Blue startled and her eyes grew wide, but I got to my feet and motioned for her to remain calm. I then quickly made my way into the living room and retrieved my rifle. The noise had stopped, but I was taking no chances. I again motioned to Blue to stay put, then went to my back door, peeked out, then went outside. Running as quietly as I could, I circled the house and slowly edged my sight over to my front door. The sound of movement caught my attention. I scanned my yard in the fading twilight, and saw a figure running away. I yelled for them to stop, but if they heard me they gave no sign, just dove into a waiting car and sped off. Now, who could that have been?
Taking another cautious look around, I then left my relative cover and approached my front door. There was a piece of paper there. I bent down to retrieve it, then turned it over. The words written there left me cold. I crumpled up the paper in my fist and looked out at the road again. I was pretty sure the figure had been male, but I couldn’t tell if he’d been alone. Thinking back, I realized he’d gotten into the driver’s side, so he could have had someone else with him. Whomever it had been, he had a sick sense of humor, at best. I didn’t want to think about this being more than a twisted prank. But it could have been.
I sighed and went back into the house. Blue was waiting for me by the front door, and as her expressive eyes searched my face she could immediately tell something was wrong. I just smiled at her and stuffed the paper in a pocket. There was little she could do, and there was no way to tell her what I’d seen. I put my rifle back in its place and returned to the table. Blue followed me, and I could feel her eyes on me the entire time. I sat back at my place and motioned for her to do the same. She shook her head and came over to sit on the floor beside me. After a moment she placed a hoof on my leg. I sat still for a few moments, staring at her, then gently pushed her hoof away and stood up. I needed to be alone, so I started towards the stairs. I’d only made it halfway up before I heard something that stopped me dead in my tracks.
“M..Mat..thew?”
I slowly turned around and stared at her. “Did…you just say my name?”
She stared back at me and said it again, clearer this time: “M…Matthew.”
My knees suddenly felt weak, so I sat down and looked at her.
“What…what are you?”
As she came to the foot of the stairs, I jumped up. “Just…just stay away from me…please,” I added as I held up one hand and backed up the stairs. She stopped and gave me a hurt look, but I couldn’t help myself. It was all too much to take in, her being here, along with that note that may or may not be a threat. I stopped and said, “I don’t know if you can understand me, but I need to be alone right now. Please.” I then turned and made it to my bedroom, then closed and locked the door.
My heart was hammering in my chest as I sat and tried to calm it. That…pony…or whatever it was, just spoke English. I knew I’d heard her speak before, but somehow it didn’t seem real then. Now it was undeniable. She’s a creature unlike anyone had ever known, and she’s in my home. What am I supposed to do with this knowledge? Call the papers? Let the world know? But what would happen to her? As unsettling as she was, I didn’t want anything bad to befall her. I forced myself to think calmly as my heartrate slowly settled. She’s strange, yes, and still a bit scary, but she’s not done anything remotely dangerous. Even so, if she’s half as strong as a full grown horse, those hooves could do some damage if she chose. Or she could bite…
I shook my head clear of such thoughts. Matthew old boy, you’ve been alone too long, and a bit too paranoid. Unless she leaves on her own, I’m going to have to deal with her somehow. I remembered the look she’d given me as I’d backed away from her. She’s capable of emotion, that much is clear. And she can talk. But can she communicate, or was she just mimicking sounds like a parrot? I clenched my fists and got ahold of myself. I had to know.
I got up and walked back out, then slowly made my way down the stairs. Blue was laying on the couch, staring at the fire. She didn’t look at me as I went over to my chair and sat down. After a few moments of silence, I finally spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
One ear swiveled in my direction, but she remained otherwise motionless. I drew a deep breath and continued.
“You…you are a bit scary to me, still. But I don’t think you mean me harm, or you could have done it by now, Blue.” At that last she finally turned to me, and shook her head. She placed a hoof on her chest and made that whinny sound again. I shrugged. “I can’t pronounce your name…I can’t make that sound.” She then sighed and placed her hoof on her chest again.
“B…Blue.” She then pointed at me. “Matthew.”
I smiled and nodded.
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Before I realized, it was full morning. I’d spent the entire evening and night pointing out different things in my home, slowly saying their names, and having her repeat me. When we'd run out of objects to identify downstairs, I moved on to books and magazines. She is undeniably intelligent, as I only had to say something two or three times before she got it. This wasn’t mimicry. This was actual communication, and the longer we went on, the more excited I became. I’d also found out she shared my love of coffee, although she liked hers really sweet. But, even fueled by caffeine, the hours began to take their toll on me, and I stood and yawned. Apparently, yawning is contagious between humans and…whatever she is, as she yawned as well. I guess we’d both had enough. I pointed to her.
“Tired?” I closed my eyes, cocked my head and placed a hand on the side of my face. “Sleep?”
She yawned again and nodded. “Sleep.”
I motioned for her to follow me, and started up the stairs. I didn’t notice she hadn’t followed me until I was at the top, turned and saw she was still on the first floor, looking up at me with an unreadable expression. I didn’t understand why she was still down there, so I waved her up and pointed down the hall. She slowly came up the stairs with that same look on her face. This was really odd. I walked to the door of the spare bedroom, and pointed inside. Blue’s face cleared, and then she smiled at me as she went in and hopped up on the bed. I smiled back at her as she made herself comfortable.
“Good night…or good morning, I suppose I should say.”
“Good…night…Matthew.”
I slowly closed the door and went to my room. I wasn’t until I’d gotten under my covers and settled in that realization hit me: did she think I was…inviting her to my bed?! It had been longer than I liked to remember trying to put the moves on a female, but I still recalled the wary look I’d gotten sometimes. I compared the memory to the look Blue had given me. If she was a human, there would have been no mistaking it. The thought was so absurd I just shook my head and smiled as I started to drift off to sleep. That’s twice I’d made a serious faux pas with her, first with the bathroom and now with the bedroom. If she was a human, I probably would have gotten slapped by now! I gave a final chuckle, turned over and went to sleep.
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I awoke to the smell of pancakes. Pancakes?! I bolted out of bed and took the stairs as fast as I dared. When I got to the kitchen I just stood there with my mouth open. Blue was on her hind legs in front of the stove, with one of my spatulas in the crook of her hoof. As I watched, she expertly flipped the pancake she was making onto a plate already filled with others, then she turned off the stove and brought the plate over to the table! She looked up and saw me, then smiled.
“Good…after…noon, Matthew.”
I was still stunned, and could only stammer, “H…how did you do this?”
She just pointed a hoof at my seat and said, “Sit. Please.”
I moved on stilted legs over to the table and sat slowly down. She placed three pancakes on my waiting plate, then used a hoof to push them over to me. She’d already placed a knife and fork in their proper places, then she did the same for herself and sat opposite me. Then she cast a glance at my plate, then back up at me, and cocked an eyebrow. I slowly reached for my knife and fork, cut a small piece and brought it to my mouth. She watched me as I chewed and swallowed, then my expression brightened. Whatever she’d done to these pancakes, they were as good if not better than anything I’d ever made. I smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. She looked puzzled at my gesture, but returned my smile and began spreading butter on her stack. And that’s when I got my second shock of the morning. She seemed to have no trouble with the knife and fork, and my face grew red as I remembered I hadn’t given her a spoon last night when I’d served her soup. How was I supposed to have known she could use one? I shook my head as I reached for the butter and syrup. Pancakes these good deserved the full treatment. I poured my regular amount on my stack, then passed the bottle over to her. She took it and squeezed an ungodly amount on her plate. This one really loves sugar!
We ate in silence, but I kept sneaking glances at her. She is amazing. Watching her, I almost forgot she’s some sort of alien, her gestures and bearing being so familiar. Then I looked around, and noticed she’d already cleaned up the pots and bowls from last night. She must have been up for a while to accomplish all this, and I felt my face go red again. After the way I’d treated her following that incident with the note, she'd still found it within herself to make us breakfast. It had been many years since I’d ever had anyone offer to cook and clean for me, but I knew the proper response.
“Blue?” She looked up at me. I motioned at the table, then at the kitchen. “Thank you.” She smiled at me.
“Welcome.”
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The next few days passed like a blur. We’d spend the day with her getting better and better acquainted with English, then we’d take turns cooking. Meat was still a sensitive subject with her, so I was a vegetarian for the moment, but it was acceptable. Cooking was a hobby of mine, so I had a fully stocked herb and seasoning cabinet, and it was amazing to taste what she could do with spices, pastas, rice, breads and other meatless items. It filled me with endless fascination watching her manipulate utensils, pots and pans. As far as I could tell, those were regular looking hooves, but she was somehow able to use them almost as well as I did my own hands. She also seemed to be as adept at using her mouth to pick up objects as well, which made me realize her jaw and teeth must be really strong also. Once I got to know her better, I made a mental note to closely examine her hooves, if she’d allow me.
The only dark spot was that note, and whomever that asshole was that left it. I’d almost convinced myself it was just a prank, and whomever that had been was a coward. Why else would they have run off as soon as they’d dropped off their note? I’d made no mention of it to Blue, as I couldn’t see how she could have helped. But still it bothered me.
Then another thought occurred to me as I sat in the kitchen watching her work: suppose someone was watching the house? I turned and looked out the front windows. I usually kept my curtains open during the day, to allow natural light in, but with Blue here that might not be a good idea. I could feel my paranoia rising to the surface again, so I got up and stood at the window, looking out. I had a clear view of the road that passed in front of my home, but there were thick trees on the other side, and anyone could be crouched down there. After a moment I shut the curtains and turned away.
Blue had stopped cooking, and was watching me. “What…wrong?”
I smiled at her and said, “I’m just a little nervous, but it’s nothing for you to worry about.”
Blue concentrated for a moment, then said, “Why…Matthew…ner…vous?”
I briefly considered reading the note to her, but I couldn’t see the good that would do. “I’m just old. I worry about nothing, sometimes. What are you cooking?”
But she wouldn’t be distracted. “Tell…me.”
I sighed, then said, “You’d better turn everything off in the kitchen…this is going to take a while.”
As she went back in to remove the pots from the burners, I went over to my wedding picture and took it down. I settled down in my chair, while Blue came over and sat on the couch. I then took a deep breath, and told her all about my wife’s murder.