Kelpie

Arthur headed down the direction of the neighing, and the ground became easier to traverse as the rockier ground flattened out as he headed inland. Arthur didn't really know where he was headed, he was merely following the sound of the horse. However, with something handy known as the GPS on his phone, he was not worried about getting lost. Locating K was of a greater importance.

Arthur waded through some thick weeds before he finally found his destination.

The lagoon was like a piece of paradise, it was the most beautiful place Arthur had ever seen in his life. The lagoon was only the size of a normal swimming pool but it was gorgeous. The area by the shore was cool and breezy with the shades provided by the line of coconut trees. Arthur realized the lagoon was ringed in by a line of rocks that he would have reached if he continued his earlier trek through the boulders.

The sand on the shore looked positively golden, burnished by the sun. The water of the lagoon was so clear that Arthur could see into the bed without any problem. As Diana said, the lagoon was very well-hidden so Arthur was the only person there.

Arthur would have been captivated by this glorious sight if not for something even more amazing capturing his attention. Standing in the middle of the lagoon was a powerful-looking mare. Its coat was light brown, shining as brightly as the golden sand. Its mane was long and it was braided with seaweed and sea grass as it trailed into the water. Arthur swore he could spot some shells and corals intertwined within the mane as well.

Arthur thought about wading into the lagoon with his open arms to grab K and bolt back to the Midnight Emporium to complete the petition but before he stepped out from behind the coconut tree, Diana's warning rang in his head, "be careful."

Diana did not seem like a malicious spirit and she did help Arthur locate K which was indeed at the hidden lagoon. She seemed like someone trustworthy so Arthur gave himself some pause to consider the warning that she gave him. 'Why would she tell me something like that? Was she hinting at the possible dangers that K might cause? But the animal looks so friendly and innocent...'

To be safe, Arthur continued to observe K. Then, he realized he had misjudged something. When K pranced through the water, Arthur noticed K's hooves were floating above water. Earlier, he assumed K was standing within the lagoon but now he realized, the horse was actually standing above the water!

'So the horse is a mythical creature as well.' Arthur thought to himself, 'I suppose that makes sense, why would Miss S. hire me to find a normal horse.'

If K was a mythical creature then Diana's warning might not be unfounded. Arthur knew even the most unassuming magical beings could deal serious damage to him. In horror flicks, those cute porcelain dolls were often the most cruel killers so one could never judge these beings by their appearances.

Arthur understood the virtue of caution. He hid behind the tree and took the phone out from his pocket. He needed more information. If he knew what kind of mythical beast K was, perhaps then he would know how to deal with him.

The lagoon might be hidden but at least it had cell phone and internet coverage.

He put in the keywords, mythical horse into the search. Arthur should have known most of the result would be on Pegasus. There were plenty of iteration of Pegasus especially since it was a favoured theme among modern media. However, the consensus was that Pegasus had a white, shining coat and its defining feature, the pair of wings.

Arthur turned away from the online images of Pegasus and looked at K that was happily playing in the water. 'Definitely not a Pegasus.' Arthur confirmed. There were pages of results to go through before he could find a match for K. Pegasus was too famous for its own good.

Arthur needed a second keyword other than mythical horse to narrow down the search. The young man combed his mind and he was suddenly reminded of the word that accidentally slipped Diana's lips when Arthur asked her about K, it was the word, "kelp".

Just to try it out, Arthur added the keyword, kelp to his search. To his surprise, he seemed to have landed on the answer.

Kelpie, a shape-shifting aquatic spirit in Scottish legend. Its name is most likely taken from the Gaelic word, 'colpach' or 'cailpeach', meaning colt of heifer. It usually takes on the form of a horse and it haunts places near water like rivers and streams.

As tame as one might act, Kelpies are malevolent creatures. According to legends, once you ride on its back, it will not allow you dismount. It will then proceed to drag you into a watery grave. The victims are submerged in water and later eaten as food.

Arthur shivered reading the description of Kelpie online. The appearance of K, its favoured habitat and the name itself fitted the property of a Kelpie perfectly. So Miss S. had sent him on a petition to find a man-eating horse.

Arthur was thankful for his own caution and Diana's word of warning. He would have died if not for that. The article was still not yet done so Arthur continued reading, hoping that it would provide him with the solution on how to deal with K.

He was in luck that day because the article really did. It said, Kelpie has an unexpected weak spot, its bridle. Those who can get hold of a Kelpie's bridle will be able to tame it and have command over it.

Putting the phone down, Arthur peeked his head out to examine K in the lagoon. He did spot a line of seaweed hanging underneath the horse's neck. Arthur supposed that was K's bridle.

Now how was he going to grab hold of that without putting his life at risk?