Sitting in a very secluded spot
Tears rolling down her cheeks
She cannot but lament her lot
Eluded long by what she seeks
Peace of mind is all she yearns
A feeling she barely remembers
So, to rid a memory that burns
Her mind like scorched embers
Then there comes an old crone
Her hair unkempt and wild
And mutters in a creaky tone
“I know your heart, my child”
She says, in a near forest deep
Of a certain fountain she knows
Flowing in the ruins of a keep
With the power to cure all woes
Though such a tale, she has heard
The girl hitherto, has shunned belief
For to one, it would seem absurd
That a mere spout can vanquish grief
To the crone, she says the same
With a plain intent to dismiss
Yet the other persists to claim
That it is her sole key to bliss
Her curiosity finally kindled
She decides to follow the crone
Though not one easily swindled
She’s still wary of the unknown
Before long, the Keep is reached
Lo! She spots the fountain glow
And once the barring door is breached
She reaches for it, rapt but slow
The crone whispers wryly “Drink”
Handing the girl a gilded cup
But down her throat as the water sinks
An excruciating pain starts welling up
Suddenly she falls to the floor
Seeing the crone transform to youth
Knowing, soon she’d be no more
As dawns upon her the sordid truth
The crone, now very young and fair
Sees the girl draw her last breath
And then, in a jeering tone says
“Eternal peace is only found in death”
-Kartik Shastry
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