Latch's Tale

The Invictus Poem

This poem is not mine! I claim no rights to it all.

Invictus

BY William E. Henley

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole,I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud.Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade,And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid. 

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll,I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

He understood these words clearly as he left the tree were he had buried Jonas. Holding back tears, he walked back to the small cabin where Jonas lived. He lit the fire place, then walked over to the brick oven and placed firewood into the opening a shut it tightly. He proceeded to grab a pot and place it over the fiery opening on the top. He poured what seemed to be vinegar mixed with water into the pot, waited for it to boil, then dumped fresh nielder shrimp he had caught from the river into the pot. After twenty minutes he grabbed the pot and poured the following into it with the shrimp. Garlic, salt, parsley, a teaspoon of goat cheese, Lo mein noodles, and dried rattle snake scales. Waited an hour then poured the concoction which would now be known as garlic shrimp scale stew into a wooden bowl. As he did, he thought of Jonas and how this was the stew he had made when they first met. A piece of shrimp was jammed onto the fork with noodles wrapped around it. He took a bite, then started to cry. Someone knocked on the door. He grabbed the his sword next to the fireplace. Holding it up against his chest he slowly opened the door. Heard a noise a swung the sword.

"Ow, my hand." said a familiar voice.

He turned from the corner of the door to see Evelyn, with a slice mark on her bleeding hand.

"I'm so terribly sorry! Come on I'll patch that up."

He lead to the kitchen table wear he put a bandage over her bleeding hand. Then he put his hand over the bandage and said a chant.

"Mankaya!"

He slowly lifted the bandages and the wound was gone.

"You really have a hell of a way to greeting a friend." Evelyn spoke, staring at the area where a scar should be.

"I guess so..." Latch said with a faint smile. 

But then his face went grim. Looking like he was about to cry he quickly looked down to hide his burning face.

"Please don't be like that. It's not your fau-" she was cut off.

"But it is! I got to comfortable here, and they marked him as a target." he yelled.

Latch continued to blame himself for the next five minutes.

"Will you just shutup, I came to ask you something."

"What?"

"Would you like to eat with me and my family? To take your mind off things."