My husband decided, prompt unseen, that this week I should write as a western. I seem to remember protesting, not agreeing to this. Yet here we are.
“Connemara marble,” the biggest cowboy hat Aoife had ever seen said in a quiet murmur.
She halted in the hallway and blinked at the hat’s battered leather edges through the open door. “That’s nice?”
“These figurines,” the hat said, in an accent so warm it rolled over her skin slowly, like warmed honey. The hat moved upward, and she met the eyes beneath the brim. “Oh. You’re new, aren’t you?”
“Aoife.” She shifted the box she was carrying to one hip and extended a hand.
His grip was warm and callused under her fingertips. “Jethro.”
“So what’s with the marble?” She propped the box against the wall, oddly reluctant to walk away from those melted-chocolate eyes. Normally strangers made her want to run, an itch between her shoulder blades that wasn’t soothed until she locked her bedroom door.
“Irish marble. As I assume you know, given your accent.” He winked, and she took a step back in surprise. He held up a small, flat figure and gestured to the tray on the table in front of him. “We just got these carvings cleaned up from today’s find. Fantastic condition. Probably some gods and fertility figures.”
“And a horse,” Aoife said, her fingers careful not to brush over the stone. “One foot up. He’s ready to head out and scout.”
Jethro nodded. “Never come between a man and his horse.” He picked up the stone and cradled it to his chest. “Isn’t that right, lil’ guy?”
Aoife stared in horror. The last few words had come out in an odd baby-talk. She backed away, that spot high up on her spine beginning to twitch.
“Aren’t you just the cutest horsie, all ready to grow up big and strong?” Jethro cooed. The green horse disappeared under the hat. Aoife couldn’t tell if he was about to eat or kiss the stone carving.
“Do you love daddy like I love you, little horsie?”
She ran so fast, she didn’t even hear the echoes of her footsteps in the empty hall.
***
This week’s prompt came from Leigh Kimmel: “Little green Celtic figures dug up in an ancient Irish bog.” (My husband claimed this was “just part of the challenge.”) I prompted nother Mike with “Follow your dreams. Taken literally.” Join the Odd Prompts crew! It’s easy and delicious – I mean, fun.
Y’a gotta watch out when that ol’ ten-gallon hat and the little horsie start taking over, y’a know? Nice!
My husband told me it was “weird.” Something about the Western trope about a man and his horse being…different.
Lol. Not what I expected from the lead-up, that’s for sure.
Anne
My brother is an archaeologist…in Ireland. But I don’t know that he’s ever cradled an artifact. 😀 The cowboy-Irish combo is an interesting twist. I like it!