The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!
Elegy to a Medium
by A.F. Stewart
To Madame Rosta, the spiritualist,
late of London, now among the departed
Her rooms a shrine, of sorts, to her clients
and a warning to those who knew her well.
For who would not shiver there now, after…
well, such a tragedy, her last séance.
She was a fraud you know, until her dying day,
her ghosts a bag of tricks and careful props;
she made the clients trust and took their money.
Yet, when their backs turned, she laughed,
swearing all fools that should believe in spirits
Then came the last day, the last trick
to be played on her, from Hell itself.
Now only sooty walls, smeared with ash
remain of poor damned Madame Rosta.
Fiction © Copyright A.F. Stewart
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com
More from A.F. Stewart:
Abandoned: 13 Tales of Impulse, Betrayal, Surrender, & Withdrawal
To act with abandon, in any sense of the word, is human. Whether it’s the sudden, strong urge to do something, either good or bad, or the act of betraying someone you love, we make choices that forever change our lives. Do you give into something or someone completely, or withdraw wholly into yourself? These thirteen stories run the gamut of emotions and express horror as you’ve never imagined it.
The story of a woman alone at the end of the world and the small lifeline she hopes will prove humanity still exists challenges the search for anything left behind after the death of a child. What if you hid a secret you’d thought no one else knew? Would its revelation spark the monster hiding within? A downward spiral into madness juxtaposes the ultimate, but impossible, (re)birth. Would you choose the frigid winds of winter over the warmth and safety of your lover’s arms?
Abandon hope, all who enter here…













I like the twist with this poem . . .
Good one! Nicely executed. 🙂
Great surprise! I enjoy the classic feel of the verse—it fits well.