I closed my eyes, remembering my first sight of Timothy. His eyes had glowed with such a hue. I’d thought of sunflowers when I’d first looked into his eyes, but then I’d seen the color in his irises. That copper brightness, in shades painters called honey bronze, bronze sand, or golden bronze.
“This is why you chose this painting, isn’t it. The stallion has eyes the color of yours.”
Timothy seemed slightly disappointed with my words. I guess I’d insulted him. “I don’t mean the painting isn’t wonderful. It’s . . .”
I didn’t know what to add. It had depth, but other than that, little artistic greatness. The stallion’s coat shown and his hooves sparked, like they held fire in them. The horse’s nostrils were flaring, reddish, as if the challenge of my looking at him was something he resented, no, not resented. He wanted me to do something. What?
And then I knew. He was asking me to sit on his back, to gallop with him across the moors. Yes, I wanted to tell him. Yes, I will ride you. But of course, we weren’t in fairyland, nor Ireland. We were in a gallery, and I was merely looking at a canvas with an acrylic painting of a horse.
“No, not a horse,” Timothy said. “He’s a pooka.”
“I don’t know what that is. I’ve never heard of it. Is that a breed of horse?”
“A pooka is a mythological creature who can shape change at will. He can be Harvey over there, or a wolf, a crow, or any other animal he wants. Even a human. He is long-lived and full of magic. The Irish say he comes from Faerie. The Norwegians call him Puke, which means nature spirit. Shakespeare called him Puck.”
“Wow. Enchanting. You had me at magical. Where can I find one of these creatures? This stallion seems to want me to go for a ride.”
“He would give you a riotous ride, my dear. Pookas are known to jump over hedges and gallop with wild abandon. But he would never allow you to be hurt. Although a pooka can be mischievous, he loves pretty women and treats them with great care. His sprint across the land might provoke a little fear, perhaps, but nothing harmful.”
“How do you know so much about them?” I asked.