never had a day go by we were sober
sitting in a cold room wide awake

She heard the cry in the distance: a mishmash of unfamiliar sounds and foreign words. Startled out of her reverie, Valencia paused and lifted her head to locate the source of the noise. A mare, as dark as the night, stood not far away, staring intently in her direction. Her expression appeared shocked and awestruck, causing Valencia to frown slightly in confusion as she met the stranger’s gaze with her own unwavering one.

Wandering into territories that did not belong to her was an old habit. Never before, however, had she been greeted with the words that came next from the strange mare’s lips.

A Goddess? The idea was laughable. Valencia had never entertained the thought, even in an idle, innocent daydream, that she was a bigger power in this world than anyone else. She didn’t even believe in a God of any kind. But apparently this stranger did, for she spoke quietly and averted her gaze in the way that a young child might when speaking to an authority figure.

For a split second, she considered saying yes. The power she could seize with that one word.

“No,” she answered as quickly and surely as ever.

She was intrigued by this mare in her brother’s home (or at least what she assumed was his home) with her odd questions and unfamiliar words. Valencia took a step towards her, shortening the distance between them, before stopping again, the sand slowly settling around her. It had left faint speckles over the pallor of her lower legs and underbelly.

“Why do you ask?” she continued without hesitation, head tilted inquisitively.

It never did occur to her to make introductions before she delved into her endless curiosities. Names were just labels on boxes—Valencia was much more interested in the contents of those boxes.