• Once when wandering through the wood,
    with raindrops falling down,
    I guided my horse along the trail,
    and to a nearby town.

    As I stumbled through the streets,
    And sought myself a place to sleep,
    I came upon an inn and I,
    I opened up the door.

    I stepped into a lamplit room,
    A welcome sight from the outside gloom,
    And as I went to find my bed,
    I felt the need to rest my head.

    As I felt my eyelids droop,
    and vision fade to dreams,
    I heard a sound up in the attic,
    in the rafter beams.

    I took a candle in my hand,
    and to the attic strode,
    But as I walked into the attic,
    The door behind me closed.

    I shook the rattle, called for help,
    The was no one there to hear,
    But when I heard a man's footsteps,
    I turned and saw a shadow.

    Coming near,
    Ever near,

    I could not see from whence it came,
    as the shadow stopped outside the glow.
    I did not know just what to say,
    And so I called, "Hello."

    And from the depths of the unknown,
    I heard what seemed a muffled groan,
    and then, a soft, "Hello."
    And only a "Hello."

    The tendrils of the shadow stretched,
    with the echo of my greeting.
    And through the darkness stepped a wraith
    And I felt my courage fleeting.

    And with a shriek, I ran away,
    And did not watch my step
    and I sprinted through a window,
    and fell to the street below.

    Hauling myself to my feet,
    I slowly limped away.
    And as the church bell rang for midnight,
    I ran into the rain.

    I found myself back in the wood,
    Where I had first gone astray.
    I shook off the memory of what I had seen,
    and continued on my way.