Epilogue to Elsie's Revenge

She had not been expecting a letter. The guard nearly threw it at her; it sped towards the ground with a sharp but quiet whisssk. She left it there, unopened. Imagine, me Elsie, incarcerated! She pondered how that word had always sounded like some kind of open, gaping, bleeding injury. There's something malicious, disturbing in that word, incarcerated. And how paradoxical that what it really meant was that I, Elsie, am locked up, put away, tucked inside a building which will hold me forever for what I've done. So many people are dead and I, Elsie, remember, I remember still the exhilaration and the infinite sense of loathing and horror I felt when I took the inspector to each and every crime scene, and showed off each and every body.

They told me, Elsie, you are insane. You, Elsie, are not who you once were, if you were ever not insane, of which we can't be sure. Of course I, no I do not think that I am insane, but then they told me, you, Elsie, would be the last to know that you are insane. The insane are always the last to know. But how, I ponder, can they know my mind better than I do? I tried to explain. You see, I say to them, I had business, important business to do. I had to meter out justice. I, Elsie, I was forced to take action by others. I could not leave things as they were. And now, I am done! There is no one else who needs to die. And so how can I, Elsie, be insane?

The letter still lay on the floor. She peered down at it, unable to decipher the scribbled address on it. Curious that it reached her so quickly, when she had only just gotten to this place herself. She wondered how she should open it. She stared at it for a long time. The guard passed by again, snickering as he noted the letter still lay there, unmoved by her hooves. And then, although neither knew it, Elsie and the guard both shared the same thought.

Who the hell would write to a murdering horse?

And then Elsie grabbed the letter in her teeth, and threw it back out at the guard, who opened it for her, and began to read aloud. And she, Elsie, stamped once, and then stood quietly to listen.