Suddenly there was an explosion, and from that explosion a bunch of horses were flung about. This was cause for concern, as horses are not ones who usually experience being tossed about like rag dolls from the force of a sudden and violent explosion.

There were some horses fortunate enough to only bear witness to this, and so, from a safe distance, they felt it would be time to speak to the council. It was time… to raise concerns and issues at hand. And this meant… a journey.

The horses began their journey. It was after the explosion had cast light and shadows hard, and the sky a deep and darkened red, spreading over a large rocky and dried plain. Once things had settled, which was not that long, they made their move. They moved away from where they were, whinnied and galloped their way away from the explosion and to the farthest reaches that they could, and the journey was long. It was dangerous. It featured defiance, camaraderie, learning, suffering, triumph, and many long days fighting off despair and other creatures for the smallest of foods, for the tiniest of morsels. And it is safe to say that all the horses that were there came out of it in one piece, but forever changed.

And they finally reached their destination which was on the other side of the explosion which was still exploding, it turned out. Horses were still being thrown here and there, and the ones that made the journey were wondering why their horse pals were still anywhere near the explosion. Were they running into it for some reason? It only raised questions. However, those questions did not matter, for they needed to speak to the horse council and the explosion was pretty loud and annoying. And so they reached the cave which led to the cavern where the council resided, and they went in.

The amount of time they journeyed for in this new, underground space was long and dark, and it seemed time disappeared. Truly they knew not how long they had travelled for in this new and unfamiliar space, but it was about three or four hours. There was rest, of course. And then there was more walking and continuing, and all those other things that they were doing above the ground, but this time it was all under. Under and through, and continuous until they reached the council.

There was some reverence, except it was frustration and annoyance. The horses had done all this travel and they were now outside again and the council was there, and all this travel seemed excessive. But there was no time to ponder that, and they had to express their grievances.

“Oh wise and jaunty horse council, we are tired and disheartened, for we have travelled long, and we know not if we are going to get the answers and resolutions that we seek.”

“Speak, and we will ruminate and answer as we can.”

“There have been issues with the directing toward the lands where the best foods sit, awaiting their consumption via mastication. We travel to the lands but the lands we are directed to are not the correct lands. There has been…. a miscommunication.”

A mix of gasps filled the space. Not from the council, but from other horses who happened to be there.

“Calm, now. There is reason for all actions, and deceit is part of what is needed to be understood in order to gallop the true track. The directions provided are correct in order to help learn this lesson.”

“We understand that the directions are incorrect, but this is causing issues. We are losing the energy that we require in order to keep horsing around.”

“Follow patience, find calm, and you will find the true directions between the directions.”

“Oh thank you, council. Now I must advise of another. There have been times when other horses have appeared, and they were once familiar friends. Perhaps siblings, in a manner of speaking. However, they arrive and then they stomp their forehooves twice. In response, I stomp my forehooves five times, with a pause between the third and fourth stomp. They then stomp their hooves three times, then swish their tails, then stomp a fourth time. I whinny and defecate. They then gallop around in circles, neighing and braying and shaking their heads. I am only to wonder if they really are horses.”

A mix of gasps filled the space.

“The solution is simple. You must guide them to the wooden barge that leads further inland, and guide them unto it, and they will then ride the barge and be inland and learn their true natures, and find calm within their souls.”

“But there is no way for the barge to move inland, there’s no river wide eno-”

“And what is your next query?”

“The explosion keeps making horses airborne, and it does not stop and it is loud and annoying.”

“An explosion? What explosion?”

“The one that is sending horses through the air, and we can hear it now. IF you just look up, you’ll see horses.”

“Those are not horses, but merely clouds moving quite fast.”

“They are horses.”

“Is this something you have evidence of?”

“Yes, just by looking up.”

And the council looked up.

“That is a lot of horses. Okay, we’ll do something about the issue.”

“Thank you, oh wise and venerate council.”

And from there the group left, and made their return home, more annoyed than earlier. They had the answers they sought, but perhaps not the answers they hoped for, but there was little to be done.

Eventually there was a fence and a sign erected around the explosion. It cautioned going past the fence, but of course some horses chose to ignore it. The council, satisfied with their work, returned to doing horse council things, and eventually the explosion exploded itself out of existence. It took a while though, and it was annoying the whole time.

The time it took to write one thousand words: 17:59:05

This was really fun to write. It was silly and it took a bit of time, but I had so much fun writing it.

Written at work.