The night October of thirty-first
A darkness forms.
In clouds a ray of black smoke,
Swirls around a strike of lightning.
Mentopha is born.
An immortal serpent strikes down,
Descends on villages of folk of innocence.
Goes by the name of many:
Scraper, Slicer, Steelzer.
One infant in a crib alone,
Defenseless as one can be.
Mentopha enchants the infant to an everlasting sleep.
Parents come knocking,
Mentopha goes into hiding.
Parents rush to a post mortem crib.
Serpent rushes for the kill next.
One K-9 in a doghouse alone,
Defenseless as one can be.
Mentopha enchants the K-9 to an everlasting sleep.
Owner comes knocking,
Mentopha goes into hiding.
Owner rushes to a post mortem doghouse.
Serpent rushes for the kill next.
Again and again Mentopha strikes,
Until finally the village goes silent.
Years turn to decades,
Decades turn to centuries.
Untamed land turns to overrun land,
Of moss and broken wood.
Village turns into a forsaken hamlet.
The night October of thirty first,
A collection of adolescence go looking
For trouble they should not wish to find.
Smashing of pumpkins,
And crunching leaves of orange.
Acorn throwing at
A feline of black.
A collection of adolescence go looking
For trouble they should not wish to find.
Wind and water battle it out,
A storm forms as a result.
A light blazes the dark sky.
Mentopha lives.
Affected by the rain, the juvenile
Collection are trapped.
Five teens to count.
Five teens as victims.
A flash and one drops.
Four remain confused.
A flash and one drops.
Three remain shocked.
A flash and one drops.
Two remain panicked.
A flash and one drops.
One remains terrified.
A look to the right,
A flash reveals the serpent
In all her glory.
Seventy foot rope of scales,
Serpent head the size of a Greek trireme.
The adolescent frozen in fear,
Mentopha hisses
“Run,”
A flash and one drops.
The village turned
Forsaken hamlet,
With smashed pumpkins,
Crushed leaves of orange,
Acorns thrown at
A feline of black
Now running away.
The village turned
Forsaken hamlet
Goes silent at last.
—
Sophia Lipscomb loves reading and writing. This is her first writing contest she submitted to. Sophia is a full-time General Studies major at Hagerstown Community College. She hopes to graduate in December of 2025. Reading, giving attention to her three dogs, and calling her long-distance best friend is what Sophia enjoys most. She hopes to have one day published a novel of her own.