Aphelion Issue 301, Volume 28
December 2024 / January 2025
 
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Who (or What) is it at the Door?

Richard H. Fay


Key slides into keyhole
Turning tumblers,
But door never opens.

Doorknob rattles
Rotated by hand
Not really there.

Hinges creak
And wood moans,
But no one enters.

Widened eyes
Peer through cracks,
Seeing nothing.

Door stays shut,
Barring entrance
To unseen thing.

Knock upon wood
Quickens heartbeat
And steals breath

Because no mortal being
Stands at the threshold
Waiting to come in.


© 2010 Richard H. Fay

Richard H. Fay is an author, artist, and home school dad who resides in Upstate New York. He is inspired by medieval history, myth, and legend, and the classics of fantasy literature. His diverse and interconnected interests drive his artistic endeavour. He writes fantasy prose and poetry, as well as dabbling in science fiction and horror. Recently he has decided to begin writing as more than just a sideline, although he has been writing seriously since the 1980s.

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