Following her finger that pointed east to where the barn was, I could see something like a fence in the middle of an open area.
A ring, inside it there were some big dark figures; I couldn't distinguish what they were from my position. Louise began to walk towards the fence, and my curiosity followed her.
After every step, I got even more intrigued.
As I squeezed my eyes I noticed they were moving. The figures had lines too round to be a machine; it was tall, with a long neck and based on four long legs with something like a tail on one side.
Deep in my memory, I had the faint image of what it was, but I just couldn't put my finger on the word—unfortunately, school was never my strong suit.
"Have you ever seen one of these?" Louise asked me after getting to the fence, resting her arms on the wood sticks.
"Definitely not. What is it?"
"A horse."
As the word came out of her mouth, it was like my brain was lit up by an electric discharge, connecting the image to the word. It was a real living horse!
An animal of that size was surreal. They weren't extinct, but it was the same as seeing a tiger outside the zoo—just extraordinary. Not many farmers had animals on their properties; the government encouraged the growing of grains rather than anything else, which made keeping farm animals very rare since they were more of an expense rather than a source of income.
But against all odds, there it was: three gigantic brown horses, strong and healthy, making my trip triple its profits.
"I cannot believe that is a real living horse!"
By that time, I was mounting on the fence, screaming the words and zooming in to see them closely. They glowed under beautiful sunlight. Meanwhile, Louise was laughing out loud by my side and holding my back with one hand so I wouldn't fall off on the dirt beneath us.
The horses were walking around slowly, eating the green grass and shaking their hair in perfect poses. All I know is that I shouted a lot and ran for a while around the fence, looking for better angles with Louise behind me as a bodyguard.
Too many angles later, I finally calmed down and decided I had enough material since my nerves had calmed down.
I leaned my back on the fence and took off the googles. The lighting was good, and the horses looked magnificent, as I imagined they would be. I was so grateful to that farm lady I didn't even know how to thank her.
Going to the zoo was something I always dreamed of, even though it was significantly downsized over the decades and it held only a few bird species and small monkeys. It was still the only green part of the city. I never had the chance to visit; tickets were the price of a popular car. It was a luxury only the elite could afford.
"Louise… I'm—"
"No." she interrupted me with a smile. "Just send me some pictures and we are even."
"But…"
"Think of it as a gift to your generation, so you kids can remember what really matters."
With a tap on my back, she started walking towards the house again. What a peculiar woman she was.
At the front door, I waited for her. Louise came out with a piece of paper with her email address, to which I should send the best pictures and, according to her, file the request to visit her land next time. Wondering who in the world still used paper and emails, I gladly accepted.
The walk back to the bus stop was hot and slow.Running around all day without eating anything wasn't something my body was ready for. I couldn't wait to get home to eat a fine microwaved burger and take a hot shower—if there was any hot water left, but I preferred not to think about those technicalities.Focusing on getting to the bus, then the boat, then the subway was already troublesome enough.
Twenty minutes of waiting, and the red bus showed up. Besides me, there were only a couple more people inside who probably worked in the mines. It was a long drive to the port, about an hour, which made for a good nap since I was so tired. There wasn't much to see on the way back, just infinite lines of reservoirs and some construction sites.
At the port, the boat horn alerted for departure. I rushed to the boarding area—taking that boat would save me so much time.I crossed the metal detector without any trouble. I could see the boat ramp just a few meters away.
"Permission."
An arm blocked my way, pushing me to the side of the line. The Force guard was staring with a superior look.
Taking a deep breath, I opened the file that appeared over my cuff. Meanwhile, a guard was walking to the ramp to pull it back which would allow the boat to leave. A few people that were behind me ran over to cross it in time.
"Sir, can I go? I don't wanna miss the boat."
On the inside, my body began to heat up under that stupid smug the guard had. He wasn't even a real Force agent, but there he was, messing with me.
"Everything is okay…"
Over the bridge, the other guard had just let the last passenger cross.
I stepped forward to rush to the boat, when I tripped.
I slammed my hands on the floor to absorb the impact, but I didn't stop. Still crouching, I bolted toward the ramp.
When I straightened my head, I saw the guard had turned his back and walked away. There was no more bridge.
"Are you fucking kidding me!?" I was so tired I let it out without thinking.
"Watch your mouth, you dirty little punk!" Replied the guard who made me trip. "Next time watch your step and get here in time!"
My knees were scratched, but it didn't burn as much as I did inside. I could feel the rage surfacing, making me close my fists.
The guard stopped centimeters away from me, our foreheads almost touching.
"The next boat leaves in two hours. Don't miss it, lab rat."
Instinctively, I took a step back for precaution. I heard boots walking over, surrounding me in the empty lobby.
Why did cops have to be so disgusting? He acted as if he were the law himself. Holy protector of peace and order, but in real life, he was just a pitiful gate guard.
"No problem, sir. Have a nice evening," I said, and walked away with my head down.
Confronting them was useless. The best way to live was to avoid them at all costs. I learned it the hard way.
In a corner far away from their ugly smugs, I positioned myself. I wouldn't sleep—I was too tense for that. So I stayed watching the empty lobby for two hours, until the new boat arrived.
Within twenty minutes, I was back in Eoncity.
Home shitty, home.