SOS: Save Our Souls

The pale moon shines

Through the forest leaves

And the dying ivy vines

That cling to the moaning trees.

On this cloudless night,

We journey beneath the moon

To search for the carnival lights

That will only bring doom.

The eerie light brings forth

Crawling shadows

And darkness draws close

Pushing us forward.

Shouts and cries haunt the woods,

Casting out all silence.

The trees creak and moan

As the rough winds blow,

And the leaves scatter at sight.

Footsteps echo like beating drums,

With a rhythm that says

Be warned.

One final burst of wind sighs in the air:

"Don't come near…

The fear is growing greater…

Let the spirits and souls

Flee out of sight…

Nothing good will come of this night…

Its coming, its coming!

Run while there is still time!

Blood shall be shed tonight…

Get out while there is still light,

Or the king of the night

Shall bring forth a place…

A place where no moon shines…

A place where the only sounds

Are screams of broken souls…

Get out! Get out!

For nothing good will come of this night…

For fear in the flesh has arrived…"

I hear something eerie

And stop to listen

But my friends keep calling

As we crossed the graves

Of those who have fallen

From life’s graces.

My friends amble on

With no consideration

While I walk by

In silent commemoration.

From the corner of my eye

I see her stand

Clad in white

With an outstretched hand

She calls for me

With a fearful face

But no sounds comes

No matter how long I wait.

As soon as she had come

She vanished from sight.

Leaving me with a feeling of fright.

“WAIT!” I cried

And ran to the light

That enraptured my friends.

That’s where the horror begins.

Thrilled screams poured from the gates.

A man flung open the entrance

And said:

“Come any, come all,

To the Carnival of Horror,

Where popcorn bursts black as night.

Cotton candy tastes of terror.

Where music loudly laughs around,

Singing to the pitch black night

And blood-red moon

That drifts aimlessly above the purple clouds,

Where all are welcome, and all may sing,

And dance their nights away.”

As we dashed into the festival

We didn’t stay to hear

The end of the warning

He had come to heed.

“Do not meander for long

For at the stroke of twelve

Those who remain in this god-forsaken place

Shall perish before dawn breaks.”

We ran among the outcasts of the night

The carousel twirled

And the rollercoaster thrashed

And the black train roamed

But the games won’t last.

The hours passed;

The minutes ran as one;

Oblivion filled the heads

Of every boy and girl

Who smiled and laughed

As the games they played

And the sweets they ate

Faded to a distant memory

And the clock struck the hour of death.

As the last chime struck

The lights dimmed

And the crowd disappeared.

The faces of the masks grew demonic.

The music skipped and grew silent

I looked with panic

At my friends all around

And knew in an instant

We were never getting out.

The speakers rang

As they were turned on

And the familiar voice

Rasped throughout the park:

“Greetings any and all

To my Carnival of Horror

The festivities will start

In the coming moment

But first I must say

That I hope you relish

Your last moments of life

As you die in this hellish place.

My warning went unheard

And now you are trapped

The only way out

Is through a casket.

Good luck and goodbye

Have a happy afterlife

But it is too late

To save your souls

And forget this escapade

Of lost, little fools.”

Panic commenced and

I was running like a ghost

That had seen the eyes of the devil.

Who knows?

He seemed most likely

To host

This house of Horror.

As my cowardly behavior

Began to subside,

I looked behind

To see if I was the first to die.

The blackened night filled with a scream

Of terror and anguish

Which soon turned to languish

As a saw roared and drowned her out

And the night was silent once again.

“Oh, God…”

I whispered in remorse

As I saw three bodies run towards me

But missing a fourth.

They exclaimed and they cried

For the one missing from our sides.

They shook with fear

And rattled with anger

But could do nothing

But stand and wait in their anguish.

Any courage was a lie

As each one of us

Quaked with a selfish pride.

But what good were we

To try to hide,

Or were we there

To wait for our death

Like the fools we were

And the fools we are?

I refuse to be chased

If I do not race

To the finish line

And fight for my life.

It was our only choice.

Death or freedom…

This was hell.

A place where no moon shines…

A place where the only sounds

Are screams of broken souls…

And we are next.

The carousel cried

A deadly song

And the rollercoaster rang

With poisonous noise.

The path is dangerous,

With what cannot be seen.

And the stars bring

No comfort to the soul.

I can’t breathe;

I can’t speak.

I just wait for what

The Carnival of Horrors

Will do to us.

Here we stands

Rigid and tense

While the darkness moves

With motions and steps

Like a lion pacing

Before its throne.

Silence cries

In panic and fear

And I watched the sky

For what felt like a year.

Where to go?

Where would he be?

Where could we find

The man on a killing spree?

Would he hide in the mirrors

Or in the myriad of games?

Would he ride the rollercoaster

And sink between each frame?

Where to go?

Where to hide?

Would it hurt to peek inside?

We sneak between the tents

And listened for any sounds.

To my left

A clown laughed loud

And stood up

To walk towards our crowd.

He rolled and tumbled

With that horrid smile on his face.

I could see his eyes

Staring into mine.

I could hear his steps

Matching in time.

We ran for our lives

With nowhere to go,

With no escape,

With no hope.

I heard a scream

And turned to see

A friend being dragged

Away from me.

I grabbed and pulled

But the knife came down

Close to my face

And hit the ground.

I let go in protest

And found her gone.

We heard a splash of water

And knew something was wrong.

We ran to the side

The jester had dragged her

Only to see her body

Floating in the tank

Her eyes aware

But she was lifeless

With frozen despair.

The next two left

With no regret

Of leaving me behind.

But, here

There was no room to be kind.

So Karma laughed

And they both died

The second they turned

And met his eyes.
He stood on stilts

And leaned down low

To meet their faces

With a look of woe.

With one quick sweep

Their heads rolled

Onto the damp ground

Wet with their blood.

And I was alone…

The lingering smell

Of rotten flesh came.

"Get out! Get out…."

But I come in

To the House of Mirrors

And hear his laugh

Ring loud and clear

Through the maze

And I rest my gaze

At my impending doom.

Oh, God, Save our Souls.