flames however, never rise above her feet,
i
n fact, Minty can feel no heat.
Suddenly Kira lets out haunting howls,
directed into the hillside’s bowels,
Kira then joins Minty in the circle of trust,
but walks on and through it, leaving Minty nonplussed,
Kira then stands at the hole in the hillside,
hoping that her friend Daventh, is inside.
Kira turns to Minty, hearing movement within the
black,
and says, ‘Stay still, and do not backtrack.’
Cries of pain now fill the air,
from a beast in the dark, in some despair,
then the dragon appears, as tall as the hill,
pale blue eyes look upon Kira, and show goodwill,
as it limps forward, the dragon shows its might,
Minty has never ever seen such a sight.
A golden chest, neck and jaw,
Minty watches on in awe,
a deep blue body, covered in mail,
teeth like swords, with a long red tail,
a yellow rim lines the edges of the wings,
large, powerful and impressive things.
Daventh The Merciless is here,
but seems to have little cheer,
Daventh limps forward groaning in pain,
then slumps onto the hillside, and explains his bane,
‘Kira, my dear,’tis a joy to see you again,
but I am… anguished, my pain I cannot contain,
for I am crippled and can barely walk,
’tis such an effort to even talk,
my life is agony, pain and torment,
woe is me, how I lament.’
Daventh slumps against the hillside some more,
shakes his head sorrowfully, looking at the floor.
Kira says, ‘What is wrong my friend?
let me look, maybe I can help and mend.’
‘No,’ says Daventh, ‘My foot is… beyond aid,
’tis horrific to look upon, you will be greatly dismayed.’
Daventh sighs deeply, then sits upon the floor,
Kira sees the problem, why the foot is so sore.
‘Where are your shoes Daventh? You know you
must wear,
you have tender feet, they cannot be bare.’
‘I have been abandoned and forsaken,
the making of my shoes, I fear is no longer undertaken,
many are the years since I have seen Juhee,
as she brings the shoes she has spun for me.’
Kira says, ‘You have a splinter in your foot, that
looks sore,
please let me remove it, I implore,
if you do not, your foot will get worse,
the pain impossible to disperse.’
‘Very well,’ says Daventh, ‘I will endure this pain,
but cannot watch, and will abstain.’
Daventh hides his face behind a wing,
and waits for the pain Kira will bring,
now, Kira knows all to well what will soon transpire,
once the splinter is pulled, there will be a wall of fire,
as a dragon’s fury cannot be tamed,
all in its way will be burned alive or maimed.
‘Hurry!’ Daventh says, ‘I cannot bear it,
I fear I shall feint before the splinter’s exit.’
Kira removes the splinter with amazing speed,
then leaps into the hillside, as the foot starts to bleed,
the dragon cries out in much pain,
fire emits from his mouth, again and again.
A ring of fire surrounds the circle of trust,
Minty is safe within the circle and does not combust,
when the fire stops, and Daventh is back standing,
Kira returns, slowly advancing.
‘Thank you,’ says Daventh, ‘For saving me,
but you was very, very vicious, I am… am… almost an
amputee!’
The dragon sees Minty standing all alone,
and recoils backwards, at the creature unknown.
‘Kira! Kira! What is this beast you bring?
’Tis a horrid, ugly and smelly thing.’
Daventh starts to circle Minty, poorly foot now
forgotten,
sniffing the air relentlessly, a dragon’s instinct now
awoken.
‘You are not what you seem, bearded beast,
you have a feint smell within, one of a tasty feast,
I sense that you are bewitched by some devilry,
I suspect leprechaun skulduggery,
come inside my den, stay the night,
tell me your tale, an official dragon invite.’
Minty has passed the test, Kira is proud,
into the hillside they go, by dragon permission allowed.
A MONSTER IN THE NIGHT
Once inside the hillside, night time quickly falls,
feint music upon the wind, signals the Scobberlotcher’s
entrapment calls,
the music gets louder as it sweeps across the land,
eerie yet hypnotic, almost a veiled and secret command,
the music plays hour after hour,
and gradually becomes sinister and dour,
suddenly it stops, silence throughout the land,
something now stirs, awake to do as planned,
long wails and a flap of wings,
the Scobberlotcher sets forth to do terrible things.
Deep into the night, Minty wakes in fear,
her dreams are dark, not full of cheer,
she tries to sleep, but Daventh and Kira snore,
so loud that they vibrate the floor.
Minty decides to go sit and watch the stars in the sky,
maybe she can take a nap, to help the night pass by,
she sits within the hillside, upon a flat stone,
while gazing at the stars, she sees something unknown,
a bright light appears in the sky far away,
moving feely towards Minty, any which way.
The light moves quickly, always heading down,
’tis a ghostly figure of a young girl, dressed in a
hospital gown,
her light is so bright and shimmers so,
she looks around, not knowing which way to go,
her hair is long, her feet are bare,
her pretty face is turning to despair.
The girl lands gracefully upon the ground,
near the circle of trust, then starts to look around.
‘Mummy! Daddy! Where are you?’ She cries out,
but there is no answer, only silence throughout.
Suddenly, strings of a harp release their tune,
as the Scobberlotcher appears, hovering against a full
moon,
a swirling mass of black sparkly mist, whirls around its
feet,
it has ensnared another soul to mistreat,
the beast carries a small harp, and plays it well,
grasping fingers play a melodious spell,
it descends to the ground, as the girl is trapped,
unable to flee, she is now soulnapped.
The Scobberlotcher lands, then approaches the girl,
with each step there is a cackle, a whirl and a twirl,
now the sparkly mist is released, to engulf the child,
in a flash she is gone, the monster then dances as
though beguiled.
INTO THE VALLEY
The following morning, Minty wakes from a contented
sleep,
where she sat w
atching the Scobberlotcher creep,
feint memories of what she saw in the night,
flash in her mind, but only slight,
but she feels uneasy, it seems so real,
these images grow more powerful, and horribly surreal.
Today Minty is changed, in her mind she feels so
much older,
a lamb’s naive innocence no longer controls her,
any thoughts of a magic meadow start to wain,
Minty misses her friends and wishes to see farmer Joe’s
farm again.
Kira joins Minty for a good morning and hello,
after a while they both agree, it is time to go,
suddenly Daventh joins the pair,
and looks upon Minty with a frown and a stare.
‘For such a little thing, such a noise you make,
I have never heard such snoring, from my sleep you
make me wake,’
Daventh says to Minty, who looks bemused,
as the one who is innocent, is the one accused.
Minty says, ‘You wake yourself, master dragon,
YOU snore so loud, it is beyond comprehension!’
Daventh is shocked, and almost falls over,
such insolence from a tiny accuser.
‘I… do not snore!’ Daventh says dramatically.
‘Yes you do,’ says Minty, ‘You snore dreadfully,
I was the one woken from sleep,
and found myself here, for some peace to keep.’
‘You find yourself here,’ Daventh says, ‘As you
wake yourself up,
snorting and grunting with no let up!’
Kira speaks out loudly, ‘This nonsense must end,
I am the one who snores, and wish not to offend,
come along, follow me,
’tis time we go to the valley of Juhee.’
Kira leads them through the hillside, into the light,
a cloudless day with golden sun so bright,
far away, two giant hills slope gently to the ground,
a valley lay between, here Juhee can be found,
a land completely covered in purple and white,
even from a distance, ’tis a wondrous sight.
But there is a problem Minty can see,
there is no way down to find Juhee,
for they stand upon a high plateau,
and the land is far, far below.
Minty is baffled, there is nowhere to go,
then Kira asks Daventh for his help to show,
The Lambshank Redemption Page 5