fiction - brigits_flame - ranch

[hwango]

"You are to assist me," a voice said, startling Mark so badly that he nearly spilled his coffee into his keyboard. He set the mug on his desk and peered around his monitor to discover someone sitting in the chair on the other side of the desk.

"Are we even open yet?" Mark said, glancing at the clock and then over at the front door.

"It is 9:00. Your signage states that you open at 9:00. You are open," the man said with such certainty that Mark found himself nodding in agreement. Mark really looked at his visitor for the first time, and thought to himself, dear god, it's going to be one of those days, isn't it?

The man sitting across from him had a smooth, narrow, almost feminine face, topped by a flowing mane of white hair that seemed to glow with life and energy even under the cold light of the single fluorescent bulb in the ceiling above them. He also had the most pointed ears Mark had ever seen outside of a movie theater. His unearthly beauty was rather marred by the look of inadequately concealed contempt he was directing at Mark.

"I require…" the man said, and then his features twisted into a look of utter revulsion before he sneered the word "employment."

"Well, that's what we're here for. Have you filled out an application?" Mark asked, and the man wordlessly handed him a clipboard. Mark looked down to see handwriting so ornate it would shame calligraphy. "Your name is…Snapdragon?" Mark asked cautiously, half hoping and half terrified that he'd read it wrong.

Snapdragon did not reply.

"Right. Well, you seem to have left the area under 'previous employment' empty."

"Indeed. Prior to now, menial toiling was not an aspect of my existence."

"Ah. That's going to make it harder for us to find you a job, I'm afraid. What skills and experience do you have to offer a prospective employer?"

Snapdragon remained silent.

"Um. If we go to unskilled labor it's mostly going to be physical stuff, which…er," Mark trailed off, staring uncomfortably at Snapdragon's slim frame and almost ladylike hands.

"I do not fear exerting myself," Snapdragon said.

"Well that's good, I guess. Are you any good with animals?" Mark asked.

"In my homeland I often saw to the disposition of my lord's herds," Snapdragon said.

'In my homeland?'Mark thought. 'My lord?' Well, the guy's never had a job before. Maybe he's some kind of exiled royalty from another country or something. "Sometimes the horse ranch just out of town can use an extra pair of hands. Let me just take a look…" Mark said, turning back to his computer for a moment. "Yeah, they're in the system as having an opening. How does that sound?"

"Horses," Snapdragon said. "That should present no difficulty, and it should adequately meet my needs. I agree."

"Uh, sure. I'll just send them a copy of your application and…" Mark quailed as Snapdragon's eyes narrowed. "You know what, why don't you just head on over there in person. I'm sure you'll win them over." Please, please leave my office. Oh god, go be someone else's problem.

"I shall," Snapdragon said. Mark scribbled the address on a piece of paper and slid it across the desk. Snapdragon picked it up and then rose from his chair without another word. Mark gratefully returned to his coffee and tried to calm down.

"Hey Mark," a coworker said a couple of minutes later, "You ready to start the day? I'm going to go flip the sign and unlock the door, okay?"

Mark just stared at him.

* * *
Thompson's Horse Ranch. Snapdragon could see that several men were already involved in the day's work, and he studied them until he determined which of them was the one most likely to have the authority to hire him.

"You there," Snapdragon said to him as he approached. "I have come from the employment agency. I will work for you."

Devon Thompson barely managed not to laugh. This must be a joke, right? "I have to say, son, you don’t look like you've got a strong enough back for this kind of work. You sure the agency isn't having a bit of fun with the pair of us?"

Snapdragon stared at him wordlessly for a moment before walking over to a nearby bale of hay, which he then lifted without apparent effort.

Devon's smile froze and withered a bit. "I stand corrected," Devon managed after a moment. "You have any experience around horses?"

"No. However, I have experience with other, similar animals. Your horses will present me with no difficulties."

"Well, I guess we could give it a day and see how things go, what's your name, son?"

* * *
Devon handed Snapdragon his day's wages, and watched as the strange man turned and walked back towards the main road. The other ranch hands stood nearby, equally silent. Finally, Amos spoke.

"Damned if that isn't the weirdest bastard I've ever seen," he said.

Everyone nodded agreement to this.

"Hard worker, though," said Carl.

Everyone nodded agreement to this as well.

"For all his fancy looks and lady hands, he didn't turn up his nose at any dirty job, did he?"

Everyone shook their heads. Then Devon frowned.

"Well, he did give me an awful look when I asked him to help me with shoeing."

* * *
Snapdragon walked away from the ranch, deep in thought. It had been a humiliating day of base labor, but it all been so easy that it had been more tedious than arduous. The only troubling moment was the incident with the horseshoes, but Snapdragon had realized in time that they were made of aluminum, and wouldn't be dangerous. The men seemed ill at ease around him, but that appeared not to be unusual. The horses were even more easily cowed, and obeyed him without hesitation. The men had all been especially amazed by that, particularly when he dealt with the one that was supposed to be "wild." Snapdragon allowed himself the barest of smiles. "Wild?" The animal was practically a kitten compared to the unicorns back home.

Comments

ROAR

[bluebirds-sing.livejournal.com]

Hi!
I’m your Roar supporter this week and, well, I’ve to admit that I’m awe, so I’m roaring with amazement here. DDD
Loved how you twisted the topic, and how you succeeded in putting together the smell of manure and the uncanny world of elves in a really smooth way.
There is only one thing that I didn’t get: why does Snapdragon fear the horseshoes, or perhaps a particular metal? Most likely it’s obvious to everyone except me. Anyway you might consider adding a line on behalf of some dense reader like me. :-)
Tina

Re: ROAR

[hwango.livejournal.com]

Thanks, glad it amused.

The whole horseshoe thing is a standard from fairy tales and folklore and such that fae/elves/whatnot have an aversion to or are harmed by iron. It's one possible source for the tradition of nailing a horseshoe over a door for good luck, as they tended to be made of iron in earlier times. Modern horseshoes are often made of steel or aluminum, which is why it doesn't turn out to be problem for Snapdragon after all.

I suppose the reference might be a bit subtle, and could have used at least a sentence or two of explanation. Sorry for the confusion. = )

Re: ROAR

[bluebirds-sing.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the enlightenment! Elves aren’t part of Italian folklore so I’m awfully ignorant of these myths, they are nice and interesting though! DDD
Tina