Artemis’ Gallop

Artemis trusted the white horse because it never asked questions. Together they guarded the blue border between sea and sky, allowing no one close enough to cause harm. One winter, an arrow tore the horse’s wing.

Artemis tried to mend it alone, but every stitch opened. The small figures she had kept outside the border offered thread, feathers and steady hands. ‘What do you want in return?’ she asked.

‘Nothing,’ said a girl from the water. ‘But you’ll have to let us stand near you.’ The repaired wing carried all of them across the morning sea. Artemis remained a guardian; she simply stopped confusing safety with solitude.