The Lost Works of Abbn Ehr: The Horse with Two Heads: Part Three

      Ha Ha, I can't help but laugh. You see, Its been a while since I thought up Abbn Ehr, and he entertains me. Spoiler, he never tells you who the old goat is. Another spoiler, he never tells you why he hates Burkum, and at first I was content not knowing the answers. Yet as I wrote, I got sad. After I finished writing his lost tales I knew I would be done with him. I postulated to my self a "life story" of Abbn Ehr yet call it "The death of Abbn Ehr". This Idea made me happy. Although I have the first chapter written of that book, I stopped because I felt it wasn't in keeping with the character. (Not that I wrote him wrong, but I wrote it second person loosing much of his thoughtful insight that he doesn't share out loud) I'm still working it out. I have the entire series of Illandrea to think about and what the repercussions are, of doing the book this or that way. 
         In the mean time, enjoy part three of The Horse With Two Heads. This is the current full time project I am working on. I think I will save the rest of the story for the book, however if you are interested I may post part of the next lost tale "The Man Who Sold Rocks" this one is fun because Abbn Ehr gets himself so involved in his fantasy that he conducts experiments on the populace to confirm or debunk his imagination.

The Lost Works Of Abbn Ehr

The Horse With Two Heads

Part Three

        Once upon a time, in the depths of my imagination, there lived a boy. A handsome boy, a boy who was honest, kind, loving, virtuous, morel, and strong. This boy had a job that he did every morning that started before the sun rose to kiss the earth. He fed the chickens, collected the eggs. He milked the cow, forked the hay. Slopped the pigs, oated the horse, barlyed the bull, grazed the sheep and cleaned the pens. He also fixed the fences and watered the crops. His list was so expansive that even I ran out of things for him to do. (Please feel free to add to his list at your discretion)
       One day while the boy tended his chores he came across the most amazing discovery; he found that his horse could talk.
       ”Boy” It said.
       The startled boy spied around for a friend in a jesting mood. Finding none, he resumed his labors.
       “Boy?” It said again
       “W-Who goes there?” the boy called out, frightened.
       “I am here” the voice said.  
       The boy looked about. Had he missed somebody? “Where?” he asked, while moving near the stable.
       “Here boy”
       Now, if the boy was startled at the first, imagine his fear when he saw, (with his eyes) and heard (with his ears) the horse speaking these words. I know that you, dear reader, are not shocked. Nor am I, owing to the fact that I spoiled the fun in the beginning. Remember please, that the boy was not privy to this information, and was very surprised. In fact he fainted.
       Having lived on the street, I have seen fainting on many scales. Some people quickly recover while others take their time. One man stayed fainted until he died. My boy awoke quickly, finding himself now under the horse.
       “Did you speak to me horse?” he whispered
       “I did boy” the horse said, bending down to pull the boy to his feet using his teeth, “Are you all right?” 
       The boy adjusted himself while staring at the horse. In amazement he said “By what power is this possible horse?” 
The horse looked the boy over a moment “Do you question all miracles set before you?” he said.
       “N-No” the boy stammered, slightly embarrassed.
       “I have a question to ask of you boy” the horse said “Why do you tend to your chores so well?”
       “I guess, because my father asked me to.  I love my father, so I do my chores”
       “Is that the only reason?”
       “No” said the boy, “In doing these things I have come to love all of the animals of my father. Who would care for them as I do if I didn’t?
       “Even me?”
      “Especially you!” said the boy enthusiastically.

      “For that boy, I shall give you a ride that you have never experienced.” The horse told him to mount, when he did, they dashed away at a speed the boy had truly never expected. The boy was carried so effortlessly that he didn't feel that he was riding at all.
      They sped through his father’s fields, over the babbling streams, into the rolling hilly range that separated my Beautiful Garden from the rock infested blue-less sky of Burkum, (punctuated with dead grass, soot and the smell of the rotting houses.)
      For the boy, the ride was an amazing experience, one that I can only briefly describe. Once I fell off of a short cliff, stumbled down a rocky slope and rested in a thorn bush; it was very disagreeable to say the least. Except the moment, while in the air in-between the cliff and the slope, the actual falling part, was exhilarating. I felt alive, free, only I was too frightened to enjoy the feeling at that moment, and didn’t realize that I liked it until I healed. This exhilaration is the feeling I imagined the boy having (although he didn’t fall as I did.)
      As soon as the ride started, it was over and they were home. The sun was now starting to warm the fields dispelling the morning dew in an explosion of mist. The rooster crowed its salutations and the boys family started stirring.
      “Boy?” the horse pleaded “As a favor for our new friendship I must ask you to never speak of this to any one.” Now... it must be noted that this confused the boy? You see, he had never been presented with any other option then honesty. Deception on any scale was not a concept he could rap his young mind around. To not declare his friendship? would be a lie of omission! The word lie wasn’t even in his vocabulary. (It is, however, in Burkum. In fact! not only is the words actions prevalent, but is't a child’s first word. Not the word itself, mind you, but the babes first word would be a lie. For instance: the child would lovingly look up into his fathers eyes and cry out “dada!” The lie (of course) would be that the child was most likely conceived elsewhere, unbeknownst to the “father.”
      “But horse? Why shouldn't I tell of such a miracle as your self?” the boy said very confused.
      “Simply this” the horse started “Miracle aside, I am still a simple horse. I fear I have not the strength to appease the speculation, and spectacle that would ensue”
         The boy laughed“Oh horse! My dear horse! The people of town would never abuse, but only treat you with kindness and wonder!"
         “Never the less...” the horse stood firm “It would be most kind of you to not revel my talents.”
         The boy could not understand. The towns folk have never been anything but kind and loving to him, his family, and all he knew. He could not understand his horses aversions to reviling his true form to these wonderful people. “But horse-” he started to plead. 
         The horse stamped! Then said “Boy!” scaring the boy to silence. ‘Do you love me?”
         “Yea...” the boy said startled
         “Do you intend on continuing this love?”
         “Yea horse, yea!” the boy cried.
          “Would you wish for me to end our friendship?”
          “Nea horse!” the boy said, panicked.
          “Then I will ask again, boy, will you keep our friendship silent?!” after a shocked moment the boy hesitantly said.
          “Yea horse... I... I will.”