Ballad in a Bottle
The dim light of the moon shone through gated panes
A widow and a knight held back by ball and chain
A rebel and a baker caged behind bars of iron
The four souls bound by fate awoke to a siren
"Early beatings for Christmas Eve" sneered the knight
"Or gifts of silk and mead" the rebel responds in spite
The baker stares silently at the cobbled floor
The widow paces while watching the door
A guard struts inside in a cocky fashion
"Which one of you is here for a crime of passion
Is it the whore cast out from the fancy villa
Perhaps the dandy who likes everything vanilla
Or maybe the baker who stole the dough"
The knight mutters "or a guard who's a bit slow"
"Ahh yes the traitor graces our presence
Whose punishment will be more than penance
What a wondrous sight on this auspicious night
Another traitor to be shown the light
Are you the rebel who tried to sneak
Directly into the monarch's keep"
The rebel glared with a growing fury
"Save your speeches for the jury"
Oh I doubt any will make it that far
The guard lights up his imported cigar
"Orders came in from the top of the chain
No prisoners in this place shall remain"
"Does that mean that we are free to go"
The widow's voice hopeful as her pace starts to slow
The knight chimes in "free to be a slave"
The guard chuckles "mighty optimistic, knave"
And turns, walking towards the door
The baker takes a seat "beats starving and poor"
The widow sighs then starts to beam
"Between four criminals we must have a scheme"
"I'm still stuck on dandy" the baker exclaims
"I stole the dough who's the dandy he blames"
The rebel jumps in "we're well past it now
We make our escape or to the blade we will bow"
"Agreed, but you're missing the point"
"No, We have to focus on leaving this joint"
The knight joins "enough of this we must get the key"
"It's on the guard's desk" the widow decrees
"That's no help to us" the baker laments
The knight thinks aloud "what about the events"
The rebel catches on "you mean the parade
We could cover our flight with a sneaky charade"
"You're forgetting the obvious" the baker says dryly
"To get out of these chains we need more than wily"
The widow's pace quickens on feet well past sore
"I'm stuck on the chains but I can get us past the door"
"We could leverage the chains against the lock and pry"
A twinkle in the baker's weary eye
"I might have an idea, but it could be an order too tall
I'd need a strip of metal that's thin and small"
The widow turns and lets out a gasp
"What about my metal hair clasp"
Outside a crowd yells out with cheer
Four clinks and four thuds a guard could not hear
The rebel nods at the widow "looks like you're next"
She looks at the knight who still seems vexed
"Are you ready to be free"
"As I'll ever be"
The widow makes a solemn face
And puts on an act of death's embrace
The guard rushes in and a key gleams on his hip
He looks her over and the plan starts to slip
"Won't you help her" the baker yells out
The guard laughs "a nice show but I have doubts
Even if it were true, that's just less work for me"
The rebel remarks "that lines up with a memory
In bed, he was no more than a stone
Stiff like a corpse with an occasional moan"
The guard whips around "you think this a game"
The baker quips "come now no need to feel shame"
"I'm nothing like you!" the guard's face turns red
"In our moment of passion, that's not what you said"
Swift as lightning a chain flies through the bars
And out comes the legs from under the guard
A light goes out and a key skitters
The widow grabs the key "no need to be bitter"
The lock falls from the door and brings a relief
"Not bad for a whore, a traitor, a dandy, and a thief"
The widow turns and softly claims
"Thank you kindly, but I prefer my name"
A quick smile and a hurried escape
A contagious joy spreads and takes shape
A widow, a rebel, a baker, and a knight
Begin their new lives on Christmas night
Posted Jun 19, 2026, 9:51 PM UTC