Country folk warn all weary travelers
To steer well clear of the dark forest road.
Legends fill the hushed yew wood with terrors
Lurking in the grey mists and dim shadows.
Wicked creatures strive to lead men astray
And force them to join their black wanderings. |
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Bolder and more stubborn than I am wise,
Snickering at the rustic fireside tales,
I set out after twilight to saunter
Beneath the sinister evergreen boughs.
I plunge unprepared and unprotected
Into the midnight realm of that fell host. |
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The wood grows still as I amble along.
A crushing silence bears down upon me.
I whistle weakly to cheer my spirit,
But the tune falls dead in the choking air.
Then an ominous sound breaks the tense hush,
A whirring stir like starlings on the wing. |
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A swirling murk hovers over the track,
Then a hideous mob slowly takes shape.
Terrible fey faces glare angrily
As the vile Unseelie Court surrounds me.
My body is bruised by their raining blows,
And they demand I join their evil ranks. |
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As the multitude tries to drag me off,
I spy a steeple framed against the moon.
Seeking salvation from that spectral host,
Knowing they can't trod upon hallowed ground,
I bolt toward the humble parish church
With my foul tormentors in swift pursuit. |
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My legs are struck numb by stinging elf-shot,
A thousand grasping hands claw at my clothes,
But I continue to run in dread fear.
Then I stumble and fall at the threshold;
Mere inches from the sanctuary door
I lose the race for my immortal soul. |
