5. Twisted Love Story
(American Cinquain)
<hr>
Prologue
[Spirit]
The rites
Must now begin.
The Sleeper gathers round
The instruments he must perform
In trance.
The knife
Is held. The blade''s
Sharp edge is used to cut
Each finger on both hands, so they
Bleed through.
The words
Are set in blood
Upon the paper with
The name and date of his lost love
On it.
In deep
Dark trance, he sets
The candle on the floor,
Then kneels, then holds the unlit match
And strikes.
So done,
He holds the match.
The candle flickers up
Into a flame. The message starts
To burn.
Before
The flame dies down,
The Sleeper goes to bed,
So that he can complete the rite
In sleep.
So now
He drifts to sleep
And dreams he is inside
His bedroom, where his practiced words
Invoke:
[Sleeper]
"I now
Invoke your aid
To find my love and shed
My tears of mirth and grief for her
Sweet smile.
"Spirit,
I greet the world
Of terror, shock and fright
To meet my long-departed love—
Awake!"
And yet,
When I now ope *
My eyes to see my room,
I''m still within this dreaming state
Of fear.
For all
Is mist and fog
Inside this bedroom dim,
Which just an hour ago was filled
With joy.
Just now,
My world enfolds
Itself to sleep and leaves
This room to things invisible
To sight.
Such is
The state in which
I now take up my knife
To still the beatings of my heart
With blood.
Beyond
The mind, a dark
And footless gate appears
And opens wide its yawning mouth—
The void.
Vast are
The barren plains
That dwell there, vaster still
The inner depths that hold the realms
Within.
"What realm
Beyond the spans
Of such huge voids exist?
What greater span than human thought
Is there?"
[Spirit]
"The dreams
Of sleep eclipse
The length and breadth of time,
Which slows or stops time''s grasp upon
Our wills."
[Sleeper]
"What then
Beyond the span
Of dreams exceeds such realms?
What greater span than human dreams
Is there?"
[Spirit]
"The realm
You always dread
To enter in, the space
Of nightmares where your fears
Reside.
"Remain
Not long within
The midnight''s witching hour
Of spells and vain conceits of pride
And sin.
"Stay not
Therein upon
Your peril at the hour
When demons walk the land at three
O''clock.
"O''erstay **
Not long the hour
Of wolves at four o''clock,
Lest just before the crack of dawn,
You die.
"Do not
Forget these words,
Sleeper. Your life may well
Depend upon them, if you find
You''re trapped!"
1. Hour of the Witch | 12:00 a.m.
[Sleeper]
Those last
Departing words
Send up my spine a chill
That robs me of a restful sleep
In bed.
But then
I recognize
The hour the spirit chose
To warn me of th'' impending doom—
At dawn!
Damn that
Prophetic fiend!
In recognizing that
I''m still inside the fatal dream,
I dread—
Dread all
The chances I
Mistook for folly at
The ticking of the fatal clock
Of doom—
Dread all
The tidings of
My fate upon these walls,
Now stained with blood that spell her name
And date—
Dread all
The sick and dire
Imaginings that man
And woman share in hate and woe
And fear!
For just
A moment''s time,
I dwell upon these thoughts,
Until the rustling curtains break
Their hold.
Here strikes
The midnight stroke
Upon some unseen clock.
The fatal strike resounds and fades
To naught. ***
No sound
But his heartbeats
Now interrupt the still
And silent room. He then gets out
Of bed.
Below
Me at my feet
Lies my own candle snuffed
Out, melted down to half its length
And mass.
Moreo''er, ****
I see the pile
Of ash that once contained
My lover''s name and date in blood.
I cry.
[Lover]
"Cry not,
My love, because
I''m here upon this hour
Of your late summons, where we stand
And meet."
[Sleeper]
"My God,
Are you for real?
Are you the fated love
I lately wed in sacred bond
And love?"
[Lover]
"Look on
And know my face
And listen to my voice
And reach out for my hand to touch
And know."
[Sleeper]
Known are
The charms that love
Can swell inside the heart.
Now struggling thus to keep my feet,
I doubt.
Decide
For me my fate
Or what you will, yet when
I listen, look and touch her hand,
I yield:
"You are,
Indeed, the one
I''ve yearned to hold within
My arms once more, if only just
In dreams!"
[Lover]
"Dream on
And love me with
The passions of your kiss,
And may our hearts entwine fore''er *****
In bliss!"
[Sleeper]
Believe
When I recall
The glories of her lips,
So sweet to taste. My life is now
Complete.
Compare
Such ecstasy
In vain, if any eye
Should witness such a paragon
Of bliss!
But now
Must come the fall,
For her soft sultry lips
And honeyed breath decay to lips
Of death.
Devoured
In death''s embrace,
I jolt to feel the cranium ******
Imprint its rotten teeth upon
My lips.
Lest I
Lose all my wits,
I yank myself away
From that impostor, reeling in
Disgust.
Down deep
Inside my soul,
I scream in vain, insane
To every sacred creed or prayer
Or oath.
Oh God,
Oh God, oh God!
I fall upon the ground
In agony and shame, debased,
Disturbed.
Despite
All that, I''m sane
Enough to see the bones
Enfold themselves in flesh and garb—
A witch!
[Witch]
"Why look
Upon me so,
My love, when I can give
You several thousand kisses more,
Tonight?"
[Sleeper]
"Take your
Foul lips and jests
With you towards that Fiend
You call your sire! Be gone, be gone,
You wretch!"
With all
My strength, I take
My stand and glare upon
This vile impostor in my hate
And rage.
[Witch]
"Revenge
Is not a dish
Well served in bloody heat,
For I prefer mine cold to touch
And eat!
"Enter
My word of foul
Delights and drink my cup
Of sweet delusions! Feast upon
My whims!"
With that,
The witch advanced,
Stalking and leering with
The stench and look of death''s
Disease
Described
Upon her face,
Turning her nasty looks
Into the sweet but false compare
Of beauty.
"Behold
Your lover''s face,
Your destiny and fate!
Behold in me the deep desires
That tug
"Those sore
And fickle strings
About your heart and eyes
And loins! Behold the fruitful sweets
Of love!"
[Sleeper]
Looking
Upon such vile
Deceit, I fled the room,
Disgusted by her parody
Of health.
Here then
Begins the vile
Pursuit from room to room,
Past countless doors and beds
Defiled,
Doomed to
Repeat the chase,
Until I should collapse,
Exhausted, drained of courage, life
And hope.
Here now
As I collapse,
Defeated and distraught,
I close my eyes and start to pray
In haste,
Howe''er
Useless it seems
To try; and in the midst
Of sudden doom now come upon
Myself,
Many
A thought of hands
Wrapping around my neck,
I wait and wait for such a doom
To come
Claim my
Life, but instead
Of bony hands that curl
Around my neck, nothing at all
Happens.
2. Hour of the Devil | 3:00 a.m.
[Sleeper]
Here now,
After I pause
A moment longer, I
Now ope my eyes and gaze upon
A room
Redone
With racks of dark
Red wine upon the walls
For rites and spells of sacrifice
And death.
Dark is
This room with rows
And rows of maddening
Books, knowledge-bearers, tomes
Of lore
Lost to
The sands of time,
Recovered only with
The scraps of evil tidings in
Grimoires.
"Give me
The strength to call
On you to do my part
In this unending round of chance.
Awake!"
And yet,
When I proclaim
My worth upon the air,
Only a spell of silence greets
My words.
[Whisperer]
"Wishful
Invocations
Cannot increase the stock
Of your unfruitful venture, yet
I''ll make
"My one
Exception for
A suitable price made,
Depending on what you can give
To me."
[Sleeper]
"My wife,
I want my wife
Back in my arms again—
The real one, not the blasted witch
Ere now."
[Whisperer]
"Noble
Is the humble
Heart that wants a humble
Dream, a wife to love and cherish.
That it?"
[Sleeper]
"It''s that,
No more, no less,
Just resurrect my wife,
And I shall be content, happy
And gay."
[Whisperer]
"Give then
Your soul to me,
And worship me from now
Until the hour upon your last
Breath. Deal?"
[Sleeper]
"Deal." So
I take up the
Terms, knowing I will have
To pay it back with all my soul
In death,
Doomed to
Enter the realm
Of outer darkness where
The blinding light of Satan hides
No sin.
So now
I wait and wait,
Expecting something big
To happen, though I know not what
It is.
It''s like
Awaiting some
Unnerving boon to spring
Upon your heels like a stray dog
Of fate.
Fear clamps
Its jaws around
My beating heart and grips
Me in suspense as one possessed
With death.
Deranged
Becomes the man
Awaiting in the dark
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Before the tide of fear can crest
And ebb.
[Whisperer]
"Enter
The void in front
Of you and trust in me,
For through me shall you find surcease
From pain.
"Perhaps
You might obtain
The one you''ve longed to hold;
You''ll never know until you tread
The path,
"Passing
Into the path
Untrodden by the meek,
For nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Come here."
[Sleeper]
Here then
I tread towards
The voided path beyond
The fading light of ignorance
In fear.
For there
Beyond the edge
Of human sight, there lies
An open door into some realm
Unknown,
Unknown
To all except
The brave and foolhardy;
This door I push aside and walk
In steps
Subdued
Amid the dark
And ill-lit corridor
Of ominous design and fell
Repute.
Ready
The heart and mind
For that which is to come;
And so I tread along towards
The depths
Deep in
The gloom and gloom
Of eerie walls and floors,
Just visible to walk by sight
Alone.
And then
Another door
Appears within the dark,
Looming ever larger in front
Of me.
My fears
Grow larger still
Upon the sight of that
Strange door now slightly just ajar,
It seems.
So thrilled
Upon the sight
Of it, I turn my head
Behind me where I view the bleak
Abyss,
And when
I turn around,
I see the door swing in
Without the human agency
Of sight,
Sound or
Touch to remain
At ease whereon I stand
As witness to the movements of
A ghost.
[Whisperer]
"Go hence,
And you will find
That which you have desired
Deep in your breast, down to your core,
Your soul!"
[Sleeper]
Sweet-talk
Like this compels
Me on to take the chance,
And so I push aside the door
And see
Something
That takes my breath
Away and leaves me dumb;
For there it stands, the lidless tomb
In which
Words fail
To comprehend!
My love lies in repose
On a glowing bed of roses
Glowing,
Giving
Off fragrances
So sweet and clear to smell
That all my sense of terror dies
At once.
Onward
I step inside
The hallowed crypt and fall
Upon one knee in penitence
And love.
"Let this,
My love, be our
Last parting on the eve
Of our sweet anniversary!
So here
"Hidden
Beyond the sight
Of demons, gods and men,
I quaff the cup of heaven''s gate *******
And bliss."
By now,
I rise upon
My feet and overlook
My lover in repose so deep
And pure,
Pleasing
To look at her
Attractive figure and
Her handsome face without a trace
Of ruin
Remaining
Upon her skin,
So smooth and silken soft;
I place my hand upon her cool
Mild cheeks,
Checking
To see if she
Is real and still alive;
I bend and lean my ear above
Her mouth,
Measuring
The faintest breaths
Of life still in her lungs.
By God, she lives and sleeps the sleep
Of rest!
Right then,
The door shuts up,
Entrapping me inside
The fated tomb before I can
React!
[Whisperer]
"Repay
The guide his due,
Sleeper, and slumber here
Forever with your loved one in
The crypt!"
[Sleeper]
"Curse you,
You blasted fiend!
Open the door or else
When I get out of here, I''ll kill
You there!"
The sounds
Of laughing spite
Resound within the tomb,
Almost compelling me to rage
And rave.
Right then,
Barely before
I catch my breath and calm
Myself, a spike of terror shocks
My heart.
Hardly
Do I even
Comprehend the terror
When round I turn to see my love
Sit up
Under
Her own power,
Looking at me with the
Comprehension of my living
Lover.
[Lover]
"Lest I
Am dreaming, where
Are am I and who are you?
For I am not acquainted with
This place."
[Sleeper]
"Perhaps
You do not know
The circumstance that brings
Me here, but how can you not know
This place?"
[Lover]
"Please, do
Not speak in hints
And riddles! Where am I
And who are you to question me
Like this?
"This room
Is far too dark
For me to see beyond
This glowing bet of roses red
And white.
"While you
Are there where I
Can''t see, come closer that
I might perceive the speaker thus:
Come here."
[Sleeper]
Here now,
I stand in doubt
Upon the threshold of
My lover''s summons to come near
To her.
Here now,
I triumph o''er
My doubts and close the gap
Between myself and my dear love
And say,
"Sweet love,
I came for you
To get you out of here,
But now we''re trapped, both you and I;
We are—"
[Lover]
"Ah me,
It cannot be!
For while I live and breath
Inside this place of wretchedness,
You''re here!
[Sleeper]
"How can
We then escape
This place, for we''re entombed
Inside and I can''t budge this door
To ope."
[Lover]
"One way
I know t'' escape
This place of endless rest,
And yet it''s fraught with many risks
And traps—"
[Sleeper]
"Tell me
What it is, love!
I''d rather risk it all
Than spend my life inside this place
Of doom."
Despite
A anxious look
About her face, she stands
Upon the bed of roses bright
And says,
[Lover]
"Since you
Will have it thus,
I''ll do your will; come here
And stand upon this bed with me.
I can
"(Combined
In your embrace)
Escape this place of doom,
Both you and I, but heed my words
Of warning.
"When we
Escape this place,
We''ll be inside the woods
Where howling wolves do prowl about
To hunt.
"Heed me
And know that on
The hour before the dawn
Is the darkest of all the night
To hike."
[Sleeper]
"How do
You know the way
When such foul menaces
Exist upon the path that frees
Ourselves?"
[Lover]
"On this,
I only know
Too well. Before you came
To rescue me, I had escaped
This place,
"Perhaps
By fate or chance—
I know not which or why.
And then I walked around to find
My bearings
"By the
Moonlit forest,
Yet the howling of the
Wolves had frightened me back to this
Dark place."
[Sleeper]
"Perhaps
With me to act
As guide protecting you,
We may get out of here alive
And well."
[Lover]
"Will you
Then help me through
Those horrid woods at night?
Can you ward off those monsters with
Your might?"
[Sleeper]
"My strength
Is just enough
To scare off those that stalk
The woods at night; but even then,
We must
"Make haste
If we''re t'' escape
This curse beset upon
Us both. We''ve little time to fear
The rest."
Restored
To action, she
Now beckons me to her;
I follow her direction, stand
Where she
Stands now,
Embracing her
Close to my bosom''s heart;
The glowing bed of roses starts
To shine
So bright
That I could not
Bear such a sight for long,
And I must squint my eyes to bear
It better
Before
We ''gin to sink
Into the cushioned folds.
So down and down we sink and sink
Until
(Unable
To bear the sight)
I shut my eyes as she
And I cling to each other tight,
Secure.
So long
As I have her
With me, I''ll go with her
To Hell and back again, so come
What may!
3. Hour of the Wolf | 4:00 a.m.
[Sleeper]
Moments
Now pass, as we
Begin to see ourselves
Still whole, still breathing, still
Alive.
A sigh
Upon the wind
Now rustles through trees
Beneath the moonlight of the night;
The trees
Take on
The aspect of
Of watchful eyes hid in
The shadows of each twisting branch
And bark;
Beyond
The sounds and sights
Of monstrous things, I stare
Upon my lover''s handsome face
And gain
Good heart
And courage for
The struggles yet to come,
For love can lift the dregs of hope
To strive.
So now
We tread our way
Into the thick of wood
And feel the chill upon the skin
And face.
"Fear not,
My love, for we''ll
Get out of this as soon
As possible; I''ll try my best
To seek
"Some way
Out of these woods
Unharmed by any beast
Or monster lurking in our midst
Tonight."
[Lover]
"Thank you
For your words of
Courage in this fatal
Venture through this hostile forest—
What''s that?"
[Sleeper]
Thereat,
I hearken to
The sound of distant howls
Against the silence of the night
And say,
"Stay low
And follow close
Behind my treading feet;
There''s danger now afoot upon
Our trail."
Treading
So light upon
The muffled dirt, we spot
A traveled pathway hid within
The woods.
We breathe
A sigh of such
Relief upon the sight,
Leading towards a safer place,
Perhaps
People
To take us in
And get us on our feet;
And so we follow on the path
And hope—
Hope for
Some miracle
That clears away our fears—
Hope for the chance that we will find
Our way . . .
When to
Our weary eyes,
We see a cabin on
A shallow hillock just above
Its base.
Before
We breathe a sigh
Of welcome thoughts and ease,
The sound of howling wolves assail
The night!
Now we
Sprint along the
Trodden pathway up the
Way towards our place of safety,
Nearer . . .
Nearer
And nearer still,
We run as we discern
The howling wolves now multiply
Their numbers.
Nearer
And nearer still,
We hasten up towards
The hillock where the cabin sits
Alone,
And now
We hear the pack
Of wolves growling at us,
And when I look behind to see,
I see
Several
Pairs of glowing
Piercing eyes, like demons''
Eyes gaining fast and faster on
Our trail.
The steady
Increase of grunts
And growls and prowling feet
Grow stronger as we near the hill
And cabin,
Combining
Our fears in one
Mad dash against the fate
Awaiting just behind our steps
As food
For wolves
With glowing eyes
And snarling jaws with teeth,
Ready to clamp around our heels!
We gain
Good time
In reaching hill . . .
And pathway going up
The hill towards the doorknob, turn
The handle . . .
Hasten
Inside and shut
The door against the wolves
Just in the nick of beating time!
Relief
Resumes
Upon ourselves,
As we collapse upon
The floor, exhausted with the chase
Of fate!
"Fear not,
My love, for we
Have made it out alive
And well without an injury!
Rejoice!
"Rest well
Upon that bed
Over there where we will
Wait out this final hour of night
In safety!"
[Lover]
"Such words
Will bring about
Your downfall if you let
Your guard down! Do remain alert,
By God!"
[Sleeper]
"Good God,
Girl, what on earth
Has gotten into you?
Can you not see that we have just
Escaped?"
[Lover]
"Escaped
The fate of death,
Indeed we have; but now
I must reveal the final truth
To you."
[Sleeper]
"You fright
Me, love, indeed
You do! What devilry
Remains for us to overcome?
What pain—"
[Lover]
"Pray, pray,
Be quiet now
So that I can divulge
The final secret of my woes
And fears."
[Sleeper]
For her
I bite my tongue,
Awaiting yet more words
Of warning or direction from
Her lips.
[Lover]
"Heed me
When I now say
That I''m no longer what
I used to be, that I have changed
To something . . .
"Something
I dare not say
To you, because I am
Afraid to tell the only man
I love."
[Sleeper]
"Listen,
My love, I will
Not faint or turn away,
Because you are my love, even
In death.
"Do not
Ever doubt me
When I say to you that
I will always love you—always
Love you!"
[Lover]
"You do
Not understand!
A curse now hangs upon
Me with its fangs upon my heart
And soul!"
[Sleeper]
She walks
Away from me,
But still I follow her
Towards a shuttered window that
Lets enter
Enlightened
Streaks of moonlight
Filter through the shutter;
Here she flings and shutter open
And says,
[Lover]
"See me
For what I have
Become, a monster to
All human sight! How can you still
Adore . . ."
[Sleeper]
And now
She starts to cry
As she transforms into
A she-wolf of such monstrous look
And size!
Such words
Can little paint
The jolt of horror in
My heaving breast, a stern denial
Th'' insane
Insist
Against the cruel
Evidence of my sight!
I ball my fists, i shut my eyes,
And yell,
"You monster!
Impostor! Fiend!
Where have you taken here?
By God, if you don''t tell me where
She is—"
I stop . . .
I now can see
The reason why she is
A she-wolf . . . She went out before,
And I . . .
I was
Not there when she
Got bitten by the wolves
When she had ventured outside of
Her tomb.
To think
I was not there
To safeguard her from harm,
And now I view the sad result:
I failed,
Failed to
Protect the one
I loved when I chased out
The wolves with gun in hand and shot
My love,
Leaving
Her bloodied and
Dying within my arms;
The wolves have given her new life
In death,
Despite
My vow to her;
I look upon my love
Now curled into a giant ball,
Cowering,
Cornered,
Afraid of me.
I now collapse upon
My knees, knowing that I have failed,
Crying
Cruel tears
Of bitter pain
As I have never cried,
Bearing my tears as penitence
For failure.
"Fear not,
My love, for I
Will never hurt a hair
Upon your head, nor will I fail
You now.
"No matter
What will happen,
I''ll always—always—love
You as a human or a wolf;
So bite . . .
"Bring an
End upon this
Eternal curse of pain,
That we may live together as
Two wolves."
Epilogue
[Spirit]
What words
Of sweet regret
Could falsify such love;
The she-wolf timidly uncurled
And shed
Such tears
As human eyes
Can only shed—regret,
Remorse, commiseration in
One act,
An act
Of surrender
To the magic hand of
One final chance to set things right
Once more.
Moved to
Action, she stood
Upon her legs and lunged
Upon her kneeling lover, arms
Outspread,
Offering
Himself to her
Sharp canines tearing at
His flesh; he screams in utter pain
And dies,
Defying
The curse laid on
Her cursèd head as she
Tears him to pieces, ensuring he
Will not
Need to
Share in her curse;
So with her lover dead
And free of sin, she breaks out of
The window,
Where she
Attacks those wolves
Who gave the curse to her,
Killing many wolves but dying
Upon
Unending
Bites to herself,
As the wolves begin to
Tear her limbs apart, staining her
Fur in blood
Before
The final hour
Of night begins to end,
Bringing the dawn of a new day
To life.
Let us
Assume those two,
The Sleeper and Lover,
Are now together in the tomb
Of love.
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FINISH