User:Erastus/Serving the Sentence - Part 14
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{{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}} | |
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Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}| ]]
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Author: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}} |
Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}}]] [[Author::{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}}| ]]
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{{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}} | | Authors: ' |
Authors: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}]]
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{{#ifeq: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}} | |
Authors: {{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}} |
Author: [[User:{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus | Erastus}}|{{#ifeq: User |User| Erastus Centaur | Erastus Centaur}}]]
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The weather was sunny enough the next day to have a picnic. The stated reason was that they didn't want to exclude Amos, but Professor suspected that the other four thought of the house as his domain, not theirs. They even seemed reluctant to come in to use the bathroom. He had seen them pulling down their shorts in the corner of the pasture.
Piet manned the grill, his tail swishing occasionally. "Dave, how do you want your burger?"
"Well done."
"I thought you'd go for rare. Medium at least," said Zane.
"Oohh, no," said Dave with a grimace. "No moo in my burger."
"Jack?" prompted Piet.
"I think I had better start with a small taste," said Jack. "I'm tired of just veggies, but I'm not sure yet."
"Amos, any idea how to tell if a veggie burger is done?"
"You're asking me? I've never had one before," said Amos.
"I think it's starting to burn," said Piet. "I'd better serve it up. Whaddaya want on it?"
"I use to eat burgers with ketchup, lettuce, tomato, and onion."
"We can give that a try," said Zane, handing a plate to Piet with an open bun on it. Piet plopped a veggie burder onto the bun and Zane soon assembled it with the other ingredients and neatly cut it into quarters. Zane was sure Amos would have no trouble eating each quarter in a bite. Piet slapped another veggie burger on the grill; Amos was not going to eat just one.
Zane quickly made up burgers for everyone else and they gathered around the table. Jack soon announced, "No offense Piet, but these teeth aren't up to eating meat. How are the veggie burgers, Amos?"
"Not bad. Actually, they're better than that. They're quite good. Why didn't we think of ketchup and onions while all of you were still horses? This is a nice break from oats and carrots."
Piet put a couple more veggie burgers on the grill.
Professor started the discussion as the guys ate. "Now that your ordeal is over what do you plan to do?" There was no response; the guys kept eating. "Perhaps we start with you Zane."
"Well. Um." Zane paused for a moment. Professor waited. "Now that I have hooves, I don't want to go public any more than I have to, even if I could pass as a monk. So, I'm looking for seclusion. As to where, I guess I first wanted to hear what Dave has planned."
"And why defer to Dave? Why not just follow your heart?" asked Professor.
"I, um..." He got a puzzled look on his face. "I don't know."
Professor turned to Piet, "How about you?"
"I guess I'm waiting to hear from Dave as well -- and no, I don't know why."
"Jack?"
Another puzzled look. "Uh, the same I guess. With this face, seclusion sounds very good. I thought I had paid my dues over the last year. I went through being in heat, being pregnant, and giving birth to satisfy the Cosmos and get my cock back. But I find the Cosmos isn't done playing jokes on me. I get my cock back only to find I'll never be able to love a woman. She couldn't get close enough to this face. Yeah, seclusion sounds good. Whatever is good for Dave."
Amos walked around the table and rubbed her head up against Jack's. Jack reached a hand up to pat Amos on the other side of her head. "Thanks buddy." said Jack.
After a pause, Professor said, "So, Dave, since everyone is fascinated with your future -- for some unknown reason -- what do you want to do?"
"I need to finish my degree and I might as well do that here in Bozeman. I very much want to see our offspring grow and be a friend to Amos. So if it is OK with you, Professor, I'd like to live here on the ranch."
"Actually, it won't be up to me to give permission." Professor could see the puzzled expressions. "I'm old enough that this commute is too much for me. I want to move back into town. Now that most of you have access to your money again, I would like you to honor your promise from a couple years ago and buy me out."
"Well," said Jack, "I guess I want to live here too. I hadn't thought of myself as owning a ranch, but moving away just doesn't seem right. And what could be more appropriate for a guy with a horse head than to live among horses? I'll be glad to pay my share to buy out Professor."
"I don't think I could leave either for the same reasons Jack gave," said Zane. "I'm sure there is enough space for me too. Put me down for a share."
Everyone turned to Piet. He was quiet for a minute before he spoke. "Though I like paleontology, I also like life in the city, such as one can get in Bozeman. These last two years were the longest I've spent out of town and for the first year, I merely endured it. But lately, I've felt that I can't leave, though I can't explain quite why. Of course, I'll put in a share."
Amos said, "Since I have to stay, I'd be glad to contribute all my savings for the effort. I guess it is about time we find out how to access the savings of someone who is incapacitated. I'll gladly appoint Dave as my Power of Attorney."
"Thanks for the offer," said Zane, "but I don't think it will work. When I had to do that for my father, an officer from the bank came out to see him to verify he was indeed incapacitated. Your money may be frozen until we can declare you legally dead five years from now. And even then, your estate will go to your son, not us."
Professor said, "It looks like I can put four names on the deed."
"No, that's all right," said Jack. "Putting it in Dave's name is good enough."
Professor blinked at that. "That sounds mighty strange coming from you Jack. You trust Dave that much?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"
"Because of the way you described Dave a little more than a year ago, because of the four of you wanting to live here Dave is the one who is not contributing any money, and because he is still essentially a kid!" said Professor.
Dave let the insult go. A stallion secure in his position didn't worry about being called a kid.
Professor pondered the situation for a few seconds. "I think I know what's going on here." Professor paused again to think. "You guys are still treating Dave as if you were still mares and he was still your stallion. It appears the experience messed with your brains."
Piet glanced at Jack. "In some cases, that hasn't been a bad thing."
"This house," Dave waved an arm towards it as he spoke, "has only two bedrooms, right Professor?" Professor nodded. "So with four of us living here, who gets which room? Since I won't be contributing any money, I should probably get the last choice. Who should choose first?"
"It doesn't matter to me," said Jack. "I'd rather sleep in the barn."
"Same with me," said Piet.
"I agree," said Zane. "I wouldn't want to get hoof marks on the floor."
"Wait a minute, guys," said Dave. "Now that you're human, the barn is going to feel a lot colder in winter. You don't have to stay out there. The house is big enough."
"I'm sure we could pile on enough horse blankets to keep warm," said Jack.
After a moment, Zane said. "Dave, we appreciate the offer, but there really isn't enough space in the house. I don't like to defy my stallion, but there is a reason for our choice. From the way we look, it is doubtful we'll ever get close to another woman. We've all had our families or didn't particularly want one in the first place." Jack nodded. "You, on the other hand, are still quite young. There is a very good chance you will marry and need space in the house for a growing family. No, the house is yours. I've lived in a barn for two years. I can stay there many more."
"Jack, I thought you said you didn't want to be a freak because you wanted a woman. So why are you giving up on having a family?" asked Dave.
"Wanting a woman and wanting a family are two very different things, dear boy."
"We can add on to the house," insisted Dave.
"I doubt we have money for that right now," said Piet. "And once we do, I think it would be better to build a second house rather than add on to yours."
Dave could tell when he was defeated.
"Though I do have a request for improving the barn," continued Piet.
"Please, let's hear it," said Dave.
"Could we put a bathroom in the barn? Especially one that has a toilet where the tank isn't attached to the seat?"
Dave didn't work very hard to suppress a grin. "Yeah, I think we can do that. Let me call one of my contractor friends."
"Dave, now that you are safely human," said Amos. "Perhaps it is time to thaw out a sperm sample the next time I go into heat."
"Sure, Amos, that's what they're for," said Dave.
"I think," said Professor, "we should have a sample tested first. Who knows what the curse did with it?"
A week later, the report came back: "While you claimed this sample contained horse semen, the only thing that seemed horse-like about it was the quantity of the sample. The DNA test shows the sperm to be human."
"I guess I'll have to wait until Spike and Logan are old enough," said Amos.
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Erin watched eagerly as Nell drove them up to the barn. It had been a month ago when Professor told her the riding club was closing. She was naturally upset when he implied the club would never reopen. Even so, she had respected Professor's right to use his own stallion as he wished. But it had now been a whole month and Erin hadn't heard from either Professor or Stan. She needed to see her stallion. She had helped them out by gladly boarding Dave, so she was sure she would be welcomed as an old friend or even family, not seen as a customer.
But her red stallion wasn't along the fence. The only time he hadn't greeted and paced her was when someone else was riding him and that couldn't be the case since the riding club was closed.
Nell brought the car to a stop near the barn. As they got out, they could see the foals clustered together as Amos hovered in the background. "The foals sure are pretty," whispered Nell.
As they got to the fence, they could see a man in the midst of the foals. About all they could see was his blazing red hair over the backs of the foals and his very human legs in amongst all the horse legs. With the way the foals were clustered, Erin was sure he was feeding them some kind of treat.
"Hello," he said, peering over the back of Spike, the colt that looked like her red stallion. She noted that his hair matched Spike's fur -- meaning it matched her stallion's fur as well.
"Hi," said Erin.
The man gently pushed his way through the foals and drew up to the fence. It wasn't easy as he still had more treat to hand out. The foals slowly parted to let him through, then gathered around him again. Erin could finally see he was handing out apple slices.
Once he got to the fence where no foal could come between them, She could see that he was perhaps younger and just a bit taller than herself, strong, and with no fat. She could see how gentle he was with the foals and admired him for it. She noted one more thrilling detail as he leaned against the fence -- he had quite a bulge in his shorts.
"I'm the new owner." He held out his hand, realized there was apple juice -- and horse slobber -- on it, wiped it on his shorts, and offered it again. She shook it as he said, "My name is Dave."
Erin laughed. "I'm Erin. Won't you get confused with the red stallion?"
He shrugged and pulled another small bag of apple slices from a pocket. He was making sure each horse got several slices.
She watched him. He had a cute face, with a lot of chin. "I bet your hair color is the exact same shade as the red stallion."
"So I've been told."
"You've never stood beside him to see?"
He stroked a few noses before turning to her. "Unfortunately, the red stallion is gone."
That was the one thing Erin did not anticipate; it sent an icy knife through her. "Gone! What do you mean gone! You kept Amos and the foals and got rid of the stallion?"
He sighed. "It's a long story."
"And you had better tell me every word of it. That's my favorite horse!" He could see the ice in her eyes. "And you had better start by answering a simple question. Is he alive?"
"Well, --" he paused for a fraction of a second too long, "-- yeah."
"That's a mighty strange answer."
"As I said, it really is a long story. And I promise I will tell you every word of it. Say perhaps over lunch?"
"You're not trying to get fresh are you?"
He held up his hands to stop her accusation. "Certainly not. I shall be the perfect gentleman." He held his right hand over his heart. "Professor told me how important you've been to life around here. Lunch would be a way of thanking you."
"I suppose."
"May I suggest a picnic? I think Amos could carry both of us -- she's the only adult horse here now -- and we could take the picnic to a nearby field or ridge --"
"Piet, Zane, and Jack are gone too?" she interrupted.
He sighed again. "They're not very far from your stallion."
She shook her head, scowled, but didn't challenge him.
He continued. "I think I could pack a picnic in short order. Perhaps one of cheese and crackers --" He watched her expression. "-- and a bottle of sparkling grape juice." Her face softened. "And I think I even have some fruit salad -- that doesn't have any honeydew in it. I may even know of a little meadow with some lupine flowers."
Her expression was now downright astonishment. "Why, um, sure. That would be lovely." How did he know about how she felt about honeydew and lupines? "You can be sure I'll hang on every word."
Nell tapped Erin on the shoulder. Erin hardly noticed. Nell said, "I think this is my cue to disappear. Call me if you want a ride home."
"Yeah, sure," said Erin, not taking her eyes off Dave's pleasant smile.
"It will only take a few moments to put it all together," said Dave. "While we eat, I'll tell you the whole story." There was definitely a twinkle in his eye, Erin noticed. "And I'm sure Amos would be glad to fill in any missing details."
"Yeah, right. I'm just dying to hear what Amos has to say."
Dave's smile didn't wilt in the face of her sarcasm. He seemed so... confident, she thought, but he wouldn't be cocky about it. He looked like
a guy who could handle anything (including
sarcasm), who wouldn't get flustered no matter what kind of problem came up. That was so much better than some of the men she had dated who had folded at the first hint of trouble.
She studied his face and found an odd mix in his expression. She saw that his comment about Amos filling in the details was sincere. She also saw that her doubts were expected and would be dealt with soon enough. Erin extended her hand across the fence. Dave clasped it a moment before they turned towards the barn.
Piet had been in the hayloft when he heard Nell and Erin drive up. He opened the hayloft door, that large opening above the main door that allowed for a more direct route for storing hay. He leaned against the frame of the opening where he had a clear view of the parking lot and of Dave feeding the foals. That position also hid his tail from view. Jack and Zane soon joined him, staying in the shadows.
The three of them watched Erin talk to Dave as Nell left, then they saw Amos trot up to the couple. Soon Erin went in through the main door of the barn just below them and Dave and Amos went along the fence to the paddock door.
Dave had worn a saddle perhaps a couple hundred times and had watched Stan saddle up the mares maybe a thousand times. But Dave knew watching someone was different from doing it himself, so he had practiced on Amos until he at least looked like he knew what he was doing. He had also ridden Amos daily so that his riding skills were on par with a man who owned horses. Dave knew Erin would be able to spot a fraud.
Dave had made a fresh fruit salad every morning, storing it in the refrigerator that had held snacks for riding club customers. The other guys had eaten it every evening for the last two weeks. They were quite aware that Dave wasn't making it for them. The fridge was also well stocked with cheese and a bottle of sparkling grape juice. The guys wouldn't dare disobey their stallion by taking any of it.
From the hayloft, Piet, Zane, and Jack could look into the central area of the barn and watch Dave saddle up Amos, then fill a saddlebag with the fresh lunch supplies. Dave then ducked into his former stall, grabbed Sinclair from the windowsill and presented it to Erin. Finally, they could see Amos, with Dave and Erin on her back, trotting down the lane and towards the closest hills.
"Do you think she'll believe him?" asked Piet.
"She may not believe Dave, but I'm sure she'll believe Amos," said Jack. Zane chuckled. "And if that fails," Jack went on, "all she needs is a good look at us."
"I bet," said Zane, "that this little ranch will have a lady of the house within a year."
"Where I come from," said Jack, "that's known as a sucker bet. The man who accepts that bet is sure to lose. Besides, I wouldn't want to bet against our stallion."
Part 13 * Part 14 *