The Darkling…


The other night ..
When all the world did’st sleep…
Looketh I into the glass
And saw the shape of myself looking back.

With face half lit … and half in shade
Wandered I deeper into the glade.


At first naught strange appeareth to my eye
But then seemed I
To see the surface ripple..
Be that a gleam within the eye
That resteth on the shadow side.?.


And looking deeper
Flesh once fair doth wither and decay…
See I myself
Too soon as one within the grave…

Then from my lips fell
In almost dread…
(To see myself so very dead…)

“What a foul thing thou art..”

And was a feared
Lest such a thing
In truth be of myself a part

The eye fell lower
On the cheek
Becoming large and dark…

It looked at me and I looked back
Locked we our stares
And in that cold unblinking eye
Felt i…
No compassion or conception of love

It seemeth not surprised to find me there..
But more accepted that it was so..

The darkling preened itself
And then threw back its head
As if a’ howling at the moon
And laughed.. as though at some huge joke..


It laughed but with a laugh that chilled..
There was no kindness in the eye wherein
I found myself regarded by..

And then as quickly as it came
It left
And where it once had been there was a mist..

And so returned I…
Into the world of men where such things do not exist..


These words perchance seem strangely writ
But seemed to me the voice doth fit..
That which to you they doth relate..

Of the Darklings tale..

Trapeze

Babette looks down at the crowd of cheering faces…and although her ego loves the adoration.. she cant help but notice the resemblance between them and a large pack of hungry animals..

“Poof.”. … she says under her breath..
“I vil not geev them ze plaizir..”

She looks down at her costume admiring her womanly curves.. and after making sure it has not revealed too much.. steps out onto the wire..

A gasp of expectation is heard from the crowd below..

Far below…In the center she can see the Baron thoroughly enjoying his role as ring master.. His eyes gleam back with approval..

She isn’t afraid.. she knows that if she slips he will catch her long before she hits the ground..

But despite that comforting thought.. her parasol wavers a little.. as she steps out onto the long.. thin.. wire..

Once or twice she ducks… as something dark swoops over head… and then slowly straightens and continues along the wire….

At the other end of it there appears to be a door.. but she notices that with each step the wire seems to lengthen.. and so begins to understand that there is no end… and that what is being asked of her is something more..

Letting go of reality she steps off into space.. and the roar of the circus fades away..

And as she turns to look at the parasol in her hand she see’s it is the Barons hand..

“Where are we going? “ She asks…
“To the end…” he replies…

“And then?”

“Why mon cherie “ … says he with a smile…”we begin again..”

Badger…

Yawning I open my eyes and wonder how long I’ve been asleep… slowly…. I become aware of my surroundings..

I feel the soft warm earth around me… hear the pulse of other hearts beating alongside my own…. feel the touch of their bodies next to mine…

Here in the snug darkness.. a faint ray of light shines in from the outside though it be yet night .
The moon is high and full… so that even the shrubs and bushes concealing the entrance to our home… cannot keep her out… O great silver Moon.. who gives all that she falls upon a different and mysterious hue…

Sleep now.. I whisper as the last tired cub closes its eyes and forgets to feed.


Freedom calls …
And feeling the need to stretch my legs…I carefully ease myself from beneath my sweet burden and move forward to the edge of the den…
Sticking my nose outside greedily and sniffing in the cool night air…

It has been a while since I last fed and feeling hungry I quickly begin to dig the earth with my strong front legs ….breaking though the surface with my claws then bury my nose searching…

Pressing aside the soft grass and leaves.. I’m in luck and feeling a soft root tug it out crunching eagerly and then search for more…


My ears twitch at the sound of someone approaching. but relax when on lifting my nose just a little I see the familiar form of my mate returning.
He gives a gentle growl of greeting…and leaves an offering of food at my feet… which I quickly consume..


Just in time for in the distance I hear the sounds of dogs and men... bad things happen sometimes so we hurry inside.. and keep very quiet and still…

But my heart will not.. it shouts... " not me!.. not me! … " and the babes sensing my anxiety begin to whimper… ( Shhhh.. not a sound…)

Silently I cry unto the silver Moon to help us.. and she hearing my plea hides at once behind a cloud.. leaving our home shrouded in a darkness so thick.. that the danger of discovery passes us by.. and we begin to breathe again..

The wood which had for a moment frozen with fear for what might be… once more comes to life and from somewhere deep within begins to sing.

Monsieur Le Baron

Monsieur Le Baron slipped deeper into his seat… now and then his eyes strayed to the window… as if waiting for something…or someone…



The Coat hugged itself around her.... as she felt herself slipping back in time


Monsieur Le Baron

Opening her eyes she found herself seated at a table in a patisserie a large cake had just been placed before her…


I am a skinny knock kneed girl …of about 12 or 13 years ..
On my right is Sebastian, my brother , ( an odious child prone to carrying strange insects in his pocket.
I think.. ( know) I hate Sebastian…)


Monsieur Le Baron sits across the table and hands me a dainty napkin..

I watch in fascination as the long fingers smooth the napkin quite flat.. then taking a knife slices into the soft pastry with surgeon like precision……the cream oozes decadently onto the plate.. I reach my finger towards it and scooping a little onto its tip.. lift it to my mouth…its good….and I feel my stomach rumble in anticipation

I glance across the table.. at Monsieur Le Baron… who appears not to notice..

Ahhhh Monsieur Le Baron… our days of walking through the woods are coming to an end…..
I have heard whispering amongst the servants…that perhaps I am to be sent away… that the contact is not quite proper… for a girl of my age…and breeding…

As if hearing my thoughts Monsieur Le Baron slowly lifts his eyes and looks at me .. then smiles and continues eating.. with huge hungry bites…
( our walk had been a tiring one today..)


Monsieur Le Baron is our tutor.... governess’ tend not stay for long.. so for that reason papa decided to hire a man..
Monsieur Le Baron has an aristocratic bearing that was not from these parts.. which papa found particularly appealing..
(Papa was a snob..and loved the thoughts of been served by what were once the upper classes..)


That night as I lay in my bed I heard the words of Monsieur Le Baron running through my head..
“Ahhh mon petite … venez avec moi…” so clear in my mind.. it was as if he was in the room with me..
The night is warm and I fall into a restless sleep tossing and turning on my pillow.….. in my dreams I fly barefoot along… le corridor de la maison bleue…


One day while walking through the woods we had found a sparrow thrust from its next too soon
“Ah...pauvre petite’ ..said Monsieur le baron. as he gently lifted the tiny form and cradled it in his hands..

I shivered suddenly as in the broken body I saw myself forced to live without the Barons care …


Once when I was much younger.. he had tried to leave…. But I clung piteously to his bag.. and took to my bed so papa relented and decided to let him stay a little longer..
A week turned to month and then to a year…

Soon Monsieur Le Baron and I were taking walks in the moonlight.. still accompanied by my odious brother Sebastian…

Something nasty happened to Sebastian.. I have forgotten what.. maybe he finally net something bigger and nastier than he was..


Each night I hear the words of Monsieur Le Baron … and feel myself running along the corridor

But tonight something feels different... my night gown billowing like giant wings behind me.. lifts me higher and higher until at last my feet no longer touch the ground…and then noticing a window has been left ajar.. I fly out into the shadows of the night..
A harsh cry escaping my throat… as I feel my wings lifting me higher ….and then I am gone….

Time passes I no not how long but as my vision clears I see Monsieur Le Baron,, quietly waiting for my return.. he knows I will come…

The door of the carriage opens… no more ‘Monsieur’, I am no longer a child..
It is the Baron.. that now welcomes me inside and covers me with a coat of soft fur.. his long white fingers clear the shadows from my mind and I fall into a deep…deep….sleep.

The Coat...

'Darleeeeng'.... said Babette... ( hopefully eyeing his pockets...) , you remembered..

....

The day was crisp and bright… so beautiful in fact that the Baron for once had
chosen to wander out of doors while it was still light..
He stood peering into a dusty shop window..

It was a small old fashioned kind of shop…. It wasn’t there the day before and probably would be gone again tomorrow.. it came and went as it pleased.. So the fact that it was there at all meant there was probably
a reason.

The Baron was an old customer….

“Ahhh mon cher…said the Baron ,” addressing the fur coat on the other side of the glass…
“What aventures we ’ad together…”...


The coat on the tailors dummy wriggled impatiently.. and whispered
“Where is she..?’ and then as an afterthought asked…
“Am I still attractive?”

The coat did a twirl to show itself off..

“ My dear you are lovely as ever….”
Said the Baron soothingly…..

“Be calm …….the bride cometh.."
(If truth be told the coat had seen better days… but the Baron had no desire to be unkind by pointing out its lack of perfection….)

The coat took a static pose and held its breath.. then squeaked in a panicked tone..” I’m going to sneeze…!!!”

The Baron cleared his throat loudly.. to cover the situation.

Just .. as Babette trotted towards him carrying a few prized goodies..from the shoe shop a few doors down..

She joined him and looked in the window…

The coat smiled at her…( holding its breath..) Babette smiled back….her eyes like stars..

For a long time she stood looking at it saying nothing.. and pressed her hands on the glass that separated her from it…

The Baron secretly winked at the coat and gave a slight nod.... ( knowing she was hooked...)

“ Darleeeeng” said Babette , tearing herself away from it ….wrapping her arms coquettishly round his neck.. and looking up at him in what she hoped was an appealing manner…
“ voooooood you like to make me ‘appy….?”

The Baron gave the appearance of thinking about it but only for a second before letting her drag him into the shop…

The door had a bell that jingled as you went inside… a jolly old man stood behind the counter with a pencil stuck behind his ear..

The coat was so eager it almost jumped off the dummy by itself… without waiting to be asked…

Babette slipped easily into its warmth.. and the coat gave a happy sigh..


She absently extended her claws and carefully drew a line down her reflection in the mirror….then stood back..

The edges of the room began to blur and she felt herself slipping back in time.. the journey had begun…

Le Baron walked slowly across the floor.. and with his most charming smile.. handed her a blushing rose..