Craic In The World 5
(Patty Hallett)

Deoch Eolais was a small storefront,
Jayshawn had passed before.
It was a hole in the wall, just down the street,
And very obviously a bookstore.
But there was an eeriness that seemed to loom,
Just beyond its doors.
The dark green paint hid, something inside.
And Jay’s mind played on him, head wars.

But he pressed on and went inside,
And it smelled very musty.
The books on the shelves were mostly very old.
Dingy, faded, and dusty.
The he navigated the labyrinth of bookshelves,
To the “front” counter in the back.
Which sat next to a cage for ancient books,
And other valuables to be kept.

A little woman about 30 years old,
With a brunette braid popped out-
Almost like a meerkat from his den,
And she greeted him with a shout.

Woman: “Welcome to Deoch Eolais!
Can I help you today, kind sir?
Looking for anything in particular?
Or are you not yet sure?”

She pushed her glasses up on her nose,
And smiled at him professionally.

Jayshawn: “Yeah, I want to know what you think,
About our resident Albino chick.
I saw your blog post on your website,
And there, you kind of lay it on thick.
Something about some crazy event,
Thousands of years ago?”

Woman: “Well you’re half-right. The Precipitous Event
Took place around 1100 though.”

She went about her business,
Putting more books on shelves.
Jayshawn followed as she explained.

Woman: “This world has been through hell,
What with the otherworld connection slowly spiralling,
Completely out of control.”

Jayshawn: “See, you lost me again there, sister.
You are on quite a roll.”

She sighed but smiled once again,
And held out her hand to him.

Woman: “Pleased to meet you sir, My name is Patty Hallet.
And all I’m telling you isn’t a whim.”

Jayshawn: “I never said I thought it was.
There’s something weird about that girl.”

Patty: “So you’ve met her before? What was she like?
I hear she’s pale as a pearl.”

Jayshawn: “She’s… Interesting, to say the least.
So what was this ‘Event’?”

Patty: “Basically a Legend that simply states,
Something cosmic is happening at present,
And has been happening since the 1100’s,
Where another dimension and ours collided,
And now the two are unravelling fast,
And you’re not listening!” She chided.

Jayshawn: “Mostly cause I’m lookin’ at that monster,
Starin’ at me from outside.”

Patty’s eyes widened as her door flung open,
And Jayshawn ran to hide.

A werewolf-like creature, about 7 feet tall,
Barrelled in right at Patty.
Patty stood her ground with surprising confidence,
And said,

Patty: “That’s a good boy, laddy.
Come to sister, we’ll take care of you.”

And when it got there,
She side-stepped it.
It landed inside the ancient books cage,
And she very quickly locked it.

The monster thrashed inside the cage,
Angrilly snarling and trouncing about.
Patty put her hands on her hips,

Patty: “Stupid, man.
Now I’m out.”

She turned her attention to Jayshawn,
Who sat staring at the beast.

Patty: “Come on out, I’ll buy you a drink.
It’s the very least-
That I can do, after a sight like this.
My brother can be quite the pain sometimes,
I need a pint or two to relax me bones,
And you look like you need to unwind.
There’s no one coming in this store,
While Ted is in his fog.
C’mon, man, have a drink with me,
Down at the Handsome Hog.”

Hi I’m Joshua, and I’m resurrecting Epic Poetry for modern nerds like you! Come join me at JoshuaDavidLing.com or just about anywhere on social media!

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