Sorcha's Soliloquy
A Scottish ghost-mare explains the circumstances of her existence. An experiment in writing an introduction from the character's point of view.
The PDF version of this story features an illustration which is also visible at this link
This story was originally a submission to FurAffinity's Thursday Prompt writing group.
**Sorcha's Soliloquy
Story and art by: DankeDonuts
https://dankedonuts.sofurry.com/
Illustration features components created by SugarShepsky
https://www.furaffinity.net/user/sugarshepsky
And Lockwork Orange
https://www.furaffinity.net/userlockworkorange
If ye chance to visit Cairnanstice near about Mid-Autumn's Eve, the old folk who gather for drink and gossip at The Briar And Bramble will warn ye not to set foot upon the southern muir once the sun goes down. For that way dwells a lost and lonely mare who gallops through the fading heather naught but by starlight for three nights a year. On hooves of green flame she searches for her lost love. Braying mournfully, calling his name. She will seek out any who come near the place where her Earthly body fell, the place where she last breathed word of her Lennox. She will chase such intruders down, hands aflame with contempt for happy lovers. Do nae let her get her hands on ye, they will say, for once she has ye in her terrible grasp, she will pull ye down, down under the muir. Never to be seen again by any Fur, mortal nor divine.
Auch, it's a grand and gruesome story, Ah'm sure. But that's all it is, a story. Ah'm nae a thing like that, really. First off, the 'mournful' howling isnae even me. That's a banshee! Yes, Ah know Banshees are Irish. She commutes, turn a Twentieth Century word. Her name's Aileen, an' she's actually quite nice. Really helped me out when Ah ended up on this side of the mortal divide.
About that... The fact of the matter is Ah was running away from Lennox. Nae to him. To be fair, he wasn't a bad sort. Rather gentle, always polite. Came from a respectable family, with an eye on taking over his father's bakery. Fine husband-making material, Ah s'posed at the time. A filly could've done far worse. But it was 1865 an' a lady of proper upbringing didnae have much to look forward to but wedding a stallion and dropping little Shetlands. Ah wanted something more, though. Sorry to say Ah didn't even know what 'more' was.
So the day before the wedding, Ah packed up an' ran from it all. That's where things get a wee bit... fuzzy. Ah didnae think Ah was murdered. At least, Ah didnae want to think that. An' even if Ah was, it couldnae have been him.
As for the coming up to say 'how do ye do' three days a year... Well... That used to be true. But it was out of shyness, if Ah'm being honest. Ah s'pose it'd be a might hard for a set o' living eyes to notice that Ah'm naked. An' Ah'll remind ye that Ah was raised some time ago, when standards were much less forgiving. Prancing around in one's birthday suit just wasn't done, ye see. My clothes didnae make it over with me, that is to say. Ah suppose they didn't have much in the way of unresolved Earthly business to attend to, what with being clothes. Then again, Ah've not got a lot to do, either. Aileen, she gets a shroud. Ah think it's part of her, she always changes the subject when Ah ask. My point being it took a few decades or so before Ah let myself be seen. By then...
Just because a grown mare takes a daunder and doesn't tell ye about it, that's no reason to go spreading fibs just to make yerself feel more of a man! A grown woman like me, dyin' of loneliness for want of his sole company? To the outhouse with that talk where it belongs!
Auch, there go me hooves again! Lighting up like the Mirrie Dancers! Me flames dinnae hurt anyone, no matter what the grans and grandads at that old pub say. But it does skelp all those modern electrical boxes something fierce, aha! Which must make for a fine time in ol' Cairnanstice! Half the village walking in circles, or tripping into each other! Today's folk cannae put one foot ahead of the other without some blinkin trinket or other telling them which way it's pointed!
But mayhaps that will be for the best. Mayhaps someone will stumble on my way. Down amid the heathers south of the village Ah used to call home. Sure'n anyone who finds me will find Ah'm not 'contemptuous' company at all.
Me name is Sorcha Galbraith ad Ah'd be very happy to meet ye.**