"Serenade to the Reaper's Blade" - an excerpt from "The Death of Me" (a Rock Opera in progress)

Scene: Evelina walks in the graveyard. She comes here to escape the eyes of her ever watchful, uptight mother, and to let her thoughts run wild. The night approaches, the dusk is quick upon the field where the graveyard sits. Mourning Doves coo, and the night sings softly... softly, as she walks deeper into the sea of ancient graves. Suddenly she notices something, a sound; the beat of a drum. It comes softly at first, then ever more and more distinct as the last rays of the sun slip away. Suddenly, Evelina is surrounded by a crowd of the singing dead, bursting out from their tombs, preparing for the nights festivities. Evelina is paralyzed with fear. The mouldy rotten choir cry out in a harmony, and a skeleton band assemble. With the strike of a guitar and clang of a church bell, Damien arises.

Damien, the corpse of a young man in his twenties, and possibly the most headstrong of all the corpses.

He begins to sing.

Damien: 

"It appears, my fine friends, we have a guest tonight!.."

Others: 

 "..Why does she come?.."

          "..See her cower in fright!.."

Damien:

"Stumbling upon the midnight corpse's delight.." 

                        

Others:

"..Could I get some more rum?.."

         "..She's a beautiful sight!.."

Damien:

"A LIVING child, and what does she know?

Too frightened to speak

Petrified down to her toes

My beautiful creature...

Come! Let's give her a show!"

(Band picks up)

"You Humans, you weak little things

So afraid of what lurks in the night

So afraid of what hides

When you cut out the lights

When you draw your last breath

What lurks behind the door?

So lost in your world of illusion,

So lost in the lies of your mind.

You cower and cry

If something is awry

When you draw your last breath

What lurks behind the door?

We, we have no patience for your kind

Your eyes, so alive, and oh so blind

So lost in ignorance

You turn your cheek

You make up stories

To hide the weak

To comfort you

And make the lies

Become your truth..

You had your chance, but you choose not to dwell

Sometimes it grips my rotting heart with a fiery rage from Hell

I, I have no use for your kind.

But, look at you, fine creature

Life seems to spread out like the open sky in front of you.

Such sweet mirages of youth

I once had them too..

Doe eyed, I stepped into the wide world of possibility

Doe eyed, I stepped into a land promised fertility

Life was what we clung to

Hope, an oasis in the sun

But all before I could even blink, it dissolved into unknown

all before I knew what life was worth the living for

It crashed and crumbled, one and all, ashes to the floor.

And what a grand epiphany, when we drew our last breath

And found what lurks behind the door, the portal to our death.

My poor creature, my poor dear, I see you cower there

And try to comprehend our serenade

To the Reaper's blade

My poor creature, my poor dear, it's quite alright you see

You have every reason in the world to be afraid

Take it away!"

(Band solo)

Author's Note

Comments and critiques are appreciated.