Ethan Windfall and the Keepers of the Lost Realm: The Calling

Chapter Six: My Best Friend is a Talking Horse

Reader, you probably have millions of questions swirling through your head right now. You’re probably eager to find out what’s gonna happen next. You might think I’m going to die. Heck, you might even be happy about it. (Uh… all though I hope you’re not.) Anyways, I’m not gonna stall this story for any longer. Let’s get on with it, all right?

There I was, plunging down towards my tragic death with a stomach that felt like a bowl full of Jell-O. Surprisingly, as the wind rattled in my ears and my clothes inflated with air, my fear seemed to die away. I know that sounds pretty strange considering the fact that I was about to bust into a million pieces, but hey. At least I wasn’t getting eaten by a bird.

As I fell, my lungs began to burn worse than the gash on my hand. I had been unable to breathe during my fall, and the lack of oxygen was starting to take effect. Soon, the intense darkness began to consume the light until there was only a speck left. Soon, that glimpse dispersed into the utter darkness, and everything went silent.

But the silence didn’t last for long. To me, it seemed to only last a few seconds before a piercing white light broke through the black wall, and a strange buzzing sound filled my ears. It was long before this noise died away until I could hear the breeze rustling the leaves and steady raindrops hitting the earth. But there was someone else there. I doubted myself at first, but when I heard the mysterious figure take in a long, deep breath, I knew that my suspicions were right. My heart skipped a beat as images flashed through my mind. It could be anyone like my mom, Mrs. Potter, or even Kirk. But I was supposed to be dead! How could that even be possible? My mind tried to fish out the right words to say. I had to say something, but what? Before I could even stop myself, I blurted out the first words that came to mind.

“Am I in heaven?”

I was aware that someone was next to me, but it still startled me when I heard their strangely familiar voice. “Of course you’re not dead, idiot! You didn’t even die!” the voice exclaimed. “I saved you. Without me, you would be monster chow right now.”

A groan escaped my lips before my eyes opened slightly. At first, everything seemed disoriented and blurry, but after a few moments, I began to regain my sight. I could see a dark canopy of trees looming over me, and in the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of light brown curls and large hazel eyes that I could recognize anywhere. It was Paedo. Of course, he was paying absolutely no attention to me, but to my hand. I heard the sound of crunching leaves before I felt him press something against my palm.

“What happened?” I asked, gently pressing the fingers of my free hand to my forehead.

“You got attacked by a griffin, that’s what. Kid, you really need to learn to be more careful about where you go at this time of night. It’s dangerous out here,” he replied. “When the griffin dropped you, I used my powers to catch you and scare that beast away. You’re safe now.”

“I’m not sure that ‘safe’ is the right word to describe it.”

As I said this, images from recent events flashed through my mind. I could easily recall the spark of fury in Kirk’s scarlet eyes and picture the exact moment when I was flying above the forest in the beast’s claws. The last thing I remembered was that my hand had been on fire. My eyes wandered down to my hand to see if I had any burn marks, but my eyes were drawn away by something even more amazing. From the waist down, my best friend’s four horse-shaped legs were covered in matted hair, and he had hooves for feet. 

I forgot about the pain shooting up and down my body as my eyes widened and I shot up. “H-Horse? Wait… what the heck are you?”

“A centaur, kid. A centaur,” he said. “Half human, half horse. Along with the giant butt of mine, of course.”