Disclaimer: I do not own the characters and situations of "Hannibal". No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: This is a haibun that I wrote for my Creative Writing class. I'm pretty sure I broke every rule of writing haibun, but I hope you like it. :)


The Most Ancient Friend of Wisdom

Wherever I go, the Stag follows in my footsteps. In dreams – whether I am sleeping or not – I feel its breath against my neck, hear the sound of its hooves echoing in my head like the ominous tolling of a bell. It looks at me with unfathomable eyes. It knows. The antlers are dripping with blood.

He spins a web of lies. Reason falls from his lips like drops of venom from the fangs of a snake. He persuades, entices, seduces... and his influence spreads like rings on a midnight pool of water. I give in to his magnetism; I fall, like everything falls.

My steps echo against the walls of the memory palace. Light and shadow mingle in razor-sharp demarcation lines. An ethereal Diana looks down on me from her delicate frame, a crescent moon in her outstretched hands. On a silver tray lies a bleeding pyramid of human hearts. His trophies. Mine is in there somewhere, too.

From an abyss in the floor I hear a child's laughter. Faint, almost forgotten. Almost.

Mercy, my love
The Devil is you and I
Hand in hand