Audition

I amble merrily along rolling hills, heather and bracken now of burnt sienna, making way for the Autumn season.

With the smooth gait of a seasoned hiker, my friend and I cross the expanse in harmony, without direction or reason.

The setting sun drenched her hills in aureate light,

Golden hour upon us, the hour for hope before a long night.

We halt upon spotting a small castle in the crease of an earthy mound.

The air stilled, silent, for there was but a sound.

We approached the structure, small yet intimidating, sucking colour from our lands,

Touching the old stone walls, cold beneath our hands.

Like an illusion, sepia converted to monochrome.

Our investigation begins, searching every corner, is the place occupied? Is anybody home?

"Well hello! Are you here for the audition?" From the final room, a voice spoke in mild elation.

"Of course," I replied, disguising our investigation.

The chipped stone stairs led up to a grand wooden door.

Soil and dirt dusted the old stone floor.

The grand door creaked open to reveal flickering candlelight, a room warm as colour returned in browns and gold,

Around a table sat hybrid beings, bodies of human and faces of creatures; canine, feline and rodent alike, young and old.

With smiles on their animal faces, they offered us a seat,

Graciously, we accepted their invitation to join them, eyeing up plates of vegetables and meat.

Like old friends reunited, we ate, laughed and told stories, the looming audition fading from thought.

Undercover we blended in with the hybrids, their friendship genuine and with minds open, we had little fear of being caught.

Like a Judge's gavel hitting a block,

A large bang startled us into shock.

The air grew dense as we sat in nervous silence.

Heavy doors swung open to reveal a man-hybrid Shoebill in a butcher's apron, arms muscular, with eyes foreboding violence.

A young girl with the face of a field mouse asked, feeble, "When is the audition?"

Shoebill didn't answer, his piercing eyes scanned the room, landing on us in suspicion.

A blonde woman approached him from behind to whisper in his ear.

He nodded, not breaking his gaze from the faces looking back at him in fear.

Shoebill brandished a long blade like that of a seax, the woman behind him grinned in delight.

One by one, Shoebill slaughtered my new friends, their cries calling out into the night.

We couldn't leave as we sat frozen in our seats.

Each one of their heads fell onto their plates of various meats.

He came to us last, in silence we stared,

Shoebill said not a word as he glared.

The blonde woman peered at us over his large shoulder,

Like a feeble shrew atop a boulder.

A grin contorted her face, viscous and virulent.

Our bodies remained still, yet our minds vigilant.

No words were spoken,

As our bodies were broken,

By the hands of this large creature,

Shoebill in his castle of grey, now shrouded gore upon every feature.

We would never know what the audition was for,

During our brutal execution, the anguish we tried to ignore.

Our final thoughts were that of rolling heather hills, gazing upon our final sunset from before,

Instead, our story ended with our heads rolling across the floor.