Short story: On a Windblasted Day Through the Door Came the Queen
Saturday, November 20th, 2010
The Captive Robin, by John Anster Fitzgerald
It began on a day that was wet and was cold,
just my sister and I in a house that was old.
“While we’re out, you be quiet!” our parents had scolded,
so we sat at the window, hands quietly folded,
watching the storm give our garden a lashing.
And then! From upstairs! Such a thunderous crashing!
Had the roof blown away? Then the crash crashed again!
My sister cried out, but I leapt up and then
dashed up the steps to the source of the sound.
On the landing I stopped, stunned by what I had found:
‘Tween two flights of stairs, in the wall, was a door.
Though we’d lived here for months, I’d not seen it before.
It was green, very tall, but remarkably thin -
and something was knocking so hard from within.
I reached for the knob. “Don’t touch it!” Grace cried.
Her green eyes flashed, fearful, as I pulled the door wide… (more…)
