《Short River Songs》Shakespeare's Soviet Scrabble Song
Advertisement
Crusixblade
Shakespeare, The Soviet Union, Scrabble
Shakespeare's Soviet Scrabble Song
Act 1
Writers come along sometimes who change the world around
authors with their heads in clouds but feet upon the ground
and though we often grant Shakespeare with credit for his plays
Shakespeare’s efforts didn’t end back in the olden days
What I’m singing now has long been highly classified
to retrieve this information, many people died
but it’s time the world became aware of these events
of how Shakespeare shook the modern era’s governments
In the year of our lord sixteen hundred and sixteen
April twenty-third was the worst day the arts had seen
many think that too much drink became Shakespeare’s downfall
and though it ended his career, that story isn’t all
For what he drank that fateful day was not an ale or port
it was not a wine, at least not of the mortal sort
he was gifted that old bottle late one winter’s night
by an audience member who gave him quite a fright
She dressed in clothes that didn’t suit her, not in such a place
and there was something odd about the older woman’s face
“take a drink of this and you might come to understand
all the power you could wield with your prodigious hand”
The bottle sat upon a shelf until next April came
a tempting looking bottle with no label, smell, or name
Shakespeare took a drink while he was chatting with his friend
and when he died of fever the next day, it was the end
Act 2
In the year of our lord, nineteen hundred eighty-nine
Shakespeare lay within his grave,a victim of that wine
but it was strange when he awoke and opened up his grave
and found himself within a church and saw a small child wave
Advertisement
He ran outside and saw the world was not like he had known
but soon he noticed it was where he lived, though it had grown
he wandered down a road and got some looks along the way
and shed a tear when on a street sign he read “Hathaway”
He walked some more and noticed things had not all changed so much
there were many roads he knew that had a foreign touch
the people all around him spoke his language, but not quite
then a certain building that he knew entered his sight
An inn belonging to the father of his childhood friend
people on whom he knew that he could always depend
though the building now was called the The White Swan, he went in
the portrait on the wall was proof he’d found the correct inn
An old man offered him a drink for dressing as he did
“I bet that costume cost you more than just a couple quid”
Shakespeare introduced himself as Will and then sat down
and wasn’t sure what drink he had, but it was cold and brown
He asked the old man many questions of the city streets
drinking with him til their faces both were red as beats
he was quite astonished by the things the man had said
and wondered if he’d dreamt the day when he went up to bed
Act 3
In the morning he came down to find the world still there
he sat down where he used to write his plays without a care
he reminisced all day while people came to say hello
as he learned their dialect, and smiled for a photo
Later that night his new old friend came and sat with him
“bet you’re good at scrabble” the old man said on a whim
Advertisement
he set the game up on a table and taught Will the rules
and for the next week Will made the whole tavern feel like fools
“How come he knows all those words, I thought he was a loon”
“and when it’s his turn he makes seven letter words so soon”
“I’m sure he just made that word up, so why don’t I mind”
“it’s like when he plays the game, the rules get left behind”
Will began to make some money, betting on the game
and people came from all around when they all heard his name
“Will the scrabble genius is playing here tonight”
“come test your vocabulary, be prepared to fight”
Will was having so much fun, the time just flew right by
Then one day he met a challenger who was a spy
“Will, I have an offer that I won’t let you refuse
I’ll give you a million dollars if you do not lose”
Act 4
The man was from America, and Will went right along
he thought it would be fun travel on and wasn’t wrong
flying through the air in a big jet filled him with awe
while he flew he learned about international law
“You’ll be representing our great nation at the match
if you lose, we have a nuke we’re likely to dispatch
the Soviets are stronger than they’ve ever been before
with their English, they could beat us in any flame war”
Shakespeare was determined he said he’d do his best
the spy had given him such an important, scrabble quest
so he fought the Soviets with his words, old and new
the tournament was easy, there was nothing they could do
In a single game he once invented nine knew terms
his words were flying high while other felt like lowly worms
every word he made up on the spot was written down
and instantly became official in that very town
After he had won the scrabble fight, the world was saved
the spies all loved the road to peace that Shakespeare’s words had paved
he then retired happily beyond the public eye
never writing plays again, though no one could know why
The rumours go that later he got on the internet
and though he has been writing, he’s not published on here yet
but the day might come real soon, when Shakespeare’s work returns
to grace the web with golden words for which the whole world yearns
Advertisement
Rebirth: King To Superstar
"I just wanted to act my whole life." A regret of an old king who died of old age. Being transmigated into a young man's dead body in a new world filled with things such as phone and movies, he was fascinated.
8 3824The Patchwork Realms
Athos is a good dog. He likes frisbee, bacon, and his family (SmolFriend, Mom, and Dad). He's not so keen on falling through an interdimensional portal to a fantasy world where floating boxes tell you that you've just been given status as the 'Supreme Exemplar' of your species, a powerful package of abilities that includes human-level intelligence. Sure, being smart is nice but less so when it comes with the need to survive in a land made from bits of different dimensions stitched together like patches in a quilt. A thousand species, a thousand lands, sorcery and super science rubbing elbows, wars and intrigue everywhere...it's exhausting for a good dog who just wants to go home! Note that this is a work in progress with lots of fiddly numbers so I will occasionally need to go back and fix errors, and this might affect events of earlier chapters. I'll try to keep this to a minimum and will post a note whenever it happens. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 470The Crippling Little Rock Demon
Died on Earth, struck by an unfortunate sudden bolt of lightning, and was forced to reincarnate into another world. Reborn not as a human, but as a species of Rock Demon (Terrakahn). So, how bad can it really be? Basically just another typical reincarnation story, but this one is really inspired by the story The Golem Mancer written by IfNotForOne.
8 244Frame of Mind (Fae Mythos: Gar Darron 1)
In a city of darkness and murder, the greatest danger is found in the mind.Alany hasn’t tracked anyone since the war, but when his lover goes missing, old skills are all he can trust.With no other leads, he is forced to contact a mysterious network of telepathic magi, and risk his sanity for hope.When the mind is no longer sanctuary, and even memories can be bartered, is there still power in love?The first book of a new series in Edward Eidolon’s Fae Mythos. A note from the Author: PLEASE leave a review and alert me of any plot holes, weak portions, and anything else. I am in desperate need of beta readers and feedback. I wrote this around the new year, 2020. It's about 40k words and the first in a planned series that follows Gar "Alany" Darron and his agency of detectives as they track missing persons in the city of Throne. I have the sequel planned but not written. Once this one is completely uploaded, I'll be uploading another, unrelated series that as of right now is roughly 160k words long, and somewhere in there, I'll write the sequel to Frame of Mind. I plan to go back and forth between the two series for the foreseeable future. Thanks for reading.
8 61His Unexpected Marriage
What happens when two opposites wake up to discover they're married?Kaycee has always tried to be the perfect daughter, sister and girlfriend. But her life falls apart when her stepsister steals her boyfriend and she realises she's never been able to compete.Jake has always been the ultimate playboy and has never obeyed a rule in his life but when his father sets him an ultimatum he knows he has to change his ways.It all changes when they wake up married!
8 191Silence, you idiot ( Kalego x Robin )
The cheerfull sensei Robin-senseiThe emperor of darkness Kalego-senseiWill robin-sensei be able to chage Kalego-sensei's heart?
8 112