Horse

A story of a god. An old work posted on my blog a while ago. Thought I'd share it on here. Bit gruesome, beware.

February 8th, 2007: Bright and sunny morning. Men driving in cars pass old horse in city. Their eyes glance briefly at the withered stallion, then flicker back to the road.

February 20th, 2007: Flies buzz over horse body. Lies rotting on median, smell caressing air in heavy drafts. Never before has horse died in the city. Never before have people been so sad. Horse carcass still virile. Women flock to mate with it.

February 11th, 2007: Last mumbles of earthquake mutter in city underground. Men on subway straighten ties, look nervous. Many dead from riding subway. Men whisper, raise eyes and say prayers to lone horse.

February 13th, 2007: Earthquakes pass in fullness, men cease sweating. Leave gilded presents underneath horse hooves.

March 1st, 2007: Man sits at desk, contemplates getting drink of water. Friend walks by, pats man on back. “You okay, Rob?” Man exhales slowly. “I didn’t see you on the way here,” friend says. Man just sits, contemplates horse.

February 9th, 2007: Man stops beside old horse in city, gets out of car. Momentarily, eyes of both horse and man meet. “Father,” he says, “How could I ever forget you?” Man places box at horse’s feet.

March 2nd, 2007: Man shuffles in seat.

February 10th, 2007: Early morning, earthquake rocks city. Men fall from buildings, drop into cracks in the ground. Property destroyed all over city. Bankers, artists, avid collectors, all fall prey to the ground’s seething maw. By noontide, death toll rises beyond a thousand, men grow scared. The white horse, blinding and calm, lies in the center of a moat of rubble. Peaceful, serene, indestructible. Man prays to horse, man lives. Another man prays to horse, he also lives.

February 4th, 2007: Horse enters city. Men contemplate removal, disagree. Horse speaks with man’s tongue, eases their anger. They leave the horse be.

February 12th, 2007: City is quiet. Earthquakes seem to have vanished, but rumbles still plague the underground. Man stops by horse, bows low, removes carrot from pants pocket. Horse ingests carrot. Men from all around city grab man, place him on altar, sacrifice to horse. Horse smiles, speaks wisdom in man’s tongue.

March 16th, 2007: [[empty]]

March 3rd, 2007: Friend enters man’s cubicle again. “Dave, what’s wrong?” friend asks, look of concern bleeding on face. “You’ve been so sad. Is it because of the horse?” Man nods. “Don’t let it get to you, Tom. It was just a horse.” Man looks up, whinnies in horse’s tongue.

February 21st, 2007: Horse still virile, women continue to mate with it. Many devoted men come and immolate themselves before horse carcass. Many foul hypocrites come and preach evils before horse. Many devoted men immolate foul hypocrites as well.

February 1st, 2007: [[empty]]

February 14th, 2007: Horse paces slowly back and forth in city streets. Speaks not in man’s tongue, but not in horse’s tongue either. Sacrifices made ceaselessly. City stops working, feeds horse souls of men. Crowds line streets, offer gilded presents to horse. Gilded presents are mostly eaten, though some snorted at. Bearers of snorted at presents placed on altars and sacrificed to horse.

February 28th, 2007: Man chokes, falls on bathroom floor. “Father,” he gasps, scratching on yellowed linoleum. Throat contorts, man releases gasp. Man releases garbled snort.

March 14th, 2007: Horse, swollen to brim, bursts, flies swarming out of it. Men and women shelter themselves in homes until flies recede.

March 5th, 2007: Horse no longer virile. Women lament. Man goes down and bends over horse, only one able to bear smell. For a moment, horse and man lock eyes. Man whinnies. Steam begins to rise from horse’s nostrils, sound like boiling tea kettle tears into air. Man leaves. Horse begins to swell.

February 7th, 2007: Men do not touch horse. Strange terror oozes throughout city.

February 3rd, 2007: [[empty]]

March 4th, 2007: Man approaches friend, whinnies loudly. “Jesus, Elizabeth,” friend exclaims, terrified by man’s devout actions. “Relax. You just need to relax. Take a day off.” Man kills friend, removes dead tongue and offers it to horse carcass. Horse carcass is pleased.

February 15th, 2007: Horse walks through streets, surveys buildings, temples, and statues built in horse’s honor. Horse is pleased, smiles happily as men ride on its wings and children guzzle milk from its udders.

February 5th, 2007: Men try and ignore white, gorgeous stallion, cannot do so.

March 15th, 2007: Flies recede, dead, stinking carcass reveals massive, living fetus, coal-black and almost strangled in own greenish umbilical cord. Mouth is coated in filth and maggots, speaking in a shrieking man’s tongue. Does not speak like horse, speaks terrible things, tells of time when men roll in own sewage. Rises into air, speaking louder and louder and louder and louder and louder and louder and louder and louder 4444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444444

February 19th, 2007: City weeps.

February 22nd, 2007: “Father, know that I am weak. Know that you are strong. Know me, know my enemy, know my friends. Befriend my friends, be-enemy my enemies. May your love be with me and your love grow ever stronger. May your mighty horse hooves trample all opposition. Neigh, sovereign lord, neigh.” The man stares into his mirror, then returns to bed.

February 27th, 2007: Evil horse enters city, tells lies of how white horse did bad things and betrayed men. City rises up and swallows evil horse, leaving only a trace of mystical feathers behind. Men and women burn feathers and dance around horse carcass.

March 6th, 2007: Horse continues to swell. Prophets of evil horse hide in alleyways, men seek out and find them. Prophets of evil horse brought to horse carcass, sacrificed on altars. Stench spreads further, soon corrupts entire street.

February 3rd, 2007: [[empty]]

February 6th, 2007: Men offer up most prized possessions for horse. Horse opens mouth of first head, devours all gifts. Horse opens mouth of second head, devours all givers. Horse opens mouth of third head, sings in monotone. Women and men attempt dancing to horse’s song, cannot due to lack of rhythm.

March 10th, 2007: Stench spreads throughout entire city.

February 2nd, 2007: [[empty]]

February 16th, 2007: Horse once again begins to sing, men and women once again attempt to dance, but fail yet again. Men fear horse will be angry, but horse merely smiles, promising eternities of torment for all. City praises horse’s decision, dance and laughter fill the night.

March 7th, 2007: Man cannot bear stench any longer. Whinnies in fear and disgust, transforms into a horse in a flash of burning light.

March 13th, 2007: Horse carcass appears to be giant, bulging pimple in middle of street. Men stay home, offer child sacrifices, but fail to appease swelling.

February 23rd, 2007: “Father, know that I am weak. Know that you are strong. Know me, know my enemy, know my friends. Befriend my friends, be-enemy my enemies. May your love be with me and your love grow ever stronger. May your mighty horse hooves trample all opposition. Neigh, sovereign lord, neigh.” The man stares into his mirror, then returns to bed. Horse appears in mirror moments later, but no one notices, so appearance is null and void.

February 24th, 2007: “Father, know that I am weak. Know that you are strong. Know me, know my enemy, know my friends. Befriend my friends, be-enemy my enemies. May your love be with me and your love grow ever stronger. May your mighty horse hooves trample all opposition. Neigh, sovereign lord, neigh.” The man stares into his mirror, then returns to bed.

March 12th, 2007: Many people die from the stench. Men and women pray
for relief, sacrificing countless evil horse prophets in vain. Thousands
begin immolating themselves, glowing like torches atop city buildings.

February 17th, 2007: Men declare citywide day of worship for horse. Day of worship to be celebrated daily, on the hour, every hour.

March 8th, 2007: Man, having transformed into a horse, is believed to be reincarnation of evil horse, and is sacrificed on an altar before the horse carcass.

January 1st, 2007: A horse will appear, and people will worship it.

March 9th, 2007: Stench poisons water, makes all things rancid. Men immolate themselves ceaselessly to appease horse carcass, but to no avail.

March 11th, 2007: Stench grows more pungent, horse swells. Scent of immolation fills the air.

February 18th, 2007: Horse smiles, offering words of wisdom to all that have ears to hear. Men and women flock around it, ushering in a new age of prosperity and hope. As it sings, horse closes its eyes and fails to see median barrier in middle of road. Horse trips accidentally and dies.

Author's Note

Thanks to all reviewers. Special thanks to Mack Hayden, who helped write this. Although all the darker parts were my ideas.

Reviews

[E.Gleaves]

This is a very unique story. What I get from it is the inability to decipher god's words and thusly accept false prophets. What strikes me is man's inability to realize that by sacrificing more humans to the horse they are simply adding to the pungent smell in the air. Thusly killing themselves further. I have a question for you though, why is your time line so distorted? What meaning were you attempting to show by doing this? I'm thinking that in man's rush to please the horse god they maybe lost the sense of time?

[E.Gleaves]

This is a very unique story. What I get from it is the inability to decipher god's words and thusly accept false prophets. What strikes me is man's inability to realize that by sacrificing more humans to the horse they are simply adding to the pungent smell in the air. Thusly killing themselves further. I have a question for you though, why is your time line so distorted? What meaning were you attempting to show by doing this? I'm thinking that in man's rush to please the horse god they maybe lost the sense of time?