Chatterbox: Inkwell

Ashton Manor

Atop the great hill, on the outskirts of town
Sits the black Ashton Manor where the widow looks down
Through the tall aged windows with the long-broken shutters
At the mist-covered graveyard of her kinsmen and brothers
The estate reaches far and the towers reach high
But all the wealth in the world can’t rid the tear from her eye

Tucked deep in its halls, through a locked ebony door
Where no one could find it, sits a short corridor
With all the lights out you see nothing at all
But when a candle is lit, along the left wall,
A small cluster of paintings, each hung with a tack
For the hall’s hung with canvases, all painted black
Canvases, canvases, all painted black

In the small sleepy village that’s nestled below
On a dapper gray steed rode Lord Richard of Furrough
“O’ who lives in that manor, pray tell me good townsmen?”
“Up there resides the young Widow of Ashton”
With a spur to his mount and a quick word of thanks
The Lord left nonplussed murmurs in his stallion’s wake

Young Richard of Furrough reached the manor with haste
The widow met him herself,a black veil on her face
When she lifted it up the Lord swore on his life
So struck by her beauty, that she’d be his wife
She blushed as he sunk down to one knee to plead
With a faint smile on her lips, the widow agreed

The celebration immense, the town was a sight
And the bride of Ashton decked all out in white
Every person in town was invited to feast
It must have been weeks ‘till the jubilee ceased
But still there were whispers, “the Lord will regret
Binding himself to the dark widow yet”

Months passed up at Ashton, which stayed uneventful
The whispers of villagers lapsed into a lull
The bride and the groom settled into routine
Though of course the Lord’s love for his wife remained keen
But when she knew no one saw and no one could pry
The fair bride of Ashton still had tears in her eyes

One day in November on a brisk autumn’s night
The couple sat, conversing, bathed in gold firelight
The Lady set her soft hand in her husband’s palm
“Come let me show you what I’ve been working on,”
With a smile on her lips the bride led her groom
To an unfamiliar candlelit room

She smiled softly with pride as he saw the easel
A portrait so skillful it reached to his soul
The Lord recognized the face right away
As the boy who delivered their mail ev’ry day
With skin flecked with freckles and sandy curled hair
And icy blue eyes with a sharp, piercing stare

In awe of her skill the Lord Richard of Furrough
Made habit of visiting his bride in her studio
Because of the visits, or perhaps on a whim
The Lady of Ashton began painting him
She worked mostly in silence, but once commented “dear,
Have you seen, a diff’rent boy now brings the mail here?”

The winter made the Lord restless as the weeks went past
He took to wandering and pondering the old mansion vast
Once deep in thought he came ‘cross a strange sight-
A door made of ebony as dark as the night
The door was locked but the Lord could peer in through the crack
And see his wife hanging up a canvas of black

A whole wall of canvases, canvases, as black as coal
The sight began gnawing away at his soul
It disturbed him within though he scarcely knew why
And he barely could look his fair bride in the eye
For when he did all saw was a canvas of black
Canvases, canvases, canvases all painted black

Out in the garden, next spring sat the groom
With his face turned away from Ashton’s dark gloom
A book in his lap for he’d done some light reading
And a heart in his chest that’s no longer beating
And his bride sits inside, painting his portrait all black
As the scarlet blood flows from her knife in his back

Atop the great hill, on the outskirts of town
Sits the black Ashton Manor where the widow looks down
Through the tall aged windows with the long-broken shutters
At the mist-covered graveyard of her kinsmen, husband, and brothers
Tucked deep in its halls, through a locked ebony door
Where no one could find it sits a short corridor
A small cluster of paintings, each hung with a tack
The hall’s hung with canvases, all painted black
Canvases, canvases, all painted black

Hi again everyone!  It's been a while :3