The chamber

a chamber entombed in cold earth
stone walls inhale the echoes
of the soil beyond their reach

the chamber hosts a slender chair
and allows entry through a
short creaking wooden door

opposite the chair drools
a mirror down the wall
a silver pool stretched, suspended
a flayed reflection tanning in the dark

and what one will willingly witness
as he sits and waits and peers within
the silver sheen and veil

a single flame lights the way into
the depths of a slithering tale

shadows spill upon the floor at the
feet of the biding witness in the chair
the shadows pull and bind together
in a twisting mass of coiling hair

the lines then reflect in the little
flame's low light a hint of
reptilian scaly skin and form

slithering away from the feet and
into the hollow void that is the mirror
the serpent raises within the void
to gaze and smirk at the willing witness

from the corner of the tiny cell
races down on eight spindles of legs
an arachnid whose shadowy shape
ebbs and flows over the surfaces it rambles

a sudden jump and the spider joins
the standing snake within the darkened void

from overhead a darkness passes on wings
the rat of night who feasts on creeping
crawling things in the chill of moonlight

the sudden gush passes through the witness
and into the void as the bat joins snake
and spider in the gruesome form taking hold

for there the serpent forms curving spine
and curled arachnid forms full cage of ribs
and span of bat forms outstretched arms

and willing waiting witness beholds
the glory of the void in dark and damp and dirt

the warmth of tiny flame casts its know
upon the mutated being of the void
to see the pale gray flesh and sharpened teeth

the ratty black hair and fingertip claws
the stabbing and slicing want of yellow eyes
that freeze the breath and choke the heart

and the waiting witness waits no more
and raises the flame to toast the vision
to peer further upon the glory of the void
and what one will willingly witness

as one pale gray foot follows another
out from the silvery sheen of the veil
to find the willing witness inches from
those yellow eyes that choke the heart

and witness willingly chooses to embark
for with a breath he steals away the light
and flies away into the void and the dark