The Excursion of Three

Three Tribulations of the Same Numbered Souls or The Tale of Three True Tribulations Told

Listen right here to my tale of
Three true tribulations told
Though it may be a story most
Have heard, story is quite old.
It is a sad, sad account of
Three lads who did sail to sea
They dreamed of fame and fortune, t’was
A dream never meant to be.

I

Upon the briny foam so fast
Into the sunset went three.
With hopes to find a life anew,
Boys of noble birth set to sea.
In a two mast ketch packed so full
They merrily climbed aboard.
But before they let set the sail
Fell prostrate before their Lord.

When they arose before them stood
A ragged old woman there.
She threw some bones upon the deck,
Read, then told them to beware.
“Go in peace and float fair my boys.
May Poseidon guide you true.
Yet you’ll never return to
these lands, leave—your lives be through.

“You’ll leave a golden shore braggart
Men, and profit far away;
But if you should try to return,
Sea forever keep your stay.
Lost and broken you'll surly be,
If your ship sails off today.
Please pay heed to my maddened pleas,
Make your wealth another way.”

Laughed the woman right overboard,
Ready their minds for journeys set.
Up and down upon the waves go
Round, a sun very scarlet.
Portabella mushroom clouds were
Feathered crossed the eastern sky.
Good weather, good wind, for many days,
Drink drank drunk mead to the nigh’

Three sang sailor songs jauntily
In arms, all the ones they knew.
But too soon the fun died away,
When a storm start to brew.
They threw woe’s caution to the wind;
Faux clouds for certain, nay true!
Though the storm caught them unawares,
Their voyage was far from through.

Five days, four nights the wind howled hard
Waves crashed down upon their hoods;
All they lost was four stow away
Rats and a crate full of food.
Minor spoil to the ship itself
Though the mizzenmast was drowned
The mainsail luckily still attached
Most of the supplies were found.

The only thing that they found missing
Was wind so abundant fore.
Irony sown to their saved sails;
T’was the lulls of sailor’s lore.
Many stories told of the Void
Primed them for the drift so slow.
The three moods did not dampen still,
When the wind would wind would blow.

Trodden horizon every which
Way round here, truth stand told.
Water, water, life everywhere
Breathtaking still to behold.
Basking under the sun’s glory,
Pay glory where glory’s due.
Swam all afternoon and morning,
Was there something else to do?

Finally, their patience blossomed,
When one had harked out “land ho.”
Rejoiced in open hearts spoken
Again their cups overflow
Drink to drank drunken they did sing
A jovial melodic song,
About a journey worth taking
And waiting four months too long.

They set their feet upon the land,
It was strange as foreign be.
T’was their good coconut shore of
Sandy beach based purity.
No one to greet for miles around
Forlorn stood forsaken three.
And yet this mattered little not,
They still cheered exultantly.

Off they set en route to explore
Their terra firma found new.
The first duty resigned to find
Were different bites to chew.
Novel fine fruits, animals, and
Many new flowers galore.
All of the pristine sights they saw
Upon this consecrate shore.

They ate their full quite merrily
Hunted spry game needlessly
As a bush of judgmental eyes
Watched them unknowingly
Waste many resources away
When those eyes did see plenty
Enough, ran forth with rage and savagery
Interrupted boys noon tea

The natives barked a rapid speech
The boys could not understand.
Yet they understood perfectly
The pointed spears in their hands.
Though the three were masterful with
Their own swords, it was never
Good idea to drawl them when one’s
Surrounded like this ever.

They marched along sullenly ‘fraid.
The possibilities brought
Internal worries they shared with
Each, now that they’ve been caught.
The natives took them along a
Great road paved with bricks of gold
Which led to an even greater thing
The great City of Sziðold.


II

Six eyes opened wide at the sight
Of the glorious city.
Houses adorned with gold enough
To last a man centuries.
Each building higher than the next
As the party neared the heart,
In the center stood a giant
King set to tear them apart.

The natives all took to their knees
And brought their captives down too,
Bruising found immediate
Painting their caps a blue hue.
“Why have you come to my shores—you
Wicked little men?” he lunged.
Surprised into silence when
The three heard their native tongue.

“Yes, I know your silly language—
You unintelligent boys—
So answer to my query now
Or be my new torture toys!”
The eldest boy swallowed hard and
Answered the giant straight away,
“We are only lost noble sons
Who’s lost at sea was their way.”

A native then whispered in the
King’s ear, giant’s eyes went wide;
“You and your brother’s have stolen
Too much from my countryside,
Too much you slaughtered fruitlessly
Killing for fun and slaying what
You could not need or eat.
You will be sliced head to gut.”

“We meant no harm to your worthy
Land, but stopped to fill our store.
We thought we were alone when our
Ship happened upon your shore.
Please sir, have mercy upon us
Boys, like you said before, we are
Three lads who have been traveling
In their ignorance too far”

“Ignorance or not you speak now,
I have a better design!
Instead of being sliced by my
Guard harshly, I’ll give you time.
For now, you must stead against
A Cacodemon’s covet!
A plague! Who survives will walk free
Accept the terms, don’t mull it!”

Boys accepted reluctantly,
For little choice did they hold.
Giant’s gleam grin grinned gruesomely
Yet now they stood tall and bold
Fate is a far too fickle friend
For them to cower back now
Fight the beast who plagues the town, or
Be a sacrificial cow.

The next day they were led to an
Arena outside the gates.
They were given their weapons back,
Bid to the center to wait.
In flew a nightmarish creature
From the dreams of hellish lore:
Ten feet tall, crocodile skin-wings,
Mighty claws and teeth it wore.

The evil Cacodemon screamed
A mighty belching bellow,
And ran swiftly to its prey with
Hunger for its first swallow.
Fast to react the boys did part
Off to separate corners,
Forcing the dactyl to commit
To one of the three brothers.

To the youngest the demon swerved
And followed his every move,
The other two stalked right in with
Patience, their attack was smooth.
For an hour this tactic drove
On, yet the dactyl didn’t tire.
Though the brothers lost some health, their
Attacks grew more inspired.

Finally, after hour two,
The brother’s swords did cut through,
The lad’s foe fell to the ground, the
Cacodemon at last slew.
Reverberating roar from the
Circle shouting all around
Natives cheered exuberantly
At the demon dactyl-mound.

“Well done my boys—my word be true,
I shall indeed set you free.
That was quite the spectacular show
You gave my people and me!
And something more I should also
Add for bravery so bold,
Take the option I give you now—
Choice land or its weight in gold!”

“You honor us too great,” the young
Brother said. “But as we wear
Thin for home, I think we might take
The gold for land you will bear.”
“So be it,” the giant did say
As he grinned his gruesome grin.
“You will be lead back to your ships, and
Be set with what you fit in.”

And that’s how they walked away from
The great City of Sziðold.
Arms full of meat and heroes with
Ship filled to the brim with gold.
Enthusiastically, though in
Their hearts, did they leave shore,
They were not going to tempt fate
And stay even one minute more.

III

The ketch packed so very full, yet,
Full of gold not of supplies,
When the boys sailed from that land the
Sun was setting in their eyes.
Boys so giddy, hearts full of greed;
Too much so, even to think
The weight of their boat too heavy
That the gold may make them sink.

And so it was again, as they
Crossed over the ocean blue
Dark storm clouds appeared in the sky
Halfway till their trip was through.
The wind howled hard and the waves tossed
The little boat to and fro,
Water came on too fast for them
To bail causing them great woe.

Lightning struck their sail afire and
Clear-cut the mizzenmast down
Every attempt was futile; their
Hopes, and ship, did surely drown.
For the gold weighed them down too much
Too even out sail the storm
The boys cried out for God’s mercy,
But they’d never see their home

Ah, but to that fate they should have
Remembered and stayed quite still.
Home was not approaching before
Them, but t’was death’s gripping chill.
They had not listened to the old
Witch, who threw the ancient bones,
Now they would suffer their fault and
Sink down to the Davey Jones’.

I told you from the beginning
That these here boys course was doomed.
Wrong to think they might succeed when
Following a win so soon.
But I tell you now, as it was
Read in those cursed bones before,
This path had been destined upon
Them as soon as they left shore.