First it was a hunting lodge,
That went from bad to worse,
Old folks home and a hospital,
A building with a curse,
It
finished as a hostel,
For student boys like me,
One night we'd all been drinking
And all went out to see,
That empty
block the other side,
A tower with a past to hide,
A gaping door that opened wide
And none would dare to go inside...
Then
madness seized my stoned cold head
"Come on guys, let's go in" I said,
The others wished they'd gone to bed,
Though they held back, I upward led
And
charging, climbing many a stair,
Running fast past many a lair
Where drunken students, unaware,
Might find the reason for their dare...
When last
we burst on to the roof,
Our fear we found, the living proof,
Nothing there at all uncouth,
Except the folly of our youth.
But as we
crept back down once more,
Almost returned that icy claw,
Faster, faster to the door,
Alarmed with ravens nevermore.
I guess
they looked at me askance,
Ever since that day,
Was it their resentment that
I'd kept my fear at bay..?
Had I
spoiled the mystery,
And daubed romance with shit..?
Nevermore to tremble or
Delight in being frit..?
Andy Morley 14th November 2006
One of
those drunken student nights when we climbed to the top of a
deserted tower to find out what it was we were afraid
of...