13 Days 13 Shorts: Banshees

Hi! Apologies for the late post. No one was signed up for yesterday, but after some last-minute haggling, here is "Banshees" by Mia Resella! Check back again soon for today's story by Imran!

BANSHEES by Mia Resella

In the misty hills and mossy woods
By the Irish town of Kiflyngood
All was calm and well, except one thing:
When Mary would come out and sing.

At night she stepped from Otherworld
(so said the little boys and girls)
Her banshee's song all but enslaved
and sung some sad soul to his grave.

She prophecized when death was near
And haunted dutifully each year,
The families always sobbed and frowned
when lovely Mary came around.

One night a group of tourists came
to take pictures and play drinking games
when in the bar that fateful night
They heard her song of woe and fright.

"What's that?" asked one, his name was Bob,
fat, drunk, and something of a slob.
Dear reader, don't blame him for this--
He worked the entertainment biz.

"Aye, th'banshee's wail," the barkeep said,
The other patrons bowed their heads.
"Ah don't think ye'll hear it fer too long.
'Swhat we like tae call yer final song."

"Remarkable! Ooh, what a treat!
This young woman I must meet!
It's so unique, almost divine!"
Then, panicking, "Wait, is she signed?"

Bob trekked through the woods, checkbook in hand,
He managed some successful bands,
But this one really took the cake--
He drooled and bit at his "big break."

Mary stood by a moonlit creek,
She wailed at the approaching geek,
"Ooooh!" she cried, but she could tell
Her haunting wasn't going well.

"Hallo!" said Bob. "Hey babe, hey doll!
Your singing, it's phenomenal!"
Mary's ghostly cheeks blushed pink--
This was easier than Bob could think.

"Well, ah do git rave reviews,"
said Mary humbly, all P's and Q's,
"They'll follo' me thru fog an' rain,
And ne'er has one lived tae complain."

"It's haunting, tragic, fills a void,
It's like that one song by Pink Floyd!"
The manager was all abuzz,
He pushed aside his budget cuts

and drew a contract on the spot;
Come on, this deal was hot, hot, hot!
She'd be "bigger than Radiohead!"
But by next morning, Bob was dead.

His assistants mourned their passing boss,
As one might mourn a pen they'd lost.
"Wait!" they said to Mary, "Stay!
He left you tickets to L.A.!"

Mary took the tickets, packed her bags,
Said goodbye to her fellow hags,
But the assistants worried that this Irish lass
in the corporate world would never last.

"It's dog eat dog, it's cat eat cat!"
They warned, "And harder still than that!"
But Mary smiled and chuckled ghoulishly,
"Oh, ah think there'll be a vacancy."