Wyoming Gothic
- You wake up in the morning, the windows are open. You don’t remember opening them last night
- Outside it’s windy. The leaves rustle, birds screech, buildings bend to touch the ground, you don’t look the horses in the eye as their hair that is not hair whips around you.
- The horses are restless. the dogs are staring at the windmills. You tell them to come inside as you close the blinds. It’s better if you don’t look.
- There’s a moose in the field at school. At least they tell you its a moose as they send a maintenance worker out to chase it away. The maintenance workers are expendable.
- You saddle the horses. They’re antsy for a ride. You avoid their eyes, ignore the sharp teeth and cloven hooves. Your cousin says they’re horses but you don’t believe her.
- There’s something outside your window. You tell yourself its a moose. It stands taller than the house and scrapes claws against the brick, but it’s only a moose.
- There is nothing but grass and rocks everywhere. The cows chew the rocks and stare endlessly to the sun. Their horns are covered in blood.
- At night there are coyotes and mountain lions, you tell yourself the horses will keep them away. You hear screeching from the fields at night. when you walk outside there’s a mound of flesh in the pasture. You move the horses to a new field.
- It is winter and the land is white. The fields are white. The driveway is white. There is red in the pasture. It is not blood, they are eyes. You walk to your car and don’t stare too long. They don’t like being seen.
- It is summer and the ground is made of hot gravel. Your tires melt and you are forced to stay home. You hear shuffling from the living room, you don’t turn around. This is their time and you are not meant to be here.
- Your cousin fell into a river with her horse last year. When you pulled her out she laughed. Her parents laughed. The horse laughed. You’re not sure it was your cousin you pulled from the river
