The Long Wait

The Inn sat down in a hollow,

Deep in a grove of trees,

It sat so far from the road, the yard

Was two feet deep in leaves,

It looked to be well deserted,

Except for a single light,

That poured its glow on the porch below

Late on that fateful night.

 

I’d looked since I found the Grimoire

Sat up on that dusty shelf,

Written in faded longhand

I couldn’t decipher myself,

The ancient scribe in the library

Had helped to decode each line,

And said it spoke of an ancestor

With a similar name to mine.

 

It mentioned the Seventh Circle Inn

And where it could still be seen,

It lay astray by a country way

Deep in a copse of green,

And Agnes Drue was a name I knew

Though I heard she’d not been found,

After the Mass they held that day

On consecrated ground.

 

Her coven had raised a spectre

Beside the Inn, in the woods

Near to a marble altar where

An ancient church had stood,

But then it demanded a sacrifice

To give the Devil his due,

And everyone formed a circle then

Apart from my Agnes Drue.

 

I entered the Inn to find who kept

The Seventh Circle of sin,

I needed to find what happened to

The one who was lost within,

An ancient crone kept the bar in there

Who croaked, ‘I know why you’re here,

You’re far too late for she’s at Hell’s Gate,

Has been, for many a year.’

 

I thought that I’d find a clue in there

On the fate of Agnes Drue,

And asked the crone was she on her own,

Would she rather there were two?’

A screech came up from the cellar then

Like the wail of a troglodyte,

The crone went down with a worried frown,

‘She only does that at night!’

 

Then right in the midst of the cellar floor

Was a seaman’s wooden chest,

With iron hasps and rusted clasps

And a chain wound round the rest,

I burst it open to shrieks and cries

That seemed to come from within,

And there was the corpse of Agnes Drue

Where the Devil had locked her in.

 

The staring eyes in her skull had gone

But they seemed to stare the same,

There was no flesh but the woman’s dress

Was torn in a rage of pain,

And held in her frightful bony hand

Was a book that she’d scribbled on,

Deep in the dark of her awful tomb,

‘I knew! One day you’d come!’

 

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Barbz]

It is a sad state of affairs when a well known and highly regarded Poet, David Lewis Paget. while obviously widely read, is rarely acknowledged. I wish he would remain here and continue to fascinate and capture our attention and imagination....Thank You, Barbz

[A Soap Mess Stories]

A well written tale of macabre and mystery...full of intrigue...as always...

[andrew mitchell]

Bloody fantastic lol David this is a ghostly gem and I just read a short story weeks ago from the early 1800s by Charles Birkin I think with the same theme. Loved this!

[Nicholas C. Cook]

Hi David, also regarding your post. I must say that at first I thought you were being a little obnoxious with your comment, but then as I started to release some of my poems on the site, started to understand exactly what you meant. After twenty or so reads of my first poem there was but not a peep from anyone. I don't think people realize how much a writer loves to know what people think, or how the story might have touched the reader, be it in a tiniest of ways. It takes a moment, but means the world.

[R Smith]

a ghoulish ghostly tale indeed David and a real scary one too, what terror's have taken place in the olden times you seem to have tapped into them but spare us a moment for directions to this Inn, if only so when travelling we know which way.....'NOT TO GO!!!!!'

[Valentine]

David, I pray you are not leaving this site. We have been friends for years and I have always enjoyed you writes. Now I will be worrying. Valentine

[Frozen Eyes]

Well David about your comment i feel really sad about how you are feeling. Your poems always have been a solace for me. The way your paint pictures with words is like watching a movie, Im sorry Im late to read and review your work. but this has come as a wonderfully refreshing piece another movie for me. Please dont stop posting for lack of readers, post for me :) Lotz of Love.. if you still choose to stop i'll leave it to you :(