The Rook's Nightmare

A white rook had a nightmare,
and woke up feeling weird.
At first, he thought his dream was real,
and things were as he feared,
as the feelings he'd been dreaming
for a good while persevered:

"My insides feel in turmoil, 
as if somehow, some way, 
I'd grown a spiral staircase 
in my tummy, where, today, 
people climbed me like a castle,"
said the white rook in dismay.

"You're a rook: that is a castle," 
his bishop friend replied,
and prodded him, quite gently,
to feel for things inside.
"It must have been a funny dream
that daylight, now, will hide."

"I really do want to believe you,"
the unsettled, sad rook said,
"but now I'm feeling people
walking round and round my head.
Please, will you have another look,
before I'm trampled dead?"

"Oh, yes!" the bishop answered,
"There's a turn up for the books!
I've not seen such a sight before
in any castle's nooks:
there are hordes of little people...!"
(Best to humour crazy rooks!)

© Celia Warren 2022

Just realised, this is my 50th adventure of the chessmen!