SHORT STORIES

The sea stallions

The air swept down from the sea and a salty tang hung in the breeze. The sun shone brightly on the maze of entangled vines and shrub that led to the desolate coastline, where the only sound was the faint murmur of the waves splashing against the golden sand.

A forlorn cottage stood alone on a grassy hill above the beach.  The sea spread out below it like long line of thread travelling far into the distance beyond the line of sight of a human eye. Just outside the cottage a young fair haired girl – Rebecca - stood alone. Her plain yellow dress hung loosely around her waist as she reached forward to pick an elegant morning glory to add to the bunch of flowers held firmly in her hand. She looked out to sea for the first time that day and suddenly she felt a longing to go there. She wished more than anything to visit the crystal blue waves but she knew her mother had forbidden it.

That evening, as the moon cast its white shimmering light, Rebecca crept out of her warm cosy bed and slipped out of the door in her bare feet. The mixture of vegetation around her covered the floor in a carpet of different shades of green; a long silky grass snake slithered out of a nearby bush, the light bouncing off its scales like ripples in a lake.

Rebecca hurried on, anxious not to be too long. As she neared the waves, the sounds of the sea working its magic filled her ears and she felt a thrill to be out in the wild world alone and free with nature. The noise of the waves crashing against the shore in full power hammered against her eardrums blending with the rustle of the wind throwing the sand across the beach like a dog playing with a ball.

Suddenly another sound joined them: the faraway neigh of a horse. Rebecca rubbed her ears thinking she was dreaming, but the neighs only got louder as though a herd of horses was approaching. She had not realised that she had been staring at the sea all this time, but now - as the white foam on the edge of the waves began to change shape - she realised her eyes had been transfixed on the ocean.  A storm was brewing far out at sea and now Rebecca could clearly hear thunder as jets of lightning struck from the sky. The white foam morphed and crystallised until out of the dark water galloped a herd of gleaming white stallions.

Rebecca gasped in delight as they cantered into the distance and slowly faded from view. She longed to follow them but she found her feet planted firmly on the ground. As quickly as it had come, the storm rolled away and the sound of hooves faded to nothing.  

Stumbling home, a neigh reached her ears and she sighed contentedly, her secret encounter hidden safely in her heart forever.