Work Text:
wolves asleep amidst the trees…
bats all a-swaying in the breeze
for weeks now, the voice had called to you in song, beckoning to you from the forbidden stairwell with it's tortured music .
tonight was no exception as you lay awake in bed. the mysterious voice continued its cry out, and you listened on like a fool as you did every night, purely enchanted by the songs.
but one soul lies anxious wide awake..
fearing all manner of ghouls, hags, and wraiths
for your dolly sleep has flown, don't dare let her tremble alone..
slipping out of bed as if under a spell, your bare feet padded across the cold wooden floor boards with glazed eyes and bared ears. hand grasping the door's icy handle, the voice kept on ,
for the witcher, heartless, cold
paid in coin of gold
the staircase you had been warned about by the eldest brother stood still in front of you. it echoed the serene voice back to you, but offered no secrets or answers.
it only shown stone and thickly hidden contempt.
he comes he'll go leave naught behind
but heartache and woe
there was a split-second pause . the silence felt suffocating, like the whole atmosphere was breathing in its wake and awaiting the song's pick-up.
deep, deep woe .
sudden silence.
footsteps.
you climb the well aged steps, stone that had harbored memories from farther back in time then you could comprehend.
your legs burn, but something in you possesses you to pay no mind to it. it goes unnoticed, unlike your presence in the sleeper's den.
hovering at the top step, you listen in for a moment, but the voice does not call out. and the silence is too sobering to continue.
"a cowards choice", the spider whispers to the air as you retreat back into the darkness. you do not hear the venom, or the disdain. humans never heard the venom in his songs.
the bottom step greets you once more and you try to recall why you had been at the top of those steps in the first place. the stairs offered no secrets or answers.
you return to your vine-covered room, set aside your blanket and lay awake in bed once more.
why did the moment feel so familiar?
you don't think about it long, couldn't if you wanted to. you're thrown into the comfort of sleep by something unknown (someone…) and don't have the chance to fight back against it.
after all, a fly may never escape once it is stuck.
"a fly, caught in the spider's web."
---
by himself, the spider sings. he hums to himself and smiles with a sweet look, continuing what you can't hear.
birds are silent for the night
cows turned in as daylight dies
but one soul now fast asleep,
unaware of memories
my dear dolly, shut your eyes
lie still, lie silent, utter no cries
as the witcher, brave and bold
paid in coin of gold
i'll chop you and slice you
cut and dice you
eat you up whole…
the spider took a breathe,
eat you whole.