Human-Centaur Relations

by Jack Doe

  He took off on foot, following where the light had gone. Under the new moon, it was pitch black outside, save for the stars that always made the monument such an impressive sight to see at night. He looked for shadows in the stars that might silhouette someone or something, but he saw nothing.

  "Anul'thek?" he asked quietly. "Is that you?" No one responded. His stomach turned in disappointment. It had to be a centaur's pod; it just had to be! He groped around for several minutes and then finally sighed and went back to the monument.

  "Tease," he said reproachfully to the stones, shaking his head as he walked by.

  He froze. A shadowy figure stood next to one of the standing stones, mere inches away.

  Forgetting his manners—and his safety—Bryce cried out, "Don't touch it!"

  The figure jumped and looked at him. "Why not?" a familiar voice asked.

  "Anul'thek?"

  "Bryce?"

  In the darkness, the two found each other and embraced. "Oh, I've missed you so much!" Bryce said, tears streaming down his eyes. He pulled back abruptly. "But wait, what are you doing here? It's been more than a month!" He gasped. "Where are the others? Is everybody okay? Did you change your mind? Will you all be staying with us?"

  "Oy! Who goes there?" a security guard called out, shining his torch about, seeking the voices.

  "Duck!" Bryce hissed, and Anul'thek instantly hit the ground just as the torch landed on Bryce's face. He held up his hand to shield himself from the bright light as the guard approached. Bryce advanced slowly toward the guard, too, in order to keep the guard away from Anul'thek.

  "Just me, Bobby," Bryce said. "Paying the stones a final visit before I head back to university."

  "Oh, Bryce!" the guard said in surprise, lowering his torch. "Mighty dark night you picked. Had me worried there."

  "I'm sorry, Bobby," Bryce said ruefully. "I didn't get to pick when summer would end."

  The guard chuckled and shook his head. "I thought I heard a shout, and I came to see what the matter was."

  "That was me," Bryce admitted. "I thought I saw someone, but it was just a shadow."

  The guard looked at him warily. "You're sure it was just a shadow?" he asked.

  "'Aye," Bryce said calmly.

  The guard shrugged. "It gets to all of us when it's dark like this," he replied. "So tonight's your last, huh? Coming back?"

  "I suspect so!" Bryce said enthusiastically. "I just have to finish my studies."

  The officer nodded and tipped his hat. "Well, all the best to you, Bryce, and we'll see you next year, then!"

  Bryce grinned and waved the guard off. His heart pounded in his chest as he made his way back to where he'd left the centaur. "Anul'thek?" he hissed.

  "Here," Anul'thek whispered.

  "We've got to get you out of here," Bryce said. "I can't pull off a performance like that again!"

  The centaur chuckled quietly as the two silently made their way back to Bryce's bicycle. Anul'thek hid in the shadows as Bryce got his helmet on and mounted his bike, and then the two of them struck off for Bryce's house.

  "That's new," Anul'thek said, gesturing to the trees when they arrived.

  "Shh!" Bryce said. "I want to surprise Grandpa."

  He went to the door, but he heard voices inside, and laughter. He frowned and opened the door.

  "Grandpa, I–" Bryce started, but he stopped abruptly. Ala'ni was standing in the living room, and Charles was sitting on the sofa, the two of them chatting and laughing as if they'd never been apart.

  "Bryce!" Charles said enthusiastically. "Look who dropped in! Literally!"

  Bryce's jaw dropped as Ala'ni turned and waved.

  "Where's Anul'thek?" she asked.

  "Here," Anul'thek said from behind Bryce. Bryce moved into the room, and Anul'thek followed. It was suddenly very cramped in the living room, but the humans moved the furniture off to the side and sat side-by-side on the couch, while the centaurs stood side-by-side facing them. It was tight, but they made it work.

  "Okay," Bryce said breathlessly to Anul'thek, "all those questions I asked before, answer them."

  Anul'thek laughed. "Where do you want me to start?" he asked.

  "Anywhere," Bryce said, "just start!"

  Everybody laughed again. "We left the day you did," Anul'thek began, "but Ala'ni and I were not happy. I sought out Ing'ma's advice, and he suggested giving it some time. This we did. Centaurs tend very much to live in the present. We don't miss people long, although we rarely forget faces, and we're joyful to see an old friend again."

  "When we were both upset after a week," Ala'ni continued, "Ing'ma urged patience. We feasted with the others and mated many times, but it seemed that we were inconsolable."

  "It's odd," Anul'thek said, "because we do not ordinarily feel an attachment to just one person. Normally, we have a general love of everyone."

  The humans nodded as Anul'thek continued. "After two weeks, we asked Ing'ma if there was anything else that could be done."

  "It seemed as though he'd known it was coming," Ala'ni said.

  "He was just waiting for us to ask," Anul'thek added.

  "But, where are the others?" Bryce asked. The look on the centaurs' face made it clear.

  "We left them to be with you," Ala'ni said gently.

  Bryce and Charles stared at each other.

  "Left?" Bryce breathed.

  "Are you sure that's what was best?" Charles asked doubtfully.

  The two centaurs recoiled, taken aback.

  "Don't get us wrong," Charles said hurriedly, "but to give up all of your kind...That's...'

  "Heavy," Bryce murmured, and Charles nodded.

  "Not only that," Charles added, "but doesn't this go against the notion that more does not make you happy? This certainly complicates your lives!"

  The centaurs nodded. "This is new territory for our people," Anul'thek said. "Or perhaps very old territory. None of us living can remember desiring the company of one person above another, but there are tales of centaurs millennia ago, even before we met mankind the first time, who mated for life."

  "We realize that we're locking ourselves in," Ala'ni chimed in. "We realize that you two are the only ones we may ever see." She glanced at Anul'thek, "but for us, it's worth it, if you'll have us."

  Bryce nodded. "I know what you mean," he said, and then he hesitated. "Anul'thek, I wanted to say it before I left, and so help me, I will not lose my chance again." He took the centaur's hand. "I love you, Anul'thek."

  The centaur's eyes misted over, and he took Bryce's hand in both of his own, pulling him off the couch to embrace.

  Charles sat, shaking his head with a grin on his face. "It's about damn time," he said softly, and Ala'ni nodded. He turned to her. "You know I've always been crazy about you," he said, and she grinned. "Duh!" she said, and they both laughed.

  "Oh, shit!" Bryce said suddenly, and everybody stared at him.

  "What?" Charles asked worriedly.

  "I have to go back to the university. What do I do? I can't take Anul'thek with me!"

  "Bryce, relax," Charles said, putting his hand on his grandson's shoulder. He chuckled. "If these two can make it across space to be with us, I'm sure there's a way we can make it work."

  And he was right. The days leading up to Bryce's return to university were very joyful, although tinged with a hint of sadness, knowing that he'd be gone. Before long, though, he figured out a way to Skype with Anul'thek, and the two stayed in touch that way. During his visits home, which he made as often as he could, they were very happy together. Charles even let them breed in the house. "What the hell," he said. "It's not like I haven't seen it before!"

  For their part, Charles and Ala'ni spent almost all of their waking hours together. As the years passed, the four put up tall hedgerows around the property that let them go outside together, and Charles and Ala'ni would spend hours sitting in the ever-improving garden, picking fruits, watching the bees buzz by, enjoying the life that they had begu
n to craft for themselves.

  Time passed, and Bryce got his degree. As the farm grew and improved, he spent less and less time seeking out ancient history and more time living in the present. With the money he saved and the few things that the four had to purchase, he eventually quit working and lived with his grandfather and the two centaurs. Occasionally, he'd set up a little stand in the front yard to sell fruit to passersby.

  "My! These are the most beautiful apples I've ever seen!" a familiar voice said.

  Bryce looked up to see Clarissa, his classmate from years before, standing there. "Clarissa?" he asked.

  She did a double-take. "Bryce?" she asked incredulously. "Oh, my gosh, where have you been all these years?"

  Bryce grinned. "Living the dream," he said.

  "Oh, yeah?" Clarissa asked, catching the reference. "Whose dream?"

  "Mine," Bryce said, beaming and winking.

  Clarissa raised her eyebrows. "That great?" she asked.

  "Life is joyous," Bryce said, meaning every word. "Oh, so joyous."

  "Wow...I–I'm happy for you," Clarissa replied.

  "What's going on?" Bryce asked.

  "Oh, it's nothing," she said, sniffing the apple. It smelled wonderful.

  "Aw, come on," Bryce said. "What is it?"

  "I just thought I'd be happier by now," she said.

  "Aren't you?"

  She shook her head. "Not even with a 5,000 square-foot house, a maid, and a yacht," she said.

  Bryce reeled. "Wow, you've done well for yourself."

  "I married money," she said flatly, "and we're divorced now."

  "I'm sorry," Bryce said. He paused, and then added, "More doesn't make you happier, you know. It only complicates your life."

  Clarissa frowned. "I guess you're right," she said. "So," she said, changing the subject, "any love interests?"

  Bryce grinned. "My boyfriend of six years," he replied.

  "Boyfriend?" Clarissa asked, surprised. "I thought you were straight."

  "I'm bi," he replied, smiling. "Why limit yourself to only half the joy in the world?"

  "Ugh, or half the problems of the world," Clarissa scoffed.

  "Life is what you make it, Clarissa," Bryce replied. "Happiness comes from within." He paused thoughtfully. "Is there nothing to be happy about?" Clarissa shrugged. "Well, how about that apple?" Bryce suggested. Clarissa looked at it and put it down. Bryce handed it back to her. "Have it," he said. "Free of charge." She smiled. "What about this day?" Bryce added. "Isn't it beautiful outside?" Clarissa looked up. She had to admit, with the clear, blue sky and the sunshine, it was a beautiful day. She smiled and nodded.

  "There's always something to be joyful about," Bryce told her. "You just have to find it."

  "Wow, Bryce," Clarissa said, biting into the apple. She paused, a look of shock coming over her face. "Oh, my gosh, this is great!" she exclaimed.

  "There are plenty more where those came from," Bryce grinned. He glanced over his shoulder. "Would you like to see?" Clarissa smiled and nodded. Bryce took out his phone and made a call. "Hey," he said. "Would you make sure Grandpa has his clothes on?" He laughed. "Okay, love you, too." He hung up.

  "What was that?" Clarissa asked, laughing.

  "When you don't have any peeping eyes from neighbors, you don't feel like you have to wear clothes," Bryce smiled.

  "You're naked around your grandfather?" Clarissa asked, giving him a disapproving look.

  Bryce shrugged carelessly. "When you live in heaven, things like that really don't matter. It's not like we're having sex with each other."

  Clarissa reeled. "What?" she asked, shaking her head in confusion.

  Bryce hesitated. Maybe she wasn't ready to see this. He'd give it one last shot. "Look," he said, "My grandfather and I and our partners live in paradise. Clothes are a nuisance, so why bother?"

  "But you're wearing clothes right now," Clarissa retorted.

  "Just pants," Bryce said, and Clarissa conceded the point.

  "Look, you don't have to see it," Bryce said earnestly. "I just thought you might like to."

  Clarissa nodded hesitantly, and Bryce opened a latch on a gate. On either side of the gate were ivies grown densely into hedges that completely obscured the view into the garden. As he opened the door, Clarissa gasped.

  Inside was a lush, thick green field with little streams of water that burbled up from the four sides of the garden, helped along by pumps. Trees stood everywhere, all heavy with fruit, and the smell was overwhelming. A little park bench sat in the middle, its back turned to the fence. The apple trees that Bryce and his grandfather had first planted sat to either side of the bench, their fruits within reach by someone sitting on it. All around, birds chirped and bees buzzed. Rabbits hopped about, mostly unafraid of the humans.

  "Bryce," Clarissa said breathlessly, "it's beautiful."

  Bryce nodded and took her by the hand. "Try this one," he said, moving her hand up to pluck a pear effortlessly from one of the branches. Her eyes widened with the ease of picking it, and when she bit into it, her eyes rolled back in her head. It had more flavor than any pear she'd ever eaten, and it filled her mouth and nostrils with its sweet taste.

  When she finished it, she looked at him helplessly. "What do I do with it?" she asked.

  "Toss it," Bryce replied, grinning. "Maybe one day, it'll make more pear trees grow here." Clarissa smiled and threw the pear off to the side. A rabbit instantly went to check it out but turned away, disinterested.

  The two sat on the park bench as the birds serenaded them.

  "Bryce," Clarissa whispered, "how did you get this?"

  "We built it," he replied. "My grandpa and I, and our lovers, of course."

  "You keep mentioning your lovers, but do they have names?" Clarissa needled him.

  Bryce hesitated. "Well, um, they're not from around here," he said uneasily.

  "You're not afraid to admit that you don't wear any clothes behind these walls, but you're afraid to tell me your lover's name?" Clarissa asked skeptically. "What, are they aliens or something?" She laughed.

  "Something like that," Bryce muttered.

  "What?" Clarissa asked, her interest piqued.

  "Hey, Bryce. Who's this?" Charles asked, walking up, wearing his clothes.

  "Hey, Grandpa," Bryce replied, standing. "This is Clarissa, an old schoolmate. Clarissa, this is Charles, my grandpa."

  "She doesn't look that old to me," Charles replied, shaking Clarissa's hand and grinning as Bryce rolled his eyes.

  "I was just showing her the garden," Bryce said.

  "It's breathtaking!" Clarissa said to Charles.

  "Like what we've done with the place?" he asked, beaming.

  "I love it!" Clarissa said. She turned to Bryce. "But what's this about your lovers?"

  Bryce exchanged glances with Charles, who pursed his lips thoughtfully. He sat down on the bench next to her as Bryce squatted nearby. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked her.

  "What kind of secret?" she asked, her eyes shining.

  "The best kind," Bryce chimed in, grinning.

  Clarissa glanced suspiciously at the two beaming faces, and then up at the panoply that surrounded her. Whatever this secret was, it must be wonderful. She bit her lip, and nodded hesitantly.

  "Not a word to anyone?" Charles asked her intently. She shook her head.

  "It's about centaurs," Charles began. Her posture sagged.

  "Really?" she asked, giving them an exasperated look. And then her jaw dropped.

  Anul'thek and Ala'ni stepped out of the shed and stood beside their partners.

  "No way," Clarissa mouthed.

  "Clarissa," this is my boyfriend," Bryce said carefully, but beaming. "His name is Anul'thek."

  Dazed, Clarissa shook hands with the centaur. "Ana–anawha?"

  "Ah-nool`TEK," the centaur said, and Clarissa gaped. "He can talk!" she cried.

  Everybody laughed. "Well, of course he can talk!" Bryce said.

  "Who's that?
" Clarissa asked, gesturing to Ala'ni."

  "I'm Ala'ni," the centaur replied. "Al-uh`NEE." She shook hands with Clarissa, who shook her head in amazement.

  "How have you kept this a secret?" Clarissa asked, and the four exchanged glances.

  "It hasn't been easy," Bryce said. "You're the first person I've shown back here."