The Forbes Centaur

Chapter 1

The storm howled outside the house. Rain lashed the windows, and lightning cast strange shadows as it bounced off scattered objects in the room. Young Daphne Forbes was visiting her kindly uncle in his Old World manor house in Grimesmore Moor , England. Her family had sent her for a whole summer. As they lived in America and her uncle lived in Britain, they did not see much of each other. Yet, this summer, her uncle had called her father and had invited Daphne to come stay with him. He had even purchased her tickets.  Daphne had been so excited, she talked of nothing else. Her friends were so envious that she had gotten the chance to travel abroad. When she had arrived in London, She had been met by an elderly gentleman who introduced himself as Uncle Wally. Uncle Wally was slightly stooped over, walked with a cane, and sported a slightly moth-eaten suit and a handsome derby. Daphne was a little shy upon meeting him, but warmed quickly to his quaint charm and quick wit.

The trip to Forbes Manor was a long one. After passing through the enormous city of London, they passed through fields and villages for hours. "Uncle Wally," she had asked after what had seemed like forever. "How is it that everyone claims Great Britain is an island, but it is so big that it takes hours to cross?" Uncle Wally had given a deep belly laugh, like her father would sometimes when she had done or said something funny. "Great Britain is an island, it just happens to be a very big island. That is why it seems to take so long to cross it. Don't worry dear. Grimesmore Moor is just up ahead. From there, it is ten minutes into the country to the house. We'll be there in time for dinner and a cup of tea." Daphne had wrinkled her nose. She didn't like tea! Still, she was supposed to be on her best behavior for her uncle, so she supposed she had better drink it.

It was just under an hour before they had turned up the long gravel drive to the house. A thick copse of trees lined the driveway and blocked the view of the house. In the gathering gloom of twilight, the road under the trees looked very dark indeed. Then they emerged from the trees and came face to face with the statue of a rearing centaur that stood silent guard on the house. Daphne was captivated by the statue, it looked so real. The features of the man blended seamlessly with the body of the horse. His face was contorted with anger, and a stone helm covered his brow. In his left hand he carried a kite shield and on the right, a spear. The artist had managed to create a figure so alive, that for a moment she thought he was quite real! However, upon closer inspection, he appeared neglected. A dirty patina covered him, and she thought she could see the outside of a bird's nest on his helm.

Tearing her eyes from the statue, she saw that house for the first time. It was an imposing edifice. Three stories tall, plus an attic, it had a turret on either side that brought in mind Victorian houses from the old quarter in her hometown. There were several stained-glass windows that caught the light and dazzled her eyes. A covered entrance completed the picture. Blinking, she began to pick up on the details. The paint was old and faded, and had started peeling in areas. The stained windows were in need of a good wash, and she could see one on the very top of the house that had been boarded up. The chimney in the center of the house didn't look like it was straight any more, and one wall was thickly covered in ivy. Daphne turned accusing eyes on her uncle. "I'm sorry little one, I know she isn't completely restored yet, but the inside of this old lady is a sight better than her outside. Why don't you go in while I grab your bags?" "Okay." She said sulkily. This wasn't what she had envisioned for her summer! Walking up to the pair of double doors, she noticed a pair of massive bronze lion knockers in the center of each door. For a moment, she fancied that they were looking at her and weighing her worthiness. She felt slightly nervous now as she opened the door slowly. Inside, the foyer was richly carpeted, and an electric chandelier gave off a warm yellow light. She stared in wonder at the sight of a rusty suit of armor that stood in an alcove off to the right. In its armored hands, it gripped a sword with a wide guard. Stepping inside the hall, she saw an oak door to her right. Opening the door, she discovered the room was a giant library, where thousands of books stood on shelves that wrapped around the entire room. On the far side of the room a massive stone fireplace sat between two tall windows, with a dusty wooden mantle. Curious, she stepped in the room to get a closer look at the fireplace. She found the mantle was carved with exquisite detail, and had several panels. The far left one depicted a lone centauress running for her life from a pack of hounds. The one next to it showed her dodging a leaping dog and splashing into a river. The next panel showed a lone human charging the hounds with his horse while the centauress hid behind him. The final panel showed the centauress and human leaving together.

"Ah, I've seen you found the story of the Forbes Centaur." Came her uncle's voice from behind her. She jumped slightly, she hadn't known there was anyone behind her! Her uncle was staring at the mantelpiece panels. "What's the Forbes Centaur?" she asked her uncle. He smiled slightly. "Not here." He said quietly, looking at her with a strange little smile on his elderly face. "This tale needs a roaring fire and a couple of full bellies to be told properly." "Okay!" bounced Daphne. The mere mention of food made her stomach growl in agreement.

The kitchen was easily the largest that Daphne had seen outside of a restaurant. It had a huge wooden range, large countertops and a huge sink in the corner. A pair of walk-in freezers completed the kitchen. There was enough space to cook for an army, yet most of the equipment had tarnish on it, and seemed unused except for a small corner of the room. Modern conveniences such as a microwave and toaster were on the countertop, a worn round table sat nearby with chairs for two people. "What would you like, Daphne?" her uncle asked. "I have meals for every occasion, including beef, mutton and even some pasta." Daphne thought for a minute and decided on the beef. Her uncle went to the walk-in freezer and pulled open the door. Mist from cold air immediately swirled out as he walked in. He came out a minute later with the very recognizable red boxes of Banquet freezer meals. She looked at her uncle in surprise. "I'm sorry dear." He said quietly as he opened one end of the box and slid out a steak dinner. "But this is all I have right now." "This isn't what I exactly pictured, uncle." Daphne said almost accusingly. Her uncle looked slightly sheepish. "I may have exaggerated a bit when I invited you to come. I was so excited when I finally got this house that I am afraid I jumped in without checking the water first. When I invited you to visit, I hadn't actually spent time at the house. I had gotten it through my solicitor who reported that it was a fixer-upper, but the price was right. I envisioned a nice house that might need some paint and spackle here and there, where only the sound of a child's laughter might make it seem homely. Instead, I found the wiring was bad, most of the furniture hadn't been used in years, the paint was definitely gone, and the grounds were wild. I knew that you were already on your way, so I decided to make the best of it. I hope that you can forgive me for leading you on like this." Daphne glanced once more around the kitchen, listening to the echo of the microwave as its hum reverberated off the empty space. Looking back at her uncle, she gave him a hug and said, "I guess it will be okay." Though in truth, she was still feeling disappointed.

The feeling persisted throughout the meal, and through a damper on conversation. At the end of the meal, Daphne remembered the panels in the library. Looking at her uncle who was disposing of the dishes in the garbage can near the sink, she asked. "Will you tell me the tale of the Forbes Centaur now uncle?" Uncle Wally turned to her and gave a wry smile. "You still want hear that tale, huh?" he said. He sighed theatrically and glanced at his wristwatch. He gave a comic double take and looked back up at her. "I'm terribly sorry dear, but I'm afraid it is way past ten o'clock. In fact, it is nearly eleven! I'm afraid your tale is going to have to wait until tomorrow." "Uncle, I'm fifteen years old. I can decide for myself when I go to bed." Daphne replied. "I really want to hear about the centaur. What is she running from, who sent the hounds after her." Her uncle raised his hand and laughed slightly. "All right, I understand you decide when you go to bed, but I beg you, take pity on your poor uncle. It's way past my bedtime. I need my beauty sleep too you know!" Daphne sighed inwardly. It seemed an unwritten rule of adulthood to keep interesting tales away from kids and use them as treats for keeping good behavior going. Playing along, she hugged her uncle and bid him good night.

She was shown to her room by her uncle. It was on the second floor, in a bedroom that showed signs of cleaning, and fresh sheets. She was surprised at this, as it was so different from the rest of the house. "Well," her uncle said in answer to her question, "I asked one the local families if they would help me fix up the place, and I told them my niece was visiting from America and that I needed a clean room for her to stay in. It looks like they did a good job here." Daphne could only nod in agreement. What a difference simple cleaning had made when compared to the rest of the house. The carpet was a faded burgundy, and matched the window seat top. White drapes had been hung at the window, which itself stretched close to the ceiling. In the center of the room, a four poster bed dominated the space. The pillows were even freshly fluffed! A dresser stood against the wall next to the bed, with more than enough room for all her things. Hugging her uncle tight, she raced down the stairs to the foyer, where her bags had been left, and brought them up to her room. Quickly unpacking she had decided to brush her teeth and go to bed.

That night, a powerful storm came swirling in. Record winds howled through the local village, causing the lone drunk wandering home from the pub to grab at his hat tightly for fear that it would blow away. A heavy, hammering rain quickly sluiced down from the sky while lightning cracked the sky. The storm had yet to abate when Daphne got up in the morning. Snuggling in the soft down of the mattress, she had felt perfectly content and willing to stay there all day. However, the tapping of a cane going down the stairs indicated that her uncle was up and about. She had given a groan at the fact that she had to get up from the bed, yet she had managed to roll out. She had dressed quickly and met her uncle down in the kitchen for breakfast. She accepted some orange juice and toast from her uncle, who she thought was still trying to apologize for the state of the house. She had already decided to make the best of things already, and maybe even help fix up the place a little. It was clear to her that her uncle was in no real shape to fix the house by himself, what with his cane and all. Still before she would help, she wanted to hear about the Forbes Centaur. "Uncle," She had asked, "Now would you tell me about the centaur?" He nodded. "Sure. Meet me in the Library, and I'll tell you the tale.

Which is how she had found herself in the Library of the Forbes Manor, while lightning flashed outside, casting interesting shadows from the scattered objects, such as the standing globe and stuff on the small reading table in the center. She sat in one of the plush chairs she had pulled out of a corner and had dusted off. Her uncle had done the same with a straight-back chair. Once it was cleaned to his satisfaction, he sat down with a slight sigh. "Now Uncle, what about the story?" Daphne asked. Uncle Wally folded his hands over his cane and looked at her over them. He had a pair of reading glasses on that gave him the air of professor about to lecture. He peered through them with his bright green eyes that seemed to fade slightly as he gathered himself to begin.