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Short Story

Esmerelda's Forest (Storybook Song)
Music and Lyrics by Hal Stephens

Listen to the song demo in RealAudio

LUCY
ESMERELDA SAT UPON HER BED OF STRAW ONE DAY
AS OGRE MOKKREN LAY THERE ON HIS MARK.
HIS YELLOW EYES WERE PIERCING THROUGH THE DARK.

YET ESMERELDA FELT NO FEAR,
HER SOUL WAS NUMB FROM THE MANY YEARS.
SHE'D LONG AGO RUN DRY ON TEARS.

THEN FOR NO APPARENT REASON
MOKREN FLEW INTO A RAGE.
HE BEAT UPON HIS EARTHEN WALLS
AS IF IT WERE HIS CAGE.
Should I turn the page?

IT WAS THEN THAT ESMERELDA NOTICED SOMETHING NEW.
A LIGHT CAME SEEPING THROUGH THE CEILING WHERE
IT WARMED HER FACE AND GLISTENED IN HER HAIR.

SHE HEARD THE CHIRPING IN THE TREES.
SHE FELT THE BRUSH OF AN AUTUMN BREEZE.
SHE BEGGED THE OGRE MOKKREN,

ESMERELDA
PLEASE...?

MOKKREN
NO, YOUNG ONE, IT IS FORBIDDEN.
YOU SHALL NEVER LEAVE MY LAIR.
BELIEVE ME WHEN I WARN YOU,
IT'S AN AWFUL WORLD OUT THERE.

LUCY
Children should beware.

BUT THE ANXIOUS ESMERELDA HAD TO KNOW FOR SURE.
HER STRONG DESIRE LURED HER HEART INTO
WHATEVER WAS OUT THERE BENEATH THE BLUE.

AND SO AS THE OGRE SLEPT ONE NIGHT
SHE WENT IN SEARCH OF THAT ENCHANTING LIGHT.
HER WILL WAS GREATER THAN HER MIGHT.

BUT ALL SHE SAW WAS DARKNESS
AS SHE REACHED THE END OF THE CAVE.
THE SKY WASN'T BLUE, IT WAS BLACK, NOTHING NEW.

Then she noticed the white light above.
Could this be the moon she'd been dreaming of?

AND SO THROUGH THE COOL NIGHT SHE RAN.
EVERY LEAF GENTLY TOUCHING HER LITTLE HAND
TILL EXHAUSTED SHE FINALLY LANDED BENEATH A TREE.

WHOOSH, CAME AN ARROW OUT OF NOWHERE!
THROUGH THE FOGGY MORNING AIR,
IT FRIGHTENED ESMERELDA AND JUST MISSED THE RUNNING HARE.

PRINCE RORY
WHO ARE YOU?

LUCY
THE VOICE SAID.
ESMERELDA FROZE.
AFRAID TO RUN, AFRAID TO STAY,
SHE FELL, AND THEN SHE ROSE.

PRINCE RORY
I AM PRINCE RORY, HEIR TO THE THRONE.
ARE YOU AWARE THAT YOU'RE IN THE HOME OF THE FOREST KING?

LUCY
NEITHER ESMERELDA NOR THE YOUNG PRINCE WERE AWARE,
THEY'D MET BEFORE SOMEWHERE, SO LONG AGO...

Copyright 2000