Prompt 13 - Bumps In The Night

The night at the stable was mildly chilly and an irregular breeze blew through the cracks of the old wood. The wood creaked and shifted from the temperature change, as if sighing in anticipation of the colder weather approaching. Inside were multiple horses asleep, or as asleep as they could be, for there was a man wandering around the hallway carrying a heavy bag with him. The man, named Milton, was a tall blonde man with grey eyes scanning the sleeping horses ahead. He wore a thicker coat than his usual coat, the neck of the jacket fully extended to cover his cold ears as well. The cold weather was nothing unusual, but the rapid shift between seasons was something he still had to grow used to despite having lived here his entire life.

Milton was a regular rider visiting the stable, often to take his horse - Pistol - out for runs and warmups as well as bond with her when he could. Tonight was no such night, however. Pistol was not going to be ridden this late at night. She needed her rest after all. No, Milton had other plans.

He approached Pistol’s stall, noticing the mare was fully awake this time. She quickly approached him from where she had laid when she realised it was her owner visiting, pressing her soft muzzle against Milton’s chest and lipping at his coat. Pistol was an elegant, yet strong and fast Loshenka. Her pretty cream coat and white striped neck stood out among most solid coloured horses at the stable. She was his and he loved her dearly.

”Right,” Milton said with a smile, opening up the pocket she had found herself so focused on and pulled out a carrot. ”Just for you, my lady,” he added as he watched his horse immediately chomp onto the carrot and pull it into her mouth. The crunching sounds were always a satisfying thing to hear.

As she busied herself with the nice treat, Milton proceeded to gently place his bag down to the floor and opened it up. Inside was a small telescope, an old thing he received as a gift from his grandfather and an item he cherished dearly. His cold hands wrapped around the metallic piece, pulling it out of the bag and holding it close to himself.

Pistol, curious of what her owner was doing, extended her neck to sniff at the telescope and lipped at it. This time it was not a treat, and Milton made sure to show her that by presenting the telescope. He had a steady grip around it, in case his horse decided it would be amusing to knock it off his hands.

His smile grew wider as she attempted to bite it but he pulled it away and shook his head.

”No, no, it is not food. Horses cannot eat metal,” Milton briefly explained and scratched at her hairy neck. ”I do not think your stomach would like that, would it now?”

Pistol did not respond — as expected — but she let out a loud snort before turning around, her pale butt now facing the man.

Milton raised an eyebrow, mildly amused by his horse’s behaviour.

”Are you grumpy with me?” He asked the mare.

Silence. Only a gentle swish with the tail.

Milton sighed. Oh well, typical.

The man proceeded to prepare himself to head back out into the breezy weather. He took a few steps away from Pistol’s stall and towards one of the larger doors when a loud knock against the wood immediately halted his steps.

One of the other horses currently present, Spotty, a darker coated mare who had a lot of… well… spots, grew anxious from the sudden mystery noise. She let out a loud snort as she stomped against the concrete floor, her discomfort already making the other horses more skittish. Her tail swished aggressively when another unnaturally loud knock occurred. The other horses that previously rested were now awake and appeared more nervous from the odd noises echoing across the stable.

Pistol reacted differently with her head raised and ears swiveling around to find the source. Milton felt similarly, as he looked around his surroundings for anything that could have caused the sounds.

The man walked over to Spotty, however, and spoke gently to help her calm down. It took a moment but eventually she stopped huffing and snorting, though remained alert and visibly cautious. Milton could not blame her; it must have been a scary thing to suddenly wake up to.

Once everything had calmed down, Milton took another look around him. His grey eyes squinted at the roof, having spotted… something. Was there someone up there? No, no, it was only a random jackdaw watching them from above.

Suddenly another loud sound emanated from somewhere within the stable. This time it seemed to be a door getting shut in an aggressive manner, causing the horses around him to react in fear once more. Another sound from the roof. And another, and another.

Milton gritted his teeth, growing more and more irritated by the second as the noises grew in intensity and the horses grew more panicked. Any normal person would have reacted in fear as well, or at least felt nervous facing these oddities, but Milton was not a normal person. Neither was Pistol, who, while mildly nervous, did not panic from the intensity of sounds all around them. Her ears moved around towards wherever the knocking and banging came from, occasionally turning her head to look at one way.

”Whoever is scaring the horses, I recommend you stop!” Milton yelled out with a clenched fist, his Scottish accent suddenly jumping out. ”I will personally drag you out from wherever you are hiding and knock your teeth out!”

The ruckus immediately fell into silence after Milton’s serious threat, leaving the only sounds left coming from the spooked horses.

Milton sighed, frustrated with his now delayed stargazing session. Firstly, he had to calm all of them - well, almost all of them - down before he could even begin…