The Centaur

6

“Statisto here is the last centaur,” the doe says, leading us into a home.
The home is made from a hollowed-out tree.
A buck with flowering antler sits in the hollow with tree nymph at his side.
“Come, what is your name, centaura?” the buck questions.
“The human has named me Zelos. I was once a horse, turned into a centaur by this human,” I answer, gesturing to Nicoli.
“What did he say?” Nicoli asks, not understanding the Cawn’s language.
“He say ‘What you name?’” I say.
“Nicoli,” Nicoli says, holding out his hand.
The buck shakes it.
“I am Statisto. And this,” he introduces, gesturing to the nymph, “is Koi, my wife.”
“Hello, Zelos and Nicoli,” Koi nods.
“They say ‘hello,’” I explain to Nicoli.
“You may leave now, Jinhua,” Statisto says.
The doe that brought us here leaves.
“What do you wish from me, Zelos?” Statisto asks.
“I wish…” I start, but then my stomach catches.
What do I wish for? Do I wish to be a miserable horse for the rest of my days? Do I wish to be caught by a human and pull a cart until I die of exhaustion?
“I wish to be a centaur,” Nicoli says, waking me from my thoughts.
I look at him, studying him.
A centaur? You, a human, wish to be a centaur? For what reason?
As if reading my mind, he explains, “I don’t want to be a lonely human in the middle of the woods. I want to belong to something. I want to belong with you.”
I get the uncomfortable feeling again.
“Don’t you want to belong?”
“I guess,” I say, looking away from him.
Nicoli looks at Statisto.
“Can you turn me into a centaur?” Nicoli asks.
“Yes, human, I can,” Statisto says, then points near a tree, “Stand near the tree.”
Nicoli walks to the spot.
Statisto raises his hands at Nicoli and mutters a few words.
Statisto’s antlers start to glow a tad. The blossoms’ petals open, fully. A frighteningly quick blast of light bursts from Statisto’s hands. It hits Nicoli… and he falls to the ground.