| View Blog
|
|
|
|
| scribbles challenge #50- Hell on hallowed ground |
It was a dark and stormy night, and evil things were creeping about the forest. Thane shuddered inwardly and held his lantern higher..the wind sighed mournfully and made the shadows of the trees dance weirdly in its light. An eldrich night indeed.. but he had come in search of the most eldrich of all..
Old Mab. Older than anyone .. old as the trees, mayhaps..spells she knew, and conjures. the priest said she was a witch, a thing of blasphemy.. but Thane put no faith in this new religion, though his wife believed. Mab knew things the priest did not..
Old Mab looked up at Him as she opened the door. bent nearly double with age, she was.. and wrinkled like a withered plum..
"So ye've come to see old Mab? in need of my magic, be ye?"
"Aye" Thane said, " I've come in search of a potion.."
Mab scoffed.. "surely you've no need of a love potion.. or is it an enemy ye wish to harm?"
"Nay, Mab.. 'tis something else.." he leaned forward earnestly. "always I plant my crops with great hopes.. but the storms come- or we're raided by the Huns.. and my labor is in vain.. if I but knew.. Mab, I wish to see the future!"
Mab nodded thoughtfully. "tis a difficult thing ye ask.. it requires strange and rare things.."
"But ye can brew such a potion?"
"Aye.. but 'tis costly.."
Thane reached into his cloak and brought forth a golden bracelet. "tis said it is from old Rome itself" he said.
"Grunhilde will not wear it..it has Pagan signs. I was to melt it and give the gold to the priest but..."
Mab smiled a toothless smile. "t'will do.." she busied herself among bowls and urns that gave off a foul odor and ground things together with a mortar.. finally she returned with a tiny vial.. "tis powerful..take only a drop.. only a drop, mind ye!"
Thane promised solemnly.. on the way he thought of Grunhilde.. she'd not understand.. she'd have the priest destroy Mab's potion. Abomination, He'd call it.. He'd better take it now.. he sniffed the vial cautiously.. it smelled strong and sweet but not unpleasant.. he eased a drop onto his tongue.. 'twas wonderful! sweeter than the finest honey.. he could not stop.. he drank it all..
in just moments his head began to swim.. he frantically looked for shelter. He saw a rude wall and a gate.. he staggered through it.. he realized with horror he was in the Christian graveyard.. but he could go no farther.. he fell across a new grave in a swoon...
He woke to find himself standing on a path.. but none he knew.. 'twas of strange substance.. hard and black as night.. and even smoother than the Roman road..it led him up a hill.. he saw a strange sign.. runes he could not ken..
No Trespassing
Elmendorf Air Force Base
He walked to the top of the hill.. and drew back in awe at what he saw..
A monstrous beast.. so large he scarce could take it all in.. wings it had.. they stretched wide as the village enclosure.
its skin was mottled grey and green and it was marked with runes.. on its tail a Giant star and on its side he saw:
DRGN 4863
no Christian was he but he made the sign of the cross. something compelled him to peel a piece of bark from a nearby birch and carve the runes upon it. Suddenly he heard the sound of orders being barked. he looked and Lo.. a whole Legion advancing on the beast! their uniforms were like unto the skin of the beast.. wondrous skillful the weaver who could make such cloth. Smooth round helmets they wore, and strange lances with no points.. Thane saw with wonder that some were women.. they wore no shields yet marched fearlessly forward.. brave indeed..
But then as Thane watched in horror the beast opened its mighty maw, and swallowed them all! as he looked in stunned shock brightly colored fire flamed upon the monster's wings and it roared!
Its roar was louder than the loudest thunder.. the earth quaked and shuddered from its might. the roar built into a triumphant scream.. and it began to move.. faster, faster, faster.. faster far than any horse. it moved in a great circle. and Thane froze in fear as it came toward him.. and flew! it lifted its mighty weight into the air and rush of its passing sent him spinning to the ground. he swooned again..
He awoke in a foreign place.. dry and desolate it was.. he saw rude mud huts of a village.. strange garments they wore, like robes, and they wore cloth wrapped round their heads. the men carried the strange lances with no points the other soldiers had...
That roar again! beasts in the sky! younger, smaller.. but like unto the other beast.. as he watched terrified they swooped down on the village.. and breathed mighty bursts of fire upon it. men, women, children died or cried in agony.. he heard a mothers cry of anguish as she tried to bandage the 50 pustules the breath of beast left upon her child.. the horror was too much.. he cried out and the world went dark..
he woke in the graveyard and stumbled home.. he never told Grunhilde what he'd seen.. but after her death he told his eldest son and gave him the birchbark. and the son told his son.. as time passed Thane's descendants were able to read the runes. they remembered the story of the great flying beasts who swallowed armies and breathed fire.. and they would call them Dragons...
( I must give a grateful assist to Uncle Charlie)
|
|
Posted by pastormike on 2009-10-28 19:09:18 | Rating: | Views: 62
|
|
| |
|
|
Email This to a Friend 
