The wind picked up as the mighty ships of the clouds sailed overhead. Matazz, a dappled gray Arabian horse, felt jazzed up with the energy of a coming storm. He trotted up and down the pasture in a fancy prance, his tail up, ears flicking back and forth. It was the first time he’d ever been turned out into the night to see for himself how it swallows the shadows in a greater mystery, or how the moon makes silver phantoms dance among the trees. His wide eyes were deep pools of matching mystery as he tossed his cloudy head. He leaped into the air and kicked out just for the joy of using his strength, then he galloped over to where they’d set out extra hay and pulled a bunch of it into his mouth.

Suddenly, the big sky opened and it started pouring rain. Matazz looked toward the barn, but the gate was closed, and no one was coming for him. However, he liked being out in the rain. The water felt like it massaged his skin under his hair. He turned his back to the direction of the rain, so it wouldn’t get in his eyes, and he patiently waited. He fell into a kind of meditative state, where he enjoyed feeling the energy of the earth and the sky.

As the hours passed, he noticed his pasture was flooding. He looked back at the barn, but it was surrounded by water, and the door was closed. The gate was still locked. No one appeared to come get him. A thought entered his head that he’d never had before: why not jump the fence? Gathering his muscles, he charged the fence, water sloshing around his hooves, grass turning to mud. Luckily, the moon provided enough light for him to judge the distance. Cleared! He was proud of himself.

He neighed to see if anyone would answer. No one came. For the first time in his life, the world was wide open. Each step he took was like taking a step into a new land. He could go wherever he chose. His nostrils flared as he looked around. His heart beat like a drum, telling him to flee. Tapping into ancient instincts, he chose a direction and began to step gingerly through debris in the darkness. He was free. The wind picked up as if to push him on his way.

There was a sighting of him that night, in the early morning, from google street view, charging down the road like a furious gray storm cloud, magnificently terrified.