When I opened the book
Spilling its oranges and browns
Down the sides of the mountain
The words on the page before me
Pulsed and swirled
As I tried to grasp hold of them
With my mind
And my thoughts turned
Unbidden to the threat above
It lay against the sky
Heavy
Dark as obsidian
Humming a low and dangerous chord
B minor, I think

It had come from beyond the stars
Traveling inestimable lifetimes to this world
With a single red intent
I stood alone before the mindless mass of hatred
Armed only with my copy of the Liber Abire
And a wealth of training
And felt very lucky
That the fear in my mind
Hadn't fully invaded my body

With my limbs threatening
To give out in obvious respect
To the great horror above me
And the pending apocalypse
That said great horror
Was intent on introducing
I concluded that it was time
I breathed in a lungful
And as the words on the page
Stilled and clarified
I yelled the final part
Of the rite of banishment

Time and reality
Often seem to lean to one side
When one does dark magicks
And I'm not entirely sure
That at least a few steps
From the recipe for biscuits
I made last night didn't slip in there
But I have to assume
Based on the squealing
Shriveling
Retreating eldritch horror
That it was successful

The book closed on its own
And the sky bloomed
With returned color
I stood and watched
The dwindling dark shape
Until I could no longer make it out