BEGGAR’S BANQUET
FEE-FI-FO-FUM
IT SMELLS THE SOULS OF THE EDIBLE ONES.
The moon was a sliver of silver
The leaves flickered umber and gold
From a fire in a ring
Of stones gathered to bring
Out the goosebumps on campers quite bold.
The Forest rose up all around us
Chocolate, grahams, with marshmallows turned brown
‘Twas a circle of friends
Sharing life’s dividends
Talking HooDoo as midnight rolled round.
Manuka was holding us captive
Spinning tales that she'd read on the vine
All of dark renaissance
And with some nonchalance
She embellished with details sublime.
Her tales of dark deeds and cruel mischief
Captured fears left behind in our youth
Like those beasts under beds
Monsters hiding in sheds
That when grown up, no longer seduce.
Her narration soon provoked shivers
As the terrors revealed became vast
And our goosebumps grew large
With Manuka in charge
Till we begged that she end this, at last.
She tittered with some satisfaction
Having caused us this level of fright
Chuckled, “Just wait my friends,
For before this night ends
Legends say you will pay with your life!”
Moments later, approaching with menace
Something eerie and loathsome did creep
Where calm shadows had slept
Now they slithered and lept-
out, to lick at the souls of our feet.
Josh was the first one to sense it
Snatching back both his legs from dark
Something flickered wherever
The shadows did tether
As if seeking a
body to mark.
Next, a rustling came the tree-line
Something nameless and crude in its form
Appeared yielding a scythe
While increasing its heighth
Like a hideously gathering storm.
Our fright was reflected in firelight
As its dark shape enveloped the moon
Josh, pale as a ghost
Stammered, “This is our host.
And I think I am facing my doom.”
Beholding the angst in his features
We shrank back, as he rose to his feet
Then raising his eyes
To the unholy skies
Simply dropped to the earth in defeat.
The horror gave one mighty wallop
Which connected Josh’s jaw with a thwack
Gave an ominous growl
Whispered, “I’ll have you now!
As the ground at their feet turned to black.
Blood dripped from Josh’s eye sockets
The rivulets now claiming his face
Natasha was screaming
Manuka was keening
As I dragged them away from this place.
Moonlight lit up the clearing behind us
Where just minutes before friendships shined.
As we ran for our lives
Many more shapes arrived
And on poor Josh’s body they dined.
The sound of bones crunching grotesquely
Formed a cadence that soon hypnotized
It took hold of our feet
Which then slowed our retreat
Giving chance for the shadows to rise
They stretched out their fingers toward us.
We stood as if frozen in time
Somehow grasping their goal
Was to feast on the soul
Ripped from whatever flesh they can find.
Manuka’s slim body just stiffened
Her eyes beseeched mine to intrude
But some ancient reflex
Told me I would be next,
And I sacrificed her for their food.
Natasha put up fierce resistance
Fighting hard, she was mauled until dead
But she offered a treat
Besides only her meat
With a marshmallow stuck to her head.
A host of gaunt eyes turned towards me
With jowls clacking, I whirled and I fled
Our s’mores were the least
Of their grizzly feast
I left both my companions for dead.
My nightmares have gotten much tamer
I am able to sleep now, sometimes
For the beast neath my bed
These days lives in my head
Where it rocks me to sleep as it dines
~By Taree Belardes
NYC MIDNIGHT
RHYMING STORY Comp. 12/2022 Rnd. 1
Genre; Horror
Theme; Anonymous
Emotion; Anxious
H589 Group 77
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