Danny and Joe went outside for a stroll,
With no destination, intention or goal.
In warm sun-lit greens, the landscape was dressed.
They met Danny's aunt and she had a request.

She told them her lawn was in dire need of mowing.
The grass shows its love for the summer by growing.
Danny's response was to point at a tree,
And when she turned 'round they were able to flee.

They went away steadily gone-ward until
They slipped out of sight on the side of the hill,
And then they began to relax as they strolled
With sun on their backs and a day from the mold

That's used to make mid-summer days full of life
With lightness and laughter to balance the strife,
And a drink in the pub when the nub of the day
Is dealt with and filed and put out of the way.

Before pints of black could replace skies of blue,
They still had some dealing and filing to do,
And feeling at one with the world all around,
Happy to take in each sight, scent and sound.

They went to the house of a neighbour called Stan.
If there's a thought that amounts to a plan
To make home-made booze, before long he'll think it,
And then he'll enact it and happily drink it.

He'd just made some cider inside an old shed.
He stored it in bottles and some in his head.
He made it from apples that grew in his orchard.
His wife thought the trees would be brutally tortured

If they saw their beautiful fruit used for cider,
But temptation swayed her and one night he spied her
Sampling from bottles along a bare rafter.
Her samples were ample enough to bring laughter.

Danny and Joe started smiling at first.
They felt satisfaction at quenching their thirst.
They moved on to sampling their host's home-made ales.
They happily listened to Stan tell his tales.

He spoke about spirits, those that are liquids,
And ghosts who are played with such glee by the trick kids,
Whose treat is to throw empty bottles at cars,
And throw tyres on fires in the fields under stars.

But Stan said he knew of a ghost who's no fake,
A wandering spirit who'll make grown men quake.
He dresses in black. Birds will take flight
On seeing this ghost on the roads late at night.

Danny related his story about
His three-day-long chase of a masterful trout.
They drank until Joe tried to sing a sweet tune.
They headed for home in the light of the moon.

They felt a contentment in their carefree mode.
They made their way slowly along a quiet road.
But both of them wanted to stop and go back
When they saw a man up ahead dressed in black.

He wore a long coat, a black boot on each foot.
His presence there seemed to have brought them a 'but'
And added it onto the end of the line
'The day had been going exceptionally fine'.

And after the 'but' something else would be written.
It wouldn't involve country walks or a kitten
Playing with kids on a lawn in the sun,
Or seeing a fawn in the woods having fun.

After the 'but' would be dark and unpleasant,
A miserly landlord to some meagre peasant.
Misery seemed to be heading their way.
They both did a U-turn with little delay.

They walked away quickly, their feet fuelled by fear.
They wanted to hold onto all they held dear.
Their swift getaway was soon brought to an end,
As soon as they rounded the road's nearest bend.

The man dressed entirely in black stood before them,
A fervent opponent of peace, quiet and boredom.
He didn't seem real. They thought he'd say 'boo'.
Danny and Joe didn't know what to do.

The man said 'hello' and he raised his black hat.
Danny and Joe weren't eager to chat.
They nodded their heads, unable to talk.
And he said, "The night's the right time for a walk.

"The darkness relieved by the light of the moon
Is better stage-lighting than sunshine at noon.
The night's three-act plays have such drama and danger.
Only at night could you meet an odd stranger

"And fear that by dawn you will no longer be,
And then turn around when he points at a tree."
He pointed and they turned around, like he said,
Despite being gripped by a strong sense of dread.

But when they turned back there was nobody there.
The spot where he'd stood was undoubtedly bare,
And they left the place where they stood, without haste,
Accompanied home by the fear they'd be chased.

When they met again on the following day
They tried to explain their encounter away.
They blamed all the drink that they'd taken on board.
Horses who'd drank less than that had been floored.

But later they heard a strange story involving
Their neighbour's detective-like efforts at solving
The mystery of why his new scarecrow keeps moving,
And what does this man made of straw think he's proving.

Each morning the scarecrow would be found in places
Far from his home. He kept changing bases.
Danny and Joe went to see him that day.
They found themselves struggling for something to say.

The scarecrow was dressed all in black, like a void.
An insidious groom for a hideous bride.
They both thought that this was the man they had met.
They went to the pub and they drank to forget.