The poetry submitted to Vanguard Spheres has, and will not be, edited, unless done by request to the author. We encourage responses to the content, as they will be taken into consideration in the judging. Enjoy! ~A~
Entry #3
Summoner's Folley
As a child, come mid-winter
When the wind cuts most deep
We'd gather 'round the fire
In my great uncle's keep
He'd treat us to feast
And he'd treat us to drink
And as the evening turned to night
He'd say with a wink
"Come gather round all
There's a story to tell
Of the Summoner's Folley
And the Heroine's Bells"
We'd laugh and shout
The moment we'd awaited!
And we'd sit by the coals
excited..nay, elated
He'd look 'round at all of us
Steely eyes grim
saying,
"This is a tale of the folleys of men..."
"There once was a student
Erakin by name
Enthralled by the dark
By evil and pain"
"His true passion though
was the summoner's craft
the calling of demons
from the darkest of paths"
"He started out small
an imp or a sprite,
they often got loose
and caused quite a fright"
"The headmaster cried
'Erakin, desist and cease,
you make a mistake
by calling such beasts!'
"Erakin ignored him of course
and summoned them still
the more dangerous the beast
the bigger the thrill"
"One shadowy night
Erakin pushed too far
He summoned a demon
none had ever before"
"It raged from his cottage
out of control
'least 3 halflings tall
with the strength of a bull"
"It smashed through the fence
and across the town square
heading straight for the orphanage
and the children sleeping there"
"But lucky for us
the tale doesn't end there
for sometimes there is one
with a heart most rare"
"The Heroine only
her name lost to time
was on solitary duty
in the guard tower that night"
"Looking down from above
the demon raging below
she had to act quickly
to avoid the death blow"
"She grabbed hold of the bell
to call up the defense
she rang it and clanged it,
such a racket commenced!"
"The bell began ringing
with an unearthly tone
the magic of The Heroine
chilling evil to bone"
"The demon looked up
in shock and in horror
the tone of the bell
stuck straight to it's core"
"The demon shrieked
with the sound of the hells
and ran straight away
from The Heroine's bells"
"The Heroine climbed down
finding the village secure,
and went to investigate
the source of the scourge."
"She found the headmaster
outside Erakin's home,
the silence inside
it chilled to the bone."
"She examined the scene
with a sorrowful eye,
turned to the headmaster and asked
with a baleful sigh"
" 'What was that beast?'
giving her head a shake
'It was' said the headmaster
'Erakin's Last Mistake' "
We jumped up and clapped
Our joy overflowed
"Tell us more!", "What was next?!"
We laughed and we crowed.
Great uncle leaned in close
A look in his eye
We quieted quickly
seeking knowledge on high
"Do you know why we tell you
this story tonight?
It is so you remember
truth lies in the light"
"The Heroine was but one
faithful and true
yet the beast was turned
by her strength found anew"
"So when you start to think
that the task is too large
the order too tall
or the burden too hard"
"Remember the tale
behind this day so jolly
of the Heroine's Bells
and the Summoner's Folley"