‘My choice,’ says the man on the black stallion. ‘This is what I want to do.’

‘You want to ride the Black?’

‘He is a beautiful horse, although you say the story is better.’

‘The story is always better.’ She points towards an old book. Perhaps it had been made after the movie had come out, for the cover had been updated. ‘This is the story, here. And he made a beautiful movie.’

‘And the boy in that movie… Is he still alive?’

‘I don’t remember his name. He did a good job, although it would have been terrifying for him if he had got on the actual stallion as he (the stallion) was portrayed in the book. They changed the race scene as well in the movie, if I remember correctly. Not all horses want to play the part they are given/not given. I expect that’s what the problem was, and they already had the horses.’

‘That seems a likely reason,’ said someone who was particularly good with horses. ‘Can I say something please,’ added the person, who had decided to change tactics, at least for today. ‘It was not exactly fair to charge us for something we did not use, was it?’

‘I do not see your point,’ said the man standing at the fence. ‘I charge you, you pay. That’s it.’

‘I disagree,’ the rider said, and once again began to circle the horse. ‘You see, old chap, we do not live in your world, and you do not make these decisions. These decisions will be made the correct way, and if there is no good reason for them, which there are not as far as I can tell, then I am afraid I am going to have to cancel on you.’

‘Please remind me of this payment,’ said someone testily. ‘it was not that big, if I remember.’

‘Not really the point if one does not know why they are there, still.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, ya daft fucker, if I said I only put up a picture once, not a photograph, but more of a wallpaper for a phone, and then took it down, and then no longer had access to it… because that’s all I can think of, why would I still be paying for it?’

‘This is not what we agreed,’ shrieked a small and desperate masked man. ‘You said it was a nice picture. That was the deal.’

‘I can’t make a deal on a picture I no longer have though. I believe that’s reasonable.’

‘She said that too.’ The man looked at his masked face in a mirror, the mirror of which had not been anywhere near the scene five minutes ago. ‘I do not think I should wear this mask anymore, mama. I think I understand now. I believe these people are trying to get someone to buy their crap, and I think this was a coverup by them to dissuade you from reporting on them. I think I am right.’

‘I gave them a chance to stop charging me for something I do not have, and it still continues. I believe I have been very kind to these people in that regard. I also believe,’ and the rider got down quite easily from the horse, because sometimes people know how to do things properly. ‘That I am not getting really angry quite yet, but when I actually do, I might just start heading your way, in a manner of speaking. So, make your choice to stop charging me, or I will make the choice to follow it back to its source through any means necessary. We do have the means necessary, you know. We are quite advanced, in that regard.’

‘This was your conversation with me many moons ago,’ said a desperate banker. ‘I did not follow it up then, but I will need to follow it up today, won’t I?”

‘Seeing as they also won’t allow me to make changes on my own bank account, I believe you will. This is the point of no return, kiddo.’

‘I don’t speak your language,’ the small and desperate con man said.

‘Well, I’m pretty sure we have someone around here who speaks yours. I don’t believe I will wait again, to see if you have stopped charging me. I believe I will still go ahead and make the phone call, and they will make sure this payment is stopped. I am pretty damn sure you can understand that, once it’s translated.’ The rider patted the horse on his velvety nose. ‘Don’t be a romantic either, mate. It doesn’t suit you.’

‘You know these people?’ A bystander seemed confused.

‘I can tell you who I don’t know,’ said the rider. ‘And that’s the pricks charging me for shit I’m not using. Is “No” not a good enough answer for you lot? You’re a bunch of dickless wonders, and I do not say that nicely.’

‘If this gets out, there’ll be hell to pay,’ a nasty little criminal said to his partner. ‘It’s highly likely we are not clever enough to get away with this anymore, especially if all eyes are on this writing woman. She “does not like anything about any of this”, she said that quite clearly, and I’m quoting her, and yet we chose to ignore her.’ (It’s called enunciation, bud. You should try it sometime, ya fat little fuck. It makes things so much clearer to all concerned about someone’s intent when it’s said out loud, ya got me?)

‘I still don’t speak your language,’ said the distant gremlins. ‘I have so much of your stuff I have acquired illegally it would not hold up in a court of law, simply for the fact I acquired it illegally.’

‘I think I wanna be Frank now,’ someone said. They had put their mask back on and were behaving in a distinctly suspicious manner. ‘I wanna go home.’

‘Bit late for that, I reckon,’ said the rider. She remounted the horse, again, quite easily, and said something under her breath. ‘You should probably run,’ she added with a broad smile. ‘My work here is done.’

‘What does that mean,’ asked the small, intimidated, and not very attractive at all, person trying to be a man. They had no idea what that meant — trying to be a man. Some people just aren’t cut out for certain things, and some others simply refuse to do them. Not all people can be put in the same basket, though, and this is what the small “man” did not understand.

The rider was not a small man.

‘My horse is very well trained. I believe, in some places, many many moons ago, these particular rather thick-necked beasts were called destriers. And, I just told him to back up on you. If you don’t know what that means, be very prepared for a kick in the head.’