The Sampler Platter: A Little Bit of Everything

by Susan Skylark

  ~Rachel Field, ‘Something Told the Wild Geese’~

  Earthbound

  It was a land where only birds could find easy passage, birds or winged horses. It was a rich and fertile land, with a mild climate and abundant rains that allowed all manner of vegetation to flourish, but the topography was something out of a nightmare. Great hills, with impossibly steep slopes, thrust themselves out of the earth while plants clung precariously to their sides and adorned their relatively flat tops like an uncouth green mane. Wild rivers lurked in the steep valleys between the jumbled hills that slanted at strange angles like so many crooked teeth; between the cascading rivers and lush foliage, there were always mists and rainbows mysteriously draping the hills. Even goats could not make a living upon those crazily slanting steeps, but Pegassi flourished where goats feared to tread. Their great wings could bear them easily to the hilltops where they could graze at leisure or they could gain some precarious foothold upon the nearly vertical hillsides to nibble at some choice treat beyond the reach of normal herbivores. It was a land of legend, beauty, and mystery and well beyond the reach or interest of mankind, or at least so it seemed. For men had found the land too harsh to farm or settle and were content with their holdings elsewhere, thus the Pegassi were left in relative peace, save for the occasional adventurer or fortune hunter bold enough to venture into those mysterious lands.

  But the Pegassi had little to fear from such forays, for they were keen of sight, smell, and hearing and could easily elude any pursuit that went about on legs and were wary enough to keep well out of bowshot. So men sometimes glimpsed the wondrous creatures from a distance but never had mortal man come face to face with the marvelous winged horses that most thought existed only in legend. Over the centuries, many had tried their luck at capturing or killing one of the astounding creatures, but even the luckiest only received the briefest glimpse as his reward, most saw nothing at all and went away convinced the creatures were simply a myth. So it was that the Pegassi lived on quite indifferent to men in the relative safety of that peculiar land.

  But some were not content to let the fabulous creatures live on undisturbed, for there was a fortune to be made by the man who could capture one of the beasts and Gort would not rest until he was that man. He packed up his mules and a half dozen sturdy men and hied himself to the place where legend dwelt, intent on making a detailed study of the creatures and their habits, in hopes of finding some weakness or quirk that he might thus exploit. They set up camp along one of those rivers that were as wild and untouched as the fabled Pegassi they hunted and there they stayed for some months, mapping out the area, studying the creatures, and making their plans. The Pegassi made note of the squatters and were careful to avoid that particular vale, but otherwise paid the intruders little heed. It was soon obvious that a healthy adult was nigh uncatchable, leaving only the young and the weak, but they had not invested so much to come away with some crippled or sick creature so they turned their predatory eyes to the very young. But where and when did the creatures foal?

  Only the Pegassi could answer that question but they were not about to reveal their most intimate secrets to such unscrupulous strangers. The land was a paradise for anything with wings, but an unfledged foal would find it as harsh and unyielding as mortal men. The verdant hilltops provided good grazing for the adults but they had to travel from hill to hill to sate their hunger as they were too small to support one Pegassi indefinitely, neither could they serve as a nursery for the earthbound children of that race. Rather, the mares secreted themselves in the wide meadows of the plateaus to the West of those hills and there brought forth and nurtured their young, until they were old enough to tread the paths of the sky and could thus return to their native land. Gort and his cronies soon understood the limits of those crazy hills and knew the creatures must bear and raise their foals elsewhere, and if he could find that elsewhere, the creatures would be his.

  So it was that he sent his minions out in pairs on scouting missions into the surrounding countryside seeking anywhere that might prove a good nursery to the creatures, and after many months and countless miles, his prudence paid off. For beyond those hills lay a broad land of lush pasture and meandering streams in which the beasts could lose themselves and their young ones until the creatures could gain the safety of the skies. Gort abandoned his camp and moved into the midst of the plateau to impatiently await the spring.

  The mare was nervous, she caught the vagrant scent of men in the air and knew they had invaded the Pegassi’s ancestral foaling ground, but her time was near and she had no other choice. She glanced about anxiously and crept into a little dell, hoping it concealed her from casual sight. The foal was born without difficulty and his antsy mother began to relax as the days wore on and no interruption presented itself. Finally she felt comfortable leaving the colt hidden during the day while she vanished back to the familiar hills with their rich pasture to graze, returning at night to guard and nurse her offspring. The foals were born amidst a wide green pastureland, but as summer wore on the heat intensified and the rains failed and the grass soon lay sere and brown, whereas those impossible hills never failed to offer lush, green fodder save in the coldest months of winter and even then there was enough to sate the Pegassi, though it was dry and brown. Even before the grass failed, it was the habit of all such mothers to return home to graze during the course of the day and visit the foals only at night, in this way drawing less attention to their vulnerable offspring while still availing themselves of the luscious grass of their homeland. The foals hid most of the time, but as they grew older, they would start grazing on their own in the cool of evening and amidst the dew of morning. By the time fall arrived, they were able to leap into the air and were almost ready to fly; soon they could follow their mothers home one crisp day and enter their true home before the snows of winter buried the plateau.

  Gort and his men hid themselves throughout that wide green land and watched, eventually finding several such mothers and their young ones hidden throughout the countryside. Great was their rejoicing when they discovered this odd habit of leaving their foals alone and unprotected throughout the day. Then on one fateful morning, they waited for the mare to depart, mounted their horses, and pursued the foal. He could not fly but he could still run. But he could not outrun so many mature horses. He bleated pitifully and ran until he collapsed, then the hunters were upon him. They tied him securely, put him on the back of one of the ever patient mules, mounted their weary horses, and turned towards home. The mare returned to find the creature gone with signs of a great chase and struggle written in the crushed herbage and disturbed turf all about where he had been. She screamed heart-wrenchingly to the indifferent moon but knew her little one was beyond her aid. She fled back to those peculiar hills with the dawning and great was the unease among her people.

  Gort had his own source of unease, for he did not trust his minions. One by one their numbers started to atrophy as they journeyed back into the lands of men. One died of a sudden illness, another suffered a tragic accident, one went wandering away from camp one night and never returned, another’s horse went mad and threw himself and his hapless rider to the ground and neither stirred again, and so forth until only Gort and two of his cronies remained. The two underlings were by now very jumpy, wondering if they had somehow cursed themselves by daring to capture such a beast or if there were not some treachery among them. Gort whispered quietly to one of the men one night, “Carl has been acting a bit strange of late, whispering things that should not be spoken by mortal men. Wanting to be the sole possessor of our prize. He makes me nervous.”

  The man frowned, “I had suspected as much. We may need to take matters into our own hands. Are you with me?” Gort nodded his encouragement as the man drew his dagger and approached the unwitting Carl, who looked at the drawn weapon with apprehension and then fury, drawing forth his own. The first man looked questioningly at Gort, who nodded grimly
and reached for his own knife, but relaxed his grip on the hilt when it was clear Carl was not going to sit this out, though Gort fully intended to. The two struggled for a time and Gort made sure the winner did not live to celebrate his victory. He smiled triumphantly to himself as he filched anything the deceased had of use or value, then he approached the cruelly bound foal, gloating, “now it is just you and I, beast, and none will share in my profit or know the secret to taking such a creature!” The foal cringed back and shuddered, at the dreadful things he had seen and heard since his abduction, feeling that men must be the most dreadful creatures alive in the wide world and wondering what his own bitter end would be among them. The next morning, the man set out alone with his great prize and thought his future would be grand indeed.

  But there are other unscrupulous men in the world, every bit as nasty as Gort, and just as happy to avail themselves of a potentially lucrative situation. The bandits were attracted by the horses and mules in the party and only encouraged in their ambitions by seeing a single man attending them all. A few arrows later, the villains were rifling through the baggage and securing their new property while Gort was well beyond such mortal concerns. One of the unwashed lot pointed out the wretched foal which was thin, bedraggled, and dejected. Their leader barked a laugh, “who would bother themselves with such a pitiful creature when we have more than enough with the rest of the beasts? Leave it!” The thieves shared a hooting laugh and vanished into the night, leaving the poor creature bound and alone with the murdered Gort. He had thought his plight could not get much worse, but he was horrified to discover himself dreadfully wrong. At least he had not fallen into the hands of such horrid men; they had not looked close enough to see the wing buds on his back in the twilight nor would they have known what they were had they seen them. He sighed and wondered how long it would take to die of thirst or until a wandering predator ended his misery.

  A gasp of horror and surprise brought the colt awake instantly, he must have dozed off with exhaustion, terror, and grief, but he was wide awake as he scanned the small glade in which he found himself with the sun on the rise. His heart leapt within him, but whether in fear or joy, he was unsure, for he was no longer alone. He had resigned himself to a grim and lingering death alone, but here was another human creature and part of him rejoiced that he was no longer alone with the dead. But this creature was different than all such that he had yet encountered. This one was smaller, more timid, and did not smell of grime and filth. It was this creature who had uttered the gasp, probably upon sighting his dead conspecific. His attention turned to the foal as it struggled to an upright position and the lad gasped anew. Tremulously, he approached the cruelly bound colt, giving the dead man a wide berth.

  The foal flinched back when the lad drew forth his knife, but relaxed when he realized he only meant to cut the bonds. Soon enough, the colt was loose, bucking and frisking like a calf turned out on spring pasture. He rolled on the grass under the sun and felt that life might yet hold joy for him. He stretched and kicked, working the stiffness and disuse out of legs, wings, neck, and body. The boy frowned in perplexity when he glimpsed the wing buds on the creature’s back. The colt shook his head and snorted, saying, “you have never seen a Pegassi before?” A voice from such a source was even more astounding than the strange appendages on the foal’s back; the boy sat down heavily and gaped. The beast snorted a laugh, “apparently not and neither have you heard a horse speak.” He glanced grimly at the remnants of the bandit’s handiwork and said, “so are all men like them? Creatures who care nothing for others and only seek that which will benefit themselves, even if they must murder one another to accomplish it?”

  Tobin shook his head, his eyes still wide, “many men are selfish and some downright vile, but most are not as cruel or villainous as you have apparently encountered. Would I have loosed you, were I such as they?”

  The colt nodded, “you speak wisely, for you thought me a mere horse and yet stooped to help such a wretched creature, for which I am grateful. But what is to come of me? I am in far better straits than I was last night, but I am still far from my home and among a people that will think nothing of enslaving me again.”

  Asked the boy, “what would you have of me?”

  Said the Pegassi, “I must return to my people who dwell many days to the south, but I know not the way and am yet very young and alone in all the world.”

  Tobin smiled sadly, “that makes two of us, for my father has recently married and my stepmother said that I must go find my place in the world because I no longer had one under her roof. I hardly know anything of the world, especially your homeland or people, but I will accompany you, if you would have me.”

  The Pegassi whinnied for joy, “glad would I be for the company of a kind and caring friend, though we know little of the world, we shall face its perils together. Are you sure you wish to go on such an adventure, it may well be dangerous and you cannot survive on grass as I can.”

  The boy grinned impishly, “any direction is as good as any other at the moment and I am like to starve or fall into danger regardless of the way I go. I might as well make the journey as interesting and useful as possible since I have to go regardless.”

  The colt frisked excitedly, “very well, friend, let us away, but first I must find somewhere to drink and bathe, I should shine like fresh snow not be as drab as wet ash.” Much to the Pegassi’s delight, there was a cold brook laughing in the shadows just over the hill. He joyously plunged in, cleansing himself physically of his recent adventures, if only his heart were so easily restored to its former innocence and joy. He charged out of the stream and laughed, “come friend! Our adventure awaits.” He set off at an eager trot but found the boy could not keep up so contented himself with a walk that he not lose his companion. The boy smiled gratefully and hastened alongside his new friend.

  It was now midsummer and the colt had spent nearly a month a captive, traveling as fast as Gort could push his horses, so it would be well into early autumn before they reached the Pegassi’s country afoot. He was not even sure where his country was, only vaguely familiar with the route back to the plateau where he was born and hoped he could locate his homeland from there, having watched his mother travel thither on a daily basis.

  Tobin wondered how he was to find food upon the way, for from what the creature said, there were few farms and no villages between their current location and the Pegassi’s native heath. He smiled ruefully, it was not as if he had had any idea of how he was to provide for himself anyway, save perhaps to offer to assist with any needful chores in exchange for a few scraps or a little bread, but that would require someone to ask for such a boon, something he was unlikely to encounter on this journey into the wilds. Ah well, he would think of something. He hastened on after the eager Pegassi, having lagged a bit in his introspection.

  Theirs was a merry journey, both were young and eager and the weather held pleasant. The Pegassi had been forcibly weaned by his capture and had been forced to make due with what grass he could nibble at night within the radius of the short rope that kept him tied to a tree. Even with their quick pace, he started to gain weight as they traveled, thanks to his newfound ability to graze as he pleased. The boy on the other hand, was forced to tighten his belt. He did not starve, for he knew enough of woodcraft to procure some sustenance from the land about them, he had a bow and a knife that aided him much in his search and the season was that when wild foods were fairly abundant. The occasional farm they encountered also helped sustain him, the residents so eager to have company in these far flung regions that they eagerly welcomed the boy amongst them and gave him a little food to take on his way the following morning. So did the weeks and miles pass, until the season was waning and a chill in the wind hinted at colder days to come. The woods were left behind and they climbed up treeless hills into a broad, flat land of endless grass.

  Said the Pegassi one bright morning, inhaling sharpl
y, “ah, this then is the land of my birth.” The boy looked a question at him and the creature continued, “this is only where I was born, my people dwell somewhere to the East and thence must we go.”

  The boy asked, “you have never seen your homeland?”

  The Pegassi nodded, “I have only ever seen my mother fly off in that direction and would not make the journey thither until I was old enough to do likewise.” He glanced over his shoulders at his quickening wings and said with a sigh, “alas that this unfortunate adventure has slowed my growth! It will be midwinter at least before I can fly and we cannot abide on the plain in such weather; we must therefore walk. I hope there are no insurmountable obstacles to earthbound travelers ere we reach journey’s end.” The boy nodded glumly and they turned towards the dawning. The colt had hoped to find some of his folk on the plateau but after his capture, they thought it unwise to linger so had quickly moved elsewhere, leaving only the wind sighing through the grasses to greet the exile upon his return.

  The land became steeper, rockier, and forested as they traveled East, slowing their progress significantly but if a Pegassi could travel the distance easily in a day, it could not be that far, even if they were afoot. But the colt’s dreaded insurmountable barrier stopped them in their tracks at midday of the second day since they left the plateau; a great river barred their way and it did not look to be easily crossed by those afoot for it flowed fast and cold over a bed of jagged rocks. It could neither be swum nor forded, their only choice was to move upstream towards the mountains where it had its birth and hope it narrowed or go downstream towards the distant sea and hope it widened and calmed as it journeyed thence. They did not want to climb northward into the mountains with winter coming and hoped the terrain south would be less steep and the climate a bit warmer if they were forced a great deal out of their way. The colt ruffled his half-grown wings in frustration, “alas, if only I could fly!” But he could not so the point was moot. They turned south.

  They were many days upon the river’s edge until at last they came to a place where the once might flow broadened over a bed of small stones and they could finally ford the river. They turned northeast as the weather turned chill and the wind bitter, but they felt themselves very nearly there and hoped to reach that mysterious country before the first snowfall. Tobin hoped there was something for mortal men to eat in the Pegassi’s country, for as the year waned, foraging amongst bush and river would become harder. An abundance of nuts and berries and an occasional fish from the river had sustained him once he left the plateau but winter would prove a bitter foe unless he could find a sure source of provender and he was in desperate need of clothing more suited to the colder weather. He did not know what would come of his adventure once his friend was finally reunited with his kin, for he doubted the creatures had even the barest amenities for mortal man and winter was fast approaching.

  Finally, finally, the colt let out a joyous scream one overcast afternoon as the wind was sending icy fingers deep into the boy’s ragged summer garb; he had seen one of his long sundered kinsmen, but said kinsmen had also seen the boy on the verge of Pegassi territory and hastened to find the Elders that they might know of the trespasser. Men were no longer simply ignored within the bounds of the Pegassi’s homeland and the Elders must do something about this bold intruder. The colt exchanged an eager glance with his friend and hastened his pace, Tobin did not complain, hoping that moving faster would warm his frozen frame.

  The Elders were quickly fetched and hovered out of bow range for a few minutes as they studied the intruder, yes he carried a bow and was therefore much to be feared. Then they studied the horse with him and were astounded to see that it was one of their own youngsters, though far smaller and less developed than he should be at this time of the year. Could it be? They landed to confer privately and dispatched someone to fetch a certain bereaved mother. She was nearly desperate to approach the strange young Pegassi but the Elders warned her sternly, “his companion has a bow and is a danger to all our kind, and who knows what fell power he might possess to control the heart and mind of one of our own youngsters?”

  Said she miserably, “what then are we to do?”

  The Elders shook their heads grimly, “we must somehow disable the man before we approach this strange youngster.”

  She asked desperately, “how?” The shook their heads in perplexity, having no answer. Said she hopefully, “perhaps the youngling will come to us of his own accord and we need not approach the man?” The Elders looked doubtful but thought it their best hope.

  The colt shook his head in consternation, “they have seen us, but why do they not come?”

  Tobin said thoughtfully, “after your encounter with men, perhaps they are wary of my presence? Perhaps if you approached them alone?”

  The colt nodded eagerly, “an excellent idea my friend! I shall not tarry long, await me here.” He galloped off in the direction he had seen several of his kinsmen land. He soon found them gathered deep in grim council. They stared at him in astonishment, but he instantly recognized his mother and squealed joyously. She dashed to him and after an exuberant greeting, he told all his story. They goggled at both the cruelty and kindness of men.

  Said the joyous mare, “what of your friend? Is he dangerous?”

  The colt shook his head in amusement, “nay dear lady, he has been my friend and companion these many miles, even though he has nearly starved and frozen upon the way for my sake. Is there aught we can do for him?”

  The Elders exchanged a grim look and the Eldest said, “after your abduction we changed our laws and now interaction with humankind is strictly forbidden. He must go his way and leave our lands as swift as may be.”

  The foal was aghast, “he saved my life and risked his upon this strange journey, can we do nothing to hasten his return to the lands of men? He will die upon the way if we turn him out with no food or protection against the cold.”

  The Eldest shook his head grimly, “I am sorry lad, but it cannot be. He should have thought of that ere setting forth. His lack of foresight is not our concern.”

  The colt looked towards his mother, “will you abandon him too?”

  She shook her head grimly, her months’ long heartache not having endeared humanity to her in the least and not wishing to dispute with the Elders, said she, “I am sorry my son, but your friend must face whatever fate awaits him. We can do nothing for him.”

  The colt screamed his frustration, rearing and pawing the air in consternation, “what if I go back to him and refuse to associate with so coldhearted a people?”

  The Eldest shook his head, “you would be anathema among your own kin and would not long survive the coming winter as you are unable to fly.”

  The colt said grimly, “it seems mankind is not the only race to have a problem with cold and bitter hearts, the Pegassi too are so afflicted. I will not abandon the boy to his fate, even if all I can do is die alongside him.”

  The panicked mother stared at the Elders in desperation but they only shook their heads grimly, the colt must do as he felt he must and they would do as they must. She sighed heavily and said to her son, “must I lose you twice child?”

  He said sadly as he turned to go, “only if you close your heart to those desperately in need of your aide. I will not repay his faithfulness with infidelity. Farewell mother.”

  She sighed deeply and said sadly, “things will be as they must, your time amongst men has ruined you. My son died the day he was taken from me and a stranger has returned with his face. I know you not. Who would choose a pointless death over the succor of his own people?”

  The colt smiled sadly, “love is never vain, lady, I hope you all learn that one day. Farewell!” He was soon lost in the growing twilight, leaving his elders to stare after in wonder.

  When he returned to the boy, night was falling and the temperature was dropping quickly. The boy was nearly frozen through and the smell of sno
w was heavy in the air. Said the colt sadly, “my people will do nothing to aid your plight and have said I am an exile and an outcast should I have anything more to do with you. So am I anathema to my own kin! But I will not abandon you, though I know there can be but one outcome.”

  Tobin’s teeth chattered and his lips were blue as he said, “you cannot die here vainly beside me, friend! Return to your people, I will not hold it against you.”

  The colt snorted, “you stood beside me all this way, can I not abide faithfully with you in the little time that is left us?”

  The boy saw that argument was pointless, the stubborn creature was set on his course. Instead of debating further, they sought what shelter they could beneath a great spruce; the colt lay down and draped one of his wings over the frigid boy who soon fell asleep, listening to the steady thump of his friend’s heart. Without, the temperature plummeted, the wind howled, and the snow fell unabated for three days. The colt too fell into a deep sleep, from which he would never waken. It was a terrible winter, the worst in the memory of the Pegassi, and no thaw came until the spring, when they found the pair still curled up under the sheltering tree, greatly did such devotion touch the hearts of that flighty folk and much did they wonder what it might mean if all beating hearts could prove so true.

  Still 'round the corner there may wait

  A new road or secret gate;

  And though I oft have passed them by,

  A day will come at last when I

  Shall take the hidden paths that run

  West of the Moon, East of the Sun.