As I lie here on the floor I
think, “Wait, this isn’t how I die.”
The fire crackles warmly and
invitingly as the raucous noise in the common room begins to die down. I begin
one of my favorite sets, “The Dwarf Who Never Returned”. My room isn’t free
tonight so I use a little of the magic. The crowd begins to sing along and
dance. I know I’ll have some good tips tonight.
When I finish my last set a
strange old man comes up to me. “Young sir, I enjoyed your songs, but I have no
coin,” he says. “I do have something that may interest you, however.”
I look at him quizzically. “What
could you possibly have that would interest me old man?” As he starts to walk
away, something in his demeanor causes me to follow after him. I follow him out
into the night and a strange chill comes over me. “Where are you taking me, old
man?” Silence is his only reply.
We walk into the cemetery and I
begin to worry. He leads me to a fresh grave and for some reason there is a
tankard of ale standing on the dirt. His last words to me before he disappears
into a puff of smoke are “It never empties.”
Hours later, I can’t get the cry
out of my head. “Drink! Drink! Drink!”
“What is this demon that makes me
want to drink?”
I fall down and think, “Wait,
this isn’t how I die.”
I was inspired to write this story by this video by the Poxy Boggards. Warning it is not safe for work.
