TO ST. JOHN VIANNEY

As a soldier you were really quite inept,

  And as a student you weren’t much,

Although the seminary gave you a chance,

  It seemed holy orders you’d never touch;

But when the good God takes charge,

  There’s nothing that He cannot do,

So through the intercession of Philomena,

  Grace most bountifully fell on you.

Sent to a corrupt village named Ars,

  You woke it up with fiery preaching,

People were flabbergasted by your words

  And threatened by your priestly teaching;

Yet in the little box of the confessional,

  You won a victory over selfish hearts,

Though the devil anxiously pursued you,

   God extinguished all his flaming darts.

So many made pilgrimages to see you,

  And confession lines were terribly long,

But through God’s grace you read their souls,

  Bringing hope to many in the throng;

Thus the devil grew angrier and angrier,

  That’s why the beast ranted and raved,

Still you won over many many souls,

  In God’s mercy they were finally saved.

TO THE HOLY FAMILY

Good St. Joseph, you were sent

To be my wise knightly master,

So that through your assistance

I could reach Heaven faster.

Sweet and holy Queen, you are

So kindly patient and so humble,

The dark one terribly hates you,

For you make him trip and stumble.

Babe of the Incarnation, above you

Swirls the immaculate white Dove,

For now God enters His creation

To show the true depth of His Love.

TO ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX

Good St. Bernard, you love

Our Lord and Our Lady so much:

You were a sincere confessor,

But in the confessional, 

You were too severe,

Far far too severe,

And so the Spirit taught you

Gentleness, sweet gentleness;

Maybe it was from you that

St. Francis de Sales learned,

For he so famously said that

We will catch more flies 

With a spoonful of honey

Than with a barrel full of vinegar.

ST. BERNADETTE OF LOURDES

Your magnificent story I will tell:

The wondrous Miracle of Massabielle;

Our Lady came in breathtaking beauty,

And she knew that you would do your duty;

You came before her as God’s little child,

And looking down on you, she warmly smiled;

She gently asked you to dig in the ground,

And there spring waters were suddenly found;

Cripples bathed in the stream with salty tears,

And walked away whole without any fears;

Then hardened hearts started to melt,

And before the good God they humbly knelt.

A PROFILE OF COURAGE

Eugenio Pacelli is consecrated a bishop,

  In Italy’s historic city of Rome,

But he is flung like a javelin into Germany,

  And Munich is now his home;

Egelhofer sends Commander Seiler

  On a mission filled with human hate,

The truth is Mr. E. thirsts for blood,

  And Pacelli he wishes to assassinate;

Commander Seiler and his gang selfishly strut

  To the bishop’s place of residence,

They’re planning a brash bold attack,

  Plotting his murder with confidence;

They threaten the servant with weapons,

  So she reluctantly lets them in,

Now they await the bishop’s return,

  Thinking victory they will win.

Seiler stands ready at the door,

  With his thugs in a semicircle around,

Armed with loaded guns and grenades,

  Their faces are rather frowned;

When the bishop opens the door,

  Seiler points a pistol at his pectoral cross,

Yet Pacelli fearlessly stands his ground,

  And shows him who is boss;

The holy bishop speaks as soft as an abbot,

  Or even a most prayerful friar,

But his courageous words rip into them,

  Like relentless machine gun fire;

The bishop’s eyes are two spear tips,

  That pierce right through their souls,

And in a daze they gape back at him,

  As motionless as telephone poles.

With empty hands the would-be assassins

  Return to Egelhofer the Extreme,

To his surprise, Pacelli still lives,

  And in the Munich diocese reigns supreme;

The bishop bravely swatted their plans,

  As if they were harmless flies,

Never before had they looked at a priest

  With such powerful paralyzing eyes;

During the Second World War,

  He saved countless lives from Nazi extermination,

And many Jewish people commended him,

  For his covert operation;

This lean, stately figure ran the Church,

  Though he never sought out fame,

He is better known as Pope Pius,

  The Twelfth who has held that name.

TO POPE BENEDICT XVI

As you bashfully smile,

you extend both arms

and wiggle your fingers:

your welcoming wave

is a gentle greeting to

the pilgrims at St. Peter’s.

A prudent theologian,

you write the most

eloquent of encyclicals;

as a classical pianist,

you wisely speak about

true beauty and true art.

In your own quiet way

you shepherd the flock,

for you’re a very holy man;

you’re an obedient son,

a simple man of Love,

a humble genius.

TO MY GUARDIAN ANGEL

Guardian Angel, please pray for us,

Because the devil tempts us to obsess,

We must evade the evil of worldly idols,

And not dream of what to possess;

Thirsting for things can thicken anxiety,

Which can seem to never cease,

We struggle and tuggle with all our might,

And banished is all our peace.

The diabolical dragon swoops down,

Determined all good to destroy,

With the flaming fire of enslaving greed,

He seeks to kill all devotion and joy;

But as our trustworthy guide from Heaven,

With love you sing a sweet prayer,

And your words rise like a happy dove

Higher and higher up into the air.

Your shining shield of protection

Guards us from the devil’s snare,

You deflect the dragon’s temptation,

And it evaporates into the air;

Gratitude is like a stream of living water,

Delightfully refreshing us during the day,

It brings joy to the heart and revives us,

While washing temptation away.

But when the evil one’s persuasive poison

Threatens to seep deep into our heart,

Teach us to think of the Lord Jesus crucified,

So that it pierces our soul like a dart;

When we dance with delight with temptation,

Help us the crucifix recall,

For the cross crushes the devil’s teeth,

And into hellish Styx he will fall.

Meditating on the gore of Golgotha,

Our hearts like tearful candles melt,

Knife-like nails puncture his palms,

And blood trickles to where Our Lady knelt;

Then our foolish obsessions are obliterated,

By the power of His holy love,

And we are magnificently made new,

By His grace flowing from above.

Trying to lure us into obsession,

The devil deceptively dangles his bait,

But seeing you push us out of harm’s way

Only fuels his mad fury and hate;

We escape the avalanche of avarice,

That crushes the soul like snow,

You lead us on a path filled with Light,

And our life in the Spirit does grow.

TO ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST

In humility you

   wear camel’s hair,

And your faith in God

   is extremely rare;

True repentance is

   your counsel for all,

Helping poor sinners

   to avoid a fall;

You detest the cruel

   world’s horrible lies,

For verily you are

   both strong and wise;

Then one day you see

   the holy white Dove,

And know that you

have finally found Love.

WORLDLY ANXIETY

Worldly

anxiety

chokes 

all joy,

and

strangles

all peace.

CHRIST THE COURAGEOUS

Philovanitas didn’t want a spiritual life

  Where she had to follow lots of rules,

For her the Church was run by men

  Who were really a bunch of old fools;

A free life where she could decide

  Was her idea of sensible fun,

So she steered her ship into enticing seas

  While soaking up some sun;

But the evil one launched a surprise attack

  And thunder she started to hear,

A tempest rushed in with frantic fingers

  And tried to strangle her with fear;

Like demonic fireworks, lightning exploded

  Fanatically all across the sky,

And murderous rain came down like daggers,

  So it was impossible for her to stay dry.

Philovanitas was trapped like a captive

  At sea in a savage Storm of Deception,

She spun her ship around in the wild, wicked

  Wind and lost all sense of direction;

She was engulfed by the tangled, twisted

  Waves of venomous and violent temptation,

And so she paid the ultimate price

  For her silly pursuit of sensation;

She stood aghast in terror as the breakers

  Blasted against her vessel,

And her formidable foe was far too strong

  For her to ever even attempt to wrestle;

She said, “Oh, dear Lord Jesus, please please

  Rescue me from this frightfully horrid place,

I’m sincerely sorry for my sins and want

  Nothing more but to see your sweet face!”

She turned around and before her stood

  One whose robe was most dazzlingly white,

On His head was a glistening gold crown,

  Set with gemstones radiant and bright;

With love He compassionately caressed her

  With his wonderfully warm brown eyes,

And his mild, merciful smile rescued

  Her heart and made her spirits arise;

Then He looked up, thrust His arms into the air

  And commanded the storm to be still,

The tempest immediately retreated

  And was obedient to His holy will;

Back fled the thunderclouds, back fled

  The lightning bolts, to the dark abyss of hell,

The sun now shone cheerfully, the sea now

  Splashed gleefully, and all was well.

At this the evil one foamed at the mouth

  Like the monstrous madman Othello,

He wanted revenge and he wanted it now

  So he vehemently started to bellow;

In a gruesomely gravelly voice he raged,

  “All hands on deck! Attack! Attack!”

And as the pirate demons sped by,

  He gave each one a menacing whack;

The pirate demons loaded up their weapons,

  For the spiritual blitzkrieg was on,

Time was of the essence, otherwise

  Their opportunity might be all gone;

They boarded their ghastly ghost ships

  Like a swarming plague of flies,

They fanatically followed their emperor,

  And he be the Father of Lies.

Soon the ghost galleons’ powerful armada

  Half-surrounded Philovanitas’ ship,

The evil one stood up like a hunchback

  And was ready to crackle his whip;

Impatiently pacing, back and forth,

  He was like a lion that was ready to devour,

But when he saw the handsome Holy One,

  His attitude really turned sour;

With a slobbering spit of hot yellow sulphur,

  The evil one gave his sign,

And the pirate demons loaded their weapons

  While drinking some stale wart-hog wine;

The great Battle for Philovanitas’ Soul

  Was almost ready to commence,

And for the angelic crowd in the clouds,

  There was certainly growing suspense.

The Father most kind and gentle humbly

  Sent down the sweet Spirit of love,

Carrying a sword from the celestial heights,

  The Spirit was shaped like a dove;

He shot down from Heaven like a sunbeam

  Through a sky that was stunningly blue,

And He delivered the sword to Jesus,

  The Lord who makes all things new;

With a hilt of gold and a blade of steel

  The sword was razor-sharp,

And when Christ the Courageous swung it round,

  It sounded like a melodious harp;

Swinging the Sword of the Spirit was

  Something for which Jesus had a knack,

So He turned around, got in the ready position,

  And waited for the enemy to attack.

With that the devil’s hateful, hellish heart

  Burned like Halley’s Comet,

So he gave the signal to attack

  And sulphurous lava he began to vomit;

The demon archers with cryptic crossbows

  Shot electric arrows into the air,

The arrows buzzed like a swarm of sparkling

  Bees as they targeted Philovanitas’ hair;

But Jesus exhibited tremendous athleticism

  And certainly He frustrated His foe,

With His sword He deflected the electroarrows

  And they fizzed into the sea below;

The devil saw that the arrows were useless

  And it was time to turn to flaming missiles,

These are the kind that blaze through the air

  With terrifying and eerie whistles.

Jesus then changed His grip on the holy sword

  As if He would stab Death in the heart,

Then He flung the sword like a spiraling spear

  And it gave the devil a start;

When the sword struck the sea, there was a

  Blinding flash and a deafening sonic boom,

For the evil one and his pirate demons

  This could certainly only spell doom;

A supersonic shock wave swiftly fanned out

  Like Saturn’s colorful rings,

It explosively ripped through the devil’s galleons

  By the power of the King of kings;

The devil and his pirate demons were blown right back

  Into their dark, infernal pit,

And because of where they were painfully injured,

  They found it very hard to sit.

Jesus saw that the splintered wood from the

  Galleons was strewn all over the sea,

Troublesome temptation had been driven out

  And Philovanitas was finally free;

Jesus turned around and saw her trembling

  Because she had such a terrible fright,

So He took His bride into His arms

  And then embraced her very, very tight;

Jesus said, “Henceforth you shall be ‘Philothea’

  For now you love God above all,

I shall always love you as a treasure

  And be with you whenever you call”;

Then He tenderly kissed her cheek

  And she felt the softness of His bearded curls,

Never had Philothea felt so special,

  Even more precious than the rarest of pearls.

He pierced her soul with truest love,

  And her heart brimmed with Heavenly light,

Thanks to Christ the Courageous,

  Philothea’s spiritual eyes regained their sight;

With a peaceful smile on His face,

  The Lord wiped away her happy tears,

Her heart was so full of contentment

  And banished were all her fears;

She learned that freedom’s not freedom

  Without love and responsibility,

And avoiding the near occasion of sin

  Involves a lot of spiritual agility;

In the brisk balmy breeze, Jesus’

  Flowing hair so very gently swirled,

He said, “Behold I am with you always,

  Even unto the end of the world.”

TO ST. CLARE OF ASSISI

Your exquisite bright blue eyes

   are soft and serene,

 Beholding the remarkable

   richness of God’s creation;

Your honey hair cascades

   over your shoulders like a

Wonderful waterfall of God’s

   ineffable, indelible love;

Yet you choose to be a

   princess of holy poverty,

And your only wish is to

   sweetly serve in simplicity;

You are a faithful friend to

   the good Saint Francis,

As you both sacrificially surrender

   to Jesus the Just;

You are a merciful mother

   to the nuns of San Damiano,

As you guide them in purity

   and prudence and peace;

You are a beauteous bride

   to Christ the Courageous,

And your soul is bedecked with

   the precious pearls of virtue;

As you fervently follow in the

   footsteps of Our Loving Lord,

May we too live on in

   the laudable light of Christ.

MERRI AND THE SWEET SURRENDER

Everyone runs here and there calling for Merri,

They all need her help for their work at the dairy,

With so many interruptions, she has no time to tarry.

But Merri’s sincere surrender is gentle and sweet,

She turns her life over to Jesus and doesn’t miss a beat,

Living in the present moment, she washes the Lord’s feet.

THE MISSION OF CHARLIE CANDLESTICK

Charlie’s childhood dream

   was about to come true

As he bravely awaited

   his blast-off into space,

But at T minus 31 seconds,

   things started to turn tense

When the countdown

   suddenly stopped;

Fortunately, after many anxious

   hours, all systems were go,

And the rocket boosters

   powerfully ignited,

The stately spacecraft

   lethargically lifted off,

As if it had been awakened

   from a somber slumber.

The spacecraft thunderously

   roared and rumbled upwards,

With red fiery flames

   dancing behind,

And black billows of

   smoke quickly clouded the

Launching pad like a dark,

   gaseous galactic nebula;

Charlie shook in his seat

   as if he were riding on a

Rough road in a rickety,

   rollicking stagecoach,

And in two minutes of breathtaking

   acceleration, he was

Traveling over three

   thousand miles per hour.

He was now thirty miles up

   and halfway to space,

When the rocket boosters

   abruptly disengaged,

The two of them toppled

   and fell downward towards

The bright blue ocean like

   giant worn-out pencils;

Still accelerating, the

   orbiter speared upwards

At the scintillating speed

   of one mile per second,

Charlie’s orbiter now flew

   like lightning, and in a

Mere thirty seconds

   he was soaring in space.

Charlie was then surrounded

   by stars in the black sea

Of space, and he felt

   wondrously weightless,

Now gently gliding around

   Earth, he was fascinated

As he watched the sensational

   brilliance of the sun;

There was an orbital sunrise,

   and the placid rays of

Light gradually approached

   as if in slow motion,

Below, he saw the beautiful

   blissful blue globe and

Was awed by its peacefulness

   and by its grandeur.

Interestingly enough,

   Charlie’s spiritual life

Has followed a very

   similar flight path,

Years ago, his petitions

   and other prayers seemed

To vanish into the vast void

   of a bleak black hole;

This was because his pitiful

   prayers were mumbled

Meaninglessly in the last

   few minutes of the day,

His rockets had little spiritual

   fuel for a journey to Heaven,

So his life’s countdown

   suddenly stopped.

Without enough spiritual fuel,

   Charlie knew that he

Risked crashing and burning

   in the fearful fires of hell,

An open-throated grave

   that savagely swallows

Sinners and belches forth

   filthy fumes of smoky sulphur;

He knew he needed to

   double down on his prayer

 Life to give greater thrust

   to his mission,

So he went to mass more,

   and delighted in the

Divine Office a little at a time

   throughout each day.

Because of Charlie’s awakening,

   he made the decision

To make persistent prayer

   the top priority of his life,

At first he didn’t notice a

   change, but with patience,

His spiritual life lifted off

   and safely reached orbit;

Soon his spirit was freed

   from the burdensome bonds

Of serious sin, and he felt

   wondrously weightless,

He gracefully glided towards

   the flaming monstrance

Of the Son, and His

   rays of Divine Mercy.

From the happy heights

   of the heavens, his

Panoramic perspective

   really changed,

Life appeared so much

   simpler through the

Detachment of prayer in front

   of the Blessed Sacrament;

The petty possessions,

   the worries of the world,

The fettering fears,

   the doomsday deadlines:

They were all so surprisingly

   insignificant compared

To a fabulous future

   filled with perfect peace.

PRISONERS

We are imprisoned by 

multitudinous false gods:

mesmerized by materialism,

hypnotized by hedonism;

God is trying to get our attention,

but what will awaken us from

our slothful spiritual slumber?

the dread of a worldwide depression?

the horror of a nuclear holocaust?

the fear of a global pandemic?

death?

MACSCROOGE AND THE MAELSTROM OF DIAMONDS

MacScrooge steered his sailing ship

  Towards the swirling maelstrom of mystery,

He heard that it held one of the most

  Tantalizing treasures in all of human history;

Old sailors say millions of sparkling

  Diamonds are twirling round and round,

Spinning like a glittering galaxy,

  The maelstrom makes a murmuring sound;

When he entered the Forbidden Sea,

  His ultimate goal was near,

He had heard that the vortex was deadly,

  And there was certainly reason to fear;

But more than anything else he wanted

  To own an envious pile of wealth,

Perhaps if he kept a safe distance,

  Then he might succeed through stealth.

From afar the magical whirlpool

  Shone with shimmering, glimmering light,

It was completely blanketed with diamonds

  Floating so very bright;

MacScrooge eased his ship carefully

  Into the whirlpool’s serpentine tail,

The waters seemed so peaceful

  That perhaps his mission wouldn’t fail;

As the waters crept along sleepily,

  Many gems by MacScrooge were collected,

With a heavy net he snatched them up,

  And there were many more than he expected;

His insatiable appetite for riches

  Grew through his laborious task,

MacScrooge’s beard dripped with sweat,

  So he took a drink out of his flask.

MacScrooge became so obsessed with diamonds

  That of surroundings he lost all sense,

But when his ship suddenly surged forward,

  He abruptly became very tense;

He noticed that the ship’s speed had

  Augmented in a very disturbing way,

The sea rapidly became rather turbulent,

  And it was turning into an ominous day;

Black clouds swiftly eclipsed the sun,

  And extinguished nearly all of its light,

MacScrooge’s heart sank like an anchor,

  And he trembled with terror and fright;

An icy, wicked wind began to blow,

  And he saw the waters violently churn,

Sadly, MacScrooge knew it was too late --

  He was beyond the point of no return.

From the center of the whirlpool

  There was an explosive and thunderous blast,

MacScrooge knew that something dangerous

  Was approaching very, very fast;

Then the vortex vomited sulphurous lava

  That sprayed high into the skies,

And molten rock fell like blazing meteors,

  A dreadful sight for his eyes;

The flaming boulders struck the sea

  And every diamond was ignited,

When MacScrooge saw the maelstrom on fire,

  He had never been less delighted;

Faster and faster the murderous maelstrom spun,

  Like a whirling wheel of fire,

And all of these events were triggered

  By MacScrooge’s inordinate desire.

MacScrooge had arrived at the mouth

  Of the vortex, and clearly this was not good,

While his ship was burning in ferocious

  Flames that hungrily ate its wood;

A vile, horrid, foul stench arose from

  Deep within the cavernous abyss,

This was far, far different from his dream,

  Of power and worldly bliss;

His ship plunged down into the funnel,

  In a death spiral leading towards hell,

And clutching the helm tightly,

  MacScrooge cursed and swore as he fell;

Then volcanic lightning blasted him

  And cooked the flesh off of his head,

The ship disappeared into the void below

  And, tragically, MacScrooge was dead.

When Lady MacScrooge heard the shocking news,

  Terror gripped her heart,

Like MacScrooge she lusted for power,

  But now she wished to make a fresh start;

She would try to avoid all temptations

  That invited her to hoard,

Instead she would strive for love and peace

  Just like our Blessed Lord;

MacScrooge did only what he wanted,

  And that’s how he rolled the dice,

He avoided not the near occasion of sin,

  And that’s when he paid the price;

Since MacScrooge gambled with temptation,

  In the end he only got hurt,

It would have been better for him,

  If he had remained sober, vigilant, and alert.

INFERNO ISLAND

Act III  

O Dark One!

So far your plan

has worked

like a charm,

and your control of

the Sea of Shadows

has brought us

our victim,

Gonzalo --

so far

he has suspected

nothing.

When he appeared

at the mouth of

the cavern,

with her alert eyes

Tristina caught sight of him,

and drew our attention

to him.

The music ceased,

and I invited him

to descend the steps,

down, down, down,

until he reached the

cavern floor.

I crossed the lava moat

with the royal barge,

and a few other maidens.

He bowed his head

and introduced himself,

and, as the queen, I regally

and elegantly did the same.

He was taken aback

by my stunning beauty

and also my

enticing charm.

There is no question

that I am the

most radiant and the

most voluptuous

among us,

and Gonzalo could not

keep his eyes

off of me.

So I opportunely

took one of his

arms and

wrapped it,

snugly and

sensually,

around my slender

and shapely waist.

But I did so

in such a way that

my warm, perfumed

hair was brushing against his

flushed cheek.

Then I surprised him --

so insidious that I am --

and suddenly I held him

tight in my invincible arms and

kissed him,

long and hard,

with my spiced lips,

and we clung together,

with his heart pounding violently

with the strongest palpitations

against my curvaceous and

seductive body.

I captivated him

with my goddess-like eyes --

my green eye gazed intently

into his defenseless

brown eyes,

while I began to

subtly and stealthily

secrete red lava into my

bewitching black eye.

Ever so slowly,

and ever so gradually,

the hot red lava

hypnotically oozed and

blended together and

my left eye became a

magnetic, mesmerizing

tornado of swiftly swirling

black and red.

Gonzalo appeared

quite smitten,

but after the incident

involving Cassano,

I was not going to

leave anything to

chance this time.

So with full

flirtatious force,

I playfully and

smilingly led him

across the moat

and through the fateful forest

of tropical fruit trees,

slowly sauntering towards the

black altar of pleasure.

In the meantime,

the other magic maidens

giggled and whispered

among each other,

with great anticipation.

Then the two of us

sat down under the trees,

while the rest of the

magic maidens watched

me spin a tangled web

for my victim.

They observed from a

safe enough distance

in order to give us

sufficient privacy --

to avoid interference

of any kind --

so through the bushes

and around trees

they all sat there,

dumbfounded,

at my ability to

coquettishly tease Gonzalo

and lasciviously lure him

into the jaws of

my trap.

His heart,

like a budding flower

in winter,

opened too soon,

too rashly --

as is Gonzalo’s nature --

and the frost of

foul play

began to freeze

his sense of

reason.

He squinted his eyes,

scrunched his mouth

into a wry smile,

and said,

“I intercepted a

letter from

a man I despise,

and in it he spoke

of this island

as if he were a

stupid, superstitious fool --

one who is spooked

and afraid of

his own shadow.”

I winced,

ever so slightly,

but immediately

regained my composure

before he could notice

anything at all --

he was busy looking

around and marveling

at the beauty of the

fruit trees.

Then I saw

my chance and

wasted no time

in strategically

making my move.

I quickly replied,

“As you can clearly see,

Inferno Island is a

paradise of pleasures,

so just relax

and let go --

the only thing

that matters here is

to feel!”

Gonzalo smiled

a very broad smile,

and, as he chuckled,

his glance danced

back and forth,

from my swirling eye

to my stationary one.

On the soft grass,

I slowly reclined into

an arousing supine position

and smiled back at him.

I looked intently

into his eyes again

and the swirling eye

spun around even faster

with excitement.

Then I asked him,

“Would you like

some fruit?”

All of the other

magic maidens

held their breath and

awaited his response.

His face fell,

as if he had suddenly

pricked himself with

a sharp blade --

he was overcome by

a profound fear,

and he stumbled

terribly over his

words as he

tried to come up with

an excuse.

But with an alluring,

irresistible voice

I persisted

and asked him,

“Surely you’re not afraid --

are you, Gonzalo?

“Why, my love,

it’s impossible

that a handsome, brave,

and passionate man

like you

would be afraid

of anything!”

With that,

my wanton body

slithered stealthily over

that of his own,

and then he found his face

immersed in the

serpentine ringlets

of my clustered curls

and wild, wicked whirl

of my cascading dark hair.

My perfumed breath

was indescribably delicious,

and his self-control

was noticeably weakening --

he appeared emotionally chained

by the poison pride that

strongly surged within him.

I looked at the

multicolored fruit

in the tree above us,

then I stood up and chose

a couple of them that dangled,

as if hanging

by a noose,

over his head.

The two that I picked were

of a bright, fiery red,

very round, and

very, very ripe.

I placed them in his hands,

its sticky juice bleeding

in profusion over

his quivering fingers.

Again, there was a hush

among the maidens,

and the whole island

seemed to be still.

Breathing faster,

he looked at the fruit

in his hands --

I suspect that Cassano

must have said something

about the danger of

the fruit on this island,

because Gonzalo

turned very pale.

He was frozen

with uncertainty

for a moment,

but he was no match

for me.                                            

I persuasively urged him,

“Here… take this, Gonzalo...

eat some of it…

you must be hungry.”

Then I drew near

to his left ear and

whispered,

even more softly,

“This luscious fruit

will help you relax,

and it will make our

time together

even more memorable.”

Suddenly,

he made his

decision.

He bit into the fruit,

with reckless abandon,

and I could see that

its fragrant flesh was

strikingly flavorful.

Then he bit into it

again,

and again,

and yet again,

as if eating it faster

might somehow

protect him.

He was giddy with delight

and soon said that it felt as if

his body had been placed in a

warm pool of melting sugar,

and he said he was experiencing

very intense pleasure. 

I stood up and then

pulled him to his feet,

but he appeared

just a bit dizzy --

as I looked into his eyes,

I could see the potion

already taking effect:

his left eye was beginning

to swirl black and red,

and his right eye was

turning sea green.

The maidens watched with a

feeling of euphoria,

because they knew now

what was coming.

I led him towards

the flaming black altar

and said,

“My dear Gonzalo,

now all your dreams

will come true --

let us go together

into the fires of pleasure

on the black altar,

and there we will both

experience pleasures

more intense than

you could have ever

believed in your

wildest imagination!”

He stepped up onto

the black altar of pleasure

and then reclined on it --

as the flashing flames

surrounded his body

and enveloped it,

he was overcome by

an ecstasy that completely

overwhelmed him.

Act IV

As he rested on the dark black altar,

  Gonzalo’s body tingled with restless delight,

Here on the flaming altar of pleasure,

  His ecstasy peaked at an all-time height;

But this dream darkened into a nightmare

  That for him meant certain doom,

It started with the war drums’ thunder --

  Boom baba-boom baba-boom!

The altar flames flared exceedingly high,

  Pulsating to the pounding drumbeat,

Pain exploded through poor Gonzalo

  With each and every heartbeat;

His bones were blasted by ongoing bursts

  Of scorching, unquenchable fire,

There was no question at all in his mind

  That his situation was really quite dire.

He screamed and wailed in utter agony,

  Writhing horribly on the altar of black,

The magic maidens happily looked on,

  Assembling quickly into a large pack;

They screeched with fiendish laughter,

  As if he were an insect in a trap,

Queen Thaliela had been totally victorious,

  And so, they all started to clap.

He tried to escape with all his might,

  But he was locked inside of the flames,

He was imprisoned on the black altar,

  Yet for the maidens it was fun and games;

But then something very peculiar occurred,

  When his stomach felt strangely sour,

Gonzalo vomited black-and-red blood,

  At the passing of each excruciating hour.

For sixty-six endless hours he suffered,

  Painfully squirming all around,

Then he collapsed from sheer exhaustion,

  Without making a single sound;

The cavern was filled with a vile stench,

  And a foul grey fog filled the air,

Gonzalo was nearing his inevitable death,

  But the magic maidens didn’t care.

Surrounding the burning black altar,

  There was a ring of fiery spears,

Thaliela grimly grabbed the closest one,

  And then trebled were all his fears;

With her wild left eye spinning madly,

  She raised the spear over her head,

Slamming it down, she skewered his skull,

  And Gonzalo appeared as good as dead.

The spear pierced through both of his ears,

  And flashing fire flared from each eye,

Blood then gushed out of both of his ears,

  Yet his tortured body just couldn’t die;

Gonzalo screamed with indescribable pain,

  He thought his poor head might explode,

His nightmare got worse as he vomited again,

  And blistering lava from his mouth flowed.

Then the fog in the cavern rapidly blackened

  Into an ominous broken ring of dark smoke,

The sulphurous smell was quite stifling,

  And Gonzalo was beginning to choke;

Then a booming bass voice so shook the cave

  That even the magic maidens were afraid,

The Dark One’s voice was unmistakable,

  And came from the mist like a grenade.

Act V

I spit at thee,

Gonzalo,

for you are a

stupid fool!

And now you will

pay the last penny for

your shortsighted selfishness.

You are an unworthy

citizen from the land

of the hated one --

I spit at your king!

You can look forward to

an eternity of suffering --

a living death --

within the frightful flames

of this black altar,

where your unbearable agony

will only increase with the passing

of each nightmarish hour,

for the remainder of

your miserable life.

INFERNO ISLAND

Act II

After Cassano escaped with the Lady,

  The Dark One’s anger began to flare,

The pretty island’s face painfully writhed,

  As it exhaled a sickly stench into the air;

The false paradise powerfully quaked and its

  malevolent skin became heavily scarred,

It transformed into a dark, wicked wasteland,

  Whose grisly visage was blackly charred.

A few days later, Gonzalo groggily awoke

  On its cadaverous black-sand beach,

Dagger-like lightning bolts lit his path,

  And shelter he was hoping to reach;   

The vomited lava flow had hardened,

  But it was still warm under his feet,

He was all alone in this ghastly place,

  So his heart was drumming a beat.

In the gloom, he saw the mouth of a cave

  And it was bursting with fiery light,

Standing in the midst of murky black mud,

  He began to hear shrieks of utter delight;

He silently and stealthily peeked inside,

  Not very sure of what he would see,

Dozens and dozens of merry maidens

  Danced convulsively with reckless glee.

Looking inside, there was a massive cavern,

  With flames seductively bright,

Lava cascaded smoothly down the walls,

  Like a bubbling curtain of red light;

Spear-like stalactites of ice jutted out,

  In the colors of a dazzling rainbow,

And everything which Gonzalo observed

 Was bathed in the most enchanting glow.

The large chamber had a circular base,

  And the lava flowed into a moat,

Transporting passengers back and forth

  Was a grand and luxurious boat;

This moat ringed around a tropical forest,

  Its trees loaded with the juiciest fruit,

And the song of the siren-like girls

  Sweetened the sensual strings of a lute.

Gonzalo breathed in the scent of spices

  And was captivated by its lovely perfume,

But then he noticed a flaming black altar

  Was located in the dead center of the room;

Dozens of magic maidens erotically danced,

  Filled with electric ecstasy around the altar,

They spasmodically writhed in wild delight

  Until their girlish strength began to falter.

There was not a single man to be seen,

  It was a world of the most beautiful girls,

Their colorful dresses were short and tight,

  And they were stitched with little pearls;

Suddenly, one of the maidens leaped up --

  She was playful and seemed ready for fun,

She screamed with joy, “Look up, girls!

  That handsome man must be The One!”

To be continued tomorrow…

INFERNO ISLAND

Overture

“This is the prophecy of

  The island of spice:

Beware of the wicked wench

  Who seeks to entice.”

Act I

Idiot!

I waited too long;

I simply waited too long!

I should’ve followed

my passions

when they were hot,

acting more quickly,

and more boldly.

I should’ve followed

my first raw instinct.

I will have revenge

on Cassano --

I’ll have revenge

on them all!

This stinking, wretched isle

must be Inferno Island,

though it’s far from being

the supposed paradise

that I heard it was.

The terrain is dark and desolate,

twisted and torn,

savagely split apart unlike

any island I’ve ever seen,

with a forlorn fog

encircling this murdered mountain

like a shattered halo.

I remember seeing this island

from Mai Tornar,

with the cratered eye of

its volcano glowing red,

and a ring of fire

marking the perimeter

of the island.

But how bizarre

this isle really is --

to be quite honest,

this peculiar place

would make

most people shudder

with fear.

Black as night,

the raging storm

still swirls above me

but is strangely mute,

with no thunder at all.

The volcano now appears dead

and the beach surrounding

the isle shows no signs

at all of fire, and is as silent

and lifeless as the grave.

The lightning is constant

with its pale, deathly light,

creating an eerie atmosphere

in this land of darkness.

If I didn’t believe in

such rubbish,

I would say this island

almost looked haunted.

To be continued tomorrow…

THE LADY OF STELLAMARE

Act V

Cassano was troubled by Thaliela’s words,

  And he was feeling very confused,

Was this charming queen trustworthy,

  Or perhaps was he being used?

Petrio advised him to avoid the fruit,

  Yet Thaliela said it would be delicious,

He was enticed by Inferno Island,

  Though Petrio said it was really pernicious.

But what ultimately caught his attention,

  Was what he felt deep down inside,

One person was characterized by selflessness,

  The other by puffed-up pride;

Thaliela’s presence was very exciting,

  But a nagging agitation wouldn’t cease,

Meanwhile, Petrio’s words of wisdom

  Filled Cassano’s heart with harmonic peace.

Then he remembered Petrio’s warning:

  That he would face a very severe test,

He wondered about Thaliela’s intentions,

  For she seemed to be very obsessed;

The candle and the scroll she wanted --

  This much was crystal clear,

She was ready to pounce like a wildcat

  If ever he would let her near.

Instead of doing what his passions craved,

  He decided to do what he ought,

So he dropped the fruit, and chose sides for the

  Battle that was finally ready to be fought;

He ran over and found Petrio’s candle,

  Which had a signet seal on each side,

One was a cameo of the respected King,

  The other was of a beautiful bride.

Thaliela was frozen with incredulity,

  As she watched Cassano light the candle,

She spied him through her looking glass,

  And it was more than she could handle;

At first the candle’s flame barely flickered,

  And it was really very, very small,

But ever so gradually it grew much larger,

  Until it became exceedingly tall.

It slowly hardened into a sword’s blade,

  Of a bold bright dazzling gold,

Cassano fell to his knees in sheer wonder,

  And was awed if the truth be told;

The golden sword gleamed with brilliance,

  Almost like the noonday sun,

The Dark One was filled with fanatical

  Fear, for he was about to be undone.

Then gradually a luminous orb appeared,

  Over the glowing magical sword,

And rays of light from within its center

  With dazzling brightness poured;

The fuzzy form of a woman appeared,

  In the midst of this mystical vision,

Then there was a blinding burst of light,

  As if two stars had had a collision.

Cassano squinted his eyes, as the brightness

  Very gradually began to subside,

And standing before him was a beautiful

  Woman who was regal and dignified;

Her aquamarine eyes were fully alive,

  And their goodness melted his heart,

Her smiling red lips were full of joy,

  Piercing his being like a delightful dart.

Her long, light-brown hair, cascading over

  Her shoulders, was like a lovely waterfall,

And she wore a very beautiful white gown,

  As if she were attending an elegant ball;

This woman had a slender physique,

  And was brimming with poise and grace,

But what struck him most was the feeling he had

  When he looked at her compassionate face.

“Do you know who I am?" she asked,

  Almost as if she were feeling sorry,

Cassano replied, “Without a doubt, you are

  The honorable Lady of Stellamare”;

To affirm that he had spoken the truth,

  She nodded with a very sweet smile,

Never before had Cassano met someone

  So completely free from guile.

As Cassano looked at this Lady’s face,

  It most certainly made him start,

He noticed it was the same one carved

  Into the candle with such art;

The Lady said, “Let’s try to move quickly,

  For the Dark One is on the alert.”

She knew that danger was approaching,

  And she didn’t want Cassano to get hurt.

So she gripped the sword in her hands,

  And took her stance in the ready position,

Her face showed no signs of fear,

  For she was ready to complete her mission;

Then Thaliela appeared with her maidens,

  Which assembled in a very large pack,

They totally encircled the two of them,

  And awaited the signal to attack.

Thaliela had become very wild-eyed,

  With her left eye swirling black and red,

It looked like a hypnotic hurricane,

  And Cassano was filled with dread;

This same black-and-red hurricane

  Spun also in the maidens’ left eyes,

Cassano had no doubt whatsoever

  That Thaliela spoke nothing but lies.

Then Thaliela, like a threatened animal,

  Madly screeched a beastly battle cry,

And the volcano exploded with a deafening

  Blast, so that the lava was shooting high;

At that instant Thaliela’s hair transformed

  Into fanatical fiery flames,

He realized this island was insanely evil,

  As indeed the prophet Petrio claims.

Meanwhile, molten lava rained down

  Like meteors from the maniacal mountain,

There’s no doubt that this vicious volcano

  Was now a convulsive, fulminating fountain;

The magic maidens were seething with

  Hatred, and forward they frantically rushed,

It truly appeared as if Cassano’s great

  Hopes were finally about to be crushed.

The Lady horizontally swung the sword,

  Its golden blade flashing bright,

And shooting out from it were pearl-like

  Orbs of sizzling, crackling light;

With strength and swiftness, she spun

  Completely around, athletic and alert,

Thaliela knew that danger was near,

  So she very abruptly hit the dirt.

As the magic maidens rushed forward,

  They were speared by the hot beads of light,

Then, black and red, their blood gushed

  Forth before having the chance to take flight;

The Lady saw her opportunity, so she

  Quickly took Cassano by the hand,

Then speedily they ran side-by-side

  Toward the beach’s burning black sand.

Like multitudinous meteorites, molten

  Rocks crashed and exploded all around,

They revengefully ripped open the island’s

  Flesh and terrifyingly tore into the ground;

For Thaliela things were not proceeding

  According to her insidious plan,

So faster than the speed of darkness,

  With flaming hair she obsessively ran.

She tried to overtake the escapers, for

  She wanted possession of the candle,

And the painful thought of it eluding her

  Was more than she could handle;

As the Dark One’s favorite servant,

  She was given special magical powers,

But now that she’s losing the battle,

  Her mercurial disposition really sours.

When the Lady reached the beachfront,

  She carefully removed each sandal,

Then she waved her hand over the sword,

  And it transformed back into a candle;

With patience and poise the Lady lit it again,

  So Cassano could reach his ultimate goal,

Then she sweetly smiled at him, asking

  Him to loudly read the magical scroll.

It was in a melodic yet mystical tongue,

  Full of guttural sounds and trills,

As the evil Thaliela rapidly approached,

  The sound of it gave her the chills;

White smoke gradually materialized,

  And rose up from the ancient scroll,

It became a cloud most dazzlingly bright,

  Though the night was as dark as coal.

The delightful fragrance of this cloud of

  Incense made Thaliela cough and wheeze,

Then the little cloud gradually disappeared,

  In a magical, mystical breeze;

Thaliela looked around quite puzzled,

  For her enemies had taken flight,

Through the King’s unconquerable power,

  They had victoriously vanished from sight.

Thaliela and her maidens wailed in pain

  And their hatred grew and grew,

And at that instant the volcano burst

  Open and was totally torn in two;

The vanquished volcano was wounded,

  And its bloody red guts poured out,

Truly the Dark One had been outwitted,

  Of this there was certainly no doubt.

When Cassano awoke, he was blinded,

  By a dazzlingly brilliant light,

He desperately needed some assistance,

  In order to regain his sight;

Then the Lady touched both of his eyes,

  With the candle’s flickering flame,

Without even feeling the slightest pain,

  Perfect vision to Cassano soon came.

Then above, he saw rippling white clouds

  That looked like waves in the skies,

Below, the blue ocean sparkled so bright,

  Like millions of starry fireflies;

Glancing to the right, he saw great grandeur:

  A palace of glittering gold,

Like the lovely tips of a towering tiara,

  Its diamond spires were a sight to behold.

The city streets and sidewalks were paved

  With the most precious of elegant pearls,

And at the entrance to the main gate,

  The kingdom’s flag peacefully unfurls;

The people contentedly walked about,

  At a relaxed and comfortable pace,

They all seemed so cheerful and happy,

  With not a frown in the entire place.

Surrounding the palace, along the coast,

  Was the striking city of Paradise Bay,

The people’s houses were made of gems

  That gloriously gleamed during the day;

With twelve varieties of colorful stones,

  The city’s splendid skyline was very pretty,

Truly Cassano had never yet seen

  A more breathtakingly beautiful city.

There was red jasper, flaming gold topaz,

  And sapphire of a brilliant blue,

There was luminous lavender amethyst,

  And the most elegant emerald too;

There was caramel-colored sardonyx,

  And an attractive aquamarine beryl,

Twelve in all lined the magnificent streets

  That were made of the most precious pearl.

Then he saw his beloved wife Chiara

  Under two blooming magnolia trees,

She was holding the most exquisite rose,

  And her brown curls blew in the breeze;

When they both recognized each other,

  Time almost seemed to stand still,

He exuberantly and rapidly ran to her,

  And they embraced atop a hill.

Then he cavalierly took her by the waist

  And quickly swung her right around,

Cassano had thought she was gone forever,

  But what was lost had now been found;

Giddy with joy, they toppled right over,

  And rolled to the hill’s very base,

As he looked into her deep dark eyes,

  The happiest of smiles was on his face.

Cassano felt a serenity like never before,

  Experiencing an incredibly beautiful bliss,

He caressed Chiara’s cheek with his hand

  Before giving her a loving kiss;

The Lady knelt down before her King,

  Returning the candle and the scroll,

Cassano finally found his long-lost wife,

  So the Lady had accomplished her goal.

The King nobly nodded in approval to all,

  For the fulfillment of his master plan,

Cassano had bravely proven himself,

  More like a knight than just a man;

Cassano listened to wise Petrio’s words,

  Of this, truly, he was never sorry,

He was grateful to a very special lady,

  The magnificent Lady of Stellamare.

THE LADY OF STELLAMARE

Act IV

Faithful Florian,

let me tell you about

my latest adventures.

I captained a ship

called the Intrepid

from the port of

Mai Tornar,

but,

due to a sudden storm,

our vessel was

struck with lightning

and caught fire.

The flames

that engulfed our ship

reminded me

of that eventful night

when you saved

Chiara’s life,

courageously

charging into the barn

as the wooden beams

holding up the roof

started to collapse.

But back to

my story.

Everyone was so focused

on the fire

that no one

was at the helm!

Just as the lightning flashed,

a man attacked me,

but with a dark storm

brewing around us,

I couldn’t

see him clearly.

At first I thought

I saw a ghost,

for he looked like

that old villain

Gonzalo.

Later,

I learned that

it was no ghost,

but was truly

Gonzalo himself.

I thought he died

like everyone else aboard,

and thought myself

the only survivor.

The ship hit a glacier

and the whole crew --

including myself --

fell into the sea,

but this was just

the beginning,

dear friend.

Then it began

to rain.

Lucky for me, when I turned  

around, I saw my skiff floating

aimlessly in the water, so I swam

towards it with all my might.

I pulled myself in,

and I looked under the

old blanket that covered the

top and was happy to see that

my hidden chest was still there.

Then I looked quickly inside

to make sure my things

were all right,

and I saw that the

candle and scroll

were still there

and were still dry,

so I latched the chest shut

to protect them

from the rain.

In the distance

to the north

I could see

the flames of

intimidating

Inferno Island.

I was carried

on the waves

directly towards

that island,

and I shuddered

momentarily

with horror

as I remembered

Petrio’s words.

The closer

I got to the island,

the stronger was

the wind --

which almost seemed

to be purposely

steering me there.

The closer

I got to the island,

the stronger was

the rain that fell,

until I was about

a mile away

from the island,

and the terrifying tempest

twisted about me

as if in wicked glee,

with lightning

uncontrollably exploding

all over the sky

as if it were

going mad.

The thunder

became deafening,

and it sounded like

five hundred legions

of warships

were continuously

firing their

cannons at me.

It was as if some

unseen evil force

had caught me

like a wriggling fish

and were reeling me in

towards the isle.

The fiery red eye

of the volcano

seemed to stare

at me

as if it were

obsessed

with me

somehow.

So I approached the isle,

and I could vividly see

the black-sand beach

completely encircling it,

engulfed in

perpetual flames

that seemed to

welcome me with their

contorted and convulsive

dance of delight.

Only when the waves

crashed onto the shore

did the flames

briefly die out,

but other than that

the fire formed

a formidable fence

around the island,

as if it were a prison

of some sort.

I was on a collision course

with the coastline,

and I realized that

I was heading

right at those

furious flames.

A large wave was forming

underneath me,

so at the last moment

I leapt off my

battered skiff

and dove under

the surface of

the water.

I thrashed about

under the wave,

before it burst apart

on the beach.

I found myself

facing downward,

on the wet and toasty

black sand.

I quickly looked around

and saw that the flames

had been momentarily

murdered by the wave,

but after only

a few seconds,

I saw the flames already

returning to life again.

So I snatched my

chest and

clumsily crawled

and scrambled

off the beach

like a crab,

then I turned around

and sat up against a palm tree.

Florian,

please pay attention

to what you

will now read,

for I’m certain

that it will utterly

amaze you,

much as it

has amazed me.

When I saw that the

wave had subsided,

and the ring of fire

had fully fenced me in,

I realized that

I was now a prisoner

inside this

fiery fortress.

But, oh, what an island!

As I turned and

looked about me,

I almost thought

that I was in paradise --

so different it was

from its forbidding exterior!

First of all,

I felt like I was in a

protective bubble.

Out on the sea it was

cold and windy and stormy,

but on the island

it was tranquil.

I could still see the

rapid-fire lightning flashes,

but they were silent,

and there was no thunder --

a very peculiar sensation it was!

I looked up,

and I could see

that it was night.

The sinister squinty eye

of the storm was

directly overhead,

and it must have been

about the same size

as the island itself.

It was a dark sky,

but I could see stars.

I could also see the clouds

of the cyclonic tempest

whirling like a giant

wheel overhead.

Thus, it was raining over

the Sea of Shadows,

but not over the island.

The temperature

was warm,

delightfully warm.

As I looked away from

the coastline,

and towards the

island itself,

I saw before me

what seemed to be a

tropical paradise.

I could see lush green

trees and shrubs

that had a unique

beauty to them,

and they wafted

to and fro

in the light breeze.

Here and there I saw

peaceful volcanic rivers

branching out from

the eye of the

volcano.

The lava sleepily

crept down the mountain

and through the forest

like harmless serpents,

before they emptied out

into the sea.

They gave off just enough

light to create a

wonderfully romantic,

yet eerie,

glow.

It was the most

enchanting place

I had ever seen.

Yet,

at the same time,

it was also the most

bewitching.

Then,

to top it all off,

the aroma of

exotic spices

filled the air.

It was hard not to

imagine

just how delicious

the fruit on this isle

must taste.

And then I noticed

that there were many

tropical fruit trees,

with large leaves

that were dark green,

and interspersed among them,

in great abundance,

was a fabulous flurry

of fantastical fruits.

They were round in shape,

about the size

of an orange,

but they were every color

of the rainbow,

multicolored,

even on the same tree,

ripe,

and ready to eat.

I began to wonder

if all this fruit

was dangerous,

or if Petrio referred only

to a certain color of fruit.

As I was wandering

around in this paradise,

and musing upon these things,

I suddenly heard

a woman’s melodious voice

speak my name:

“Cassano.”

I turned around abruptly

as if I had been

ambushed

and shot in the back.

When I saw this woman,

somehow I felt alarmed

by the sight of her.

She was strikingly

beautiful.

How can I describe

her to you,

Florian?

She was leaning,

in a teasing position,

against one of the

blooming fruit trees.

Her long, wild whirl

of thick black hair

sensually swirled down

over her shoulders

and culminated in

a comely cluster of

sweet serpentine ringlets

that dangled

to the middle of her back.

She wore an alluring gown

that was blood red,

and it draped over

and clung to her

voluptuous goddess-like body

like smooth

liquid lava.

With her head angled slightly,

she looked askance at me

with a lustful left eye

that was as

black as midnight.

Then she slowly and

seductively sauntered

towards me,

walking on the island sand

with her bare feet.

Now that she

faced me head-on,

I noticed that her

right eye was a

different color

than her left one --

it was a

sultry sea green.

Those eyes of hers were

mesmerizing.

As she neared me,

the right corner of her lip

curled upwards playfully

in a suggestive smile

of conquest --

she was like a warrior

going in for the kill,

knowing her opponent

was no match for her.

Then she fired

her secret weapon,

a stunning, bright,

captivating smile.

When she saw

that I was

dumbstruck,

she continued,

confidently,

in her melodic voice,

“My name is Thaliela,

and I am the queen of

the magic maidens.”

It was then that

I realized

that we were not

alone.

As I looked through the

green foliage,

I saw a myriad of

black and green eyes

peering at me

with curious delight.

Although I couldn’t

see them well,

I knew they were all

women,

because of the

musical sound of

their delightful giggling.

Thaliela drew unusually close to me,

and then whispered.

She said,

“I know you have

a scroll and a candle

with you,

and I’ve been waiting

for you to bring them to me.

“You see,

I am

the Lady of Stellamare.”

When she spoke that name,

I felt a sense of confusion

deep inside of me.

I felt a sense of excitement,

but also of danger,

on this strange isle.

Then she made a proposal:

“If you give me your

candle and scroll,

I will make all your

dreams come true --

even my lips are flavored

with spices!”

I could feel the warmth

of her breath

upon my face,

and I drank in its aroma,

which was that of

exotic spices.

Her eyes were

wide open and

alive

as she said this,

and she stroked her

sleek, silky fingers

across my cheeks

and onto my lips.

I was,

quite honestly,

breathless

and perplexed.

Thaliela had a magnetic

power over men

that was hypnotic,

and almost

irresistible.

She added,

“While you retrieve

your little treasures

for me,

I will prepare

unspeakable delights

and pleasures

for you.”

Next, she reached up

and plucked a

ripe red fruit

off of a nearby tree,

and its juice dripped like

bright blood

on her fingers.

She offered it to me.

I hesitated,

ever so slightly,

then took it in my hands,

which were moistened

by its sweet-smelling,

sticky juice.

I do believe

my hands were

quivering slightly,

and I immediately remembered

Petrio’s words of warning.

Thaliela persuasively urged me,

“Here… take this, Cassano...

eat of it.”

Then she drew even nearer

so that the tip of her

cool delicate nose

touched my

warm ear.

And she whispered,

even more softly,

“This luscious fruit

will help you relax,

and it will make our

time together

even more memorable.”

Then in a coy manner,

she stepped back slightly,

she slowly licked her lips,

she winked her black eye at me,

and briskly walked off

towards the interior of the island,

her hair bouncing in waves

as she strutted like a peacock

alongside the banks of a

lazy lava river.

Springing out of their

Hiding places,

The other magic maidens,

Like frolicking fairies,

Chased after her

In a sea of giggles.

To be continued tomorrow…