Song of the Unicorn

Janet spent most of the next morning cleaning the house. It was her habit to keep the house clean and tidy. Every day she gave herself and Asia some kind of task to do so that cleaning would never become too overwhelming. Occasionally she would be extra thorough, and this happened to be one of those times. Asia knew her mother very well. When Janet became a fanatical house cleaner it was because she was particularly happy.

On this morning, Asia's special duties were to spritz the plants with a water sprayer and to dust. For dusting she used a feather duster that served very well also as a bird's tail when tucked into the apron strings behind her back. Asia flew about the living room spritzing the plants while her mother collected the magazines that were lying about on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"Mommy, I heard the phone ring this morning," said Asia. "Was it important?"

"Oh, that was Gene," replied Janet. "He invited me to have supper with him at a restaurant and then we might go see a play in town."

"Am I coming?" asked Asia. She knew the answer but could not resist asking.

"No, Asia. It would be too late for you to stay up. You are going to stay over at Brandy's house." Brandy lived in a house only a few acres away from Asia's house. Brandy and Asia were the best of friends. "And," continued Janet, "guess who is coming over this afternoon to play with you?"

"The Cuckoo bird . . . the silly goose . . . the flickle flock . . . I know! " said Asia. "Jane!"

"Who is Jane?" asked Janet.

"The big fat hen - that's who!"

"You are a goofy fruitcake this morning!" said Janet as she wiped the dust off a lamp with a cloth. "Anyway, Brandy will be here this afternoon. She will stay for supper and then the two of you can take a walk by yourselves to her house."

"I'm afraid of doing that, mommy." Asia said.

"Why, Asia? It isn't far from here." Janet stopped and turned in surprise. She thought her daughter would love to walk to Brandy’s house. "What are you afraid of?"

"Jane, the big fat hen!" screamed Asia.

"What a goofbucket you are!" exclaimed Janet.

Mother and daughter worked for a few minutes and then Asia said, "We are cleaning the house because you are happy that Gene called. Right, mom?"

"We are cleaning the house because it's messy," explained Janet, "and we do not want to have a messy house for guests or for ourselves, Asia."

"Mommy likes Gene, mommy likes Gene!" sang Asia.

Janet chased her silly daughter bird around the room until they fell on the couch laughing and tickling each other. After lunch, Asia went down to the playroom in the basement where she kept many of her dolls, craft supplies, books and toys. The only sunlight came through three basement windows lined up high along one wall. They opened into window wells such that Asia could see the surface of the ground and the sky from the floor. She thought the most grotesque and frightening spiders lived there and therefore threw a fit every time her mother went to open them. On this afternoon, the sunlight lit up the room sufficiently so that switching on the ceiling lights was not necessary.

At one end of the room stood a pair of cabinets and a fireplace that separated them. It was such an old fireplace that the brick was cracked in a number of places and some mortar between the brick had fallen out. Asia used to enjoy picking away at it until her mother discovered her in the act. She received a scolding and a lecture that she did not want to hear again.

Over the mantel of the fireplace hung a picture that had been there when they moved into the house. Asia liked it so much that her mother left it there. In the picture was a room with one visible wall of rough stone. In the middle of the room on a bed lay a young woman asleep. Asia loved looking at her long light-green cotton dress that fitted loosely about her body, and fell at the bottom over the edge of the bed. Wavy dark green patterns lined the bottom hem of the dress and the collar. Behind the woman was a fireplace built into the stone wall and a gold key rested on the wooden mantle.

Janet said it must be a picture from a fairy tale, but she did not know which one. She had even taken it down to see if anything was written on it. There was no mention of a fairy tale, just a strange poem that read: 'No kiss of prince can wake her now, for a fever rages within her head. But when she dreams, the key will fall into the lowest heaven'.

Asia looked at the cabinet on the right side of the fireplace. On the top shelf her many dolls sat lined in a row. Art supplies stocked the next, and her books lined the lowest shelf. On the top shelf of the other cabinet stood her collection of porcelain figurines; angels, musicians, horses, bears, squirrels, and other animals, but mostly unicorns rested there in many shapes, colors and sizes. On the other two shelves were various types of toys that she had collected over the years and rarely played with.

Somehow reading books, or playing with anything, seemed too much of an effort for her. Instead, Asia walked backwards and fell right into an orange pillow chair that lay on the floor. She held Belinda close to her face and staring at the picture on the wall, fell asleep.

"Hello, Asia," spoke a voice above her.

Asia looked up and saw the old woman on the rocker, then sat up and looked about. The cave walls were moist and mottled with dripping moss, the dwarf writings glimmered with a soft light and flashing pictures. The cool, dark, glimmering water made gentle rippling splashes against the edge of the raft.

"Are you ready to hear the unicorn story?" asked the old woman.

"Yes, but . . . " Asia had a question on her mind. "Am I awake or asleep, Grandmama?"

"You are not asleep, but you are not awake as you know it, either." The old woman paused while Asia sat, quietly wondering what that could mean.

"It means," said Grandmama, "that you are in another world very close to your own."

"My mother says it's just my imagination," said Asia.

"Then you must have a strong imagination, Asia," answered Grandmama.

Asia turned and looked at the window lights. She saw a young man walking and recognized him to be the prince who had walked away from his father's kingdom on a very important quest. The old woman began the story:

 

The prince traveled through the forests, along the fast flowing streams, and up into the rocky slopes of the mountains on a quest he did not understand. This did not discourage him though, for he was confident that no matter what difficulties lay upon his path, in the end, he would triumph.

He came to a lake and sat on a boulder overlooking the calm surface of the water. Beyond the other shore a dark green forest stretched on for miles. A young, beautiful, white-coated unicorn stepped out of the trees and trotted over to the shore where it drank from the clear waters of the lake.

In the great family of unicorns, this one was named 'Kai'. His father, the Great White Unicorn, roamed the peaks of the very mountains where the prince now sat. Kai was not aware of the Prince watching from the other shore. He had run off away from his mother and friends to be alone, for a great fire was stirring within his breast.

Some of his friends were older than he, and it riled him whenever one of them would learn to fly. They could run like the wind, leaving Kai far behind, unable to keep up. He too, longed to run like the wind. He too, longed to lift his wings and fly.

Now he stood alone by the lake called the Lonestar, at a place where he had come often with his mother. In times past, his father had flown down to be with them, to play with Kai along the rocky shore.

Kai stood by the waters, his tail thrashing about as the sun set over the crest of the mountain. Its shadow loomed over the side of the mountain and then crossed the lake, slowly sweeping the unicorn, the forest and all of nature into the evening twilight.

Feeling confused and unhappy, Kai wept into the waters, and his tears turned to fishes that spoke as they swam away:

"We will return, take heart gentle Kai
We swim away only to return bye and bye
We swim swim away into the mouth of the Lonestar
Where the cool light shines . . . "

Kai watched as they disappeared into the darkly rippling waters, and then noticed a reflection in the mirror of the lake's surface, the image of his father. In the reflection the Great White Unicorn flew above a mountain peak, and where his horn touched the night sky, a star was born. The star that Kai saw reflected in the mirror of the lake seemed to call to him, as if to say, 'Run Kai, run like the wind'.

The prince looked on from the other side at a unicorn whose eyes lit up with fire. Kai kicked and stomped the ground and ran wildly into the forest, disappearing into the trees. A smile broke over the face of the prince as he thought to himself, 'There is the steed that I shall ride, for his spirit is like my own'. With this thought in his mind, the prince stood up and continued upon his way, this time around the lake in the direction the unicorn had gone.

The young unicorn would not be sleeping on this night, for something happened when he saw and heard the star that lit a fire in his heart. Through the night and into the day he galloped through the trees and across the land until the noon sun grew hot above the forest. Kai stopped by a river to drink and heard a voice further up the fast swirling river. He went to discover who was making those strange though beautiful sounds. Wandering up along the edge of the river, Kai came to a pool where a waterfall cascaded down from a high rocky ridge.

Kai thought perhaps it was the voice of the misty fountain that he heard. Or perhaps it was the voice of the winds that whistle and whine through the high rocks and pines. He stopped and listened. The voice was coming from behind a tree near the edge of the pool. A lady sat there leaning against the tree wearing a light-green dress that fitted loosely about her body. Her brown hair fell in waves about her shoulders down to her waist. Her eyes were closed, but her heart was not, for a heavenly song poured from it through her voice, enchanting all of the nature surrounding her.

The song was so enchanting Kai did not even realize how close he stepped toward the lady of the spring. Then he noticed that the lady's eyes were open and looking at him! He stomped and kicked the ground and ran speedily into the trees. Then he stopped and listened. The lady no longer sang. Out of curiosity the unicorn stepped warily back toward the pool. Again the maiden sang out, as if to say to Kai, 'Be not afraid! This is a song of love. Come bravely and listen to this song'. Though unicorns are shy, Kai could not resist the enticing song of the lady by the spring. He succumbed to its enchantment, trotting as if in a trance to the feet of the maiden. At her feet he lay down, resting in the melodies and rhythms of the song.

The song was about someone she loved and longed to be with. It was not about Kai, but he was a part of it, he was somehow a part of its meaning. He imagined himself soaring into the open skies over land and sea, over his forest home, flying as he had always dreamed.

Above where the unicorn lay, the leaves of the trees tingled and danced in a sudden breath of wind. Gusts of water mists blew upon the unicorns face waking him from his dream. How long he had lain there, he could not know. The maidens' song still played in the rippling waves of the pool, continued to sound from the high rocky ridge. Kai stood up and shook the grass from his fur and trotted off into the woods.

The lady had gone, slipped away into the forest while he dreamed, but it did not matter to Kai, for his heart and hers were as one. Wherever she was, Kai knew whether she was well or ill, and believed that they would be together again.

As the sun set and the shadows of night settled like a cool blanket upon the land, Kai turned in the direction of the Lake of the Lonestar. He wished to visit his father. More than ever, he longed to fly!

Kai arrived at the lake and looked up at the sloping and rugged mountains, but nowhere could he see, in the cloud-covered heights, the Great White Unicorn. Then he looked down into the dark waters and reflected there were the myriad stars of the universe. They appeared like fiery ships dipping and dancing in the great ocean of space. One of these stars was larger than the rest. Kai studied its fiery light as it came closer and closer toward him; until it stood on the surface of the waters, until it stood upon the furthest mountain peaks, until it stood behind him over the silent forest. Then Kai felt it riding upon his back.

Through the mirror of the lake, Kai saw a noble unicorn cross over the surface of the waters. He saw it lift its wings and soar into the evening sky. Upon its back rode the Lonestar, whose flaming hair reached throughout the vast spaces of the sky. Whose arms and legs empowered the unicorn to fly up into the misty clouds toward the rocky cliffs of the mountain heights. The Lonestar danced away into the night sky, twinkling bright amongst the stars.

Kai looked down. He no longer stood by the shore of the lake nor in any land he had known, for a ring of clouds encircled him. Then he turned, and not far from him stood his father whose eyes were aflame with pride. The Great White Unicorn reared up and kicked.

"I flew, father!" said Kai. "I flew over the Lake of the Lonestar!"

"Then fly with me, Kai," said his father, "while you are still remembering. Jump and spread your wings!"

Kai's father ran and jumped off the mountain peak, soaring above the clouds. Kai followed after. The Lonestar rode upon his back and his fathers, for it had many bodies, many wings, and many eyes. As Kai and his father roamed the currents of the sky, the morning sun broke over the horizon and a new day dawned over the land. Kai saw through the many eyes of the Lonestar all that happened in the country beneath him.

"You are the Great White Unicorn," said Kai's father. "You are now as I have been. You now have my strength and my power. Soon I will go to the meadows to be with your mother. Then it will be you who roams the high mountains, looking down upon the world and sounding through your horn the song of Peace!"

Kai circled the skies, spiraling upwards, then soaring down. He left his father and flew over the land, gliding over lakes and forests and vast green open meadows. Then he heard the lady of the spring. Her lovely song had wings of it's own, rising sweetly above the trees. 'I will fly to her! ' thought Kai.

So did another creature decide to fly to her. He too heard her lovely song and standing at the edge of his cave, opened his wings for the first time and flew. Like a dark, ominous cloud, the creature sped swiftly across the skies. It landed in the trees near the water pool, near to where the lady of the spring sat innocently and joyfully singing her song.

The prince, while walking through the forest, had looked up and seen the flight of the unicorn, but he had also seen the dreaded dragon speed across the sky. He knew that where the dragon went there was danger for whomever or whatever was the target of it's flight.

For a long time, the prince had traveled aimlessly through the country unknowing of what lay ahead. Now he made haste, running swiftly through the forest, just as Kai had done the night before, toward the waterfall and the lady of the spring.