Poems/short storys

Hanging Tree

The young woman looked up at the tree in all its ancient glory, a old history invoking thing of wood. Her ice blue eyes glancing at the imprints along the limbs, the only thing remaining from the countless ropes tied and left to rot as the body connected to it where slowly picked apart by insects and various wild-life. They eventually came back and and removed the leftovers that the scavengers didn't eat to be buried underneath the roots of the tree. What ever nutrients left over in the body really did help it grow.

The tree in question was the only thing growing in the clearing, surrounded by miles of forest and uninhabited land. Reaching forever into the night sky and the branches and leaves making it seem like a gentle giant in all aspects. The trunk was large enough if you tried to wrap your arms around the thing there would be at least a good foot between your fingertips. She let her hands graze the rough bark before planting them firmly onto the trunk followed by gently pressing her her forehead against.

Many of the people died innocently by this tree; children, elderly, adults you name it. The village that used to reside in what now is the forest. If suspected of anything that wasn't right in the eyes of their god, let alone any crimes you where blamed for you where hung. The sad thing is the children normally didn't have enough body mass to quickly snap their necks back then. The village was incredibly poor, maybe that's why they took up too hanging. To help the town from starving as their own field couldn't produce enough to feed their own people comfortably. Soon after years upon years it was said that the spirits of the dead came back to wreak havoc for their unjust deaths.

People started to die mysteriously or go missing never to return. When that didn't deter the people who lived here; active haunting came fourth causing suicides, insanity, and people to flee for their life leaving the dwindling villages abandoned. There was a rumor that after the last person who was to stubborn to leave, starving and losing their sanity had finally passed the village mysteriously went up in flames. Burning the entirety of it all to the ground nothing but ash and dust. The only thing that didn't go with the fire was the tree. Standing in the middle of the destroyed place not a single singe or burned limb or leaf. It's being still there in all its glory

As time went the rumors changed staying mostly the same just one thing different being the ghost of spirits getting their vengeance or some say that the last person who died in the village help a torch had just taken some poison and planed to keep holding that torch and when he died his corpse would let go of the stick that was on fire to burn the place down so people would never find out about the atrocity that took place. Though we will never know what the true story is.

The woman backs away from the tree a single tear slipping down her pale skin. Gathering the skirt of her cream colored gown in her fists she heads a few feet away before she slips a strand of pitch black hair behind her ear. pulling in a deep breath she sings out her first few notes almost like a whisper but still it rings across the clearing as broad as day.

"Come little children, I'll take thee away"

She gives it a tiny pause before continuing all the while now dancing across the clearing, ballerina leaps and whimsical twirls as she danced around,

"Into a land of enchantment"

"Come little children, the time's come to play
Here in my garden of shadows"

At this moment little wisps of glowing orbs slowly blink into existence. A few of the more brave souls coming into view as children ranging from four all the way to nine, from a glance you can see the purple and red line from the rope that was used to end their lives. The body's of the spirits obviously malnourished and skinny. A sad smile grows on her lips at the sight as she continues on with the singing growing louder but still keeping her mystical tone. her dancing bringing her into the path of one of the children, she reaches out her hand and whisks a boy with her dancing and singing with the giggling boy following her mimicking her actions kicking up emotions of excitement from all the spirits of the kids,

"Follow sweet children, I'show thee the way
Through all the pain and the sorrows"

"Weep not poor children, for life is this way
Murdering beauty and passions"

"Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
They strung up a man
They say who murdered three
Strange things did happen here
No stranger would it be
If we met at midnight
In the hanging tree"

The giggles of the little ones and the hums from the other fill up the clearing along with the singing coming from the lady. All the wisps finally brave enough to show their true child self and all set about dancing and taking turns with her to dance around enjoying their time,

"Hush now dear children, it must be this way
To weary of live and deceptions
Strange things did happen here
No stranger it would be
If we met at midnight in the
Hanging tree
(Into the calm and the quiet)
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree"

the children laughing and giggling at this point dancing all over the clearing. watch the young woman as she's flying across the place her ebony locks flying out behind her as she did so grabbing the hands of random children to dance with before grabbing another child's hand,

"Hush now dear children, it must be this way
To weary of live and deceptions
Strange things did happen here
No stranger it would be
If we met at midnight in the
Hanging tree
(Into the calm and the quiet)
Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Through all the pain and sorrow?"

"Strange things did happen here
No stranger it would be
If we met at midnight in the hanging tree
(Murdering beauty and passions)
Strange things did happen here,
No stranger it would be
(Weep not poor children, for life is this way)
If we met at midnight in the hanging tree
(Murdering beauty and passions)"

"Are you, are you
Coming to the tree
Where a dead man called out
For his love to flee
Come little children, the time's come to play
Here in my garden of shadows"

As the songs coming to a close a few of the children were going back to their wisp state of being floating and lighting up the clearing, Illuminating the woman and the other children giving of a mysterious feeling to the place and its inhabitants for the night,

"Come little children, I'll take thee away
Into a land of enchantment
Come little children,
The time's come to play
(Strange things did happen here, no stranger would it be)
Here in my garden of shadows
(If we met at midnight in the hanging tree)"

Finally with the song ended the woman and the kids come to a stop. The spirit of the first boy she grabbed when dancing is now back in front of her and almost instantaneously all the other kids are now back in the wisp state floating around the clearing almost anxiously. The boy goes and hugs the lady burying his face into her dress. looking up at the lady he gives a small smile, "That was fun, thank you miss. Maybe we can do that again one day?" she give the boy a sad smile and nods, "yes, I think we will have too. It was indeed fun but you must hurry along now, your friends are going to leave without you." She nods to the balls of light flying higher into the air. The boy now fading as a brighter ball of light than the other children. Shines through his entire being. He starts floating up into the air. the boy being the last of the few to fly up into the starry night sky soon disappearing from sight.

"Rest well little ones" she goes to wipe off the tears racing down her checks, looking to the horizon with the suns rays just peaking out over the tree tops she glances back at the tree. Not a second later a morning breeze blowing a stray leaf where the woman once was.

She was gone, as if she was never there. No trace of her or anything that might have people thing that someone was dancing all night long in that clearing around the tree. The only thing in that clearing now stood the Hanging Tree.

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OK SO TO GET THIS STRAIGHT SO NO ONE HATES; I DON'T OWN THE SONG. I DID GET INSPIRATION FROM SOMEONE'S STORY FOR THIS PIECE. THE SONG GAVE ME THE OTHER HALF OF THE INSPIRATION SO I JUST HAD TO DO THIS I REALLY LOVE THE TWO SONGS AND LOVE HOW PETER HOLLAND AND BAILEY PELKMAN MASHED THE TWO AND MADE THIS INTO A BEAUTIFUL SONG!

AND YES I REALIZE IT MAY NOT BE DONE WELL... BUT IT WAS THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT CREATION