In The Land Of Gods And Monsters
Kelpie Boyfriend
Moodboard By Me
Resting her chin on her small hand, Lilith looks through the foggy window of the bus. A sigh fell from her lips, seeing the tall trees and hills passing by the bus in a blur. The bright sun hid behind the thick dark clouds which threatened to pour all their water in all the vast green land of Scotland.
Lilith´s grandmother had passed away a year ago, her only family at least the only one who loved and cared for her. Lilith´s parents are divorced since she was five and being the youngest of the two siblings, she was always forgotten in the background. But whenever her grandma come to visit, it was a blessing. She would stay with Lilith up until late in the night, tell her old tales from her town.
Lilith’s favorite was the tale of the Kelpie or water spirit as some people call them, the massive horse that lurks in the murky waters from swampy lakes in Scotland. Waiting for a child or a beautiful woman to come close to the water and drown them, eating their fresh flesh.
As Lilith grew up, she was accepted into the university of her dreams, Cambridge. To study ancient history. With that, Lilith had to move to England, leaving behind her grandma alone in her little cottage since no one in Lilith’s family would go visit her.
After the death of her grandma, she left her belongings to Lilith and her siblings, dividing them by the three of them.
Martha, the oldest one of them, took some antique furniture and a part of her grandma’s jewelry. John took her car and some old war stuff that was from their grandpa.
To Lilith, she left her cottage and land. She was on cloud nine since her grandma’s house was always Lilith´s safe place.
Lilith and she would spend hours on her small garden, collecting some herbs which she would make some delicious tea with it, and feeding the wild rabbits.
Lilith´s siblings had mocked her immensely, saying that she had big trouble in her small hands since their grandma cottage was almost falling apart and her beautiful garden needed a good cleaning as it was almost wild like the woods beside the cottage from not being used since their grandma got sick.
Walking out of the bus, Lilith put her backpack on her back and walk down the stone road that leads to the cottage.
While she was walking on the old road, watching the yellow and orange leaves falling down slowly from the trees, indicating the presence of autumn. She notices an old man walking slowly towards her, wearing a forest green beret on his white-haired head. His face was full of wrinkles and a gentle smile was set on his thin lips.
“Lilith! God! You have grown into a lovely lady!” the old man said with a cheerful voice, bowing his head a little to Lilith.
Confused, she smiles nervously to the elder and wave.
“Ahh… Good afternoon, sir!” Lilith said politely to him, trying to figure out who this man was.
The old man chuckles and puts his cane in front of him, resting both of his wrinkle hands in the handle.
“Oh, How rude of me! I´m Bearnard, an old friend of your grandma. You used to call me the apple man!” he said gently, his wrinkle smile was so calm and gentle.
Lilith´s cheeks darken as she remembers him.
When Lilith was a child, she went to her grandma’s house to pass the summer with her. It was the happiest vacation she had in all my life.
Every day, they would go on long walks in the woods and pick up some flowers but what Lilith liked the most was when Bearnard went to her grandma´s house and brought fresh apples from his garden. The red fruit was so sweet and fresh, perfect for a hot afternoon, especially after taking a long walk. This would occur every single day which she started to call him the apple man.
A giggle escapes from her lips as she stretches her arm, shaking his warm hand gently.
“Bearnard! It´s been so long. How are you?” she said with a timid smile on her oval face.
Bearnard adjusted his brown jacket as a gush of cold wind pass through them, blowing pieces of Lilith´s auburn hair into her freckled face.
“I´ve been okay… a little lonely since your grandma´s death…” his cheerful voice changed into a melancholic one, his vibrant green eyes shining with tears.
Taking a deep breath, Lilith put gently her hand gently on his shoulder.
“Well, you aren’t alone anymore! I’m moving back to grandma’s cottage… If you want, you could visit me anytime!” with her soft words, his wrinkle face shined with excitement.
Nodding gently, he squeezes her small hand in thanks.
“Oh, I would love too! I will see if I can bring some of the famous apples,” he said happily while start walking back to his house, waving back to Lilith.
After a long walk, she finally arrives at the cottage. A gasp escapes from her mouth as she sees the damage around her.
“Wow…” she whispers, looking to the cottage wrapped in trees and bushes. As Lilith walks closer, she notices that some of the windows are broken, the stone walls are full of moss and wild mushrooms.
Pulling out the keys from her bag, she unlocks the wooden door and walks inside. A tear fell from her grey eyes as she sees that nothing was changed after her grandma died. Her grandma´s keys and bag were still by the door on the little rustic table and in the living room, lying on the old couch, was her blanket and kit of crochet.
The place was a wreck, the furniture was full of dust and on the ceiling, there were spots of mold caused by some water that had got in. The lights didn’t work and there wasn’t hot water for her luck.
Sighing, Lilith opens the back door and saw that the garden wasn’t in much better shape. There were bindweed and tall bushes and wildflowers growing everywhere. Walking into the small jungle that is her grandma’s garden, Lilith notices it was quite charming. Almost looking like that it had come from some fairytale that her grandma uses to tell her.
Noting everything that she needs to do on the house on her phone, Lilith walking back inside to unpack her things.
As the first weeks go through, the house begins looking cozier like before. The windows were fixed and were more beautiful than the old ones. The walls were painted with a fresh layer of white paint and the wooden floor was polished, shining like it was new. The electricity and the hot water were finally fixed yesterday, the man who came here fixing them said that this house was very old so he had to replace almost every pipe and electricity cables.
While Lilith was cleaning the house, she saw a very strange bridle in the attic. It was all in gold and had some Celtic words craved in there. Not knowing what to do with it, she threw it into a box full of old stuff and put it the corner of the attic.
On the day after, a crew would come to install the internet and cable TV, she was thrilled to finally have some good television and start working on her new project.
Lilith was writing a book with all the folklore and legends from all around the world in which she was super excited about since it was a dream of her and her grandma for so long.
Pouring a chamomile tea on her huge mug, Lilith walks outside to the garden, sitting on the rocking chair.
She took a sip of her hot tea and look to the cloudy sky. The sunlight was trying to escape through the dark clouds, trying to illuminate the humid land. The air smelled sweet and aromatic from the little garden of herbs that she had made.
Since Lilith was a child, she loves to plant and use herbs to almost everything, especially tea.
Suddenly, in the corner of her eye, she saw a massive figure standing beside the little gate that leads to the woods.
Turning her head to the side, she saw a huge black horse standing there looking to her.
“Oh my…” she said while posing the mug on the table beside her.
Standing up, Lilith took a step forward, careful with her movement for not to scare the beautiful creature in front of her.
The stallion lows his massive head and huff, his black coat shined in the warm sunlight. His mane was long and soft, making her want to bury her freckled face on it. His beautiful dark eyes, deep as oceans, black as coal.
Looking around, Lilith didn´t see anyone with the horse. Weird…Why such a lovely horse would be here alone? She walks closer to the horse and smiles gently.
“Hi there… Where is your owner?” she asked, knowing that he wasn’t going answer back. Lilith raises her hand to pet his snout gently but something in the back of her mind told her not to do it like her sixth sense had come to life.
Lilith took a step back and lower her hand. With her movements, the horse let out a loud neigh and hit his massive hooves on the ground, running back to the woods. She stood there with a shocked face, looking to where the black horse disappeared.
Putting her small hand on her chest, Lilith walks back inside the house, still feeling the weird sensation on her chest.
This occurred almost every day. The horse came over and stood there looking at her, his piercing blue eyes observing her movements as Lilith planted plants on her garden. She had asked Bearnard if anyone had a horse around here but he said that none of the neighbors had large animals, only chickens, and ducks.
Like always, when Lilith step outside with her garden kit, she saw the large horse standing there. Shrugging her shoulders, she starts working on her garden, cleaning and harvest the herbs.
While Lilith was working, a soft voice sounded on her head.
“You´re just like her…” she shot up and look around with wide eyes.
“Who’s there?!” she asked.
There was a long silence, rain starts slowly falling down and the wind starts raging furiously around her.
The horse took a step forward and let out an animalistic sound, almost like a growl. As he came closer to the small woman, Lilith notice his beautiful mane had some seaweeds wrap around his black locks, making look all muddy, his massive figure was bonier, his skin look like it was melting and his hooves were backway.
“What-” she took a step back, looking to the creature which once was a beautiful horse.
“Strong and smart just like her.” the delicate voice comes again in her head.
Lilith looks to the horse and grabs the nearest thing which was a shovel.
“Stay back!… Who are you?!” she asked, trying to make an intimidating voice but only made the creature chuckle and walk closer to her.
“Calm down, Human. I´m not going to hurt you…yet. I´m a Kelpie, a water spirit as some of you call us.” as he said that, a gasp escapes from her thin lips.
Lilith´s mind was like a tornado, shooked that such a creature exists. She starts trashing the shovel around, trying to hit the creature, knowing full well of what Kelpies could do.
“Stay back!” she warns him again, hitting on his snout with the cold metal.
A loud hiss fell from the creature’s mouth, making her a little confident but it was all gone when he grabs the shovel with his sharp teeth and throw it away. A squeal escapes from her lips as her back press against the cold stone wall.
“W..What do you want?!” Lilith stutter, fear to spread through her tiny body.
The Kelpie lowers his bony head and sniffs her auburn hair.
“I want of what your grandmother has taken from me, human!” he growls, hitting hard on the ground with his sharp hooves.
Lilith looks to the creature with wide eyes, surprised that he knew her grandma. Taking a deep breath, she stood up from the floor, putting a frown on her face.
“What did she take from you?” she said, her voice trembles a little but she forced herself to lift her head high in the air. She is not going to take any shit from the creature even if he intimidates her.
A chuckle sounded on her head and the kelpie huff on her face, blowing her hair back.
“The bridle…She took my bridle.” Lilith´s face contoured in surprise as the bridle that she had found on the attic came to her head.
The tale says that a Kelpie without his bridle is useless. The bridle contains all their power and when a person takes the bridle from the kelpie, they become almost a master to them.
So that´s why her grandma had a bridle in the attic.
A smirk grew on Lilith´s lips as an idea pop on her head.
“Okay! I will give you the bridle…if you help me with some tasks here in the garden.” she said while pointing to the fallen tree in the middle of the garden and some heavy rocks that shouldn´t be there, and other stuff that needs to be clean or taken away.
He huffs and puffs angrily, trashing his bony head in annoyance. The seaweeds slap on his long neck, spreading the smell of the ocean around them.
“Alright… but you have to feed me,” he said with a dark voice. Lilith notices a small smirk forming on his lips, showing his long sharp teeth. Rolling her grey eyes, she nods and walks inside to change her wet clothes.
“Be here early in the morning,” she said with a firm voice.
The next day, after Lilith, dress up in some cozy clothes and eat breakfast. She walks outside, seeing the Kelpie standing in the middle of the garden, waiting for her. He was back with his other form, the beautiful one.
“Good morning!” she said cheerfully, smirking as she sees him glaring at her. Lilith hears him murmuring something in a strange language inside her head which sounded curses to her.
During the morning, he stays quiet, doing the job she told him to do. He helped to take the fallen tree into the woods since he had an inhuman strength.
When Lilith took a break to eat something, she walks to the kitchen and opens some meat packages, putting them on a bowl. She makes her lunch and walks outside with the food on a tray.
“Here you go!” she said while putting the bowl full of raw meat on the floor. He looks down and growls at her.
“What is this?! Do you think I’m some dog?!” he snarls, sniffing the meat. Lilith puts her hands on her waist and lifts her red brow.
“What? Do you have a problem?” she said with a firm voice.
He huffs and starts eating, cracking the bones with his strong jaw.
A while they eat in peace, her grey eyes study his strange body. Seeing his dangerous mouth bite and rip the meat like it was some burger. She still can believe that Kelpies are real. How many mythical creatures are out there? She thinks to herself.
“What are you looking at?” his voice sounded in her head, interrupting her thoughts.
“Do you have a name?” she asks him, meeting his gaze. He lets out a huff and turns his huge head to the side, looking to the woods.
“Alan… That´s what your grandmother used to call me.” Lilith notices his eyes shining with sadness but quickly disappeared as he looks to her. “What´s yours?” his voice bored and annoyed.
“I´m Lilith!… So Alan, why grandma took your bridle?” she asked while taking a bite from her salad.
“That old woman caught me off guard one day…Took my bridle and said that from that day forward I would be her friend,” he said while drinking some water from the pond in the garden.
Alan notices her confused face and chuckles a little, raising his large head up in the air. “She said since her grandchildren grew up, she was a little lonely… so she made me stay with her.” massive weight of guilt fell on Lilith´s stomach as he said that. She should have visited her grandma more. She should have made more time for her grandma.
Taking a deep breath, Lilith stood up and grab his bowl, putting the dishes on the tray. Trying to put her mind in other stuff.
“So you two were friends?” she asks while putting everything away. He nods and looks to the dark clouds in the sky.
“Yes. She was a… tolerable person.” a chuckle fell from her lips, shaking her head as Lilith went to him.
“Well, we have some more things to do today…better get to work while it is still a little sunny,” she said, putting a bridle made of old rope on his head for him to help her pull the heavy rocks.
This went for days, Alan would come over and help Lilith with the garden. They got closer each day, she found that his dark humor and his annoyance bright her day. He starts to appearing more often but not in his horse form but in his human form. She must say that she was shocked to see a very handsome man only in trousers, standing in her garden one morning.
He had a very long black hair, with some seaweeds tangled on his dark locks. His skin was pale as the snow, making a huge contrast with his dark hair. His features were sharp and a bit hollowed, his eyes were all black with only two small blue orbs.
Lilith starts to invite him to dinner, making a nice plate with raw meat since he only meat with a lot of blood. He still doesn´t like it, saying that human flesh is much better.
“No, Alan. I will not cook human flesh!” She said while putting the plates on the table. He grumbles something under his breath and starts eating his bloody meat.
After dinner, they head outside and sit on the comfy chairs.
“When I give your bridle back… will you stop coming here?” she asked shyly, looking up to the dark sky nervously. Lilith heard him sigh as he looks down.
“No… I will not,” he whispers.
A small smile forms on Lilith´s face, she stood up and walk inside, ignoring the confused face of Alan. When she got back, she grabs his hand and put his bridle on his large bony hand.
“Here… You deserve it after the long work.” His eyes widened as he squeezed his golden bridle. His face contoured in relief and happiness, a small tear fell from his obsidian eyes.
He wraps his long arms around her waist and pulls her into his naked chest. He starts kissing all Lilith´s face, making her a blushing mess.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” He whispers against her auburn hair. She pulls away and cups his hollow skin, stroking her thumb against his snow-white skin.
“You’re welcome… Well, now you are free,” she said while taking a step back, seeing him changing the bridle into a beautiful golden string. He puts it around his long neck and grins happily at her.
“I want to show something.” He said while changing to his horse form.
Lilith gasps as she sees that his bridle did really some change on his body. His large body was even more massive, his black coat was shinier than before and his mane was longer and wilder. He was beautiful!
“Climb up.” His rich voice sounded inside her head.
Slowly, Lilith walks to him, putting her small hands on his mane. She stroke gently his long neck, feeling how gluey his skin feel, perfect to glue his prey to him and drown them. “I will not hurt, Lilith.” His smooth voice interrupted her thoughts.
Smile softly, she climbs to his back. Amazed at how big he is. Lilith lean down and grab his wild mane, secure herself for not to fall.
“Hold on!” With that he begins to run into the woods, making a squeal escape from her thin lips.
As they run through the dark woods, she notices little lights glowing around the dense woods almost looking like little fairies flying around.
When Alan stopped, her eyes widened as she sees the magnificent view before her.
A massive lake stood in front of them, the moonlight shining bright in the calm waters. Climbing down from his back, Lilith walks slowly to the lake bank, bending down to touch the cold water.
“It’s beautiful…” she whispers in awe.
Alan sits beside her, in his human form, and put his large cold hand over her. They stay in silence for a while, watching the beautiful view in front of them.
“This is the first time that i show my home to a human.” He whispers to her, squeezing her small hand gently.
Looking up, Lilith smile shyly and lean closer to him, kissing gently his cheek. “I’m glad to see it… it’s beautiful.” she grins softly.
His black eyes look down to her lips and lean down slowly, stopping inches away from her thin lips.
“May I kiss you, Lilith?” His voice husky, full of need.
As she nods, he crashes his cold lips into hers, kissing her gently. A whimper fell from Lilith´s mouth as he nibbled her lower lip, feeling his sharp teeth against her skin.
They pull back, catching their breath. Alan put a red lock behind Lilith´s ear and rest his forehead on hers, smiling shyly.
“I’ve never thought that i would fall in love with my food.” she giggles with his words and punched his arm, making him fall back dramatically.
Lying down beside him, Lilith cuddles into his chest, rubbing small circles on his pale skin. “I love you too, my water spirit,” she whispers against his chest.
He wraps his arm around her shoulder and kisses her head gently. “My little human.” He rests his head on hers and sighs.
“I will protect you forever.”
Hi!! Here’s the first Monster Boyfriend story! I hope you guys like it and feel free to comment and tell me what you think!
XOXO