Young Alyssia, child of lust,
Born in shadows, made from dust.
Lost inside a world she made,
Reality began to fade
Her life was not always like this.
It once held hope for love and bliss.
But bliss had soon become forlorn.
It all went wrong when she was born.

Let’s look back upon her birth.
Both her parents, wide of girth,
Filled with greed and full of wine,
Always eating, just like swine.
Had a daughter, greatest gift,
Cursed the Nurse who gave them ‘It.’
Held their child in true disdain,
And from that moment gave her pain.

At one year old her face was worn,
Her eyes were bright, her dress was torn.
At three years old, with tired face,
She had already lost her faith.
At six years old her parents slept,
Alyssia worked, Alyssia wept
By nine years old she ran the house,
Raised a slave but like a mouse.

Alyssia, now seventeen,
While one day cooking Fathers tea,
Dropped a plate and saw it smash,
Prayed her parents heard no crash.
Cleaned up all the shards and reached
Into the dark for one last piece,
Near the cooker, underneath,
Instead of plate she found a key.

The back door key had fallen low,
From her father long ago.
Lodged itself in darkest place,
Where fattest fingers found no trace.
A pie was made of favourite kind,
The key was then lost from his mind
So there he left it, free to linger,
Waiting for a thinner finger.

Alyssia took in the room,
This house had so long been her tomb.
Locked inside it day and night,
Punished if she dared to fight,
Rose to be her parents slave,
From out the womb into the grave,
But now she had a chance to flee,
To save herself and be set free.

Quietly, as she was taught,
She checked her parents, full of thought.
“Dinner’s ready,” she declared,
The only time her voice would dare.
Her parents turned, their faces wild,
“BRING IT IN, YOU WORTHLESS CHILD!”
Alyssia arranged the meal,
Caviar, sautéed with veal.

Her parents wolfed their dinner down
And with some drink their stomachs drowned.
Then as always was their way,
They slept to end another day.
Alyssia, she saw her chance,
For freedom, and with one last glance,
A bag of clothes, what little she had,
And food for the road, nutritious, not bad,

She fared farewell unto the house,
Where she’d been treated like a louse,
The hateful, spiteful, hurtful tomb,
That held her sanctuary room,
With the key unlocked the door,
Checked she needed nothing more,
Took a breath to clear her mind,
And left her parents far behind.

Fending off fear of the journey ahead,
Alyssia stepped where she never tread.
The sun bore down on virgin flesh,
The cooling breeze, it felt so fresh.
Now warm and smiling Alyssia walked,
Far from the house where nightmares were shocked
Walked to horizon, far from aware,
Of the shadow, so dark, that followed her there.

After what had seemed like hours
She came upon a field of flowers,
Beautiful as any dream,
Colours she had never seem.
She walked on past wishing to see
What other wonders that there could be.
Her eyes were lost in clear, blue sky
She did not see the flowers die.

Ecstasy had claimed her mind,
Happiness of rarest kind.
She came upon a pleasant clearing,
A world so far from constant fearing.
Lavender and warmth so deep,
Alyssia fell fast asleep.
Life had changed for her so fast,
She should have known it wouldn’t last.

In dead of night the shadow crept,
Upon the girl who calmly slept,
Slipped its dreams into her own,
Alyssia was nightmare prone.
Fearful of a voice she heard,
Alyssia, asleep she stirred.
What dream could make this girl afraid?
The life for her that had been made.

Alyssia was running free,
Came upon a twisted tree,
Its branches gnarled, with dying roots,
Upon it grew the blackest fruits.
In grass trimmed short, and oddly neat,
She found a fruit beside her feet.
She took a bite, it tasted well.
Then the world all turned to hell.

Her parents’ voices grew from silence,
A siren call inviting violence.
Alyssia began to cry,
To flinch at thoughts of years gone by.
Her parents’ faces grew much closer,
She feared her life would soon be over.
“ALYSSIA!” her parents barked.
The world around her growing dark.

Sitting upright, body shaking,
Crying out as she was waking,
“Father, no! Mother, please!”
Waking up in easy breeze.
The world around her now more bright,
She had slept right through the night.
Stood up straight, steadied self,
Dried her eyes, she had her health.

For days and weeks she walked away
From where her parents left to stay
Losing faith so many nights.
Then she saw the city lights.
Thoughts of parents took a shove.
Alyssia would look for love!
(Her parents, always short of breath,
Without her simply starved to death.)

Alyssia, she walks the streets,
Wonders why no one she meets
Will pay attention to her voice
So feeling like she had no choice
She screamed at every face she met,
Their ignorance began to threat,
Her tired mind had grown so weak,
Her future now it seemed so bleak.

One day while crying in the road
Because the traffic never slowed
Alyssia caught someone’s eye.
A complete stranger passing by
Saw her once, saw her twice,
Wiped his eyes and saw her thrice
He waved to her to be polite,
And worried for this strange girl’s plight.

Out of shock she simply stared
He watched as long as he would dare.
Trapped inside the tarmac track
She watched him slowly turn his back
And walk away from where he was,
Alyssia then cried, because
The traffic held her, wouldn’t wait,
She knew that he was her soul mate.

The traffic thinned. At running speed
Alyssia took off, now freed
To seek her soul mate, maybe try
To steal his heart. “Is he nearby…?”
Chasing after echoes she
Was lost within the city streets
Lost within a foggy haze
Lost within a concrete maze.

More days went on and still she searched
Afraid to sleep, awake she perched
Upon the street where he had walked,
The pavement her love had once stalked
And stopped upon and stared at her.
Alyssia knew he was pure
And she also knew that if she waited
He would return, it must be fated.

Three days had passed, and still awake
Alyssia could almost break.
She felt so drained, she needed sleep.
Her eyes, they closed, the shadow creep
Was still nearby, and as she slept
It saw its chance, once more it crept
To fill her dreams with fear and pain,
It knew not why, but did again.

Nights like she had always known
In her bedroom, so alone,
Alyssia cried silent tears,
Parents’ footsteps drawing near.
Heard the key turn in the lock,
Steady as a ticking clock,
The door creaked open, in it walked.
Alyssia just stared in shock.

The figure walking into the room
Was not her mother, had no womb.
Was not her father, had no face.
A shadow walked into the place
Where she would hide and cry at night,
Waking up at dawns first light.
The shadow drawing ever near,
Alyssias’ familiar fear.

The shadow raised above her head.
She looked into its eyes with dread.
Falling to her knees she yelled,
“PLEASE DON’T HURT ME!” Hope she held
That this creature show her pity.
“Alyssia, you are so pretty…”
She looked upon the source of noise,
The shadow spoke in Father’s voice.

“Alyssia, let me explain,
I’m the essence of your pain.”
Then in Mothers haunting voice,
“Its, not as if I had a choice.”
Then the shadow raised its claws,
Smiled a little took a pause.
“No one’s here to say goodbye
Alyssia, it’s time to die!”

Alyssia, she closed her eyes,
Crying to the shadow guise,
“I’m begging you, please don’t hurt me!”
The shadow said, so otherworldly,
“Sorry girl, but this is how
Its meant to be.” And gave a scowl.
Her life would end now, so abrupt.
A saintly voice cried out, “Wake up.”

Alyssia cried out in fright.
Awake now, sitting bolt upright.
Somehow she escaped the harm,
She found herself in someone’s arms.
Eyes still closed, afraid to look,
Breathing deepest breath she took.
She looked up towards the skies,
Looked up into smiling eyes.

“You were crying, you were weeping.
I wondered why a girl was sleeping
All alone under the stars,
Recognised you, saw your scars.
Tried to wake you, crying out
‘Please wake up,’ you heard me shout.
Now I don’t know what to say.
I’m Bolero, are you OK?”

Looking up at sweet Bolero,
Eyes so full of love and care, “Oh…”
She whispered, “Thank you, sir.”
She looked away and felt unsure.
“I did not mean to cause you worry,
Please permit me to be sorry.”
No reply, and so she frought.
“What’s she mean?” Bolero thought

“Please forgive me sir, I mean,
Bolero, did not mean to scream,
I fell asleep, was not aware,
Began to have a bad nightmare…”
Bolero looked at this sweet girl,
Felt his insides do a twirl.
“Please don’t worry miss, I…uh…
What’s your name?” “Alyssia.”

They talked and talked about their lives.
Alyssia told him of vibes
That she had felt when they first met,
Upon him all her hopes were set.
“I feel the same.” Bolero said.
Alyssia, a tear she shed.
She told him all about her pain,
Her parents and from whence she came.

She told him of her great escape,
Her journey and of how she came
Upon the city, got ignored,
Felt alone and also bored.
But when Bolero stumbled past
Alyssia knew they would last
Forever, like great lovers should.
She tried to find him, knew she would.

Bolero held her, kissed her then
Stood up and took her hand again.
“Come with me?” he asked to her.
Alyssia, her voice unsure,
Asked him, “Where? Where will we go?”
“Alyssia, I think you know
That telling you would spoil surprise,
I want to see it in your eyes.”

They walked together through the streets,
Holding hands and looking sweet.
Alyssia, she turned to him,
Feeling love inside, within,
Curious about this male.
She asked Bolero, “What’s your tale?”
Bolero stopped and looked away,
She wondered what he had to say.

“Where I come from there is no moon,
There is no sun, no shadows loom.
A darker place you’ll never find.
I was born from parents blind.
My father slept beneath the earth,
My mother died while giving birth.
I grew alone inside some place
Where I could see no other face.”

“I wondered ‘How can I survive?
There’s no way that I’m alive’
There were things I could not see.
Someone had created me.”
Bolero, taking deep, sharp breath,
Turned and said, “I am Death.”
Alyssia could not find words
To reply to what she’d heard.

“I was trapped and could not see.
He took away my memory.
I didn’t know that I was meant
To be a mans experiment.
He was sick and close to dying.
In madness soon he began trying
With what little time was left
To find a way to fend off Death.”

Alyssia, she raised her hand,
Stroked his face, kissed him and
Questioned, “How did you escape?”
Saw his answer taking shape.
Saw confusion have a feast.
“I did not. I was released.
The man controlling me was dead,
Others freed me in his stead.”

Bolero cried a single tear,
“I didn’t know how not to fear…”
Alyssia could hear the pain
Deep inside his last refrain.
“I didn’t know what I could do,
These people, they were not like you.
They taunted me and made me fall.
Alyssia…I killed them all.”

Alyssia just held him tighter.
Boleros heart became much lighter.
She looked into his eyes so blue,
“Bolero, no, I don’t blame you.
You were born by hand of man,
You had no way to understand
The strength that lay inside yourself,
What matters now is how you dealt.”

Bolero smiled and turned to say,
“I took some things and ran away.
Filled with guilt and burning shame,
Knew I’d never kill again.
Found this city, no one noticed
The broken boy who lived below this
Busy world, so full of hope.
I felt that this was where I’d cope.”

“Soon I loved to be alone,
Began to call this city home.
The days, they passed. One year, then two.
Then one day I noticed you.”
He kissed the girl with tearful eyes
Who knew that he had told no lies.
Though he was Death she couldn’t fear.
Bolero stopped and said, “We’re here.”

Alyssia took in the sight,
While they walked it had become night,
And now they stood outside the town
On a hill and staring down
Upon the world so far below,
The people that she didn’t know
Running through the streets so full.
“Bolero, this is beautiful.”

They spoke for hours, with words so deep.
The moon was full, they fell asleep,
Thinking that they would be safe.
Alyssia, the pretty waif ,
Was crept upon by shadow dark,
Now aware to play his part,
Infected both their restless dreams
With nightmares they had never seen.

Alyssia, she kissed her lover
Bolero, he would need no other.
This was perfect, sure to last.
They both could leave behind the past.
Then around them all lights fade,
Bolero, who in darkness made,
Picked up his weapon, arched his back,
“Demon, would you dare attack?”

Bolero had picked up his sword.
“Alyssia, please, I implore,
Let me go, you are unarmed,
And I would die to save you harm.”
Alyssia, who couldn’t see,
Prayed that this was meant to be,
Felt the shadows spiteful hate,
Knew Boleros fight was fate.

“Shadow, do not save your breath!
I am Bolero, Son of Death!
I fear no darkness, know no pain!
Now tell me creature, what’s your name?”
The shadow stood just out of grasp,
Alyssia could hear a gasp.
“Alyssia, Bolero, well…
I’ll tell you, I am Azrael.”

“Azrael, The Great Surveyor,
Bleeding forth from bloody prayer.
The problem is I’m not quite whole,
Alyssia holds half my soul.
I don’t know how, I don’t care why,
All I know is she must die,
Like all my previous trespasses,
Filthy hordes and unwashed masses.”

“Alyssia, Bolero, now
I’m going to end this, take a bow.
Tonight you reach the end of life,
I’ll strike you both down with my scythe!”
Scythe and sword, a mighty crash.
Alyssia could hear them clash.
The battle went on for an age,
Alyssia felt building rage.

Bolero swung his mighty sword.
Azrael would need much more
Than this boys knife to cut him down,
His scythe had cut through many crowns.
Bolero got a lucky strike,
Azrael let out a sigh.
“Sorry boy, that’s not enough!”
Bolero knew this would be tough.

Alyssia could hear them fight
But could not see, there was no light.
Prayed for her Boleros health,
Wished she had a way to help,
Heard the scythe and sword fight rattle.
“Maybe this is not his battle…”
Alyssia then knew her role.
“I’m half the great surveyors soul…”

Bolero, he fought long and hard
And though still fighting, knew his card
Was not so wild now, fighting fate,
In the world Azrael made.
He could die here, had no power
Over death. His final hour
Drew ever closer now to hand,
He watched his sword lose grip and land…

“Bolero, boy, son of death,
Have you learnt your lesson yet?”
Azrael laughed quite loud,
In the darkness shouted out,
“Alyssia, your boy is dead!
My scythe will now remove his head!”
Azrael then raised his scythe.
“Bolero, boy, say goodnight.

Bolero, he let out a scream,
Death would not come fast it seemed,
Waited for the scythe to slash
But instead he heard a smash.
Something here had saved his life.
He looked up to see it, scythe on scythe.
Azraels as red as blood.
Alyssias as blue as flood.

“Alyssia! How can this be?”
“You should know, you’re part of me.”
Alyssia then raised her blade,
Sliced clean through the air and made
A standing jump at Azrael,
“I will send you straight to hell!”
Alyssia swung scythe through meat,
“Azrael, I’ll be complete!”

Red and blue, in battle locked.
Bolero looked on still in shock.
Azrael was losing track,
Alyssia was fighting back.
Bolero, now he saw his chance,
Grabbed his sword and shifted stance,
Ran towards the bloody fray.
“Azrael, this ends today!”

Azrael was caught off guard,
Barely blocking metal shard.
Bolero fought in new dimension,
Azrael lost all attention.
Alyssia, breeding passion,
Swung her scythe in godly fashion,
Azrael blocked sword down low,
Alyssia struck fatal blow.

Azrael fell to his knees.
“This is not what’s meant to be!”
Light began to flood back in.
Azrael was pale and thin,
A broken man with half a soul,
An absence which had taken toll.
Alyssia withdrew her blade,
“This is life that I have made.”

Azrael bled shadows, screamed,
Released them all from in this dream,
“I was never meant to die!
Alyssia, Bolero, why!”
There was nothing left to say,
They linked their arms and walked away.
Now she could be left alone,
And never more be nightmare prone.

Alyssia was on the hill,
Awake and thinking of her kill.
Bolero turned and said out loud,
“Alyssia, I am so proud.”
She smiled, and with their power drained,
They both fell back to sleep again.
They lay together, stars above,
Alyssia, Bolero, love.