by
Elmer Ake
And you will curse my name until your final breath.
Eventually your soul will belong to me
There is no place for you to flee
It will do no good to beg and plea
For I am La Mort, In French I am the Fini.
The Chateau was a deary rundown place
The windows looked like hollow eyes in a dead face.
We came up a driveway lined with pines
They formed an arch where the sun never shines
They stood like wraiths with branches intwined.
Of human inhabitants there was no sign.
Twelve American solders, three jeep loads
We were scouting the enemy down back country roads.
We turned in through a delapidated rusty iron gate
Where two marble lions lay in wait
With cold beady eyes shinning with hate
They welcomed us to come and meet our fate.
Reconnaissance is not a piece of cake
You die when you make one mistake.
We left our jeeps and radios parked in the lane
Was a mistake we wouldn't make again.
The house looked deserted that was plain
And there was nothing in the pine woods we could ascertian.
Four of us went in the front door
And left the rest outside to explore.
The inside was a picture from a history page
It was like a scene from another age.
I was sure the ghosts who lived here would scream with rage
If we didn't back off, didn't disengage.
But we searched the house room by room and floor by floor
And we found no signs that others had been here before.
We listened but the house was silent as a tomb
Not one soul in any room.
Then I opened the cellar door and peered down into the gloom
I thought is this the place we meet our doom?
Vern and I went down to see where the steps led
And found an old man laying on a bed.
By a single candles flickering light
That barely held back the encroaching night
Lay an old man swathed in gleaming white.
All my life I have not forgotten the sight.
The celler was huge and cloaked in gloam
We could see many doors leading to other rooms
Sometimes when your heart is tugged by fear
And things are not what they appear
A voice will whisper in your ear
Better get the hell out of here.
When I looked at Vern the fear on his face began to show
I said old buddy we had better go.
As I turned to look at the old mans face
I thought I saw a smile, just a trace.
We sure left there at a faster pace.
When we heard a rifle bolt click into place.
When we got up to the kitchen we heard a loud clatter
You don't mistake machine guns chatter.
I looked out the window for the sound
Saw a couple of the guys laying face down
They were dead before they hit the ground.
None of the other men were still around.
To the left in the pine woods a wisp of smoke
And once again the machine gun spoke.
Then I heard my guys down by the road
Fireing as fast as they could load.
I told my men time to leave this abode
They didn't need anymore goad.
When we got to the radio and the call went out
We needed help the place was full of krauts.
Then in the rear the big guns snarled and spoke
The Chateau and the pine woods vanished in a cloud of smoke.
And in his bed The Grim Reaper awoke
And came for another load of folk.
And he came with a boney horse and dray
Loaded all the souls and drove away.
I don't curse you Death my friend
I would never treat you with vilipend.
For i know we will meet someday in the end
And to Gods Kingdom I will transcend.
All my life I wondered was that old man really dead?
Just who lit that candle beside the bed?
Was the Chateau de la Mort a place where spirits dwell?
Or did the marble lions guard the gates of hell?
I am sure friend Death you could tell.
Is the Chateau de la mort the place where spirits say farewell?
