Tales of the Shattered Crystal Read online

Tales of the Shattered Crystal

  By Bonnie Mutchler

  Copyright 2013 by Bonnie Mutchler

  Cover design copyright Joleene Naylor 2009. All rights reserved.

  Cover Fonts by Larabie Fonts (https://www.larabiefonts.com/ )

  ***

  The Shattered Crystal

  The crystal spoke

  Before it broke,

  And it only said one word,

  And each man there

  Was filled with terror

  At what he thought he'd heard.

  For each man's brain

  Heard clear his name

  Shrieked to the pit of doom;

  They knew damn well

  They were bound for hell

  As they clustered in the tomb.

  The air was scorched

  By the flaming torch

  That was fastened

  to the wall,

  And shadows pranced

  In a demon's dance

  O'er the shattered crystal ball.

  Then a pale smoke rose

  And they huddled close

  In a trembling, cowering mass.

  Yet they never moved,

  Their eyes stayed glued

  To the shards of broken glass.

  Dense grew the smoke,

  They began to choke,

  Their eyes ran blood and water.

  When a light appeared

  They followed it

  Like lambs toward the slaughter.

  Twisting 'round and 'round,

  The path wound down

  Deep in the black earth's bowels;

  Through the murky gloom

  To the distant tune

  Of a werewolf's horrid howl.

  And they marched for days

  Through the damp, dark caves,

  Neither looking left nor right,

  'Til at last they came

  To a wall of flame

  That swallowed up the light.

  Their eyes grew wide,

  They were terrified,

  And they babbled in their fear.

  Their leaden feet

  Shuffled aimlessly

  Around the cavern, drear.

  Behind their backs

  A harsh voice cracked

  And they whirled around in awe.

  As brown as wood,

  Before them stood

  What looked like an old jackstraw.

  He was gaunt and bent

  But there showed a glint

  Like an ice needle in his eye.

  His face was creased

  As the bark on trees

  When they touch the purple sky.

  His long beard flowed

  O'er his tattered robe

  That had once been trimmed in wealth,

  And if one could gage

  He was old as age;

  As old as life itself.

  With a voice like wind

  He beckoned them,

  They dared not disobey;

  For his face was dark,

  His gaze was sharp,

  And he held them in his sway.

  They railed at fate

  As they passed the gate

  To march through the wall of flames.

  He stood at the head

  Of these fools he led

  And he called each one by name.

  Down the hollow halls

  With rock for walls,

  They walked for days and days,

  'Cross muddy lakes

  Without a break,

  Through hellish passageways.

  They cursed and blessed

  And begged for rest,

  But there was no mercy shown.

  In their ragged clothes

  They nearly froze

  And were weary to the bone,

  Still he drove them forth,

  Never strayed from course,

  Never stopped nor slowed the pace.

  As the hours crawled

  Inside these walls,

  He led them on in haste.

  A month, a day

  Stumbled away,

  They were barely living then.

  All bruised and torn,

  Their hair unshorn,

  Their bodies gaunt and thin.

  They prayed for death

  To give them rest,

  But the demon never came;

  He was at their sides

  And he leered and jibed,

  But their souls he would not claim.

  'Twas the twelfth of Naught

  when at last they stopped

  In front of a great slab door,

  Ornately carved,

  With heaven's chart

  Cut boldly on one board.

  The old man laughed,

  Then raised his staff

  And the great door sprung aside.

  He waved them in

  With a bow and grin;

  They slowly stepped inside.

  The enormous room,

  Round like a moon,

  Glowed with a lustrous light.

  The high arched walls

  Rose pale and tall,

  To an almost dizzying height.

  They were trimmed in gold

  And icy cold,

  And the only items there

  Were a box of gold

  On a pedestal

  And a shimmering golden chair.

  They dropped their jaws

  Standing in awe,

  For they could not comprehend

  The dazzling sight

  That met their eyes

  When they looked at the old man.

  He'd become a youth,

  His face was smooth,

  His blond hair waved and flowed.

  A cape of black

  Hung 'round his neck,

  And his rags were a fine white robe.

  He undid the lock

  On the golden box

  And lifted up the lid.

  His thin hands shook

  As he raised the book

  From inside where it was hid.

  They clustered 'round,

  And sitting down

  On the floor, there was no whisper.

  Then he took his seat

  And began to read

  "The Tales of the Shattered Crystal"...

  ***

  By The North Gate

  By the north gate when the clock strikes twelve,

  Come silent and careful; look ye out well,

  For the hooded figure that stands alone

  Looking beyond the walls of stone.

  If silent and steady the watch is kept,

  You might, though the mist, see the figure met.

  He lifts her up on his golden steed

  And they disappear among the trees.

  By the north gate when the clock strikes two,

  And the grass and flowers are soaked in dew,

  Stand quiet and patient, ye'll surely see

  The lovers return on the golden steed.

  He lowers the maid with a hasty kiss,

  Then man and horse are lost in mist.

  Like a young bird, her tender heart soars

  As she disappears through the back door.

 

  ***

  Cry To The Night Wind

  There is a winter comin' o'er me,

  I feel it deep inside my bones.

  There is no purpose now to hold me;

  My time has come, I'm goin' home.

  I lift my glass to all my comrades;

  Their faces dim and fade from view.

  Though many miles have grown between us,

&
nbsp; My thoughts have always been with you.

  Here's to the ones we left behind,

  Where we'd have rather spent our time,

  And so we cry......

  Cry to the night wind.

  My heart is heavy as I leave this place;

  The snow is cold and so am I.

  I can't forget what I've seen here;

  I can't forget the friends who died.

  So take my gun and take my dagger,

  But take my nightmares from me, too.

  These memories forever haunt me,

  Though I am coming home to you.

  For the ones who seek the night,

  The ones who stand and fight,

  Let freedom cry........

  Cry to the night wind.

  *****

  Day And Night

  Cold she lays sleeping upon her bed,

  Dark in her beauty against a white spread;

  While fiery and golden he rides 'cross the sky,

  The Prince of Daylight, the Empress of Night.

  And how did they come to be what they are?

  A grey witch wished it upon a star.

  She once had a lover, handsome and fair,

  With emerald eyes and chestnut hair.

  A gallant young warrior, brave and bold,

  And she loved him with all her heart and soul.

  He swore to her he'd have no other

  Then took the dark maid for his lover.

  But she waited long and studied well,

  'Til at last she found the perfect spell.

  She whispered it low in the hell-broth's steam

  And it turned from black to a murky green

  That rose in a column up to the sky

  Then it struck the star that was next to die.

  Green flames engulfed the blackened ball

  As it began its fatal fall.

  She shrieked her curse as it streaked above her;

  Two beams shot forth and struck the lovers.

  She smiled to herself for the taste was sweet,

  At last her revenge was complete.

  For when one's awake, the other must sleep;

  Daylight and Nighttime, cursed ever to meet

  For only one moment each dusk and dawn,

  Then aching and longing, the moment is gone.

  ***

  Home

  "Have you come home at last, my love?"

  She asked him at the door.

  "Oh, I've come home to you, my love,

  I'll leave you nevermore."

  But in the distance the drums were heard

  O'er the deadly cannon roar

  And he said, "I cannot turn away,

  So I leave to fight a war."

  "Have you come home at last, my love?"

  She asked him at the door.

  "Yes, I've come home to you, my love,

  To leave you nevermore."

  But war, it is a costly thing,

  And it leaves a country poor,

  So he said, "I'll go to the city

  Where there's work that pays much more."

  "Oh, I have come home, my lovely one."

  He shouted from the gate.

  "Well, perhaps you have come home," she said,

  "But you've come home too late.

  All I have done since the day we were wed

  Is to sit by the window and wait.

  I might have expected to sit there a year,

  But I never expected eight."

  "But this is my home, my lovely one,"

  He told her from the door.

  "That might have been true many years ago,

  But it's not your home anymore.

  I've tended it and I've cared for it,

  Mended cracks in the plaster and floor,

  So you move along to the part you know best,

  The other side of the door.

  ***

  In One Blind Moment

  In one blind moment he drew the gun

  He'd hung so recently on his hip,

  And in that movement crushed his world

  With the pressure of one fingertip.

  And all his dreams lay cold and dead

  Upon the dirty, windswept street.

  As dead as the man who called him out

  And now lay bloody at his feet.

  As cold as the cuffs slapped on his wrists

  And the barrel of the sheriff's gun

  As he led him silently to wait

  For the punishment for what he'd done.

  In one blind moment he drew the gun

  That sealed his fate forever more;

  For once the verdict had come down

  They sent him to hell through a trap door.

  ***

  In The Glade

  With light hearted laughter

  We dance here and after,

  In time to the fiddler's tune.

  As in days of yore,

  Like our parent's before,

  We go prancing out under the moon.

  And we stay there all night

  'Neath the pale moonlight,

  With never a thought but for fun.

  There isn't a care

  In the heart of one there,

  For we leave them behind until dawn.

  The fairies don't mind

  Our spending some time

  In their glade, they just join right in,

  As we dance 'round the flowers

  For hours and hours,

  The woods echoing with our din.

  ***

  It

  Shrouded in mist,

  I heard it hiss

  Long before it struck.

  With it's tongue of flame

  It took dead aim,

  And I cursed at lady luck.

  The wraiths all screamed

  'Til it almost seemed

  The heavy air would shatter,

  But with weapon drawn

  I staggered on,

  My body bent and battered.

  In the dim grey fog,

  The stench of bog

  Was a deathly sickening smell,

  That rose up strong

  And lingered long

  In my nose and mouth as well.

  I dared not speak,

  For I heard it breathe,

  Unseen, somewhere behind me;

  While hovering close

  Were those ghastly ghosts,

  Flitting silent 'round the trees.

  With a rumbling roar

  It attacked once more,

  And I swung my heavy blade.

  Though it struck my arm,

  Still I did it harm,

  For I heard the howl it made.

  Sweat ran in my eyes,

  Though my skin was ice,

  My heart throbbed in my ears.

  All my muscles ached,

  My wounds felt baked,

  But my mind was sharp and clear.

  I could hear the crack

  As the dry twigs snapped

  While it shuffled in the murk,

  And I could but wait,

  Put my trust in fate,

  As I wondered where it lurked.

  With a choking snort,

  A gulp and roar,

  It's head rose in the gloom,

  And I nearly died

  When I saw it's size,

  My heart was filled with doom.

  It was ten feet high,

  With blood red eyes;

  One ear hung, nearly severed.

  It's face was green,

  It's countenance, mean,

  It's fangs dripped yellow slaver.

  While through the fog,

  Howled the ghosts like dogs,

  As they shrieked in their delight,

  For they wished me dead

  And they craved my head,

  But I swore they'd have a fight.

  They were after the stones

  I stole from their bones

 
; In the temple of Daw Chit.

  I pressed the chest

  Against my breast

  One moment, then I dropped it.

  I prepared to fight,

  To live or die,

  What e'er the fates allowed me,

  As the Keeper stood

  In that misty wood

  Determined to defeat me.

  It lowered it's head,

  The ooze it bled

  Gushed from the half-severed ear.

  Then at me it came,

  It's tongue of flame

  Scorched my flesh as it crawled near.

  I raised my blade,

  And I felt half brave

  So I stepped out to meet it,

  Though at just one glance

  I knew 'twas no chance

  That I could ever beat it.

  Still, I meant to try,

  So with wild cry,

  I threw caution to the wind,

  Gripped the hilt and lunged

  And the sword blade plunged

  Knuckle deep at the breastbone's end.

  It was caught off guard

  And I'd hit it hard,

  It was struggling for breath.

  A thick green goo

  Hid my arm and shoe,

  But it still was far from death.

  It jerked upright,

  Prepared to fight

  With everything it had.

  With it's fangs it bit,

  With it's tail it hit;

  It was wild and crazy mad,

  And I dodged and danced,

  Used my sword when the chance

  Presented itself to me.

  I know that fight

  Must've been a sight

  For the ghosts up in the trees.

  They shrieked for the beast

  And their rage increased

  Every time I made a cut.

  Their vehement screams

  Still haunt my dreams

  When the blade sliced through its gut.

  It lay on the ground

  Not making a sound,

  But the haunts made quite a din

  As they howled and cursed

  And I knew their thirst

  For my blood would never end.

  So, stashing the chest

  Beneath my vest,

  I raced from the haunted wood.

  I headed for home

  'Cross the ocean's foam

  On the fastest ship I could.

  ***

  My Mison

  He heard his name called in his dreams

  By a lady clothed in shadow,

  And while her long gaze held his breath,

  She lifted him through life and death;

  The fiery ice of passion's throes,

  Into the wind and moonlight's glow.

  Through the rolling mist she beckoned,

  Her arms stretched wide to welcome him,

  To press him gently to her breast;

  In warmth and safety give him rest,

  A respite from the dark and grim

  Though perched upon disaster's rim.

  Then pale the shadow slowly grew

  And rising, flung him from her hold;

  The darkness pressed on every side,

  So thick it crushed out all his life

  And left him whimpering and cold,

  Lost in the void of a tale untold.

  ***

  Oh, My Sweet William

  Oh, my sweet William,

  Why did they have to do this?

  They didn't have to burn the farm

  Or murder you, my husband.

  Oh, my sweet William,

  They didn't have to do this.

  They didn't have to take our sons,

  Disgrace our only daughter.