Beneath the sidewalks of Paris, the tunnels breathe.
Skulls form walls like old masonry.
The air smells like mud and tastes like time.
A handmaiden in a dark robe.
A lonely guide who’s footsteps echo
But, who’s footprints never left behind.
No one sees her face.
Only the back of her hood.
Only the slow drift of cloth.
See the bones arranged for her.
As if the dead stopped talking.
Awaiting her approval to continue.
Ceilings glow with rusted fire.
A circle like buried sunrise.
She passes under; untouched.
Hear tourists laugh.
Then, their voices thinned out.
Silence overtook the group; the cold grip took hold.
Her skulls look polished.
As if kissed by unseen lips.
Her handiwork.
Deep inside, there is a circle in stone.
A black mouth rimmed with faint gold.
A hole that is not a tunnel.
She stands beside it silently.
Not guarding, not warning.
Patiently waiting; a servant at the door.
If you follow her, you will not return.
Footsteps without footprints; but you shall not be alone.
Among us, she will lose you.
Here you will remain.
Forgotten.
