Emergency, The Phantom Post Series

The Phantom of old was now long retired, his mantle handed down to his grandchild.
He was amongst the last of the 51’s crew as he stood at the headstone of the latest to fall. Appropriately he was laid next to the partner in work and family.

Oh, sing with the mountains, oh dance with the sea,
My heart is unbroken; my spirit runs free.
No crown and no kingdom shall ever bind me,
For I live with the earth where the rivers run free.

His funeral had been a simple one, with only a few left to be there for it. He still was there after everyone else had left as the sun set and the stars came out.
In the haze of the valley below, he thought he saw the old team of the 51 now having one more member returned to them.

The old Phantom stood at attention as best he could, and to their memory, he saluted as the stars sang to him.

The oak is my shelter, the stars are my guide,
The wolf and the willow, they walk by my side.
No gold and no silver can measure the key,
To the song of the hills where the rivers run free.

By the morning, the keeper of the graveyard found that the Phantom had joined with his mates at the old 51 for the final time.

Oh, sing with the mountains, oh dance with the sea,
My heart is unbroken; my spirit runs free.
No crown and no kingdom shall ever bind me,
For I live with the earth where the rivers run free.

Fin
8/2/2026