Red and White

Most of the night was dreamless. The wind howled like mad outside much to my delight. All was resting. My alarm went off for me to turn the heat on. I did so, then went back to bed. I fell back asleep immediately and opened my dream eyes to the sight of two… people… arriving in my room. The thin white & grey fellow was struggling with two large, white duffle bags. One bag looked twice his size, yet he was able to drag two with him.

The red satyr waited until the white fellow completed dragging his bags in. Red from tip of horn to cleft of hoof, the nearly naked satyr had thick curly fur covering most of his butt and legs. A black piece of fur was tied to his front, barely covering his genitalia. Somewhere between fit enough to be a danger, and plump enough to be cuddly, the deep red satyr more hopped than walked. His eyes glittered at the sight of me. He smiles and bows to me with great flourish, then promptly sat on one of the white bags completely ignoring the ire of his fellow traveler. “See! Told you we’d get here!”

White loose pants partially covering white shoes. White gloves almost hidden by the long sleeved white tunic. A grey band along the bottom hem kept the tunic from blending completely into the pants. His long straight hair wasn’t black, but a dark shade of grey that had a gleam to it. No matter what color the source light, his hair reflected a dark grey. His face is porcelain white, with greyish lips and grey iris eyes.

White clenched his fists in anger at the satyr, but forced himself to relax. “But we are not at our destination.” White looked up at me and studied me carefully. He never moved, nor blinked, but I knew he had dismissed me as inconsequential. “We are instead, here, and here, is nothing for us.”

Red propped one hoof on White’s other bag, ignoring the glare from his companion, and propped his small satchel on the raised knee. “Precisely. Nothing for us. No one would look for us here.” He retrieves an obviously worn, yet well loved set of panpipes. As he looks it over for signs of damage, he cautiously added, “that is, if here we are to stay the day”.

“You don’t even know if we’re safe here! You dragged me all this way and you don’t even know if we can even stay here? Why did I ever allow myself to be caught up in your machinations?” White raised his hand in a threatening gesture against Red.

I’ve heard enough to know these two could be trouble. “Gentlemen. If here you wish to stay, my ass you better start kissing.” White glared at me in silent rage. Red perked up at my words and bounced off the bags to greet me.

“Hello, my dear. I’ve heard lots about you!” He offered his hand for me to shake. I just stared him in the face. “Yes, well.” He laughs a bit awkwardly and retracts his hand. “Well, my companion and I, we are…”

“On the run.” I finished his sentence for him. “On the run, and wanting to use my room as a safehouse for the day.” Red nodded. “You say you’ve heard lots about me, start talking.”

“Um. Well. That is.” Red’s face paled slightly, as his voice trailed off. He licked his lips as he realized I was immune to his vocal charms. White looked at him in amusement, then back to me with new found respect. But still, no emotion was betrayed on his face.

“Tell me why I should let you stay here the day, and what I would be in for if whoever, or whatever, you are running from, finds you here.”

Red dropped all attempt at joviality and came strangely to the point. “He’s running from his duty. I’m running with him because he’s fun to be around. If those that are looking for him find him here, you would not come to harm nor be confronted for harboring him. It’s up to him if he tells you why. But I can promise you this, if we stay or if you force us to leave, you will not suffer for either decision. But if you let us stay, maybe one day, the favor can be returned.”

I look at White in askance, but he turns his head. “Tell me, Sir. Is what the satyr says to be true. If I allow you to stay the day, and you are caught, there is no harm to me?” White nods. “But what would happen to you?”

He glares as he answers. “That is not your problem.”

I sense a strange desperation from the satyr. For some reason, he’s very involved in helping White escape his former life. Fortunately for him, I like satyrs.

“Alright. You two can stay the day. In this room, and in this room alone! If you enter the house proper, you will be evicted. Even if I am not here, you’ll find your asses handed to you in little pieces. I expect you out shortly after sunset. And stay out of my stuff.”

The satyr hopped gleefully. White continued his unblinking stare but I knew he had softened somewhat.

I did have to leave the dream, and soon. I knew my alarm would be going off again very shortly. The satyr resumed his seat on White’s bags and began playing his panpipes. As I turned to leave, I heard White’s voice one last time.

“Kerian. Thank you.” That he knew my name was surprising, considering he gave the impression he didn’t even know where he was. I looked back at White, wondering what had I just gotten myself into. But White had already begun tearing into Red for sitting on his bags. Red responded by laying fully on the bag, propping his hooves on the other.

I left the dream and woke up at once. The alarm had 30 seconds left before sounding. That was the morning of January 25, 2011.

As the day turned into days, I forgot about posting the full writeup until the night of January 27th, 2011. I haven’t seen Red nor White since, and while their presence lingered when I woke up, when I returned to the house for the day, their presence was gone.

Make of that, what you may.