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Lifeboat To Hunt a Shrill

Part 5

They continued to fry under a blistering sky
    With little water to stifle the heat.
When the Hippo put forth, "Considering our course,
    We have entered the waters of a perilous beast."

"You may have heard tales of all manner of whales
    And from that... make what you will.
And even though lost, we must not bear the cost
    Of encountering the dangerous Shrill."

Now the Shrill is a monster of considerable size
    And Man flesh is a favorite delight.
I'm not sure of the why, but don't look into its eyes
    As you will be spellbound, unable to fight."

"It's a devious beast with a manner perverse
    And will ask questions that no one can bear.
If you try to resist and put your ship in reverse,
    You will succumb to its maddening glare."

It's a matter of fact, it will incite to distract,
    So be not fooled when it extends forth a plea.
The Creature is slick... so don't fall for the trick
    When it offers you crumpets and tea."

"There is no doubt of strange creatures about,
    But the Shrill is the worst of the lot.
It will learn all your names and play silly games
    And damage your credit for things it has bought."

"The beast is not what it seems, and will go to extremes
    In a false effort to fool its prey.
As once you have met, you are numb to the threat
    And will be eaten by the end of the day."

"For the Shrill is a shape-shifter of hearty regard
    And will appear as a person of trust.
You will be mentally scarred if you let down your guard
    And find yourself talking to dead Uncle Russ."

"The vile beast loves pizza and all manner of pie
    And will do all that it must to procure.
But no matter the slice, it will pay the full price
    As long as delivery is swiftly assured."

"If you're home all alone and pick up the phone,
    It will talk for hours without question or pause.
And before you say 'barges,' It will reverse all the charges
    As it is not beholden to seafaring law."

The Doctor gave thought the vile beast could be caught,
    "We should snag a Shrill before we perish from heat.
And if we are auspicious, it may succumb to our wishes,
    Where we dine on the creature's sweet meat."

The Hippo agreed, "We could all of us feed,
    If the dastardly Shrill could be hunted and gored.
But as to the style, it may take quite a while
    As its capture is a formidable chore."

"You may tempt it with trinkets, you may snare it with care,
    You may attract it with a slip of the tongue.
You may trammel it with hope and a fine knotted rope
    When you chum the waters with liver and lung."

The crew was determined to capture this vermin
    And set about to the issue at hand.
But the Shrill who was hated, refused to be baited
    And their efforts did not go as planned.

Under a pitiless sky, they continued to try
    But the Shrill was not one to be found.
And through dawn's early light and well into the night,
    They saw not a ripple and heard not a sound.

The Lawyer complained, "There is nothing to gain.
    We have fallen victim to another illusion.
I will bet you a dime, we are wasting our time
    As the Shrill is but the Hippo's delusion."

"And if not a delusion, I'm forced to confess,
    I believe the Hippo has molded a spell.
For if the Shrill is a shape-shifter, we have to address,
    It could take the form of a Hippo as well."

The others would anoint to the Lawyer's main point
    And the Captain turned to the Hippo and said,
"Are you a despicable Shrill with an intention to kill
    And from our weary bones hope to be fed?"

The Hippo was surprised as a tear fell from its eye
    And told a story that softened their hearts.
Because no matter the end, they would always be friends
    And from this it would never depart.

With the Hippo's distress and the issue at rest,
    The Olympian looked to the sea.
"We should not fight but take stock of our plight."
    And on this... they sadly agreed.

A sense of painful despair now salted the air
    As their misery was truly fulfilled.
And with their lives to forsake, they would no longer make
    Any further attempt to hunt for the Shrill.

*Next: The Days of Despair

*For those interested. I will be posting my cartoon 'Bob's your Uncle' on my homepage. A new one will appear every second day or so.

Copyright © David Mchattie | Year Posted 2020

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