~Author's Note~

A poem about the life and times of the Prismriver Ensemble. Theirs was a sad tale, but touching, but also a bit disturbing, but mostly sad. But also happy. Layla spent many happy years with her sisters, didn't she? All things must come to an end, but we should still celebrate them while they last.

~Sister, Sister, Stay by my Side~

Four tuneful sisters all played side by side.
Folks came to hear them from lands far and wide.
One played the keyboard and one violin,
One played the trumpet. She made quite a din.
One sister sang. Her sweet words were her art.
They knew they were brilliant right from the start.
Even an orchestra struggled to catch them.
Conductors tried ever in vain to outmatch them.

The girls' biggest fan was their father, the count.
He loved when they played and the fourth twirled about.
Girls in that day weren't supposed to be skilful,
But he gave them his trust, and the sisters were wilful.
Merlin learned fencing and Layla learned physics.
Lunasa was eager to read about how poets kept to a metre and rhyming scheme.
And what of young Lyrica? She loved to party.
She drank like a moose and her laughter was hearty.

Then Count Prismriver found something quite frightening:
A fan from Japan dyed as blue as the lightning.
The girls were afraid and they shrank from its touch,
But the count was delighted. He loved it too much.
A week saw the father a corpse in his bed.
The girls burned the fan and no more words were said.
What now for the Prisms? Their money grew thinner.
A mansion was theirs, but they longed for their dinner.

Lunasa went west to seek fame as a playwright.
Her letters to home were all hopeful and spelled right.
No men deigned to trust her. She went for Plan B,
To offer her fiddle and play for a fee.
Instead she was given a part in a play.
The last we all heard, she was cast as the maid.

Thus Merlin did shear all her silvery curls
And set off down south to go diving for pearls.
She married a seaman and no more did roam.
Two sisters were left in their cold, empty home.

Lyrica hiked to the ends of the earth.
No word came to Layla. She soon feared the worst.

Thus four became one and she lived in despair.
No more was there music and song in the air.

Poor Layla just cried in the garden all day.
Sometime she heard voices, but what could they say?

"Oh, please, dearest sisters! I need you!" she cried.
"Don't leave me alone! Don't say that you've died!"
But you're not alone. We've been here all along.
Don't cry, dearest Layla! You've done nothing wrong.

The first day of Spring came and Layla felt good.
The kindly old gardener had left her some food.
Is it good? I don't want you starve all your life.
You need to be brave and live on through this strife.
Don't talk of starvation! It's such a nice day!
Why don't the three of us go out and play?

Though soon she'd be thirty, she liked the idea.
Layla ran out and- "What brushed past my ear?!"
It's me, little sister! It's Merlin, of course!
I just couldn't leave you. Those pearls are such bores.
And Lyrica, too! I've grown sick of the wilds.
I brought back some curry! Be warned, it's not mild!
Don't overlook me! I should never have gone.
Lunasa, a playwright?! It just sounds so wrong!

Her joy overflowing, the youngest did sing.
Her sisters all played and flew round in a ring.
I missed this so much! We were meant to be four!
I want to be here with you all evermore!
Do you want some cake? It's the sweetest you'll taste!
Don't skimp on it, Layla! Don't care for your waist!
We'll teach you to fly and to dance in the air!
The party's just starting! Let's romp without care!

Her sisters could fly, but she saw nothing wrong,
So Layla had fun with the ghosts all day long.
They fed her the tastiest food she could eat.
Lyrica even would massage her feet.
What more could she want? She was happy and needless.
The decades marched by, but the ghost-girls were heedless.
Layla grew ancient. The end drew for she.
One last kiss for her sisters, and then there were three.