Willow Dawn

Ducklings would quack, small frogs would croak,

Trees of willow, trees of oak,

Some logs full, some are hollow,

Some here today, some gone tomorrow,

On the river of Willow Dawn,

Goldfish swim, big birds fly,

The night-time cats pass on by,

Slimy newts jump, black bats glide,

Away into the trees to sleep 'n hide,

In the forest of Willow Dawn,

People dance, people talk,

People sing and people walk,

People buy, people sell,

Ding-ding-dong goes the bell,

At the village of Willow Dawn,

Grown-ups work, children play,

Then one woman was inclined to say,

"As some hills are low and as some hills are steep,

Something in thy air's starting to creep,

Towards thy village of Willow Dawn,"

That night something began to freeze and stir,

The locks of hair and bristles of fur,

All awoke from the small village,

From their own shops they started to pillage,

In the night of Willow Dawn,

Young and old march with hordes of gold,

On backs of mules are carried riches untold,

On they strode up to the ancient hill,

And into its ditch they started to fill,

With the money of Willow Dawn,

All their treasures and gold they gave,

Into the soil above her grave,

"Thy golden hordes will allow the hag to rise,

And thy gold-bearers will then meet thy demise,"

Goes the Legend of Willow Dawn,

They all then returned to their beds,

Where they rested their bewitched heads,

Her evil is worse than the longest drought,

Now from her grave she's climbing out,

To bring terror and pain upon Willow Dawn,

She hobbled to the village with warts and all,

"Come out, serve me!" She started to call,

For she would bewitch them further,

For all eternity, they would serve her,

As she chanted the spell of Willow Dawn,

Fresh tears ran down everyone's cheek,

For, Free Will they wished to seek,

As she continued to curse and cackle,

To their minds she bound her shackle,

Bringing terror and pain upon Willow Dawn,

By night she'd stride but by day she'd sleep,

Her snoring slumber causes Free Will to seep,

Back into the minds of the village people,

Who planned to escape into the church steeple,

That late afternoon in Willow Dawn,

Into the church fled the people,

Climbing steep steps up to the steeple,

"What should we do?" They questioned one another,

"Kill her, burn her!" cried each other,

In the steeple of St Willow Dawn,

As the hag slumbered they started to plan,

By day they slaved but by night they ran,

Grabbing their pitchforks, grabbing their knives,

Both brothers and sisters, husbands and wives,

As they ran to the Witch of Willow Dawn,

They ran to what was once the Village Hall,

And into a window they started to call,

"Witch, are thee awake?" When none replied,

The decisive knot they then tied,

They would kill the Witch of Willow Dawn,

No duck would quack, no frog would croak,

As they opened the door of oak,

Their feet climbed the steps of the lair,

As they prayed this wasn't an evil snare,

As they strode through the Council of Willow Dawn,

That was when they saw her door,

To a room that once was the Council of Law,

They opened the door and they gasped in horror,

There the Witch was, shrouded in spiders and borer,

That fateful night in Willow Dawn,

To the Witch they crept up close,

Her features clearer, evil and gross,

Pitchforks stabbed, torches flung,

Terrible chants escaped her tongue,

The words that shook Willow Dawn,

"Cree'nus, Za'ta, Kendro, 'Ree,

My days are ended but you'll never be free,

Sic, Semper, Tyrannus, 'Zo,

Soon all will know only woe,

Prepare to perish, Willow Dawn,"

In a flash of a flame, she was dead,

Slumbering forever, on her burning bed,

The night was silent, the streets were bare,

No watchman walked the village square,

In the silent night of Willow Dawn,

Tom Wilson strode through the silent street,

Unaware of the horror he was about to greet,

Down a steep bank heading to the valley river,

The sight he saw sent, down his spine, a shiver,

The next day in Willow Dawn,

Bodies, some floating, some sinking,

Terrified faces, eyes unblinking,

Son, daughter, husband, wife,

Young, old, all without life,

At the river of Willow Dawn,

No duckling would quack, no small frog would croak,

No tree of willow, no tree of oak,

No logs that were full, no logs that were hollow,

None here today, none there tomorrow,

Since all is dead in Willow Dawn,

"Cree'nus, Za'ta, Kendro, 'Ree,

My days are ended but you'll never be free,

Sic, Semper, Tyrannus, 'Zo,

Soon all will know only woe,

Now all has perished in Willow Dawn,"