The Feocoda

It was a day that I would never forget. The sun was shining but not in the way we preferred. Instead of embracing the meadow in a warm hug, it weighed down on us with oppressively thick humidity. I squinted my eyes and saw the silhouette of Connor in the distance. I offered a small wave.

“Trashy day to play ball, eh?” He yelled from the other side of the field.

“Yeah” I responded with a laugh. 

He pulled out a dirty ball from under his thin t-shirt.

“I snatched this from a kid in Town Square earlier today. Don’t tell your pops, he already has it out for me.”

“Connor, I told you to stop stealing from those kids. They need it more than you.”

“Common Emily, It’s just for a bit. I’ll bring it right back when the sun goes down.”

I sighed and bent my knees “bring it on, pretty boy.”

We played in the field for around an hour. I collapsed into the grass with exhaustion. My hair had come loose from its braid and sweat coated my forehead. He laid next to me. I knew Connor liked me, it’s not like he was very good at hiding it. I never acknowledged it though. We’ve been friends since before I could walk, I wasn’t going to let anything change that.

“Em, you see that cloud right there in the middle? It looks like one of those animals the rich folks keep at their fancy zoos.”

I knew what he was talking about. There were a few zoos that housed animals I could never imagine. They were genetically mutated creatures that don’t exist in the wild, making it even more profitable to put them on display. The most well-known creature is called the Feocoda. It’s one-third human, one-third horse, and one-third fish. Probably the cruelest part is that it has intelligence, a conscience, and can speak. It’s really not so different from us but from the moment it’s born, the poor creature is confined to a life of imprisonment and abuse. 

I sunk into the grass and watched the cloud drift across the mostly empty sky. It made me sad to think about the Feocodas. Human’s created them for the sole purpose of profiting. 

“Get up Connor. We can fit in a few more throws before the sun goes down.” Connor lazily got to his feet and brushed the grass off himself. We continued to play until the sky bled red and the clouds turned dark. Connor threw a long shot and I ran to meet it. He overestimated how far the ball would go. The evening breeze picked it up and blew it into the forest. 

“I’m going to get it, I'll be back in a few minutes.” Connor opened his mouth to protest but I quickly ran towards the forest before he could say anything. I needed to get the ball back so we could return it to the kids on our way home. The sky got darker with every step I took.

Our parents had two rules: be back by dark and never go into the forest, under any circumstances. I was breaking both. There was a tall fence that marked the start of the forest. Like everything else in our neighborhood, it was worn down and falling apart. My small and skinny figure easily weaved through the various wires. The ball should be right here. How far could it have gone?

There was something very wrong about this forest. Everything seemed artificially placed. By now the trees had completely blocked off the sky and the only light was a faint pink glow. I realized it was coming from a small pond. I moved aside the tall grass that protected the pond and saw a round glowing ball. It looked like an egg.

Hesitantly, I walked towards the egg and admired it. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. Little minnows dart around the egg and were eating green stuff growing off of it. They are cleaning it, I realized. Suddenly all the minnows scattered and I heard footsteps in the distance. I looked up to see the shadow of what looked like a horse. I almost passed out when my eyes moved to the top half.

This was a Feocoda. Her horse body smoothly transitioned into dark and smooth human skin. Her eyes were pink and she had long beautiful hair. In the place of a horsetail was a long fish-like tail. My wonder automatically was replaced with fear. I could never outrun this creature and how was she even here? She looked threatened by me for a moment but then returned to her hardened stare.

“That is my egg, human.” Her voice rang with deadly but regal power.

“I-I’m so sorry I wasn’t going to hurt it.”

“You must leave, now. It’s not safe for humans in a forest like this.”

“What’s in this forest? I’m not leaving until you tell me.” I painted on a fierce glare but I could feel my body failing me. I had no authority negotiating with a creature like this. She sighed. Even her disapproval was elegant. 

“This is where your government keeps all of their pets. They throw as all in together and take us out as needed. They don’t care enough to check on us and rely on our feuding amongst each other to keep us in check.”

“You feud? Over what?”

“Territory, nesting grounds, food, everything. We aren’t so different from you humans. You have wars, correct? So do we. And every second we spend fighting each other is more power for our captors. We can’t overthrow them if we aren’t united. Every few weeks they take more of us for display. No one knows what happens to animals on display but they never come back alive. We are forced to breed, to provide more animals to endure this miserable existence.” 

“I’m so sorry. There are people in my village fighting for the animals. They have protests and wave signs outside important buildings. Not everyone agrees with what they do to you.” Suddenly I found myself angry. This creature did nothing, none of them did. “I want to help you. Please let me help you. I can show you the way out!”

“No. We’ve tried the fence. It electrocutes anyone upon contact. If you want to make it out alive leave now.”

I hesitated. I looked down at the egg and then back at the mother who had such pain buried behind her eyes. I wanted to help all of the animals more than anything but there was nothing a poor village girl could change. I turned to leave.

“Wait there is one thing you can do. Take my egg. My child will have a better life outside of this forest. All it needs is a pond. It can find its way back to me if it wishes.” The Feocoda said this with strain and for the first time, I heard her voice crack a little.

I gingerly picked up the egg and admired it. “I will take good care of it. I won’t let anyone hurt it.”

Another set of footsteps sounded loudly from behind the mother. “Go” she mouthed. With those parting words, I sprinted towards the fence, carefully cradling the egg. I turned around one last time to see no trace of the mother. A small tear slipped down my cheek and I let it water the ground that so many had died on. This egg would not be another, and I would ensure it with my life.