At last, Pilar crossed into the Ridge, the torrential rain her welcome wagon. She sighed heavily, spraying rain out of her nose like a water-dragon. The storm had come out of nowhere, as she noticed storms seemed to do in this part of the world. Pilar, having done a fair amount of exploring by now, was used to being wet, so she didn’t really mind.

She made her way across the rocky landscape, moving slower than usual, taking care not to slip and keeping a safe distance from the precipice. She desperately wanted to see just how high it was, but she knew she could not risk getting too close right now. All it would take was one wrong move and she could fall to her death. She stopped for a moment to watch the rainwater pour over the side, imagining how many before her had gotten too close and slipped. What if there were piles of bones down over the side? Curiosity burned at her insides, egging her on to move just a little bit closer to the edge, to try and see what lay beyond. No. She mustn’t. Not yet.

Pilar turned her back on the precipice, promising herself that she would attempt to investigate it when conditions were better. As the rain continued relentlessly, she imagined that adventure would be for another day. Instead, she spotted a dark gold shape not too far ahead of her. She whinnied through the rain and ventured a bit closer.

“Kasabian?”

He looked sad and tired, lying down in the rain, and Pilar felt a tinge of guilt. At first, she hardly cared that she had taken so long to arrive here, but looking at Kasabian now, it was evident that he had been alone for some time. Pilar did not realize their herd only consisted of the two of them.


pilar

photo © Sally Mann