September Seventeenth is a short story by Cooper Nelson, author of the novel Blume now available at Amazon.com
The tranquil melody of hooves trotting down a cobblestone road eventually came to a standstill as the two white stallions leading the carriage let out soft whinnies and shook their manes in the calm, cool night air. The driver of the carriage placed the reigns gently in his lap and turned his head over his shoulder. “We have arrived, Mr. Rose,” he announced in a sophisticated tone; the back seat of the carriage covered in shadow, all that is visible of Mr. Rose, his chest and arms. He nodded his head in the darkness; the driver opened the door to the carriage and a soft, wintry breeze floated in, lifting the corner of Mr. Rose’s coattail. He placed a white gloved hand on the inside of the door, and stepped down onto the cobblestone street below. Mr. Rose smiled at the carriage driver, thanking him for the ride as he nervously made his way up the staircase, ascending to a stone castle extravagantly draped with banners and scarlet torches.