Together

We huddled in an alley corner,

My comrades and I.

Two hapless wanderers,

I could feel their warm flesh,

Pressed tight against me,

Shivering in their fright.

The mob came closer.

My eyes flew about the throng,

Crooked noses and wild eyes

Illuminated by torchlight,

Steel pitchforks shining.

Pity for my foreign friends

Drove me to courage.

Before the crowd,

I stood. Stepping forward,

I flung arms wide,

As if hung by nails,

And addressed the brutes.

I told them of their foolishness,

But was laughed at for my pains.

Guffawing still,

Our pursuers came,

Devilish tritons and flames aloft.

I fell back,

And in one last attempt to stop

The witch hunt I had caused

I threw myself upon my pals,

My self their only shield.

As flames drew nearer,

Waiting pyres,

I pressed shut my eyes.

And with a yell,

I threw myself upward

And awoke unto familiar settings.