The Mansion of Memory

© Isadora Gruye

In the mansion of memory
there are goblins and ghosts,
invisible wings flapping 
down the hall
presaging a death,
hoofbeats galloping 
the twisted lane 
under a midnight  moon,
no horses in sight,
whose riders 
never come home.

A little old gnome
sits at the foot of the bed
and points a gnarled finger
at Ivy,
who dies in a week.

The madwoman shrieks
in the bathroom
and rends all the towels.
A heavy tread stomps 
up the stairway,
stair after stair.
Pure dread
and shivering
under the blankets:
the Monster is here.

There is a long dragging step,
and chains,
above the ceiling.
Bats perch on the windowsill,
looking fierce:
Let us in! Let us in!

A pale ghostly woman
appears on the 
second floor balcony 
and peers through the glass.

And somewhere between
the earth and sky,
a soul books passage
to Eternity,
finds herself walking across
a barren landscape. 
There is a river ahead
and, around the bend,
she can hear people 
dipping their oars
and singing.
They are coming to get her,
but then she wakes up
and comes back from the dead.

Whoo. Nearly scared myself! The Sunday mini-challenge at Real Toads asks us to write using a form with a seven-line stanza. For those who prefer freestyle, we could select and write about any of the offered photos. I chose Isadora Gruye's spooky looking mansion, and decided to go with a Hallowe'en feel. However, all of the events described above actually happened to our family, except for possibly the bats, the chains in the attic, and the Monster's heavy feet on the stairs. OTHER feet on the stairs were definitely scary though! Check out Real Toads  for some other offerings "with an October feel".