Key to the Door

They said she suffered from visions, so

They locked her up in her room,

I heard her pacing the floor in there

To softly cry in the gloom,

Her food they slid in under the door

And that’s when I heard her shout:

‘You can’t keep me forever in here,

You must let my nightmares out!’

 

But a doctor listened outside the door

And shook his head as he went,

A Priest then wafted some incense in

And muttered a sacrament,

But no-one dared to unlock the door

For they’d heard a howl within,

‘She must be conjuring demons there

Or some terrible type of sin.’

 

At night when everyone was asleep

I’d put my head to the floor,

And whisper low to my sister through

The gap, just under the door.

‘Go find the key,’ she would say to me,

‘And unlock the door in the night,

We’ll creep on out while the house is still,

Take off while the Moon is bright.’

 

I didn’t know where to find the key,

I didn’t know where it was,

It wasn’t hung up on the kitchen hook

Or the nail in the wooden cross.

She begged me, ‘Keep on looking for it,

It’s the only chance for me,

Then we will be together again

At last, and finally free!’

 

But then her visions returned again

And lights shone under the door,

While sounds, like animals caught in pain

Built up to a sullen roar.

I whispered, ‘Sis, can you hear me now,

I’m scared,’ and started to bawl,

She cried, ‘There’s lights and a million things

All creeping out of the wall.’

 

I went to beat on our parent’s door

But I heard my father snore,

I ran downstairs and I found the key

They’d hid in the bureau drawer.

I hesitated before I turned

The key in my sister’s lock,

The door swung open and lay ajar

As I stood, stock-still in shock.

 

For in the room was a wooded glade

With creepers clogging the walls,

Bats were hung from the old lampshade,

The bed was a waterfall,

But of my sister, never a sign

She must have been lost in the trees,

But monsters struggled out of the wall

As I fell in dread to my knees.

 

They say I suffer from visions, so

They’ve locked me up in my room,

I couldn’t cope with my sister’s loss

They said, but she’s in a tomb.

I know she’s not, for I hear her whisper

Under the door at night,

‘We’ll creep on out while the house is still,

Take off while the Moon is bright.’

 

Then sounds, like animals caught in pain

Build up to a sullen roar,

I call for her, again and again,

‘Just get the key to the door.’

But then she fades, and she slips away,

So far that I have to shout:

‘You can’t keep me forever in here,

You must let my nightmares out!’

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Barbz]

What an eerie tale you tell, the vision haunts my head. As I try to visualize the nightmares, so she said? The howls and growls of creatures, hideous , I am sure, forced him, pray, to find the KEY to open up that door. Then, here it comes, the inevitable twist...his sister wasn't dead. All the horror and nightmares lived within His head...Master D.L.Paget, often when I read you, a different song is sung, my mind absorbed your teaching and I speak in different tongue.

[A Soap Mess Stories]

Great to read another creepy tale...

[Avinash]

Intriguing but the bond between a brother and a sister is told in quite fascinating way.

[Lena M. P.]

Wow that gave me the willies! The stuff bad dreams are made of. Very well written and quite a turn of events.

[Lyn Anderson]

Another one in the creepy, eerie vein. I like it.

[Claire in VA]

Holy Mackerel!! From where do your stories come? I already know the answer. They are a gift from God. I am glad that you thank Him for your extraordinary gift.

I absolutely loved this story! Your imagination is on steroids!!

I am in constant awe of your writing.

Claire

[Marie]

This is a great story. I love the part where he opens the door and finds a wooded glade. Here's where I would have gone another way, by having the boy and his sister existing happily in a fantasy world. But it wouldn't have the impact your poem does.

[Draven]

Sir, u just blew my mind. This is such an awesome story and I am privileged to have read it. The twist is good. I was expecting a very different surprise and got instead a better one.

[emmajoy]

ABSOLUTELY SUPERB! You really are the Master when it comes to writing like this, David! You tell a tale in the finest rhyming style and either teach an unknown history or - as in this case, lead the reader into an extraordinary finish.

' But then her visions returned again ~ And lights shone under the door, ~ While sounds, like animals caught in pain ~ Built up to a sullen roar.'

Will return to read over and more than likely, over again!