Artemis surveyed her collection.
The shelves of her library reached to the ceiling with jars standing shoulder to shoulder. All displayed eras of meticulous cataloging and assemblage. Despite the thousands upon thousands lined up filling her quiet sanctuary, if given time she could remember the contents of each one. A millennia had made her choose each treasure for her collection wisely.
Morning light streamed in through the windows, illuminating her treasures through clouded glass. Some danced with joy for the warmth of the sun, some glared and shielded their eyes, and others strained forward with gentle necks and graceful limbs to welcome the day. She smiled as she passed the tulips, all radiant in their dew, and the twin condors, their wingtips catching an unseen breeze.
Never had she imagined her collection would come to this. Never could she have imagined that her modest fascinations would be remembered as an act of preservation for her beloved Earth. She murmured a thankful prayer that all was not lost. Not here, not in her precious sanctum, where the Golden Toads still leapt from pond to pond. Here the Monarch butterflies still flitted through meadows like wildfire, swirling up in the breeze, their swarms turning the hillsides brilliant ochre.
Each jar contained life that had vanished from everywhere but her library, and in the memories of the ancients. Long had she waited for the world to be new.
The dusty shelf she stopped in front of held many wonders, but she came in search of one that was special… one she could remember from her youth as clear as day.
If Artemis concentrated she could almost feel the silk of her first stallion’s coat on her fingertips, with the kiss of the summer sun shining down on a midday ride. One day she hoped to feel it again. She prayed in good time that her hope would come true.
The jar was heavier than she recalled, but that was to be expected. All her treasures had grown in the time they spent behind the thick glass that had kept them safe. The herd eyed her curiously as she held their home aloft in the light.
“I’ve got a surprise for you,” she whispered to them. With her arms wrapped around the glass like a mother cradling her precious newborn, she stepped to Earth.
She descended to a place she had imagined many times. The land was just like she remembered it, back when the world was as young as she.
It was time. Kneeling to the ground, she gently tipped the jar to the opening.
They sniffed the air cautiously, whickering to each other.
“Go on,” Artemis encouraged.
The dappled mare was the first to catch the scent of the sweet breeze. The blur of gray and white bolted, determination in every hoofbeat to chase the wind. The herd needed no further convincing. They rushed out with elated whinnies. Finally, they could be as they were meant to be.
Free.