All were silent as corpses as they laid
next to the campfire, listening to every
ill spoken word. Now silence has graced
this dimness of syllables that fed the fire.

There was a wishing well, others sent
for ill fortune had granted there lives.

"Wishing well please hear my plea,
"I was told you could solve issues for me,

Moments past and not a motion or spoken
word did seep from its depths.

"I thought this was a stupid idea, *******
belief that a well could solve problems for me

Then as footsteps echoed away, and repetition
was vaguely heard till sound birthed forth.

Feed me that which I desire, for metal has no
value where wishes are conceived and birthed.

"Tell me what you need, And whispers were
held upon there thoughts, and no other was
to no as a wishing well collects on everyone.

"So our story is like a circle but one not get finished
but nearly complete in worth,

Around the fire not a word was uttered, breath
was silent from one to another nothing expelled.
all were listening to his expiration of this stories
telling now eagerly undoing with each word.

Seeds were sewn for a wishes worth to come true,
Stories have endings of dreams and truth. but this
isn't one of those endings this is a certainty.
A story much have a start, pause and an ending unfold.

"Now all you have heard my tale, you were good
listeners as the dead speak no words. I take a token
from each of you,

"The eye is a token of the soul, and it needed ten
tokens of worth,

So as the fire lost is worth and syllables were replaced
by ten bodies now in rigor motis. All wept tears of
deaths embrace, as ocular openings feed upon the well.

"I give gifts, keys to ten souls, each of colour fresh not cold,
"Hear my plea of a wish I want in truth,

"Your contribution has been upheld, let a spoken word
unfold, be it riches or youth,
"One wish is yours now speak but heed my words, once
uttered the deal is sealed souls sealed in word,

"I want you to crumble to seal others ill fate,

"Those that were killed had suffered before
due to your needing of donations of souls
needed effect,

Crumbling fortunes to a gate of souls that
lingered at the bottom of a well. For all who
had perished had done so as retribution
for others lost to this curse. All who's eyes had
been taken and found no eternal rest.

He sat around the campfire and all was muted as
no words were spoken. Ten pennies in the well,
now it choked on its serving and all was silent.

Wishes are for fools, as a price is always asked
and unthinkable acts do not meet its worth.

Hello my brother
Can you spare a moment?
So glad to see you

I've been down on my luck
Living in this alley these days
Always a meal or two in the trash

So how have you been keeping?
Good to hear about the wife and kids
I understand you don't want me visiting

Oh, you want to know about Mary?
She left me a couple years ago
My own fault, too much work

The job took away all my time
Mary was feeling a little rejected
So she found herself another lover

But the job decided to let me go
I kind of allowed myself to go to Hell
So I found myself without a job or home

Yeah I heard about little brother Billy
He joined the army and went off to fight
I miss him, I wish i went to the funeral

Oh, have you really got to go?
Yeah, I know it's been good to talk
My brother, you are always a busy man

Don't be a stranger now, visit soon
I am always living in ths alley, here
Always here, drinking my bottle of rye

I felt the sudden change in the air
As icy breath clung I was made aware
Outside my window the shadows fell
But it was too early for night to tell
Still it was cold and dark I know
Then came that knock upon the door
"Thomas , whom I come looking for
Won't you open up for evermore ?"

I shook with fear , for all the years
Suddenly I was filled with tears
I had always made my covered bed
And in absolution I held my head
Still you have no earthy clue
When comes that knock upon the wood
"Thomas , oh Thomas ,  if you would
Unbolt the lock now if you could."

I stood in silence , made not a sound
But by the shadow upon the ground
I knew he waited so patiently
Waiting ! Waiting , there for me
"Come Thomas , the seconds few
You cannot avoid what's in store for you
Do not bother looking for the key
For I have kept it safely here with me ."

I said I was not afraid of Death
That I would not bend in my final breath
Then I remembered my father's passing
How the stillness became so everlasting
And I knew I was no more special
That life is certainly full and spacial
So I opened up the door
"I am Thomas , the Thomas of whom you do implore ."

She is crying inside
Where nothing is right
They hurt her too much
She's forgotten how to fight

Everyone has someone
Someone they can hold
Share with her their troubles
She's young and feeling old

Always seems to be strong
She handles it in style
But she's another lost soul
Forgotten with a hidden smile

The orchestra of my organs distil upon
my soul, purest obscurity.

shards linger awaiting the intervals of
perpetual synchronicity.

Then they submerge on dove white innocence
watching feathers weep into my soul.

My essence now feverish as veins of desecration
now stem the flow of my inner peace, now dismal.

Night rain drips from the window
No light in a room of shadow
He left her there, facing her tears
He left her there, living her fears

So she hated thinking of life alone
Used a knife, cutting to the bone
Sits down with no will to resist
Blood like a river from her wrist

The tears have dried, no longer weepy
She closes her eyes, she is feeling sleepy
All the good times come into her head
Now she no longer dreams for she is dead

Night passes into the day time hours
A man comes to the house with flowers
Last night he is sorry if he offended
Unprepared for how those actions ended

One night soon
someone
will strike a match
on a stone
and read my name.

It was the children I tell you,

"That was my last moment as a free bird,
"Now I sing behind caged walls.

They were there in the moments of my spiral of despair,
I first heard them, saw them when I took the bottle.
Counting them like sheep,
1 sheep,
2 sheep,
.
.
.
.
.
.
32 sheep more.
Then I stopped momentarily.
The world was a mirage of my thoughts as I threw the
empty bottle of whiskey on the floor. Lets spin the bottle
see where it lands, I watch it rotate on empty odours.
Then it lands base up, I stare into the white emptiness
above my head and see nothing. Fluke of the spin I thought
till my eyes descended down.

"Hi Elizabeth such an old name, for such a young soul,

She must have been no older than ten, OK, the tablets
are making me see things I thought in my mind?

"No Elizabeth there right here,

Partly dissolved white stones linger in her palms, why did
she do that? and how did she know that these were buried
within me. I thought for a moment then asked?

"What do you want from me? why would you save me?
"I was ready to leave this place to sleep in oblivion,

"Were not letting you go yet, we have things for you to do,

"Why would I do anything for you child?

Because I'm not a lone,

"Around, around we go, while were here you'll never go,
"A tablet will never fall, a wrist no blood will kiss the floor,
"You'll hear us whether night or day,
"We'll visit you in slumber and seed your dreams what may,

"Why would you do this,

Then the world became a spin cycle and It was the 90 degree
wash, I woke up sweating, my clothes dishevelled.
I was clasping onto a empty whiskey bottle huddled onto
it like it was a favourite teddy from when I was young.

"Jesus that was one weird whiskey educed dream,

Getting up I noticed what was a jingling sound in the base
of the bottle had I put a ring in the bottle again? I looked,
my skin shuddered and my eyes widened as I saw what
must have been at least forty tablets laying in recesses
of the bottle. I turned  my head to the floor throwing up
what whiskey still lingered in my stomach,. What the hell
had I been thinking?

Footprints so many footprints in a circular dance, and two
more just static in the centre, I looked at my feet I still had
mine on I throw them off in haste, or was it fear? I measured
them in size to mine and they fit like gloves a perfect mould.

"No, no that was just a messed up dream,

"It wasn't our Elizabeth,
"Who the hell ar......,

I wake up again my clothes dishevelled but this time
an added bonus blood, what the hell happened I
thought. I checked myself over and to my amazement
none of it was mine which left me to the more panicking
thought who's was it and where had it come from?

******* I feel sick as I assume that this is one
persons hardened essence now secreted on my being.
I shower and then dry off, I run to the toilet as I *****
multiple times, I cant remember ever eating that?
Where had I been? how long had past in missing time.

I just binned the evidence there was a communal burning
bin. I waited till it was dark, I knew one of the  lights was
temperamental at best so i waited till it failed...

"Come on go out,

I thought aloud, then like a fading star it did the usual.
Flickered and like an ebbing star slowly died out . I ran
like it was a race for life, I'd put lighter fluid in the bag
and threw it in.

"I missed,
"I missed, what the hell,

The light flickered on again I was out of the reach of
its view and noticed another come towards the flickering
embers.

"O' crap o' crap,

Thoughts collapsed like dominos in my head, then he picked
the bag up and all I heard was, "Messy ingrate cant even throw,
Then like in slow motion it glided like a wingless crow in to
the fire. Within moments the bag ignited like a phoenix he lit up.

It was like nothing I had seen before he had stood to close to
the fire when he'd throw it soaked in liquid it went up as well
as him the surprise on his face was intoxicating i watched as
he danced the tango of death.

Then I snapped out of it fumbling to get my phone,  but this
moment passed and he was lifeless smouldering on the ground
I could smell him cooking slowly. I ran inside, grabbed my phone
again to ring the police.

But I looked down and it was still recording.

"What I cant remember pressing that,

"We did it Elizabeth,
"So you could watch your work over and over again,

"Your not real, your a child,

"O'dear elzabeth if that's true then you did this all,

I rewound the video, wait there was more than one?
I watched each of them horror spread like an extinguished
Sun as darkness consumed it. But I felt myself smiling,
I looked in the mirror and they were there all of them.

Counting them like sheep,
1 sheep,
2 sheep,
.
.
.
.
.
.
32 sheep more.
I had closed myself in the bathroom, locked them from view, it
wouldn't be long now. I awoke again, sluggish to my surroundings.
I was again in bed my clothes as the night before, holding a *****
bottle empty and Ii looked slowly and there were 31 pills and a note
on the side.

"We left one in so you could have a good sleep,

I threw the empty bottle and clinging note into the fire, i could
hear that song that I first heard. "Nnoooooooooooo, "No,
I ran for the kitchen for a knife, then I heard a knock at the door?
Within moments it was off its hinges and I was running at them
knife raised, I thought death at last, but instead 10,000 volts I felt.

Awakeing i heard voice not the childrens but others,

"Hello,
"Is anybody there,

A hole opened and two eyes so caring looked inward,

"Hi Elizabeth, your in Hardy Oaks mental asylum,
"We saw your tapes, your a poorly girl it seems,

"It was the children I tell you,
"That was my last moment as a free bird,
"Now I sing behind caged walls.

The hole slides shut and then I'm alone, but
they are here with me I could scream, but I just
watch then encircle me, and sing their endless lullabies.