The Revenge of Elsie Hood

He looked on down from the higher ground

At the village he held in thrall,

A gaggle of bowers, of steeples and towers

And he ruled them, overall.

They went their way each enchanted day

Unknowingly bound in his spell,

Not able to leave, to fret or to grieve

While he ruled their wishing well.

 

The wishing well in the village square

That had been since ancient days,

Nobody knew who put it there

Some sage with enchanted ways,

Its spirit was always known for good

Till they dragged her from a ditch,

That haggard harridan, Elsie Hood,

Known as the village witch.

 

They’d ducked her once in the village pond

To see if the crone would float,

Pricked her skin with many a pin

So the Witch Finder could gloat,

The sentence passed was the first and last

For a witch, in that village dell,

While some were stern, said a witch should burn,

She was tossed, head first down the well.

 

The well grew an ugly, creeping moss

That gave off an evil smell,

And everything good from it was lost

Some said, ‘It’s the witches spell!’

Then he had come to the village square

And tossed in a coin or two,

Said, ‘I command, let me rule the land

And the village surrounding you.’

 

And from that day they were cut away

From the villages all around,

Each road would twist with an evil mist

They were lost, and not to be found,

While he looked down from the higher ground

To gloat on each church and bower,

For then by stealth he had taxed their wealth

Though all that he had was power.

 

A maiden sat in the village square

Selling her flowers and blooms,

Each day, enchanting the people there

By night, in the Tavern’s rooms,

She caught his eye, and he breathed a sigh

When she smiled, so innocently,

So he went to tell the wishing well

‘That’s who I want, for me!’

 

The spirit flew from the wishing well,

The spirit of Elsie Hood,

‘I’ve done the thing that you want me to,

But now you want her, for good!’

It dragged him screaming across the square,

And tore at his eyes and skin,

His blood was spread almost everywhere

By the time that she dropped him in.

 

The mist has gone, it has moved along

The roads in and out are clear,

The moss dried up on the wishing well

And the girl, well she’s still here.

They filled the well to the top with sand

So no-one conjures a spell,

They’d rather be part of the greater land

Than wish in a wishing well.

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Barbz]

He seemed to have great power over the enchanting Village and its people, although unknown to them, holding them in his spell as he ruled their wishing well, which brought them gain since ancient times. All that came to a screeching halt when they dragged Elsie, the witch out of the ditch...She was condemned for her evil ways. Rather than burned at the stake, she was tossed head first down the well....Well, then came the revenge of Elsie, as her evil spirit oozed out! Of course, the mystique of the wishing well no longer exists...Very well written...Barbz

[A Soap Mess Stories]

Very well written story David...a chilling tale.

[andrew mitchell]

Such horrid superstitions back then If you were different , a recluse and or had a black cat you were dammed a heretic or a witch and persecuted. Such was the fear of something against Christianity. I dislike religion ever since, all those innocent people died for what!

[Lyndy]

Nice poem, I really enjoyed it! :D

[Valentine]

So Elsie had the upper hand from the beginning, until his eyes strayed. Clever idea for a write. Valentine

[Confuser]

David: Great mythical flair, like a lot of your poems. The description, well the entire journey was so much fun....every poem you write is filled with so much imagination, I am a fan. The vivid images were powerful; The Revenge of Elsie Hood. The entire poem reads, you probably will get tired of me telling you, but they're like many adventurous stories. I loved every single word, line and syllable. Bravo, once again. Thank you..Dale

[emmajoy]

.. 'It dragged him screaming across the square, - And tore at his eyes and skin, - His blood was spread almost everywhere - By the time that she dropped him in. ..'

As ever you use such deft meter, David... plus, twist words into Gothic horror and eventual oozing gore, perverted justice and all! Really don't know how you manage to write such great tales within such tightly wrapped rhyming. Again, congratulations, and, many thanks for sharing! (I thi-i-inik.. glad i read this ayem and not before bedtime! )

[R Smith]

great story David, it's like a mixture of Grimm's fairy tale and Aesop's fable's and it works fabulously, certainly there's a lesson to learn Aesop fashion and the wonderful ingredients of a fairy tale with wishing wells and witches and love the nod towards the Witch Finder brings back that great movie with the brilliant Vincent Price, wonderful writing my friend :)

[Lady Lola]

Under the influence of two evils, but in the end the people empowered themselves. :) It's always better to engage the world than to be protected at such a price.
Also, the evil enthraller's downfall was an innocent maiden; what a lovely juxtaposition!

[Marie]

Two evil spirits at the bottom of a well filled with sand...but I hope it's sowed with salt and thriced-blessed...or evil can leak out agan...