The halls are ancient, older than the earth, the sun, the stars
Red horizons at the edge of the ever expanding nothing is hardly older
The odd dreams of strange things walk these halls, some slither,
Some float, some exist and yet, at the same time don’t
They are all conjoined by the never was, the could have been, the maybes
Wild, chaotic, run away probabilities coupled
And wound, bound, to the variances of impossibility
Many halls are wider than entire vistas, the walls lost in foggy distances
A few halls have stars wheeling overhead, under a far off roof bathed in night
There is a rumor of a hall containing an entire galaxy, spinning, but
Lies can exist here too, so that is nothing strange unto itself.
Water flows through the walls like life blood, writhing and alive
The constructs of the halls are optional, walls can be ceilings
Floors can be nothing, light can be missing, but dark not found
Glass exists in strange ways, reflecting only when it chooses
To not allow other horrors to pass, to watch, to observe
Dark is prevalent, dark oozes from the corners, it slinks
But it is kind, not evil, not malicious, dark wonders aloud
The halls are my home, the magic originates from here, my mother lives
Within its embrace, sequestered from the normal worlds, eschewed
My father dreams in these halls, fighting dust motes in his madness
Crazy can exist here too, and that is strange when you think about it.
You found me here, wandering in my youth, and you, shocked by my normalcy
My pants were only pants, with two legs, my shirt was tucked behind a belt
Sure, my hair was a bit wild, and I had some dirt on my hands,
But I was a normal guy wandering the Neverhalls, looking for something
You asked what, and I replied that I would know it when I saw it.
I do not say it aloud, but I feel the water seething, it knows
The oceans are challenged, and they do not wish to be controlled.
You were a lost thing, fell through a crack in your world, an absence
Death can do that, I tell you, offering you a bit of a pastrami sandwich
You nearly fainted, thinking you were dead, I assured you the opposite
After all, why would I offer a spirit a sandwich?
You ate both halves of the sandwich, and that was good, you were famished
You tell me your name is Catherine, but your friends call you Kit
Your parents died, and you collapsed into yourself at the funeral
A bench in a garden, secret, under the church gable covered in vines
You leaned against wall that was a hall and have been here for the night
I realize that you are the most beautiful person I have ever met
And the Neverhalls have amplified your uniqueness tenfold
Can you take me home, you ask, looking over your shoulder at the vorcigaunts
I assure you they are quite friendly, even though they look like …that
Birds made of corpses and old books can be offputting, but lovely otherwise
You smile haltingly, and I assure myself its temporary, death has visited her.
I offer my hand to you, here in the hall in which you fell,
A good one though, this at least had running water in the twilight
And the vorcigaunts keep things clean to keep away the predators
You are smarter than you know, hiding beneath their eyries, under shadow
The dark likes you too, I hear it whisper, it thinks you are kind
With the rapid explosive flight of my heartbeat to the roof far above,
You take my hand fleetingly, your touch as light as a deadeye moth
I lift you to your feet, free from the rocks in which you clung
And it is like the Halls is giving birth to you, welcome to the world, Kit
I smile gently, and you return the smile, stronger this time
We should probably take you to my mother, I say, she may be able to help
Will it be far, you ask, stepping lightly over rocks, letter jacket clung tight
Not far, you came much further when you fell into the halls, I laugh
My mom chose to come here, she knows the secret paths to the worlds
She knows how to find the signs, the markers, the doors, avoid guardians
That stand steadfast against the outsides, the reals, the questions answered
Everything beyond the Neverhalls is potential, cusped, wholly realized
There are many realities, and all of them are terrible in their own way
Can I trust you, you ask, tentative perhaps, hesitant for unwanted truth
I think you can, but if you don’t, that is ok too, I will give you space
You can follow me, and if you don’t feel safe, you can come back here
You know this place is safe, right? The vorciguants will protect you
The dark whispers that it will help her too, I feel it in my bones
Ok, you say proudly, loudly, and your voice rings against the rocks, let’s go
I grin stupidly at your innocent bravado, and you chuckle in turn
Truly, I mean it, you say, I think we should go, the birds may be nice
But I rather not find out the hard way, and where do the babies come from?
Born from fallen books, the ones thrown from ledges and library shelves
The knowledge within given birth to sentience, pulling life from death in turn
Instead I say that someday I would explain, but for now, let’s start walking
I walk ahead of you, and you follow, I whistle lightly, spreading my hands
Out from my sides, my arms stretched widely like a scarecrow, I call the leonids
What are you doing, you ask, your eyes questioning every decision yet
Calling some friends to light our way, like lightning bugs that you know
Here they come, I announce, and small stars pop into being around us
Their light is red and gentle, suffusing the air like the soft breath of promises
What are they, you ask breathlessly, amazed at their silent arrival
Leonids, red giant stars that decided they rather be small, I reply
How absurd, you reply, shaking your hair out, taking a few quick steps
You move up to my side, and put your arm in mine, surprisingly
They are quite lovely, you say, I notice the corner of your mouth go up
Its a quirk of your smile that I will treasure forever, the curve
It is there when you are mad, it is there when you are being sarcastic
It is quite lovely, I agree, talking about something else altogether
My mother’s house is in the Hall of the Shattered Elm, you will love it
As we walk under a twilight, red warm light showing us the way