Short Story
Let me tell you a story. A story about a certain mythical creature that was condemned to roam the earth as and with the living beings he despised the most.
Humans.
The beautiful white-winged horse known as Pegasus in Emerald City, loved by all subjects and his siblings, was known to grant wishes to those who would ask of him in good faith. Except for humans. There was a time many made wishes only to make themselves more powerful and subject the poor to do as they pleased. Before long, he decided to never interact with humans to not be deceived and grant their wishes.
His mother, Medusa, had fallen in love with one of them before the war between humans and demons. During those hard times of darkness, battle, and grief, Medusa had asked Pegasus to defend the human she loved, but he refused to grant her wish.
In her anger and grief for the loss of the life of her lover, she cursed the beautiful white horse into a human, making him fall through the clouds of Emerald City into the earth.
As years passed, Pegasus still didn't know how to break his curse nor how to fit in with the humans. His time was spent in solitude; hiding from those who would hunt him for his white hair that made his physical features look otherworldly. His elemental abilities beyond wish-granting would go rampant with his fear, freezing everything he touched making it impossible for him to pass unknown within other humans.
His brothers, Chrysaor and Arion convinced Medusa to allow them to go help him learn to be human, not just to see and speak as such. They taught him control over his abilities, change the color of his hair, amongst other living expenses to help him become a member of society as a community social service agent. Arion convinced Pegasus to borrow his name as to not seem so conspicuous, introducing him to society as Arion Whitehorse.
Even after his brothers helped with all they could and left to Emerald City, Pegasus still felt miserable and empty without his wings.
He kept searching for ways to break the curse but, nonetheless, he found the answer he least expected in the way he never imagined.
"Congratulations, Arion!"
"Why are you in my apartment, Amara?"
"Because today we are celebrating our partnership anniversary!" She pulled out a bottle of wine and some cups.
"We are not celebrating, and you are leaving. I got things to do." I put the grocery bags on the table and went to my room to leave my briefcase.
"Did you bring snacks?" Amara started rummaging through the bags and placing its contents on the table. "Why do you buy hair dye? Isn't your hair naturally chiseled brown? Which, of course, matches well with your honey-colored eyes."
I forcefully take the small box from her hand, ignoring her compliment. "Touch your stuff. And why ask reasons for what I do? Is your hair naturally half top blond and half brunette at the bottom?" She stumbled to find an answer. "Exactly. Get out. The fact that we have been coworkers for a couple of years does not entitle you to enter without my permission"
She looked away with disappointment and spoke in a low tone. "Six years."
"What?"
"We have been partners for six years now and well...you closed an investigation that was ongoing for over 8 months for that 4-year-old, so I just thought you were happy about it."
"Cleaning up the mess you humans make does not make me happy."
"Why do you always say that? You are a human too!"
At that statement, I lost control of myself, breaking the table in half and freezing the edges that made contact with my fist. "Don't lump me up with the lot of you. For the last time, get out!"
Fear was clear in her forest-green eyes, startled by my reaction. "I'm sorry. See you at work."
Once Amara was gone, I shove the nearest wooden piece with my foot and took a long, deep breath. "Better get a new table tomorrow...and an apology gift."
Arriving early at the office with a bouquet of combined blue hyacinth with pink carnations I went to Amara’s desk. Though, strangely, she hadn’t arrived yet.
As I was pondering on different possibilities, our supervisor, Jeb, saw me standing by her desk. “Arion? you’re early today. An apology present?”
“Hey, Jeb. Why are you assuming it’s an apology gift?”
“Because you look irritated, more than usual, and coincidentally Amara called in sick without actually sounding sick.”
“Great. She’s avoiding me now. Bad luck for the flowers.” I threw them on the trash can beside the desk, exacerbated.
Jeb looked at me puzzled. "Why don't you go to her house and talk?"
"No, thanks. And since my partner is absent for the day without telling me. I will enjoy my unexpected day off." I pull my phone out of my pocket to check for missed calls or messages while ignoring Jeb complaining about my sudden day off on the way to the front entrance. He gave up trying to convince me to keep an eye on the new cases, letting me get through the day. Which means I would go out to confirm the recent research I did to break my curse. Yet I had stopped believing in a way to free myself from it a long time ago, but never could give up on the little hope that was left in me to once again, soar through the clouds.
In the end, I couldn’t find anything and ended up being forced to make an appearance at the annual party Jeb organizes, celebrating all the closed cases. I always found an excuse to be absent but, this time he had a quip against me. Some crazy ideas about spreading rumors that I was going to propose to Amara.
“That’s just ludicrous,” I said to myself quietly and gulped down the remnants of vodka on my glass.
As I ordered another refill, Amara sat next to me at the bar but didn’t look at me as she spoke. “I thought you hated parties.”
“Hence my strong and fast drinking of alcohol.”
“I assumed that much.” She thanked the bartender once he placed her drink at the counter. After a moment, she turned my way. “Thank you for... you know.”
“No, I don’t know what you mean with all that stammering your doing. If you are going to thank someone, do it confidently.”
She finished her drink quickly in a gest of frustration. “You can be such an asshole sometimes. Instead of saying something simple like: “your welcome”. No, you just have to say something rude! I shouldn't have replaced your table at all. You can eat on the floor for all I care.”
Not being bothered by her insult, I looked in her direction to make a good comeback. Instead, I ended up lost admiring how beautiful she looked tonight. Even as mad as she was, her green eyes shined like jewels that contrasted with her freckled cheeks; her long hair was arranged in a way that made her look elegant along with her lace fit cocktail black dress. I looked away to calm the uneasiness I felt.
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Not really. You talk too much and I have many things to worry about that are more important than your feelings.” As Amara didn’t answer my last comment like she normally would, I looked at her again. Noticing she was staring at my glass as I was freezing the liquor unconsciously. Quickly I reverted it to its liquid form and stood to leave.
In a panic, she grabbed my arm. “Wait. What was...what you did?”
“Don’t ask questions that are not meant to be answered in front of other prying eyes.” I left her behind without further explanations nor waiting for her response.
When I arrived home I went towards the new kitchen table, resting in the middle there was an open worn-out book with a card atop of it. Picking up the card, I immediately recognized the handwriting of the message that said: Sorry for angering you and for prying. On the back, another message was there that said: Love can blind those that make harm but it can also cure all harm.
Setting the message aside, I noticed the book was open at the last part of The Legend of Pegasus, recognizing that this was the chronological book of mythical creatures I was reading last night; I had left it on the kitchen counter. That message was written on the last page as the final words Chrysaor spoke to me before returning to Emerald City.
The front door opened as Amara entered cautiously. After a moment, she spoke. “Do you know why I wanted to be your partner?”
I pressed my nose-bridge as I was trying not to react in the usual explosive manner. “Amara, please…”
She ignored me and continued to speak, tiptoeing around the words. “It began with a dream of a man that used golden armor and sword, much like Chrysaor from the legends. He told me to find Arion Whitehorse. At first, I thought it was silly, but…it kept happening every night. Eventually, I gave in and started searching for answers.” She looked at me directly in the eyes with more determination than ever. “You founded the Whitehorse lineage and then severed all ties with them. Curiously, you have not aged in so many centuries that it creates more doubts than it answers. My search came to a dead-end at our current social services department so, I transferred and asked for you to be my partner.”
“In the end, you are just another one of the lot.”
“I didn’t finish.” Intrigued by what else she had to say, I crossed my arms and adjusted my balance, nodding for her to continue to speak. “At first I was unsure of what to expect but then, I saw you interact with the children and how much you hated those who had dared harm such innocent beings with so much love to give. It was a wonder how such a rude man had a soft side for children. Afterward, I maintained observing you, just to know if you were special or something like that. Then last year you requested that sudden vacation and it got me curious as to why. So, I faked being sick and followed you.” She closed the distance between us. “I saw you at that cliff at the beach so vulnerable, lost and…broken. You kept saying that you accepted your punishment but for just once, you wanted to fly again. I couldn’t understand why you would say that until I read that book. What you did to the table and the glass back at the party means…it really is true. Isn't it?”
She waited patiently for my answer, but I couldn’t tell her the truth. “You should leave.”
With her delicate hands, she grabbed my face, so I wouldn’t look away. “There are no prying eyes here and no human that wants to take advantage of your goodwill. After all,…you are the man I fell in love with.”
“I can’t…” my voice broke. My emotions felt like a tangled mess.
“Do you trust me?”
“More than I am willing to admit.”
She smiled sweetly. “Close your eyes.”
I doubted in doing so for a moment. Giving-in to Amara’s request I closed my eyes. A moment later I felt her soft warm lips on mine as she kissed me. When she was about to pull away I responded in the same way; kissing her softly until the intensity of the kiss grew more demanding by the second.
Once we separated and caught our breaths she handed me a pendant of a silver wing. “What just happened doesn’t have to mean anything if you don't want it to. Take your time to think and settle your troubling feelings. I won’t change the way I am with you; even if you end up rejecting me completely. Take your time. Besides, you may or may not be Pegasus but, wings don’t give freedom. Freedom is achieved when you finally accept and let go of all resentment and everything that hurts your soul.”
Amara left and I found myself contemplating all my life as a human until now. What he said gave me hope once again; hope that one day I will find peace with myself and completely forgive my mother along with all humans for their sins. Perhaps even trusting and believing that love can heal all harm.
