//------------------------------// // More Than Friends // Story: The Cabin // by Winter_Solstice //------------------------------// Driving through town was a singular experience for my odd guest. I’m not sure how much she could see at night, but she seemed very excited by all she saw. She kept the comforter over her head, but still peered out from beneath it. Every once in awhile, I’d hear her gasp at some new sight, though I couldn’t tell what had caught her interest. It all seemed quite ordinary to me, so I tried to see things the way she did. The town I’d chosen to live in is a rustic farming community. There was one big name grocery store, but the majority of the shopping district was red brick mom-and-pop establishments that had been there for a few generations. There was one main street that went down the middle, with a traffic light that turned into a blinker after ten o’clock. During the day, one could see the mountains in the distance, overlooking our fair town. Some of the larger ranches were on our route, so I’m guessing Blue could smell the other horses, even if she couldn’t presently see any. Later on, I’d have to ask her how she felt about seeing her kind, if they were actually her kind, stuck behind fences and barns. Then I decided against asking that; if it bothered her, I’m sure she’d say. I pulled into the parking lot, which at this time was mostly empty. Even though I’d parked a fair distance from any other cars, and away from any of the lights in the lot, I was still a bit nervous about leaving her out here. I resolved to go in and out as quickly as I could. “I’ll be back as soon as I can, Blue. Try to stay out of sight, okay?” “Okay. But wait, Matthew.” I looked at her expectantly. She sighed and said, “I know you eat..” and here she shuddered, “meat.” She stared up at me. “Get meat.” “Are you sure? I know it bothers you.” “I’m…sure.” Then she smiled. “I won’t cook it…you cook!” I smiled. “Deal!” With that, I trotted to the entrance, grabbed a cart, and began filling it with everything I thought she’d like, along with a few things for myself. I made sure to get some apples, along with lots more sugar and sweet things. I even remembered to get some girly things, like women's shampoo and conditioner. I knew she'd been using mine and it occurred to me she may prefer something else. I practically flew down each aisle, just grabbing things. Then I smiled to myself. My wife used to hate sending me shopping, as I never looked at the prices or compared one item’s value against another; if it looked good or had a fancy label, that was good enough for me! Then I caught myself and stopped. That was the first time in a very long time I’d allowed myself a pleasant memory of her…and it felt…right. Then I shook myself and continued shopping. I’d almost made it without running into anyone I knew, but it was not to be. I looked up too late to see one of my neighbors, a guy named Taylor-something. (I’m bad with names.) We saw each other at the same time. He raised his hand and pushed his cart closer. “Hey, Jon! Out late, huh?” Taylor was slightly overweight with receding blond hair and glasses, still dressed in faded overalls. “Um, yeah, Taylor…I needed a few things.” He stared at my cart. “A few things? Looks like you’re trying to feed an army!” He peered closer. “A vegan army looks like. What’s with all the veggies?” I tried to keep my voice offhand. “Oh, you know…just trying to eat healthy.” Taylor smirked. “Why’s that? You got a vegan girlfriend?” He laughed. “What’s her name?” I hoped I wasn’t visibly sweating because I certainly felt like it after that pointed question. “No, no…nothing like that. Just…trying to take better care of myself, is all.” Taylor huffed. “If you say so, Jonny.” (The inevitable nickname. Sigh.) Then he spotted the shampoo and picked it up. "What's this?" I thought fast. "It's for my daughter. She and my son are coming to visit." "Oh? You never mentioned them before." I shifted from one foot to the other. "We're...not as close as we used to be. Long story." He put the shampoo back and said, "Sorry. I know how that is." Then his eyes became shrewd. “You know…my sister has been asking about you. She’s gonna be in town next week and I bet she’d love to have you over for dinner.” Now I really needed to get out of here! “I’ll…I’ll let you know. Alright, good talking to you.” I pushed my cart away before he could come up with another excuse to delay me, and made it to the cashier. The cashier was an older man, probably one of the managers, and he wasn’t fast. At all. I tried to stay calm as he slowly rung up all my purchases, while I then turned to look out the window and towards my truck. That’s when I saw something that made me go cold. I wasn’t sure from this distance, but it looked like the passenger side door was standing open! “I’ll be right back!” I said to the cashier as I rushed outside. Making my way to my truck, I looked inside. She was gone. The comforter was still there, but she wasn’t. What had happened?! I looked frantically around and just as I was about to throw caution to the wind and call out her name, I heard hoof steps running towards me from the dark woods that were on the edge of the parking lot. It was Blue! As she came closer, she seemed a bit embarrassed, if I was reading her correctly. “Blue…what happened, where’d you go?” She looked sheepishly up at me as she climbed into the truck and got back under the comforter. Then she mumbled something. “I’m sorry…what did you say?” She sighed, then said, “I…had to…pee.” “Oh. Oh! I apologize…I didn’t think I’d taken that long.” “It’s…okay. Where is food?” I slapped my forehead. “I’ll be right back!” Quickly I turned and ran back into the store. The cashier was just finishing up my purchases as I dug out my wallet. “Everything okay?” he asked. “Yes…everything’s fine. I…umm…thought I saw someone break into my truck.” The cashier, an older gentleman named William, snorted. “You don’t have to worry about stuff like that happening here, Jon. We’re pretty safe in this town.” I had first-hand experience to the contrary, but I kept my thoughts to myself, swiped my credit card and helped the bagger put my groceries in my cart. I loaded our food in the back, then took out an apple and handed it to her once I was seated. “I thought you might like this.” She smiled up at me from under the blanket and accepted the fruit. The next few minutes were filled with the sound of her crunching as we made our way back home. I kept stealing glances at her as I drove. I couldn’t help it, as everything about her was fascinating, now that I’d mostly gotten over my fear of her. There was still the fact that she’s an alien that gave me pause, but that emotion was being overshadowed as I daily got to know her better. We made it back without incident and it was fully dark as I pulled into the barn. Even so, I got out and looked around before allowing her to exit, just to be safe. Everything seemed pretty normal, so I grabbed as many bags as I could and started in, but I was stopped by Blue. “Give bags,” she said, looking up at me. I shrugged and handed her one. I figured she’d carry it in her teeth, but she surprised me by turning her head and placing it between her shoulder blades. “One more,” she added, so I did. That one she did carry in her teeth, but there was no way she’d be able to balance that other bag all the way to the house. Or so I thought. We made it to the house and up the stairs and that bag on her back didn’t even shift. Either her sense of balance is extraordinary, or something else was going on. Once we got inside, I wanted to ask how she’d done that, but I kept my questions to myself. This was just one more thing she was able to do that she shouldn’t and I did not want my fear of the unknown to spoil the mood. I put my bags down, took hers, then laid them all on my kitchen table. Feeling like some music, I went to my CD player and put on Bach’s Prelude in C. Blue stood by the kitchen watching my every move. When the piece started playing, her eyes grew wide and she began swaying to the music. I smiled and went into the kitchen to put away the food. I was halfway done when I heard movement, so I went to the kitchen door. What I saw not only made my eyes grow wide, but my mouth also opened in astonishment. Blue was up on her hind legs dancing, as graceful as a ballerina. As I stood there mesmerized, she spun, twirled and gave short little leaps. It was…poetry. When the music ended she stopped, opened her eyes and looked around. Seeing me watching her, her face grew bright red and she turned away from me. I stuck the box of cereal I was holding under one arm and began clapping. She turned an even brighter shade and waved a hoof at me in a “stop it” motion. I finally found my voice. “Blue…that was amazing! I didn’t know you could dance.” She still wouldn’t face me, but she whispered, “I not know you watch.” I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. “I’m glad I did. You are beautiful!” The words were out before I could stop them, so I covered my mouth and stared at her. She gasped and looked around at me. Something passed between us, something I hadn’t felt in a very long time. But then I told myself it couldn’t be. I’m a human and I don’t really know what she is. So it couldn’t be what it was feeling like. Time seemed to stand still as these thoughts went through my mind, while we stared at each other. I finally dropped my eyes, cleared my throat and turned back into the kitchen. I busied myself with putting away the groceries, all the while thinking about her and trying to pin down my feelings. It was awhile before I could muster the nerve to go back out of the kitchen. When I did, Blue was nowhere in sight. I took the toiletries to the bathrooms, then I came back down the stairs. I went to my front door and looked out. There she was, sitting on the porch swing and staring out into the night. I felt as nervous as a kid, but I had to say something. I walked out and motioned at the swing. “May I sit?” She nodded and scooted over, so I sat and folded my hands in my lap. We both just sat there, gently swinging and remaining silent. I watched as a shooting star made its way across the heavens and I decided it to be a good sign. So I began. “Blue, I hope I didn’t embarrass you or make you feel uncomfortable.” I turned to face her and took the plunge. “But you really are beautiful.” She didn’t look at me, but she did whisper, “Thank you.” Then she hopped down and turned those big eyes on me. “Good night, Matthew,” she said then went inside. “Good night, Blue,” I managed to say as she left. I sat there, silently swinging and thinking. Finally, I went inside. Blue wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen, so she must have gone to bed. Then I heard the shower running and concluded she was inside, maybe using the things I’d bought for her. I lay there staring up at the ceiling as sleep eluded me. After a few hours, I was surprised to hear a gentle knock on my door. I sat up and turned on the light. I thought she’d gone to sleep by now. My heart began beating rapidly as I said, “Come in?” Blue entered with her eyes downcast. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like she’d been crying. My heart gave a lurch when I noticed. “Blue? Why are you crying?” She finally met my gaze. “I…can no sleep. May I…stay in here?” I could only nod, as I didn’t trust myself to speak. I drew back the covers as she climbed in beside me. She then lay down facing away from me. I pulled the covers up around her and turned out the light, then lay on my back. After a few moments, she turned and took one of my arms and placed it around her. I drew her close and inhaled deeply of her mane. It smelled like strawberries, so I knew she’d used the shampoo. I sighed and snuggled closer. Some time went by, then she whispered my name. "Mat...Matthew?" “Yes, Blue?” “Did…you mean it when you say…I’m beautiful?” “Yes. Very much so.” She turned to face me, then said, "Matthew is in pain. I can tell." I opened my mouth to reply, but she placed a hoof over my mouth. "Don't speak." She put her hooves up on either side of my face, then kissed me. The rest I keep to myself.