The Ballad of Black Bart

"The Ballad of Black Bart" is a Cthulhu Mythos poem by American author James Ambuehl. It is written in seven verses of eight lines each.
==Synopsis==
The poem tells the story of a Wild West showdown between two men: Black Bart, a mean old gunslinger, and the Stranger, a creature disguised as a man who uses the power of the Necronomicon against its enemies. Despite being filled full of lead, the Stranger is unharmed and uses an arcane ritual to tear away Bart's soul before a man named Doc Jones counters his magic with a protective spell, casting the entity back to the abyss from whence it came; unfortunately, this act results in Jones's own death.
==Characters==
*Black Bart, a cowboy "with a buzzard's eyes and a coyote's grin."
*The Stranger, an unknown monstrosity in the guise of a man.
*Doc Jones, a man with a certain knowledge of the Necronomicon.
==Publication History==
"The Ballad of Black Bart" was published in the E. P. Berglund-edited online zine Nightscapes in October 2006.
Category:James Ambuehl works
Category:Expanded Mythos Works