Excerpt: Stories of the House: Being a Collection of Tales of the House, of Weary Travelers, Other Lands, and General Nonsense

First Spiral
First Circle

“Hickory dickory dock
The mouse ran up the clock
The clock struck one and down he run
Hickory dickory dock”

There is an old man in the entry hall
Who ticks and tocks all night long
I come to him and ask of he
‘Why do you tock? Pray tell me.’
His whiskers twitched and pointed nine
Old man Clock, well that’s just fine
Just a chickadee going twee twee twee
Twitch twitch twitch twitch twee twee twee
The pendulum of the old man Clock
Is a rotten hand twitching all night long
It swings and twitches and rocks ‘til dawn
it makes the tock of the old man Clock
Twitch twitch twitch twitch tock tock tock
Old man Clock he opened his eyes
And stared at me as I started with fright
‘What are you doing in the front entry?’
He said as much, very gently
‘Come, don’t be shy. Pray tell me.’
The clock struck ten, hand and chickadee
Twitch twitch twitch twitch twee twee twee
‘I need a candle from the entry hall’
I whispered and whimpered at the old man Clock
The old man Clock, he raged at me
‘Foolish boy, don’t you see!’
You thief! You weasel! You little lackey!’
‘Don’t you see that’s thievery?’
‘The clock struck eleven, and the chickadee ‘teehee!’
Twitch twitch twitch twitch twee twee twee
‘You steal from me a friend of my own?’
‘Welcome guest of this house
‘your punishment at twelve will be’
Twitch twitch twitch twitch twee twee twee
I gape and stare at the cracked old Clock
‘Truly sir, spare a candle you could’
‘to light my way out of the wood?’
Clock raged again, ‘you’ll not have my friend!’
‘such careless use, he would melt to his end!’
Tick tock tick tock says the clock
Twitch twitch twee twee,
the hand and little chickadee
‘Foolish Clock! Old Cracked Clock!’
‘Find a new candle,for your friend I care not!’
Old man Clock, he raged at me.
‘Your punishment at twelve will be!’
‘You selfish, impudent rude little boy!’
‘Your body on the floor in front of me!’
‘Old man Clock you don’t scare me!’
Twitch twitch twitch twitch twee twee twee
The rat ran down with the chickadee
Twitch twitch twitch twitch twee twee twee
The clock struck twelve and he looked at me
Twitch twitch twitch twitch twee twee twee
‘Old man Clock you don’t scare m- ’

Dust bunnies crawling across the floor
Under the couch and under the boards
Spreading dust and soot and fuzz
Feeling very nice to the touch
A bed made of dust bunnies
A pillow made of soot
Your hair is black
your feet are warm
thank the dust bunnies
They’re very good