The Horseman

Written by Kirstin Brazil

Have you heard the tale of The Horseman?

A story of love and of loss;

A tale of sorrow and vengeance,

That came at a terrible cost.

I can tell you the tale of The Horseman,

For he will rise this night.

You may, in fact, be a witness

To the Horseman’s appalling delight.

In a town long ago and far away,

There lived a powerful man.

A mighty hand this man was,

With his grip across the land

The man’s daughter was a beauty,

She was his only pure light.

He promised her to a devil,

An evil no one would fight.

But the daughter loved another,

She refused the devil’s plight.

Off she ran to her lover,

Whose name you’ve heard this night.

The Horseman took the woman,

This great love of his life.

They married each other in secret,

Knowing it would cause great strife.

The devil heard of this treachery,

And his anger knew no bounds.

He gathered his fellow demons

To run The Horseman aground.

The evil men went to his home,

They grabbed his wife from their bed.

They tied a rope around him

Yelling, “tonight he’ll soon be dead!”

The Horseman grabbed his pistol,

And shot into the night.

His horse, Nightmare, came to his aid,

And he and his wife took flight!

But the devil was a ruthless man,

He took out his rifle and aimed.

He shot Nightmare as they fled,

And the horse’s life had been tamed.

The devil once again came upon them

And pulled the lovers apart.

They dragged The Horseman’s wife away,

Now the devil’s game would start.

They beat The Horseman bloody, 

Soon rain began to fall. 

As lightning streaked across the sky,

The devil halted the brawl.

They dug a shallow grave,

And threw The Horseman inside.

They covered him in blood and dirt

Knowing The Horseman was still alive.

The Horseman’s wife stood shaking,

Praying for any sign.

Hoping her lover would save her.

Not knowing it was asinine.

They threw a shovel at the ground 

And shoved The Horseman’s wife.

If she found his unmarked grave,

They promised her his life.

So she dug for hours, months, and years.

Her hands cracked with blood,

She became the Wailing Woman,

Her tears, an ever-flowing flood.

Until one night she found his bones,

And she kissed her lover’s head.

She held the gun he gave her,

And The Horseman’s wife was dead.

The devil found the Wailing Woman

With The Horseman in her embrace.

He stole her once again from him,

So he could bury her in disgrace.

But the blood of his lost lover

Was swept into his bones.

And The Horseman rose from his grave,

And screeched out deadly moans.

He called for his horse, Nightmare

Whose ghostly form did appear.

He rode into town with a grin on his face,

For the reaper was soon to be there.

He slaughtered her father first,

For he had betrayed his light.

Then he went after the devil

Who waited for him in delight.

The devil was prepared for the reaper,

But The Horseman was far more cold.

He stole the devil’s soul away,

And the devil knew his fate was sold.

The Horseman dragged the devil,

Back to where he belonged.

He then returned to the townspeople,

And reaped the souls of those who had wronged.

So pray your soul is pure and clean,

Hope there’s no greed in your heart.

For if you hear the Wailing Woman,

The Horseman’s hunt will start.