Of Ghouls and Arrows!

Prologue

Ghouls teach us about unity, and even they have bonds of friendship. For Mikeydred's Octoberon and Poppy's Prompt #10 (subbed the dart for an arrow).

👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️

In the poor-lit den where shadows cling,

Fingers poised like arrows, the voices sing.

A chorus of ghouls, voices shriek in the night,

Each soul is a countdown, with tension wound tight.

👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️

“Ready, set, fire!” their announcer declares,

A glint of a bullseye drifts high in the air.

An arrow, a spectre, coursing through dreams,

Chasing the gory, or so it seems.

👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️

The first fighter steps up, a ghost in a plight,

But something stirs softly, just out of sight.

With a flick of the wrist, the dart takes its flight,

And the crowd holds its breath,a shared spark ignites.

👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️

“Thud!” it lands, just outside of the goal,

But concoctions of magic begin to unfold.

The next soul, with a glint in her eye,

Unveils the board’s tales, beneath the night sky.

👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️

“This one’s for fate,” she intones with flair,

Her svelte arrow dances, darting through the air.

It lands in eye’s heart, a perfect embrace,

And the ghouls around her begin to prance and race.

👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️

Round after round, the phantoms all stand,

Speaking incantations, aiming commands.

The eye thrums with stories, of victories and falls,

Of glee and spirits, bouncing off walls.

👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️

As the last round draws near, the tension is dense,

A ghost victor arises, his aim quick and slick.

With a last throw, arrow’s flight divine,

It pierces the darkness, like stars they align.

👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️👺👁️‍🗨️👻💀👹👾👽👿🧟‍♂️

But as cheers fade to monotones, a truth is now clear—

In a game played by ghouls, their bonds do appear.