Horse Men

by K. C. Gray

Part 1 appears
in this issue.

conclusion

Toya looked past the bathroom mirror and into her own eyes... past her eyes and into her pupils, past her pupils and... She lost track of just how far she had gone. Black speckles began to invade her vision.

Why did she tell anyone? Why did she need her father to understand so badly? She had learned her lesson. She wouldn’t tell anyone anything else... but Chris. She did need him to understand for some reason. She wanted him to know her, as her father refused to, as her friends didn’t care to. They all treated her as though she had lost her mind, but the horse-men were real.

Chris appeared next to her; or, at least, he was next to her by the time she broke away from her own glare. He said, “They called me into work.” He kissed the round of her shoulder.

“Of course she did,” Toya answered.

He stood there for a moment, his breath blowing down her neck, flaring out part of her shirt. Toya had seen them before, enjoying dinner with one another; stealing kisses across the table. Maybe the woman had given him a stability Toya couldn’t. She thought he had seen her that night, but he stood so still at that moment.

Chris finally replied, “I guess nothing else needs to be said. See you later.” He left the bathroom.

She filled the tub with water so hot that it would turn her honey-colored skin a strange tint of red. Toya soaked in the tub. Bubbles rose all around her, giving her comfort... the only comfort she had ever known. She put on silk pajamas and lay down in bed.

* * *

Toya was nine again, floating into the clubhouse through one of the lopsided windows. A single black horse stood in the center of the room. The chairs and piles of hay were gone and in their place were puddles of blood. She floated down to the floor and walked over to the horse. Its dark brown eyes followed her wherever she walked. A voice floated all around, saying “Remember.”

Beside the horse appeared a dark-skinned man. His head almost touched the ceiling.

“Remember.” He spoke softly. The necklace around his neck started glowing. “Remember.” It broke up into tiny blue particles, and when it began to fly around the room her vision blurred.

She stumbled as she walked in a circle around the man and the horse. The blurring effect turned into a smoke screen effect. The man and horse were shady outlines. As she walked beside them, they seemed to be one.

The man’s lower body disappeared behind the horse, and the horse’s neck and head seemed to disappear all together. They separated again when she walked behind them, and then merged once more when she walked past the man. The smoke disappeared when she stood in front of them again.

The man got on the horse, and before galloping out of the clubhouse he said, “I will always remember.”

* * *

Toya’s eyes popped open for apparently no reason. Her suddenly waking up had happened a lot when she was younger, but it seemed strange to occur now. Only two hours had passed according to the alarm clock perpetually glowing green in the darkness.

Her body lay splayed across the entire bed, which had happened for the past three months unconsciously... just because she had the room. She scooted back over to her side of the bed. Her arms were tucked firmly beneath her head as she rested on her side.

A flash of light grabbed her attention. A dime-sized color of blue with a tint of green going through the center seemed to float in the air, but as it came closer, she noticed the massive figure leaning towards her.

She leaned over to turn on the light, but a voice whispered, “No,” followed by a strained cough.

“Who are you?” Her voice danced up and down.

He wheezed in a long breath, “I hoped you would remember me.”

She had to smile at that. “I’m dreaming.”

“If that’s” — breath — “what you want to believe.”

“What do you want?”

“I know you’re not her, but you look so much like my eldest.”

She lay back down and closed her eyes. Maybe if she ignored him, he would go away.

“I wanted to see you one last time,” he breathed in a long crackle-filled breath, “before I died.”

“So that’s why you’re here.” She laughed. “I’m dealing with his death. They were all right.” She put her hand to her forehead. “I am crazy.”

His fingers clasped her hand and pulled it from her forehead. He caressed her hands.

“You really believe that?” he asked. His hooves stomped against the wood floor and he grunted as he heaved himself up. “I don’t know how much longer I have.”

“So you’re going to take me to your world?”

The prince snickered, “No. By allowing you to remember, I’ve already thrown things out of balance.”

“My life.”

“Yes, and mine. Had I known—”

“You’d be a psychic.”

“It did me good, knowing that you remembered. I’m sorry it hurt you so much.” He chuckled and kissed the back of her hand. “If it makes you feel better, I believe you about the horsemen.”

He let go of her hand and backed up. He rubbed the jewel and blue flakes surrounded him, swallowed him up with blue light, then he flashed out of existence.

Toya was awakened by a kiss on the cheek. Chris sat on the bed next to her, and ran his fingers through her hair. “You’re going to be late if you don’t get up.”

“Thanks,” she whispered.

“What the hell did you do to the floor?”

She leaned over the edge of the bed. Half-moons were deeply imbedded. She could only shrug.

“What did you use to make those?” Chris asked.

“Nothing.”

Chris simply sighed and placed his hand on her cheek. “If it’s that important, I’ll listen to it again.”

“No. That’s okay. You want breakfast?” she asked with all the smile she could muster.

“Sure.” He smiled back.

She began their morning dance alone, getting her bath ready, while he relaxed with the morning paper. After the tub filled up, she left it to cool down and started on his meal.

After they were married, they both danced around one another in the bathroom, sharing touches whenever they were close enough; a palm press to the lower back, a hand on a shoulder, sneak kisses to whatever exposed parts were available. Now, he was often ready and dressed before he woke her.

Toya sat his plate down, and she sat across from him.

“You’re not going to eat?” he asked her.

“Not now, maybe after I get dressed.”

The chair creaked as she leaned back. She just watched his eyes dance over the paper and the fork sliding in and out of his mouth.

Chris’s eyes fluttered up to her. He smiled. “How did you sleep last night? Still tossing and turning?”

More creaking as she crossed her legs. She took a sip of orange juice. “Slept like a child.”

“Really.” His brows furrowed together.

“Yeah. Best night’s sleep in a while.”

“I’m really glad to hear that.”

Toya nodded, then went into the bathroom and slipped into the warm tub.

To Challenge 420...