Magic
The glass of the window felt bitterly cold beneath her fingertips. She rested her forehead against it, watching the pale green fronds shiver in the night wind. The porch lights of the adobe houses flooded the pavement of the circle, but left the long, oval island and its palm trees in shadow. The soft light of the moon settled over the tiled rooftops, and outlined the trees in a pale silver glow. Beyond the houses on the bottom rim of the circle, glistening on the horizon, lay the thin line of the ocean.
The young girl's eyes shared a hidden pain with the emptiness outside her window. She stared down at the road below, her brow tightening. Her nails clicked and slid over the glass.
"There is a unicorn," she whispered. Her eyes opened wider, and her pupils dilated in concentration. "There is a unicorn." She focused on the black pavement, picturing the creature - the brilliant white coat, the soft, cloudy mane...the silver hooves and spiraling golden horn...
She hit her head against the glass, causing it to lightly shake. "Come on..." she whispered hoarsely.
She envisioned the graceful neck, the deep and beautiful eyes...the flow of the mane...the soft whicker and shaking of the refined head...
Hot tears rushed to her eyes, dripping quietly onto the sill. She sucked in her breath and closed her eyes, shaking silently. Her breast rose and fell with ragged emotion.
"There is a unicorn!" she said vehemently, opening her eyes and hitting the window with her fist. She hit it again. "There is! Right there!" She sobbed, leaning against the cool glass, one fist still raised. "I know there is..."
Hurried footsteps from the next room over padded on the carpet. The door opened after a timid knock. An older girl stepped into the room.
"Hey..." The other girl walked forward uncertainly. "What's wrong?"
______________________
It Happened On A Sunny Day
The frigid water splashed over the pale rocks and rippled under the jagged sheets of ice. Warm sunlight filtered down through the budding leaves of the rowan tree, mingling with the cold, wispy breeze, and lit the untouched snow in a blinding whiteness outside the shadow. The shift of a less brilliant white disturbed the stillness.
She knelt down in the tall reeds by the thawing creek, gently dipping a wineskin into the water. A large hood covered her head, shielding her eyes from the full force of the brilliant sunlight. The color of the cloak merged into the shaded snow and effectively blended her into the wintry surroundings.
She lifted the lip of the wineskin from the freezing water and hoisted it to test its weight. Satisified, she began to stand. Her eyes caught a movement.
She crouched back down, her brow furrowing. Her pupils dilated as she focused on the dark form. It traveled in and out of the dips in the white hills at a constant speed, and at an impossible velocity.
It rose above the horizon, seeming to freeze in motion.
She guessed curiously at its nature - a bird of prey, perhaps, though it looked too far off and too large. Maybe a flock of black birds, chasing off an egg stealer...but the motion was too constant and graceful.
It grew larger in the sky, traveling closer to where she hid. Great leathery wings rose and fell, beaing up the powerful, sinuous neck, the triangular, rigid head, the serpentine, muscular body, the taloned, steeled legs, and the long, trailing tail.
Her eyes grew wide and her lips parted in silent astonishment. She pushed herself to her feet and splashed recklessly forward through the icy water, her eyes locked upon the creature. She bounded onto the snowy bank and rushed up towards the hills, her pale cloak billowing in her wake.
She crested the hillock, and unleashed a great, ringing call, raising her arms to the sky.
The dragon's colossal wings beat slowly on the air, soaring high. The deep, burning eyes looked down at the cry, and as their gazes met, they shared an intensity.
"It is good to know you exist," she whispered.
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A Long Day
Disappointment.
The hard, angry knot in my stomach. It twists and writhes. My eyes burn for want of tears. My mouth hardens, biting back the hateful reply.
Always someone else more important. Always something else more interesting or fun. Always an excuse. Never a good enough reason why. Never know what to appologize for. Always regretting, never learning.
The heaviness in my chest. The sickening, rapid throb of my nervous system. The illness in my gut. The dull ache behind my forehead. The emotion welling thickly deep in my throat, feeling as though I should try to vomit. The tensing brittleness of my muscles. The waves of searing anger. The desire to destroy, obliterate, rip to pieces. Anything. The trembling of my entire skeleton as I hold back my balled fists, nails digging into my palms. Legs shaking inperceptively, the desire to lash out barely contained.
Never sees this reaction. The pacing, the hardened expression, the pain in my eyes. Never hears the strain in my voice, the anger, the hurt. Never realizes.
The broken promises. Little. Tiny. Stacked up in a crumbling, decrepit pile.
The forgotten words. Important. Covered in dust, riddled with cobwebs. Laying half-broken upon one another.
Clueless. How often the disappointments hit. Better things to think of. Better people to talk to. Better dreams to remember.
Will it be a disappointment?
When I leave your life forever.
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Lively
A harsh snort, and the little arabian mare reared up, striking at the air with flint hooves. The bright, tangerine glow of the rising sun lit the fine curves of her arching neck and the stark muscles of her limbs, setting on her brown silk coat like dark crimson. Her shadow loomed over the pale desert sand, dancing like a silver flame.
Her hooves came down sharply into the sand and she burst forward from bunched muscles, black mane and tail whipping out behind her. Her legs moved like pistons, rythmically pounding over the ground. A spray of golden dust followed in her wake.
She kicked up her heels, twisting and leaping into the sky. She arched her lovely neck, prancing with high, proud steps, then jumped to the side, all four hooves leaving the sand, and turned on a dime, rushing into a dead gallop in the opposite direction.
She gathered her forelegs and pushed powerfully from the ground, soaring upwards in a graceful arc. She unfolded and landed smoothly on the other side of the tiny ditch, snorting excitedly and flagging her tail, then trotted daintily away.
She flung her head and bucked, kicking at the air several times in wild abandonment, flinging her back legs so high she almost stood straight up on her forehooves. She spun in a wild circle, then suddenly buckled her limbs beneath her and abruptly dropped to the ground to begin a furious rolling.
Thoroughly coated in golden dirt, she heaved herself back to her feet and stretched out, giving herself a good shake. She pranced over to a small patch of desert grazing, arching her neck and perking her delicate ears forward.
She snorted in mock fear, pretending to tense, then relaxed and dove her velvety nose into the pale grass to munch quietly away.
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Loving
A soft nose nuzzled into the crook of her elbow, whuffling quietly. She opened her eyes and looked down with a smile that lit her eyes, and folded her arm over the foal's neck. Bending down to rest her forehead against the youngling's, she whispered, "Hey love," in a gentle voice, then pecked the soft fur between their eyes.
The little, golden foal pressed their head into her abdomen, rubbing vigorously. Her laughter bounded jovially across the little valley, resounding from the tall cliffs. She hooked both arms around their neck and wrestled playfully, careful to not harm them. The rambunctious foal twisted out of her grasp and reared up, nickering.
She turned and fled through the wavy green grass, chuckling uncontrollably. The foal galloped madly after her, overtaking her and running about in circles.
She caught them yet again in a gentle embrace, wrapping her arms around their body as they again reared up. "My good little one," she whispered in their ear, smiling.
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Sleepy
Weariness. A heavy weight on her body, numbing it. Her arms splayed out, relaxed, on the rough, shadowed stone. She tilted her head slowly to the side, watching through leaden lashes. Figures interlocked in a furious whirling of motion, indiscernable, their harsh shouts sounding distant and jumbled. The trails of flame confused the silhouttes with the shadows - all was a blur of undefined movement and chaos.
A crushing fog closed on her consciousness, causing her vision to flicker darkly. Her eyelids drooped and shuttered, and her muscles loosened. Shallow, broken breaths hissed in and out of her parted lips, and her frame shuddered every time.
Cannot leave them...
The thought slipped past the heavy blanket shrouding her mind, weak but demanding.
Slowly, she forced her eyes open, focusing on the warring shadows. A deafness fell upon her ears, drowning all sound into nothingness. She struggled to raise her head, struck with sudden fear and distress.
A sudden blackness swept over the fiery turmoil and descended upon her. Her ingrained, honed reaction was to leap away and strike out - but the weariness in her bones and mind held her down. Through the numbess, she discerned the touch of a hand on her cheek, and she turned her misting eyes upon the black form that bent over her.
"It's all right..."
The warrior wiped the blood from her mouth, gently lifting her head. He suffered himself a forced smile and bit back the swelling pain.
"We're alright," he whispered, the words catching in his throat. "We're alright..."
 Prancing Thunder · Mon Jul 13, 2009 @ 11:03pm · 0 Comments |
