Halloween

[ephiroll]

Yeah, I know it's early, but since I have some poems in a coming anthology, I am making plans for Gravaween already, and it's my favorite holiday it's on my mind already. And I figured I'd plug the anthology, so here's one of my three poems from that, if you want to read the other two you gotta wait till it's published and buy a copy, all procceeds will be donated to breast cancer research.




Midnight Run

by Jeremiah L. Donaldson


The old man said...

"I see you there, don't turn away.
I am your friend, no matter what you think.
Ignore the eye, ignore the leg,
ignore the stink, ignore the pus.
Time has not been very kind to me,
don't stare too long or I may FREAK!"

"Ha, ha, ha, it is not so bad.
I didn't mean to scare you boy,
you are a handsome lad.
I'd like to tell you a tale
that will make you shiver and run,
cry and moan as I LAUGH at my fun!"

"So push the cat out of the way,
you better not hurt his three extra legs!
Sit your butt down,
prop up your fee.
Midnight Run, remember it as.
Once you have heard, you will never fear
anything else that you ever hear!"

"Not long ago, nor far from here,
there lived an old man with his dog.
No one like him,
not enough to spit upon.
He lived a sparse life,
you could never believe.
Once a month he would walk into town
to cash the check that he found.
In the mailbox, he thought for his dog,
but a crazy check as you should guess.
Once a month you could see him around.
stumbling down the street,
raving at the town and waving his cane.
For years this came to pass,
then one month his visit came and passed.
No one looked for him, no one cared,
they just said good riddance "He's out of here!"
A week later pets begin to disappear."

"It was the old man,"
the boy said with a grin.

"That much is true,
but there is more tale to spin"

"The days went by and passed into weeks.
Every couple days a pet would go amiss.
No one thought about the man and his dog.
No reason to suspect him.
No reason to think,
That he sneaked into town
at the top of every night for something to eat.
The government thought that he was dead,
no more checks would they send.
They would never learn of this mistake,
but in the meantime he had to feed.
Old and slow, he couldn't run,
so had to lure them to their fate.
He killed his dog with a shovel,
so to use him as bait.
The skin he saved to make a cloak,
found it too small, so tied it around his throat.
In bib overalls and dog skin scarf,
he begin going out every midnight to hunt."

The boy started to rise.
"Christ, old man, you should get a life."

The old man's laughter filled the room.
"I do! I have you!
Sit back down, the tale is almost done."

"Night after night the shovel swung true,
the man ate good, let me tell you,
as the pets of the town disappeared.
Then one night there was a snag,
all the pets were behind fences or inside.
The old man adjusted to the shift,
begin braining farm animals left and right.
Then on one fateful night,
when the fog hung low,
hiding all from sight.
To his ears came a sound as he pattered about.
An innocent young voice,
singing in the night.
He readied the shovel and stood still,
waiting for his target to grow near.
Then she did,
and he swung true.
Everyone was riled and upset.
No one suspected.
No one guessed.
So the old man continued unchecked."

The boy sighed and twisted.
"Can I get paid for the yard?
I just want to go."

The old man smiled and shook his head,
black yellow teeth showed behind his lips.
"Just a minute more and you'll be out the door."

"With the death of the girl,
he had signed his fate.
But not one day later,
nor one week.
Six kids later and five weeks,
his luck came to an end.
He was seen one night,
hacking a corpse limb from limb.
The lady who held witness fainted from shock,
it was her daughter she was going to pickup.
When she came to he was gone.
Quick as she could she called the cops,
directed them to the bloody spot.
From the description everyone knew
who to blame and who to hang.
The posse they went.
The posse they left.
The rickety old shack was empty.
Just some boiled bones laughed at their efforts.
Everywhere they searched,
not a trace was found."

The old man stopped and smiled.
"Do you know why he wasn't found?"

The boy shifted nervously in his seat.
"How should I know?"

The old man's smile widened.
"Because he came to live with his brother."

The boy laughed and stood up.
"You're a shitty storyteller, old man.
Now can I have my pay and be on my way?"

The old man chuckled.
A figure stepped out of the shadows behind the boy.
"All in good time."
The old man said as the shovel descended.
"Bout damn time, brother,
we almost lost that one."

copywrite 2004

[Mavsfan911]

I thought it was pretty good until the end..
Nice ending
Hope it does well.

[ephiroll]

Finally, I got word that the Halloween anthology is available, seems the editor had some software problems. Better late then never, so <i>Dancing Shadows: A Horror Anthology</i> edited by Larry Sells, is now on the market at Lulu via this link http://www.lulu.com/charitydeathwalk , this is all for charity, all royalties will be donated to breast cancer research.