Story 5: The Goddess

    

    I watched her. She was magnificent, running along the beach, rejoicing in her freedom. Her long, blue locks flowing in the breeze as she ran, gleefully, among the waves. Jumping but never breaking stride, she flew. I knew, though, that her time was limited. It seemed like she knew as well when she looked back at me, following at a gentle pace astride my own stallion, her eyes flashing and lightning struck the water nearest us. My horse jolted, rearing up while I patted his side, promising many treats if he continued to pursue this magnificent creature. He calmed slightly, snorting his frustration at this distasteful chase. But my orders were from the highest level and I could not, in faith, abandon them. As I looked up from my stallion, I realized the prey that I pursued had gotten away. She used her gift to distract me and disappear, but she'd reappear, she always did and until then, I would wait. As were my knightly orders.

Appear, she did, three days later. Almost as beautiful as the last time. Running down the beach that the locals said she frequented. But when she was sighted, so were the horribly intense storms that followed her. Whether she was aware of it or not, it was my duty to capture her and end her reign of terror of this coastal town. I called to my stallion, a sharp whistle, and he trotted over. I hauled myself up onto him and away from our temporary camp.

I reached into my saddlebag and retrieved the magical netting that would, hopefully, ensnare her. Instead of chasing her, we waited for her to slow down. When she did, we rode up. She knew I was there and kept a fair distance from me, playfully kicking sand. I would get close and begin to swing the net, but she'd evade and run off some more. Eventually she'd tire, wouldn't she?

On the fifth day, I woke up to a gentle nudging of my leg. I opened my eyes to see my prize standing over top of me, looking down.
“I hear you are here to capture me, human knight,” she spoke, changing her shape from that of the beautiful blue horse with ripples of lightning flashing just beneath her skin that haunted my waking moments into a beautiful goddess. She held out her hands and I wrapped the netting around her.

She smiled at me and I melted a little, relaxing my hold on her hands. The moment I did this, she laughed, and the netting fell free. She took off, becoming her horse again, and gleefully set the sky alight.

I knew then that she knew her power, and my life was devoted to capturing this beauty.

©2024 L. Young