of 21
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
1/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 1
The Face of Death
written by T.S.E Boulton
a contemporary epic poem
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
2/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 2
the direction of
the story
Part One The Landlady
page 3 to 7
Part Two The Discussion between Friends
page 8 to 13
Part Three The Gift
page 14 to 15
Part Four The Awakeningpage 16 to 19
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
3/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 3
Part One The Landlady
He was stood waiting by the piano.
Tempted by the call of the keys... he began to tinker and tap
an unknown tune. Random key strokes made any aware that
he was not a musician,
still he continued to fiddle with the ivory beneath his fingers.
His imagination continued to wander,
partly due to the boring and grey room he was standing in,
uninviting and musty,
it was not a flavour for the palette and it begged for a dash of
paint or at least something to brighten its mood.
His attention soon came back to reality when he snapped
from his world
an alerting coughing sound, the trigger.
from the doorway.
The landlady returned from her business in the backroom.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
4/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 4
She was waiting for Ezra to stop touching her expensive but
mistreated instrument.
She waddled over, waddled due to her large size and short
height.
She reminded Ezra of the trolls of the faerie realms, caught in
their own grumpiness and desire to show some level of
importance.
He couldnt help but laugh...
...in his mind although he did manage to keep some restrain
just to ensure he didnt offend.
She continued her waddle and eventually reached her
destination, a desk, stationed in the living room by the bay
window.
Flicking several pages of a large guestbook the woman finally
arrived at Ezras booking and signed him in, twisting the book
towards him she motioned for him to sign as well.
As Ezra signed her book and as the plump landlady grunted
through her possible layer of crumbs perched on her top lip
or more likely a slight developing grey moustache, Ezra could
not help but query whether this was the right choice for him.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
5/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 5
He was desperate to keep privacy and this woman,
although her nose was not a distinguishing feature like themany other things she possessed, still had an air of noisiness
and curiosity about her.
He was of course relived and all doubts were put to rest
when the bearded lady finally opened her mouth to utter
some assemblance of words.
Ere, breakfast is at 6.00 sharp...
Ezra glared in anticipation of the next carefully crafted
sentence.
...and we dont like nobody sticking their nose in the
backroom, you dont go in there and we dont go in your
room. Is that fair?
The woman seemed to be puffed by the level of activeness
required to not only form a thought but then attempt to put
it into a verbal expression.
that will be fine
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
6/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 6
Ezra nodded and prayed that she would stick to this
agreement.
He had work to do and the last thing he needed was prying
eyes and a poisoned dwarf to spoil his work.
Brushing past the creature he began his ascension up the
creaky and cracked stairs.
He could tell there was a running theme in the house.
After a short hike up the steps, Ezra came to his room.
A heavy brown door blocked the way before him.
He turned the handle and entered inside.
There were the bare essentials needed to exist, a bed... a
bedside table... and a lamp.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
7/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 7
There was also a small slit filled with glass that resembled
something like a window but that was not important, if he
had allowed himself to be fussy and dream of great lodgings
then he would need to also take the risk of being noticed,
and that was something he was not prepared to do.
He shut his door,
moved the bedside table across to block the door.
He knew this would not keep anyone out,
especially an ogre,
at the very least it would buy him some time.
With his room partially secure, Ezra opened his suitcase on
the bed and removed his treasured items.
A weeks worth of clothes, a few candles, a box of matches, a
carving knife and... the mirror.
placing his clothes back into the suitcase and sliding it to one
side of the room, near the window, Ezra checked each item
to ensure no damage had been occurred during
transportation.
Once he was sure everything was in the same state as it had
been when packed, he began his work.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
8/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 8
Part Two The Discussion between Friends
Ezra hung the mirror, his grail on the wall
on a broken rusty nail.
The need for perfection drove him insane,
Again and again, several minutes altering the mirrors hang,
until it was exactly straight.
He lit the candles and placed them around the room.
Not for mood but in various points, speaking to them in turn
and speaking strange words, gibberish.
Seck Tor Calla Mai
Once more he repeated...
Seck Tor- Calla Mai
..he removed one final item from his pocket, something he
had been holding close to him the entire time...
...in fear it would be misplaced or lost.
The last item with him was a small pot of black ink,
unmarked.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
9/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 9
He opened the ink pot and dipped fingers inside.
Smearing on to the mirror, not sure if hed find, what he oncediscovered...
...he created several splashes and marks.
Then he returned the lid onto the pot and placed the pot
safely on his suitcase.
he gazed at the mirror and waited.
It may have been seconds,
it may have been minutes...
for all Ezra knew it may have been hours.
As he begun to stare he lost himself in a hypnotic trance, losthimself to the ink stained mirror...
...though something happened, without human hand or any
apparent and known physical force... the ink began to shape.
It moved into bigger blotches and spots, and smudges and
dots... sliding up the mirror rather than down, blending
together and forming an image on the surface of the item.
It continued to gel and glide until it revealed a haunting and
harrowing image.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
10/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 10
A face had come to be on the mirror on the wall,
a face that resembled the dark image of a skull.
As it finished its movement and creation, Ezra smiled,
stepped forward
bowed
Like a spark of darkness, the face erupted into movement,
however this time the movement was not to create an image
but to give the appearance of a real face starring back at him,
moving its unformed eyes and its sharp and abyss like
mouth. The face was filled with anger, hatred and most
noticeably evilness.
No sooner had it stumbled into life the face talked, squawked
in a pitch unbearable, yet Ezra... resisted to fall, down the
wall and onto the floor, he resisted to stay strong.
Its chilling and distressing tone sounded like the softest ofcherubim angels and yet it was slurred and broken by the
crackling, dark and heavy tone of a demon from the blackest
thoughts of imagination.
It croaked at Ezra, demanding his attention...
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
11/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 11
>
Ezra was unmoved by the voice, not afraid but excited.
Angel, I bring your avatar
here so you may share more
knowledge with me.
Ezra bowed once again and showed his humble side to the
apparition.
The face waited in anticipation for a response.
I do master, it is why I call
you. I seek your power
The face, if it were possible, smiled.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
12/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 12
Ezra leaned in, captured by the moment.
...and you have it master.Tell me what I must do to
gain your power...
The face began to morph into a larger image, the ink
spreading out and filling more of the mirror...
...and then in the dark voice it replied,
The face glared at Ezra, begging and yet demanding.
Ezra hesitated for the first time in the encounter.
Unsure but still not afraid he questioned the creature.
Blood? Why do you need
blood?
A simple question...
Ezra took several moments to make a decision. Deep down
inside of him was a grain of doubt that could not understand
what type of blood the creature desired... nor what would be
the source.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
13/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 13
Any blood master?
The face roared with craving...
Ezra suddenly became overwhelmed with feeling.
The being before him had offered him the power he sought.
A power that could be bought but with a gift of blood,
to obtain such a gift would result in him taking actions with
extreme consequence.
Yet... Ezra was sure that any sacrifice preformed for the man
in the mirror would simply be justified by the rewards gained.
Instead of allowing himself to be overcome by the request,
done in by the demand,
he simply nodded and gave himself willing.
No second thought, the doubt removed...
...Ezra would deliver.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
14/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 14
Part Three The Gift
crept, in shadows, knife tucked in pocket
there, in his vision, a blonde maiden admiring a locket,
alone,
and ready for the taking.
Lured down the alleyway by the need to go home,
no one watching except HIM on HIS throne.
Took the dagger.
Took the life.
Cut her throat with his knife.
Looked at her body, if only for a while,
drained the gift into a vial.
An act most vile...
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
15/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 15
Crept, in shadows, returned to Master.
His yearning for power, growing ever faster.
Not allowing guilt to settle,
expelling guilt with his watered down reason,
if anything, the act he found pleasing...
gave him a taste of the power he craved...
waved goodbye to inhibition
achieved his mission.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
16/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 16
Part Four The Awakening
Ezra climbed his stairway to return to the room.
Return to the Creature.
Once there, he fidgeted, hesitated and contemplated what
would happen if he continued. It finally had sunk in.
Sunk deep into his conscience,
where it lay to rest, buried, a tombstone, forever to remind.
Despite this he continued, he was in,
he was ready,
and so he summoned the demon once again,
Seck Tor- Calla Mai
Seck Tor- Calla Mai
and it converged, into the face... blotched and dried,
crusty and shredded...
>
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
17/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 17
Ezra opened the vial and poured the blood into his hand.
Smeared the blood on his hand across the shine and silver ofthe mirror.
Kept pouring the blood onto his hands to make the
creature...
...and then, he stopped.
The mirror covered in blood.
From the blood formed the face, no marks, no mentions, no
race or intentions... just the blank face...
Half blood
Half ink
It cracked a smile.
>
Ezra glared
Where is my power? Where
is the power you said would
be mine?
and the face laughed
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
18/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 18
>
Its face darkened.
>
Ezra grabbed his hair, pulled, pulled it out.
WHAT!?
He screamed, he cried... he died a little inside.
What do you mean!? You
promised me power...!
I wanted your power!
I wanted to be like you!
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
19/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 19
I... I... dont under...stand!
I... wanted...
Whats happened? Whats
happened to me?
This wasnt...
There was silence.
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
20/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 20
8/4/2019 The Face of Death
21/21
Copyright of Thom Boulton 2011 page 21
end