The Adjacent Horse
There are many animals that humans have depended on for much of history. It's easy to forget the great debt we owe oxen, dogs, cats and horses. But they do not forget, in their way. In their speechless trust that we will return the favors they have given us we betray them again and again. The spirit of that betrayal exists in The Adjacent Horse. The Adjacent Horse runs with herds of normal horses, slipping alongside them. For horses this is not matter for concern. Their eyes long ago adjusted to see along their entire sides. To them the Adjacent Horse is a friendly member of their herd. One who moves in strange ways but not one worth fearing. Not for nothing, I knew somebody once who told me the reason we invented horse blinders was to limit where The Adjacent Horse could exist. But that seems foolish. The Adjacent Horse does not move in herds alone. It is a stalking horse. It moves alongside those who have caught its attention, always at the edge of their vision, never resolving ...
