Sacrificial Cave, Death Makes Us So Alive...

The Druids 'Sacrificial' Altar - Chislehurst Caves, Kent. 

Sacrificial Cave

Once we heard the distant drum,

We knew immediately what was to come,

It was like death knocking upon our door,

Looking down on the blood stained floor,

Our jailers they would come in line,

Signifying the end of time,

And thus that sacrificial cave,

Became our lonesome and cold grave.

This poem takes place in a historically fictional setting but is actually based on a very real place. The photo is from Chislehurst Cave, Kent and is supposedly as ancient Druid sacrificial altar. As a child I visited this cave and found the whole experience horrifying. We were left in the darkness and then the sound of the drum began to echo though the tunnels as a dozen of us stood huddled together in genuine fear. A lamp suddenly flashed on revealing our leering tour guide, which of course caused us all to scream in surprise. Understandably perhaps this tourist trick remained wedged in my memory since that age as well as the tales of hauntings that went alongside it.

It is often those situations and moments connected with the dead or with death itself that cause writers to put pen to paper. They are the moments when, ironically, we can feel most alive, as we discover that the one certainty throughout our lives has been and always will be death. I attempted to explain to a friend my gaining of inspiration from graveyards and burial mounds the other day. He found the concept highly bizarre and I do not think he quite understood what I meant.

With death the story of a whole life can finally be told and thus many novels end in such a way. Trudi Canavan’s bestselling Black Magician Trilogy, Rowling’s Harry Potter collection, Karen Maitland’s The Gallows Curse, Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd, and so many thousands of fantastic titles more all deal with death as a major theme. Although some readers prefer to stick to the works were only the evil are punished with brutal deaths and the good prosper these novels are unrealistic and often not as successful. When you love a book and become so involved with the characters you’ll find yourself mourning at their sad conclusions. 

I found a quote the other day that said… ‘I honestly think that crying over a book is one of the most prominent sign of compassion for humanity. You’re crying over someone who isn’t really there, doesn’t really exist, but you still feel for them as if you have known them your entire life.’

I like this quote; I think it sums up the world of dedicated readers. It makes me smile, knowing that I am friends with a good deal of people like this, who, by becoming so involved in the plot lines on the page have proven to me that they are compassionate and caring beyond anything that could be expected. Amyx