On an island somewhere unspecific,
A legend was born and it`s quite terrific.
`Tis a story told from long, long ago.
The details are lengthy, just so you know.
It's a battle between evil and good,
Of pride, injustice, and falsehood.
So sit a while and I'll start without fail,
To spin the web of this heartbreaking tale.
A dragon once lived on a mountain high,
Whose jagged peaks grazed the clouds floating by.
A colossal cave housed the dragon king,
Who feared not a creature, no living thing.
He was called Sereptoclops right from birth,
Named by his mother, without any mirth.
From deep inside her came a strangled cry,
He'd entered the world with only one eye.
Sereptoclops grew to a mighty size,
With scales hard as steel and massive thighs.
From head to tail he was eighty five feet,
His wingspan double, to complete the feat.
This fire breathing beast who lived on high,
Seethed in rage for having only one eye.
For this organ did not see very well,
But not a soul would this king dare to tell.
He ruled a capacious slew of creatures,
With aberrant, marred and grotesque features.
I will try my best to describe a few.
Imagine, if you will, this ghastly crew.
Ogres who were giant monstrosities,
Committing all kinds of atrocities.
Flesh feeding demons from the depths of hell,
With over sized heads and the foulest smell.
Untamed mutants caught between two domains,
Bestial in nature; no moral reins.
These barbaric fiends were known as centaurs,
Renowned for being mighty warriors.
Deep in the depths leviathan dwelled,
Whose appetite for flesh could not be quelled.
This powerful behemoth lurked below,
Stealthily awaiting, his eyes aglow.
There's one however, the king did despise,
The cyclops, like him, did not have two eyes.
A single round eye rested mid forehead,
This constant reminder filled him with dread.
He found their disfigurement hard to bear,
And knew his minions would sometimes compare,
His mien to that of those revolting brutes,
To all of their repulsive attributes.
It has been mentioned that this mighty beast,
Feared no living thing north, south, west or east.
But because of this creature's lack of sight,
It took much courage to decide to take flight.
Soaring in the sky when one can't quite see,
Is a daunting task and never easy.
So Sereptoclops seldom ever flew,
Spending his time planning and scheming too.
Vanity consumed this arrogant king,
But having one eye caused his pride to sting.
If not for that he knew he'd be perfect,
Commanding subservience and respect.
He knew there were those who ridiculed him,
Day after day his countenance grew grim.
Those who were caught were brought before the king,
And seared to the bone, charred flesh clinging.
Now the dragon king knew the time had come,
To divulge his secret, he must succumb.
He thought about those most willing to please,
Two vile sycophants, his faithful harpies.
Biddy and Rogue, two rapacious shrews,
Had served him for years, paid all of their dues.
Vulture like creatures with long fingernails,
They were greedy monsters with feathered tails.
He disclosed his secret in confidence,
They listened in silence, with much patience.
For they knew their king would reward them well,
And vowed to him, not a soul would they tell.
Sereptoclops said, ``Fly down to the land,
Prove your obedience, do as I command.
Find a solution, the answer I seek,
I'll give you a fortnight and then we'll speak.``
So Biddy and Rogue flew off on their quest,
What they would find, they would never have guessed.
Loyal to their king, they returned in time,
To describe a place of splendid sublime.
They portrayed a world of rainbow colors,
As each tried to speak above the other.
A world of beauty and wondrous creatures,
Dazzling beings with exquisite features.
Wood nymphs, natures delicate deities,
Dancing and singing as they picked daisies.
Nurturing spirits to those who lived there,
Tending to their needs with much love and care.
They spoke of white horses, noble and good,
With horns that shone in the sun where they stood.
They had translucent silver manes and tails,
And healing powers for all kinds of ails.
Sereptoclops stomped his foot on the ground,
The ground it shook from the terrible sound.
``Enough!`` he shouted in a hateful tone.
The harpies trembled and began to moan.
``Sire,`` Biddy said, whimpering in fear,
``We just assumed that you would like to hear,
About the mysterious land below.
We thought that was why you told us to go.``
Sereptoclops smiled an unpleasant smile,
``I thought you'd tell me something worth my while.
You speak of this place with your eyes aglow,
And come back with nothing but words to show.
You haven't done anything I have asked!``
He flared, his fury becoming unmasked.
``So it seems you've taken this trip in vain.
How can I ever trust you both again?``
``Master,`` Rogue spoke trying to calm the king,
``That's not the whole story, not everything.
We did find something while we were down there,
Please let us continue, it's only fair.``
Sereptoclops glared at the two harpies,
His nostrils flared as they fell to their knees.
``You disgraceful cravens, stand before me,
And finish telling me the whole story.``
The harpies stood, their faces to the ground,
And began to tell him what they'd found.
It was Biddy who chose to take the lead,
Disclosing the answer the king would need.
``Down below, deep inside the wooded land,
Where the tallest trees, tower and stand,
Lives the queen, a pulchritudinous fowl,
Known as Trinity, the all seeing owl.
If we could snatch this odd, elusive bird,
Then we'd steal an eye once she's been captured.
We could take her eye and give it to you,
Then you'd be all seeing; perfect; like new.``
When Biddy finished, she let out a sigh.
She was feeling nervous, and she knew why.
She knew she must tell the king one more thing,
Knowing the wrath that it would surely bring.
``All seeing owl,`` Sereptoclops stated,
Beginning to feel, somewhat elated.
``If I had her eyes,`` he said with a grin,
``I'd see things one can only imagine.``
``Eyes?`` Rogue questioned, feeling slightly confused.
``Yes,`` the king answered looking quite amused.
``I will take them both, it's the only way.
``After all,`` he said, ``I've an image to portray.``
Sereptoclops laughed, ``Well this is great news.
I have a whole army that we can use.``
Sereptoclops` eye narrowed down to a slit,
``Why do I feel you've left out the best bit?``
``Well there is just one tiny thing,`` Rogue said.
Becoming besieged with feelings of dread.
``She's guarded by beasts both pure and regal
With lions` bodies and heads of eagles.``
Sereptoclops` tail whipped `round with fine aim,
His sole intention to kill or to maim
The harpies ducked just in the nick of time
Preventing the king from a heinous crime
Sereptoclops paced, pondering his plight,
Knowing full well he'd have to take flight.
``What are these creatures who protect the queen,
These beautiful beings I've never seen?``
``From what we've been told, they're called a griffin.
You'll have to act fast if you want to win.``
Biddy told of how the beasts down below,
Would band together, a full force to show.
Sereptoclops called his army that night
Planning a strategy; how they would fight.
He explained how the creatures down below,
Were planning a war; that's the seed he'd sow.
Meanwhile deep inside the wooded forest,
Trinity the owl was doing her best,
To appease her followers from their fear,
So she made her intentions very clear.
``We've heard of the plans of Sereptoclops,
From our friends who dwell high in the tree tops.
They've been listening to the two, shrewd old hags
I wish I could say they were just windbags.
The truth is the dragon king wants my eye,
And in order to get it I must die.
For we can not hope to fight against him,
Our chances of winning are very slim.
The beasts of his army are very cruel,
If anyone fought him they'd be a fool.
They'll rip us to pieces and kill us all,
It's my duty as queen to take the fall.``
I will not allow any blood to spill,
I will give myself of my own freewill.
Hush my friends, not a moment despair,
You must accept sometimes life isn't fair.``
One of the river nymphs asked, ``Why your eye?``
``I don't know why,`` the queen said with a sigh.
``Perhaps a queens` eye is fit for a king.
Perhaps the eyesight he thinks it will bring.``
``We must fight for our queen,`` the wood nymphs said.
``Without our queen, we may as well be dead.``
The unicorns nodded their heads and spoke,
``There must be a spell that we could invoke.``
The griffins knelt down before Trinity,
``There must be a way, there just has to be.
We'll fight to the death, that's what we're here for,
We can't just give up, we must go to war.``
But Trinity let out a screeching cry,
``I will not allow one of you to die!
I've made up my mind, I'll go to the king,
I will be the one to deal with this thing.``
So Trinity began the long flight up,
Thinking about the sacrificial cup,
That she would drink from in order to save,
Her companions from going to their grave.
She flew `til she reached the top of the mount,
There were so many beasts, she could not count.
Ogres, harpies and the mighty centaur,
All holding weapons, prepared for a war.
Two grotesque harpies stepped out from the crowd,
To come stand before her, speaking quite loud.
``Twas a mistake to come here,`` Rogue spoke out.
``You've sealed your fate, of that there is no doubt.``
Before the queen could answer Biddy said,
``You stupid fool, now you've just made your bed!``
With those words spoken they each grabbed a wing,
And brought her to the cave to see the king.
Sereptoclops stared at the winged bird,
``So you are the owl about whom I've heard.
Coming to see me was most courageous,
Coming alone, thoughtless and dangerous.``
Trinity responded with a warm smile,
``I've been wanting to come here for a while.
I think it's about time that we were friends,
Is there any way we can make amends?
Living in peace is the best solution,
Let's call a truce, a joint resolution.``
Trinity ended her speech with a bow,
Hoping to appease the dragon somehow.
The king roared with maniacal laughter,
``Then we'll all live happily ever after.``
His mocking tone sent shivers down her spine.
He grabbed her wing and said, ``Come let us dine.``
Trinity sat with the king by her side,
Pretending to eat, while inside she cried.
She knew, deep down, this would be her last meal,
And facing death, made it seem so surreal.
Serptoclops looked at her untouched plate,
``It is time Trinity, to face your fate.``
He rang a bell and the harpies came in,
Each of them wearing a malicious grin.
They shackled her legs, and tied up her wings,
As thoughts of her friends pulled at her heartstrings.
She would miss them terribly, but she knew,
That this was the best way, the right thing to do.
The harpies stood on either side of her,
Watching her eyes fill with salty water.
She screamed in pain as they plucked out her eyes,
Ignoring her soulful, agonized cries.
Her blood spilled out and onto the floor,
She prayed for a moment, for a saviour.
She heard Sereptoclops laugh with great glee,
As her eyes were placed in him by Biddy.
``I can't believe it! I still can not see!
Everything's fuzzy, so very blurry!``
Sereptoclops ventured outside his cave,
And Trinity smiled at the roar he gave.
``I can see everything that`s far from me,
But anything that's close I can not see.
`You tricked me!`` his voice was not far away.
``You`re not the all seeing owl like they say.``
Trinity spoke in a low shallow voice,
``To honestly see, you must make a choice.
The reason I'm called `all seeing` my friend,
Is because of the values I defend.
Honoring life by loving each other,
Having deep respect for one another.
The eyes are not the visionary part,
True vision comes from deep within the heart.
It does not matter what the eyes perceive,
A heart that is pure will never deceive.``
With a final weak sigh, she turned her head,
Sereptoclops knew then, that she was dead.
The dragon king screamed in vicious rage,
Knowing the cave would always be his cage.
He ran to the edge of the mountain bluff,
And plunged to his death in one final puff.
Now down in the woods where the trees grow tall,
Was the most wonderful surprise of all.
The unicorns and griffins had gathered below,
Along with the wood nymphs, their eyes aglow.
A tiny owl had emerged from its shell,
With only one eye, from what they could tell.
A king had been born to take the queens` place,
A miracle of life, their saving grace.
Now my friends I have one question to ask,
Answering it I`m sure, will be an easy task.
What is the moral of this long story?
You don`t need eyes to have vision to see.
|
 |
Step It Up!
Contest Winner
|
|
|
Author Notes
Please feel free to critique this as much as you wish. One of the most difficult things I`ve ever tried. There are 2,276 words here and I can`t wait to hear from those who choose to read this extremely long write.
|
|
