Drawing The Short Straw Collection

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - I shot Albatross
Vintage engraving by Gustave Dore of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, With my crossbow I shot the Albatross. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the longest major poem by the English poet

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Water Snakes
Vintage engraving by Gustave Dore of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Beyond the shadow of the ship, I watched the water snakes

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - and cursed me
Vintage engraving by Gustave Dore of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Each turned his face with ghastly pang, and cursed me with his eye

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - My soul in agony
Vintage engraving by Gustave Dore of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, And never a saint took pity on My soul in agony

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - I saw that curse
Vintage engraving by Gustave Dore of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Seven days, seven nights, I saw that curse, and yet I could not die

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - rain poured down
Vintage engraving by Gustave Dore of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, And the rain poured down from one black cloud

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - They groaned
Vintage engraving by Gustave Dore of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose, nor spake, not moved their eyes

Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Vintage engraving by Gustave Dore of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The moving Moon went up the sky. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner is the longest major poem by the English poet

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - upon the rotting sea
Vintage engraving by Gustave Dore of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, I looked upon the rotting sea, and draw my eyes away

Rime of the Ancient Mariner - Twain were casting dice
Vintage engraving of a scene from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Coleridge. And the Twain were casting dice. Herbert Cole, 1900

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"Drawing the Short Straw: A Tale of Misfortune and Curses" In the haunting echoes of the "Rime of the Ancient Mariner, " I shot Albatross, sealing my fate with a single pull of the trigger. Water snakes slithered beneath me, their venomous presence foretelling an impending doom. The curse descended upon me like a relentless storm, gripping my soul in agony. As rain poured down relentlessly, I saw that curse unfold before my eyes. The sea transformed into a rotting abyss, its putrid stench suffocating all hope. They groaned in despair, those lost souls who crossed paths with this wretched albatross killer. Nine fathom deep he followed—the embodiment of vengeance itself—haunting every step I took upon that cursed sea. What evil looks it possessed. Its malevolence seeping into every fiber of my being as if twain were casting dice for my eternal damnation. Oh, how I drew the short straw on that ill-fated day. Bound to suffer through endless torment and remorse for my thoughtless act against nature's majestic creature. The weight of guilt hangs heavy around my neck as punishment for defying divine providence. So here I stand now—a cautionary tale etched within these words—reminding all who dare to tempt fate about the consequences that await those who draw the short straw. May we learn from this ancient mariner's plight and tread carefully upon life's treacherous waters lest we too become prisoners upon our own rotting seas.