By Aniket Kotkar
This is a story I’m going to tell,
Just promise me that you won’t yell.
It is about a man named Joe,
Who said he was never afraid—so.
His friends were so tired of his boast,
He said he feared no one, not even a ghost.
The friends told him to prove his theory,
Challenged him to go that night in a cemetery.
And told him that if he was brave,
He would mark an ‘X’ on each grave.
Without further thought, Joe agreed to the same—
As for him, it was just a game.
So off went Joe to the cemetery that night,
And stood near the first grave without any fright.
"Now is the time," he thought,
And made an ‘X’ mark on the spot.
"This is so easy!"—on the double,
He continued each grave without any trouble.
He said, “I am my father’s mighty son,”
And completed the mark on the last one.
“Wait till all of you see—
There’s no one as brave as me!”
Just then, Joe’s voice was completely drowned,
When he heard a disturbing grumbling sound.
For the first time, boy, did Joe fear—
He heard the voice loud and clear.
Down from below, digging the land,
Came a dirty, rotten hand.
It caught Joe’s leg, and thus Joe fell—
Frightened and scared, did poor Joe yell.
And before he could make any further sound,
He was pulled beneath the ground.
The next day, his friends came to the cemetery, though,
To see if Joe had accomplished the task so.
They searched for Joe here and there,
But could not find him anywhere.
They found that Joe was indeed brave,
As there was a mark on each grave.
Just then, they saw a sight very near,
Which made them shiver and tremble with fear.
They saw a grave with Joe’s name—
And an ‘X’ mark on it to end the game.