A Colorless Rainbow Across the River's Sky

Long ago, there lived a horse in an open field, surrounded by a vast river, a river he would often find himself staring into.

These fields were full of flowers of every color, wild reds, soft yellows, and deep violets swaying gently in the breeze, painting the land like a forgotten dream.

The skies were always blue, dotted with white, fluffy clouds that drifted slow and quiet.

The horse had everything he could ever want, except he longed for friend.

Each day, he went to the river, hoping to see someone... someday.

He would stand at the edge of the water, ears twitching, eyes searching far across the shore.

Those were the only sad moments in the horse’s life.

But one morning, he saw a young girl standing still on the opposite side of the river.

Her hair shifted with the wind.

Overcome with joy, the horse leaped into the river, completely oblivious to how strong the current was.

Cold water crashed against his sides, pulling and pressing until his legs burned with effort.

He fought forward, eyes fixed only on the girl, as if seeing her for one second longer might be worth everything.

But the river pushed harder...

Barely, he made it back to shore.

Blinking water from his blurry eyes, he looked back across the river, hoping she’d still be there.

But she was already gone.

Confused and frustrated about not being able to reach her, the horse became agitated.

And from that day forward, he slept near the river’s shore...

Three mornings later, he awoke to find the girl standing above him.

For a moment, he thought he was dreaming.

The way the morning light softened her outline made her seem like part of the sky itself.

But then she smiled, and the horse knew she was real.

Excited, the horse jumped to his feet.

At first, he stared, watching her with wide, careful eyes.

She stared back, studying him quietly. His dusty coat, the way his ears flicked at every sound, and the gentle rise and fall of his breath.

There were scars along his side from branches and brambles, old marks of a life spent wandering alone, and yet his gaze held only kindness.

With a huge grin, and a small glance toward the open field, the girl began to run.

The horse followed, slowly at first, then faster, until he was running alongside her.

The girl giggling, changing directions without warning, the horse galloping after her.

They played like this for a while, as if the two had always known each other.

The fields felt endless beneath their feet. The wind whipped around them, carrying her laughter and the scent of fresh flowers across the grass.

They stood close, both catching their breath, both surprised at how quickly the day had passed.

The girl had spent the entire day with him, but as the sky began to dim, she knew it was time to go home.

Before leaving, she petted the horse, and plucked a flower from the field, placing it in her hair.

But in the horse’s mind, she was meant to stay forever...

As she started walking toward her boat, the horse gently bit her shirt, preventing her from leaving.

Surprised, she turned around and saw sadness in his eyes.

With a warm smile, she plucked another flower and placed it into the horse’s mane.

“I’ll return,” she promised, wrapping her arms around his face, a gentle hug as she snuggled her cheek against his.

Then, she left.

As she drifted away, the horse trotted in place and cried out to her.

His voice broke over the water, but the river only carried it away.

And before long... she was gone.

Every night since, he’d sleep near the river’s shore, resting his head on the soft earth, always facing the water, as if the night might carry her back to him.

Always awaiting her return...

Each day after, he would pluck a flower with his mouth, carrying it to the river to place it on his reflection.

But the flower would only float away...

Still, he did not stop.

Day after day, he’d pluck a flower and place it in the river.

Weeks passed. The fields began to change.

The flowers wilted, and the breeze grew cold.

And Still... the horse waited.

Time passed, the land now dried, the skies turned gray.

Life for the horse had begun to decay.

For the first time in months, it rained.

It fell quietly at first, like a soft tapping on the water, but soon grew into an aggressive downpour.

The horse lifted his head, blinking into the gray.

He imagined the girl standing across the river, always just out of reach.

In the rain, she blurred with the mist, a shape he could never quite realize.

Disillusioned and fatigued, he hadn’t eaten in an entire month.

It has been four months since the girl’s visit.

As the rain fell, the horse used the last of his strength to lift his head toward the sky.

High above, huge gray clouds loomed.

Weak, he closes his eyes...

The next day, the girl was making her way up the river.

As she paddled her boat upstream, her heart began to ache, for she saw flowers floating down the river in bulk.

They drifted towards her in clusters, some petals torn and bruised from the journey.

“Was it the rain’s doing?” she must've thought.

She reached into the water, gathering as many flowers as she could, and began paddling with more determination.

When she finally arrived, the horse lay motionless... his body still and unresponsive.

Shock and sadness covered her face.

Still, she approached slowly, and sat beside him.

The horse’s eyes were wide open...

She reached into her bag and pulled out an apple, offering it to him.

Slowly...

the horse started to eat.

A sigh of relief came over her.

The girl looked around.

The land was ruined, the flowers had all but disappeared, and the grass had long since withered into dust.

Only the river still moved, carrying with it the last pieces of what once was.

As the horse ate more apples, she took the flowers from the river, those she had gathered along her way, and placed them into the horse’s knotted mane.

The horse then lifted his head. towards the sky.

The girl followed his gaze.

And what she saw was...

A Colorless Rainbow.