Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Samuel Taylor Coleridge)

The next time the Arabella docks, there's a wedding.  We all clamber down the boat onto the shore, hands laden with gifts-- golds, jewels, and pearls--for the happy bride and groom.  Up ahead is the best man.  But, what's this?  Someone steps from the shadow of a doorway and stops him before he can enter into the feasting hall.  Let's step a bit closer and see if we can hear what they are talking about.

The stranger from the shadows is a grizzled old sailor, or mariner, with a grip like iron.  He's clutching at the wedding guest's arm, and the guest is struggling to get away.  Let's step a little closer still, to see if we can hear what they're talking about...

The mariner shares his story, about how he was once sailing on a ship, and how the ship's luck took a terrible turn after he shot and killed an albatross that was flying around them and hanging out with the sailors.  Of course, no one could have realized the terrible bad luck that this would bring down upon their heads, but soon enough a thick fog blankets the water, and another ship appears, bringing with it two terrible passengers.

I read this back in high school and absolutely loved it.  Reading it again now was a special treat, as it had been...well, years since I had read it last.  The pacing, the tone the rhyming, it was all excellent.  Besides being an interesting story, this is just a genuinely fun piece to read.  4 of 5 stars on Goodreads.