this chamber is becoming a dark tomb, for Minty to
diminish,
but then, an idea comes to mind, her only chance,
“Once the water is high enough, I can swim the
watery expanse.”
Very quickly, the water reaches Minty’s feet,
then, it stops, the water level complete,
only a thin band of light now remains,
but the candles flicker rapidly, as they start to wane,
with no time to waste, she lets go of the rope,
then swims across, confident and full of hope,
almost there, just an arms length to go,
but then she is taken away, by the now moving water flow.
A giant whirlpool is now slowly spinning,
around and around Minty goes, with no hope of averting,
she cannot sink nor cannot swim,
remaining upright as she rides the whirlpool’s rim,
she tries to grab a ledge as she goes past,
but the spinning is getting way too fast,
time is now quickly running out,
something must be done, there is no doubt.
The old chain from her cell, used as a hook,
maybe that could bring her some luck,
Minty unties the beard then ties the hook,
her beard can now be used like a shepherd’s crook,
to grab a ledge as she spins by,
if she fails, she will surely die,
the whirlpool spins faster and faster still,
Minty’s task at hand, seems impossible to fulfil.
But then, the water level starts to decrease,
this is now the last chance for release,
approaching the ledges, Minty makes a supreme effort,
her final attempt for death to avert,
leaping from the water, she throws her beard,
then yells out loudly, as the ledges are neared,
the hook approaches a ledge, in what seems like slow
motion,
as the whirlpool spins, taking Minty to her oblivion,
success! The hook finds a hold,
Minty stops spinning, her fate again within her control,
her plan has worked, she pulls herself to safety,
and climbs the steps, then turns around acutely.
Sounds of gurgling water, going down a drain,
are loud and clear, across the chamber they reign,
then, instantly, all the water has gone,
with incredible speed it is withdrawn,
back down the hole whence it came,
over golden spikes, placed there to kill and maim,
Minty stands bedraggled and truly worn out,
then the last of the candles dies, the last light goes out.
Minty ties her beard around her waist,
puts the hook away, then claims the exit, hers to embrace,
once again Minty’s beard has come to her rescue,
to help save the day, with much impromptu.
BALLERINAS IN A BOX
Minty stands in the dark, in eerie silence,
what lurks in the veil? Maybe kind benevolence,
she feels freshly awoken,
like a long sleep finally broken,
she does not move, or even breath,
but she must continue, this place Minty must leave.
Suddenly, the darkness grows pale,
as a gentle light, the chamber does unveil,
slowly but surely, the darkness reveals its secret,
soon the blackness is gone, its veil now forfeit,
’tis a large square chamber, with a domed ceiling,
covered by mirrors, misshapen and ominously
unappealing.
Standing before Minty is a large red box, with a lid,
very wide and tall, perhaps inside something is hid,
covered in soft, smooth velvet,
decorated beautifully with patterns of gold, ornate and
intricate,
one side of the box holds a yellow winding handle,
Minty starts to feel very uncomfortable.
She starts to look around,
but sees only her reflections abound,
dozens of herself now on view,
mirroring each step, of the gnome formally a ewe,
she sees three door shaped mirrors at the far side,
hard to see, as amongst the mirrors they hide.
Side by side these doors stand,
but have no handle, the exit banned,
Minty pushes each door, left, right and middle,
maybe this is some sort of riddle,
each door is locked, no way through,
without hint or clue of what to do.
Each door now starts to change,
the glass begins to move and rearrange,
each door is different, with a unique form,
the glass sparkles yet dulls, as they transform,
shapes of weapons form on each door,
weapons of execution, murder and war,
longsword to the left, two bladed axe on the right,
warhammer in the middle, implements of power and might.
As Minty looks at her reflection upon the glass,
she sees herself before these events came to pass,
the lamb inside, trapped and confined,
does the mirror offer reflections of the mind?
Perhaps revealing only what itself sees, intending to bely,
never reflecting the truth, as seen through the eye,
for mirrors see things backwards, visions to falsify,
maybe it can see into our own mind’s eye.
After a moment Minty’s vision is gone,
then, alarmingly, her attention is drawn,
unexpected sounds from behind make her freeze,
she dare not move nor turn around, gripped by fearful
unease,
tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock,
the mechanical voice of a ticking clock.
Minty turns to face her fear,
only to find she is the only one here,
tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, the noise persists,
with each tock the light fades, bends and twists,
the ticking stops, total quietude,
a dim light remains, although subdued.
Suddenly, the box handle moves, the lid starts to rise,
Minty is drawn to it, despite knowing it unwise,
the yellow handle turns a slow circular motion,
click, click clicking, as the box seems to awaken,
beautiful, yet beguiling music starts to play,
Minty is enchanted, all her fears taken away,
she remains enthralled, as the lid continues to rise,
lost in the music, that appears to hypnotize.
Once the lid is fully risen,
something inside starts its ascension,
three circular glass columns rise from within,
each has on top, a ballerina made of fine porcelain,
each is motionless, in ballet stance,
no doubt from a tale of tragedy and doomed romance.
The ballerinas start to dance in time to the music,
theatrical and graceful, almost angelic,
whirling and twirling, many a beautiful pose,
but after a while their dance slows,
then they stop, and give Minty a sinister smile,
now the music turns horrible, scary and hostile,
each ballerina’s face shakes violently and contorts,
whilst arou
nd them, the air vibrates and distorts.
The enchantment upon Minty comes to an end,
her fears once more, quickly descend,
shadows lurk in the mirrors around the chamber,
fleeting swiftly, red eyes always staring at her,
each ballerina starts to crack, splinter and crumble,
porcelain falls like a waterfall, revealing something
abominable,
standing there now are three black skeletons,
of Scobberlotcher kind, demonic abominations.
They stand perfectly still, heads lowered,
each holds a weapon but is not armoured,
the same weapons as on the doors, warhammer,
longsword, two bladed axe,
Minty stumbles backwards, fearing an unearthly attack,
the skeletons heads rise slowly, their eyes yet remain,
as black as their bones, without soul and inhumane,
all three smile, then laugh and cackle,
sounds ricocheting off the walls of the castle,
the chamber goes quiet, skeletons remain still,
until all three let out a shrieking shrill,
the music continues, wailing and screeching,
Scobberlotcher’s shadow is unrelenting,
Minty feels her fate is sealed,
with no escape, to death she must yield.
Now the skeletons start their own grisly dance,
not one of beauty, grace and romance,
but one of ugliness, violence and hate,
with weapons of war, built to devastate,
striking motions of the fatal blow,
with a smile and a chilling laugh to follow,
then, as one they strike their glass column,
destroying it totally, then fall into the box bottom,
moments pass, then the box vanishes,
Scobberlotcher skeletons rise, and start their advances,
the music stops now the box has vanished,
black bone upon glass nears, as weapons are
brandished.
The skeletons approach Minty methodically,
their implements of war swing theatrically,
Minty steps back against the wall,
looking on in terror at her approaching downfall,
the demon skeletons are so near,
Minty cannot move, frozen with fear,
axe, sword and hammer, now raised for the slaughter,
to strike Minty down, as one, all together,
as each weapon falls, seeking their kill,
Minty’s survival instinct starts to instil,
she cannot give Scobberlotcher an easy soul,
her fate must hers to control.
She avoids the weapons by ducking out of the way,
then rolls between their legs, to the demons dismay,
Minty runs to the doors, to try them once more,
but they are locked tight, just as before,
bone on glass, a weapon’s swoosh,
demonic monsters near, with intent to crush.
Minty’s mind grows confused, by all the mirrors,
reflecting so many skeletal Scobberlotchers,
which ones are real? Which ones are fake?
Minty must concentrate, to avoid a fatal mistake.
She continues to duck and weave,
strike after strike, without reprieve,
Minty wonders how long she can continue,
as there is no sign of aid or rescue,
soon she will be exhausted and overcome,
then taken by an act of barbarism,
with breathing heavy, and a body that aches,
very soon Minty will make mistakes.
As she runs past the longsword door,
the skeleton’s sword is thrust violently into the floor,
she only just avoids the hit,
then, at last, something for her benefit,
the demon and its sword remain frozen,
a bright flash, and the door is open,
finally, Minty can escape her doom,
to move on, her journey to resume.
She races through the door, what a relief,
down a darkened corridor, then looks on in disbelief,
she is back in the chamber just departed,
Minty is despondent, and grows fainthearted,
how can this be? Such dark magic,
the outcome here can only be tragic.
Now standing at the other side of the chamber,
the longsword door shut, three demons turn to face her,
the monsters approach, together as one,
perhaps there is no way for this magic to be undone.
This time, the axe is thrust into the floor,
freezing the demon, thus opening the axe door,
Minty tries to to escape this way,
but returns instantly, the door slams shut, happy to betray,
upon returning, she sees the warhammer coming down,
Minty steps back, narrowly avoiding a fatal knockdown.
The hammer hits the floor with such power,
countless shards of glass rise up, an ascending painful
shower,
cutting and slicing poor Minty’s face,
she reels backwards, stumbles and falls without grace.
Slumped against the wall, face of bleeding red,
her spirit now surrendered to the coming bloodshed,
the hammer door she sees, fails to open,
if a riddle, it is beyond her comprehension,
she waits calmly for the demons to move in,
and the execution to begin.
Minty closes her eyes, as the weapons are raised high,
she thinks of home, then has sentiment to defy,
the weapons strike the floor hard, collectively as one,
but Minty rolls away, with skilful anticipation,
all three skeletons remain frozen, having missed their
target,
now Minty realises how to escape this gauntlet.
All three doors have morphed into one, twinkling
blue,
Minty’s hopes renew and her spirit starts anew,
the door opens outwards, revealing a starry passage,
a light shines ahead, a beacon for courage,
then the door shuts, returning back to three,
now she knows what to do, for a chance to flee,
Minty must be brave, with a warriors courage,
holding her nerve, amidst demonic carnage.
Suddenly, the floor rotates in a clockwise motion,
slow at first, but gaining acceleration,
the skeletons once again, hunt their prey,
moving faster now, eager to slay,
Minty is unsteady, and starts to sway,
then stumbles over, the floor now revolving the other way.
A game of chess now ensues,
escape is only possible, by the use of a ruse,
Minty must guide the monsters this way and that,
the rotating floor making her ambition intricate,
all three skeletons must be in the right position,
upon spinning floor, to escape this confrontation.
Minty feels the time is now right,
to end this tiresome fight,
she stands still, allowing the demons near,
knowing exactly what to do, without fear,
remaining still, as weapons are raised,
Minty remains calm, totally unfazed,
taking a step back, from the weapons descension,
avoiding the hi
t, leaving the demons frozen,
once again the three doors morph into one,
the door opens, Minty steps inside and is gone.
HELL IN A CELL
Alice slowly ascends the zig-zag stair,
with each step she goes deeper into despair,
she is walking back from her days toil,
of digging through wet and smelly soil,
Alice trudges on solemnly, all alone,
far behind the others, sad and awfully forlorn,
she cannot keep up, her body now aged,
frail and slow, through curse rampaged,
’tis time to go to the sleeping hall,
a place of angst and misery, for one and all.
Alice finally shuffles back to the hall,
she stops, looking into the hall full of thralls,
’tis a hexagonal shape, dimly lit,
stepped by many tiers, rising to high summit,
countless cells line the tiers,
homes of the innocents, and their fears and tears,
every cell has no door, for they cannot flee,
each child is a prisoner without key.
Lines of children in tatty hospital gown,
ascend single file, stairways scattered around,
each one returning to their cell,
another day over in Scobberlotcher hell,
but that is not so, their day is not over,
the worst awaits, Alice’s torture.
Alice’s cell stands in the middle of the hall,
perfect position to be seen by all,
the cell is a cage, like in a zoo,
made of bars, so all can see through,
but the children turn away, and cover their ears,
once the bell tolls, and Alice’s fate nears,
her cell is barren, with no comfy bed,
just a cold stone slab instead.
Alice enters her cell, then sits on the stone bed,
then a flap of wings heightens her dread,
she looks up and sees the Scobberlotcher,
gliding down, heading straight for her,
Scobberlotcher lands, then circles the cell,
twirling and whirling like a demonic carousel,
then it stops, and walks slowly around,
staring at Alice, without making a sound,
Alice stands watching her captor surround,
the demon of black, to which she is bound.
Scobberlotcher continues to circle,
whilst speaking words to belittle,
‘I’m the king of this castle,
watching you burn to a frazzle.
I’m the king of this castle,
the demon who likes to bedevil.’
The Lambshank Redemption Page 9