Pegasus

A fantasy for children of all ages…

Family outings can take unpredictable turns. Teen brothers, Irv, and Kenny, the eldest of the two, decided to take a walk before dinner. The country lane near the camp pavilion was cordoned off by rows of trees on either side, forming a mile-long colonnade between fields of ripening winter wheat. After a short walk from the campground, Kenny and Irv came upon two sculpted pieces of green and gold metal lying between the trees. They were inscribed with what were either alien symbols or an ancient language. Irv remarked at the time, “It’s all Greek to me, Kenny.” Because they didn’t want to miss dinner, the brothers decided to pick up the artifacts and head back to the family reunion. As they lifted their treasures, Kenny noticed a small, square piece of paper attached to one of them, post-it-note style, also in whatever language was inscribed on the strange pieces of metal.

On the other side of the trees they could hear snorting and huffing noises, along with the sound of a young woman’s voice. It sounded like she was trying to comfort someone. Her abrupt entrance made the situation all too plain. She was clad in armor matching the pieces of metal Irv and Kenny found. And she was talking to a large, white horse – an animal that would have been strikingly majestic had she not been missing one of her hind legs. A large wound below her right hip was oozing blood. The rest of her was covered in armor plates, except for the pieces the brothers were holding. It was remarkable she could stand, much less walk – somehow, she did so with the help of her companion. She was clearly suffering, and Irv’s first inclination was to run back to the campground and get his Uncle’s rifle to put the poor animal out of its misery.

He said as much, but the young woman shouted at him, “NO! SHE WILL HEAL. SHE NEEDS TIME!”

“Sorry. She’s hurt bad. Are you sure, Miss?” Irv tried to keep her calm, mainly because she had just drawn a very sharp-looking sword and was prepared to fend off anyone who came too close.

“My name is Laida. This is my father’s steed…Pega…Pegasus,” she hung her head and sighed. “My father will be very angry with me.”

“I guess he will be. My name’s Irv. This is Kenny. If you don’t mind my asking, what the heck happened?”

“We were flying along, and an airship threw a javelin-bomb at us. It must have been a fortunate shot, because it struck between Pegasus’ armor plates.”

“You said, flying along. Does that mean galloping fast or…?”

“We were flying.” Laida stated flatly as she pointed up in the air.

“O…K…” Kenny scoffed. “Are you hurt? Maybe the bomb…”

“No. Pegasus protected me! She saved my life. We need to take her to a safe place where she can heal.”

“Alrighty then,” Kenny replied. “Irv, go back and get Uncle Ed’s flat-bed truck. We can take…Pegasus…to our garage. We might as well make her comfortable.” He tried to hide his doubts.

With that, Kenny reached out to stroke the horse’s neck. Unexpectedly, Pegasus turned her head toward Kenny and looked him square in the eye. She seemed strangely calm for a suffering animal. Kenny could have sworn the horse trusted him to do the right thing. Laida put her sword away.

In a few minutes, Irv returned with the truck. He explained he asked to borrow it for a while and didn’t tell his Uncle why. “It just seemed best to keep quiet about the three-legged horse, the alien armor, and the young lady with the extreme sword.”

——

After they arrived at Kenny and Irv’s house, and Pegasus had lain down on an old mattress, Irv asked Laida if she needed anything.

“We need some Mead from Mount Olympus to dress her wound.”

“Oh, is that all?” Kenny sounded skeptical. “It seems to me you’re in a fix then. If Pegasus here could fly, you could go and get some Mead, but since she can’t…well, you see the problem.”

“Yes, I do,” Laida sounded dejected.

“Wait a minute,” Irv jumped in, half humoring Laida, and half trying to be helpful. “I know some gamers who have a few bottles of this Mead they bought on-line. It’s called Mt. Olympus Mead. It’s probably as close as we’re going to get. I can call in a favor.”

“That would be acceptable,” Laida replied.

After Irv left to get the Mead, Kenny asked Laida, “What is written on this piece of paper?”

“Oh, that’s ancient Greek for, “Spring break in Kentucky!” Pegasus and I were going to have a short holiday.

“Hmm…well, you almost made it. This is Indiana.”

——

The brothers helped Laida keep Pegasus’ wound covered with clean towels soaked in Mt. Olympus Mead. Hours went by. They realized the family party would be breaking up after lunch the next day. Kenny and Irv provided Laida with an air mattress and some bed clothes, as well as some sandwiches for her and water for Pegasus. She said she would keep watch through the night, so they turned in.

Both Irv and Kenny expected poor Pegasus to be dead by morning, but they humored Laida as best they could and hoped they could somehow haul the carcass away before the rest of their family came home.

As they were getting dressed, they had a brief exchange.

“Good God, Kenny! How are we going to get a horse that size up on the truck?”

“We’ll just have to get some help. That poor woman probably needs help too, if you know what I mean. I think that’s going to be the hard part.”

“I suspect you’re right. I hope she won’t freak out on us.”

With little hope and much more than a little dread, they made breakfast for Laida and carried it to the garage. Fully prepared to see a dead horse and a despondent young woman, they cracked open the door.

“Umm…how is our patient?” Kenny asked.

“I told you all she needed was time.” Laida pointed to Pegasus’ leg. It was restored – regenerated – almost down to the hock. “Another day or two and my beautiful Pegasus will be ready to take me home.”

“Well, I’ll be darned…” the brothers said at practically the same moment.

“Now, if we can keep everyone out of the garage for a couple of days…” Irv said.

“We’ll need to work on a story,” Kenny sighed.

“We also need to get some apples and hay for Pegasus,” Laida observed.

“I’m on it,” said Irv. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

Kenny sat with Laida as she had a little breakfast. Her spirits had improved as she saw Pegasus recovering. All Kenny could say was, “amazing…” as he stroked the mythical horse’s neck.

After an embarrassingly long silence between them, Kenny made a tentative suggestion.

“Uh…you’ve had a hard night. Maybe you would like to get cleaned up a little. Not that you look bad or anything. I’ll stay here with Pegasus and you can go in the house, and down the hall to the left, there is a bathroom – tub and shower, clean towels – and then we can talk about how to keep you and Pegasus hidden for a couple of days. I’m working on a story to tell my parents and my little sister, Sandra…”

“Very well. See that no harm comes to Pegasus. And no peeking.” Laida placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

“Yes, Ma’am.” Kenny was brought up to keep his word and respect a woman’s privacy. He hoped Irv would return soon. It seemed to him Pegasus could use a little breakfast too. The noble horse looked at him expectantly, and who was he to keep a magical animal waiting?

Before long, Irv carried a bale of hay through the side door. “There’s a bushel of apples on the seat of the truck and a crate of alfalfa in the back. Why don’t you go get them? I’ll draw the shades. We don’t want anyone looking in. Where’s Laida?”

“Taking a bath.”

“Are you crazy? What if Mom and Dad come home early?”

“They won’t. We have ‘til after lunch.”

Irv and Kenny took turns hand-feeding Pegasus, who now and then raised her head to take a bite of an apple or a mouthful of fresh hay or alfalfa.

“What did you tell old Jake about all the horse food?” Kenny inquired.

“He didn’t seem to care. My money was a good enough explanation.”

The brothers were getting along pretty well with Pegasus when a realization silently crept over them.

“Umm…Irv? Wasn’t it today that Sandy had to be home early for band practice?”

“Oh…crap…I think you’re right. It’s Saturday morning. What time is it?”

“About 9:30. Isn’t practice at ten?”

Then they heard a terrifying voice shouting from the yard. “Thanks mom! I’ll see you this afternoon!”

“Thank God we locked the garage door opener,” Kenny tried to remain calm.

“Thank God Mom is just dropping Sandy off.” Irv added.

The front door opened. “Kenny! Irv! Are you guys home?” Sandra heard someone in the bathroom. “Hi, I’m home. I need to use the facilities. Now.” She paused. “C’mon Kenny. I’m sure you’re pretty enough to impress all your lady friends,” she teased.

Wrapped in a towel, Laida opened the door. Her clothes were on a hook and her armor was piled up on the floor behind her.

“Oh…” Sandra drew in her breath. “Who are you?”

“I’m Laida. You must be Sandra.”

“Where are my brothers? And which one of them brought you home?”

“They both did. They are in the garage.”

Sandra rushed down the hall and burst into the garage. “Alright you perverts, you’ve got some explaining to do!” Then she saw Pegasus. “Is that a…horse?”

“Brilliant observation, Sandy.” Kenny smirked. “This is Laida’s horse, Pegasus. And we’ve gotta swear you to secrecy on this. Please don’t tell Mom and Dad.”

“But she’s hurt,” Sandra offered as she walked towards the resting animal.

“She’s getting better,” Irv replied. “Yesterday she was missing her leg below the hip, about here, but it’s somehow regenerating. See?”

As Irv lifted the “Mead Pack,” as Kenny had dubbed it, they all could see the hock joint slowly taking shape.

“Look, I’ve got to get to band practice. I’ll be back around noon. Mom said she will probably be back around three. You guys better have a good story to keep her out of the garage. Dad’s going over to Uncle Ed’s house and will be home by supper. Ditto for him. Just so you know, it’s a little disturbing to come home and find a naked woman in our bathroom. Couldn’t you have texted me or something?”

“Dad told us to leave your damn cell phones in the car, remember?” Kenny spoke in his best dad voice. “Wait, she was naked?”

“She had a towel on, but still…”

“OK. Not a word to anyone, Sis. Promise?”

“I promise. When I come home for lunch, we can get our story straight. She’s pretty, don’t you think?” Sandra asked.

“Yes, she’s a beautiful animal, Sandy,” Kenny agreed, as he looked at Pegasus.

“Not her. Laida!”

“I guess so,” Irv jumped in. “Haven’t thought about it. Kenny’s kept me pretty busy getting a truck, hay, alfalfa, and apples. And don’t forget, Mt. Olympus Mead.”

“Yeah. She’s very beautiful. Probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met…” Kenny said wistfully, still facing Pegasus.

Sandra interrupted, “Uh-Oh, you have a little crush on her.”

“No, I don’t,” Kenny blushed. “I just think she’s really beautiful.”

“Thank you, young man,” Laida interjected. “And thank you all for your hospitality.” She was wearing a brocaded toga and carrying her sword and armor, which she summarily placed next to Pegasus’ armor on the garage floor.

“How long has she been in the garage?” Kenny whispered to Sandra.

“Long enough, Bro.”

——

“OK, here’s our story,” Kenny began. “We’re working on a surprise for Mom and they can’t use the garage for a couple of days. Monday is Mom’s half-birthday, so it could work, right?”

“Sandra shot back, “I’ve just learned most of the music for our fall show and a surprise for Mom is the best you two can come up with?”

“Well, what should we say? We’ve got a wounded mythological horse recuperating in the garage, accompanied by her owner’s daughter? Oh, and she really appreciates our shower?” Kenny vented his frustration.

“Pegasus and I aren’t mythological!” Laida snapped. “I’m standing right here and the greatest steed in history lies over there!”

“I’m sorry, Laida,” Kenny regained his composure. “This is just something that has never happened before and I’m having a hard time dealing with it.”

Laida reassured him, “I understand. This has never happened to you before, but you might be surprised how many times people have met us before.”

“You mean before a jet shot you down,” Irv spoke up.

“Did what?” Sandra replied.

“Yeah. I’ll bet a jet pilot thought Pegasus looked like a threat and when Laida didn’t reply to his radio request to identify herself, the pilot got nervous and fired a missile. They could be searching the area now for wreckage or something.”

“Come to think of it,” Sandra paused. “I saw some Air Force trucks heading towards Camp Taylor when Mom drove me home. Irv, you might be on to something.”

“That’s just great,” Kenny sighed.

“That is not great!” Laida returned.

“I was being sarcastic.”

“Oh. I see. So, what do you suggest?”

“Well, first I’ll take the truck back to Uncle Ed’s place and ride my bike back,” Irv offered. “You guys clean up around here, so nobody knows about you know who.” He pointed to Pegasus, who was now resting comfortably. “By the way, don’t we need her to stand up? I thought it wasn’t good to have a horse rest on its side.”

“She will be fine. Look, her hock joint is almost healed,” Laida replied.

“There’s no reason to suspect that we had anything to do with Pegasus,” Kenny suggested. “Stop worrying.”

“What about our tracks?” Laida asked. “They ended at the road, so a reasonable person might conclude that we found another form of transportation.”

“While you guys were worrying, I called Mom. She said some Air Force guys were asking questions at the reunion this morning. They were really curious about Uncle Ed’s truck.”

“Oh, crap…” Kenny muttered. “Irv. Hurry up and get that truck back. Make sure there is no trace of hay, alfalfa, horse hair, or anything connecting it to Pegasus. If they figure this out, we won’t be able to keep her a secret to Monday.” He turned to the mighty horse. “Hang in there, girl. We’ll do our best for ya.”

“Shouldn’t we just tell Mom and Dad? They could help.” Sandra tried to remain optimistic.

“Sometimes parents aren’t much help,” Laida offered. “I know there will be consequences for me when I get home.”

“Maybe we just have to be careful – stealth and guile might be our best options,” Kenny replied. “Laida, do you think you can remain hidden for a couple of days?”

“Keep in mind, Kenny, I was able to take Pegasus out of my father’s stables without being seen by the guards. I think that’s much more difficult than staying out-of-sight in an unguarded garage.”

“Good point,” Sandra answered.

“OK. We move about when Mom and Dad are away or asleep. When any of us are out in the garage, we must sound like we are working on something for Mom. Laida must whisper or remain silent when Mom or Dad are home. And, Pegasus, no whinnying or neighing…” The great horse looked at him as if she understood. Kenny gave her the other half of an apple.

——

The Air Force trucks appeared in town on Saturday night. MPs interrogated Ed about the truck and Irv. Sunday morning, they came to talk with Irv, but he wisely had gone to church. It was Sandra’s idea. “They can’t interrogate you in church. Go to Sunday School and stick around for the brunch. Maybe by the time you get home they’ll forget the whole thing.” She knew it wasn’t likely, but it could buy some time. Unfortunately, by Sunday afternoon, they found old Jake who said Irv bought some alfalfa, apples, and hay from him.

Pegasus had regenerated down to her fetlock by then. Laida had stood her up a few times, resting the horse’s massive right hindquarters on her shoulders each time. If Kenny, Irv, and Sandra hadn’t seen it, they wouldn’t have believed it. Then again, who would have believed a horse would be capable of regenerating a limb in three days either?

“We all need to lie like our lives depend on it,” Kenny said as the trucks pulled up on Sunday night. “None of us have seen anything unusual. We don’t know what they’re talking about. There’s nothing to see here. Irv was helping a friend with horse supplies. Irv and I came back early to get started on Mom’s present. Sandy, you went to band practice, ate lunch and went over to a friend’s house. Pick friends who’ll cover for you. I’ll back you up.”

By then, Pegasus’ armor was well-hidden, but Laida stood guard in hers, sword drawn, ready to protect Pegasus, as she had protected her.

The three stood their ground and backed up each other’s lies, as only brothers and sisters can. The Air Force MPs vowed to return the next day and kept the house under surveillance.

——

By breakfast on Monday, Pegasus had the beginnings of a hoof. Just a few more hours and she would be whole. The trouble was, Irv’s parents could always tell when he was shading the truth. Kenny and Sandra could often get away with little lies, but not Irv. His Dad often said he would make a terrible Poker player. After breakfast, they sat down with Irv and told him he should come clean and tell them what everyone was up to. His Mom even said, “I know this isn’t about a gift for me.”

Irv began, “Mom and Dad, you remember you told me that sometimes we have to do what’s right even though others might want us to do what they want? Well, I needed Uncle Ed’s truck to help someone who was in big trouble. I needed it to save a life. Please don’t be mad at me.”

“Go on, Irv. Let’s hear the full explanation,” his Mom said as his Dad nodded.

“You’re probably not going to believe this but hear me out.” Irv then told the story from the beginning. The pieces of green and gold metal, the young woman, the awesome sword, the missile attack, the wounded horse, the claim that this horse was The Pegasus of myth, the regeneration of her leg, the fact that Laida and the horse were now in their garage. “So, in a way, this is a gift for you, Mom. We hoped Pegasus would be ready to fly by today and you and Dad could see her take flight.”

“I think you might need counselling, Irv. And your sister and brother too,” his Dad said. “It seems to me you are sharing a delusion of some kind. Have you been taking drugs?”

His wife cut him off. “There’s only one way to find out. Show us this mythical horse and her rider.”

“She’s not mythical. She’s real, and so is Laida. Follow me.”

——

“I had to tell them,” Irv began. Sandra and Kenny didn’t respond. Nothing they could have said would have spoken louder than the sight their parents observed. Laida was propping up Pegasus on her shoulders because her right rear hoof needed a few more minutes to heal. Sandra and Kenny were helping to put on her armor, following Laida’s instructions. The parents were speechless. Irv tried to introduce Laida, but etiquette seemed a little silly at times like these. There was a loud knock at the front door. Sandra could only beg, “Mom and Dad, please stall them.”

All a person can do in such strange circumstances is what they think is best. Irv and his siblings had tried to do the right thing. So, their parents stalled. They showed the two men around the house, but they took their time. Minutes passed like hours. After they showed the MPs the shed, they took them to the garage door. “Go ahead and open it,” the men ordered.

The door opened. Pegasus ducked her head gracefully and stepped out into the sunlight. Without delay, Laida swung herself effortlessly onto Pegasus’ back. She did not need a saddle. The MPs froze in place and rubbed their eyes.

“Home, Pegasus!” was all Laida needed to say. The magnificent white horse sprouted enormous wings and mounted to the sky, leaving seven startled witnesses in her wake. As horse and rider flew out of earshot, they heard a heartfelt “thank you!” from the rider.

One of the MPs reached for his radio. Dad stopped him. “Why don’t you just put this in your report?”

Mom smiled. “Good idea.”

“No one would believe it anyway,” replied the MP, scratching his head. “Nothing to report here.”