Unicorns and Dragons
I was dozing in the saddle when I felt Starlight come to a halt. I looked around, wondering where we were. Surrounding us were green hills, and mountains beyond.
"This isn't Perin," I stated, confused.
"No, it isn't," Starlight answered.
"But I thought-
"I said we were going to Perin without making the usual stops. I didn't say we wouldn't stop from time to time. I can't walk and carry you all the way there without resting, don't you know," she answered in her huffy, unicorn way. Her long white legs folded as she settled down in the billowing grass.
The wind was strong now. I stared at the mountains, suddenly concerned. There were storm clouds on the horizon. What kind of storms existed in this strange world?
"Don't be frightened, little one. It is a little wind and a bit of thunder. Come, it will be getting colder soon," she lifted her wing, and I crawled beneath it.
There are no words to describe the smell of a unicorn's wing. At first, there is the musty smell of a horse, and a touch of clover with the smell of fresh open air like the first days of winter, when everything outside is pulsing with vibrant cold.
Starlight's wing had a warmth that made me tingle. Her feathers were soft, and almost fuzzy. Cocooned beneath her wing and wrapped in my cloak, I drifted into a wakeful doze.
I rarely dream when I'm with Starlight or in Perin, but this sleep was different. I saw myself from above, a young girl nestled against the side of a unicorn, and then I turned to see myself, much older, leading battles, fighting dragons, and scaling mountains. Always there was the memory of this moment when, as a storm prepared to rage, I slept in peace beneath the wing of a unicorn.
"This isn't Perin," I stated, confused.
"No, it isn't," Starlight answered.
"But I thought-
"I said we were going to Perin without making the usual stops. I didn't say we wouldn't stop from time to time. I can't walk and carry you all the way there without resting, don't you know," she answered in her huffy, unicorn way. Her long white legs folded as she settled down in the billowing grass.
The wind was strong now. I stared at the mountains, suddenly concerned. There were storm clouds on the horizon. What kind of storms existed in this strange world?
"Don't be frightened, little one. It is a little wind and a bit of thunder. Come, it will be getting colder soon," she lifted her wing, and I crawled beneath it.
There are no words to describe the smell of a unicorn's wing. At first, there is the musty smell of a horse, and a touch of clover with the smell of fresh open air like the first days of winter, when everything outside is pulsing with vibrant cold.
Starlight's wing had a warmth that made me tingle. Her feathers were soft, and almost fuzzy. Cocooned beneath her wing and wrapped in my cloak, I drifted into a wakeful doze.
I rarely dream when I'm with Starlight or in Perin, but this sleep was different. I saw myself from above, a young girl nestled against the side of a unicorn, and then I turned to see myself, much older, leading battles, fighting dragons, and scaling mountains. Always there was the memory of this moment when, as a storm prepared to rage, I slept in peace beneath the wing of a unicorn.
* * *
Yesterday I paged through my very first journal, written throughout my 6th and 7th grade years. The one entry I kept coming back to was this one about Starlight the Unicorn and some mythical land called Perin. I have no idea where this story sprang from, where it was going, and what I was doing in it. All I know is, I can't get it out of my head. I imagine my 12 year old self would think I'm very silly for not remembering, and she probably wants to know what has happened in the last eight years since she wrote this. If we were to sit down and chat, what would it be like?
12 year old Rachel: I like the way we're doing our hair.
Present day Rachel: Me too.
Both of us: (laughing) That is so silly.
12 year old Rachel: I would ask something like that.
P.D. Rachel: (giggling) I knew you were going to! Oh, and by the way, Grace likes these jeans that I'm wearing.
12 year old Rachel: Thank goodness. I thought she would never approve of our fashion choices.
P.D. Rachel: I didn't say she liked this shirt. (laughs)
12 year old Rachel: You goose. I'm glad we still laugh a lot.
Present day Rachel: Me too.
12 year old Rachel: So, tell me everything. Did we ever get to go back to Brasil? Do we go home? Is everything the same? Did we finish our story?
P.D. Rachel: Slow down.Yes, yes, and no. You'll figure out pretty quickly, things never stay the same because people change. But it's okay. You'll learn a lot from it. And I haven't finished the book because I don't remember what it was about.
12 year old Rachel: (hopefully) Oh, that's silly. Well, have we fought any dragons yet?
The question catches me off guard, though I understand what she's asking. She wants to know if we've done anything really hard, and succeeded. She wants to know if we've finally become strong. I want to say, "Yes, I've tried to fight dragons, but I've found that I can't beat them. I'm not strong enough. In the end, they will crush me unless I turn to God and say, 'Please fight this one for me.' It's only in giving the fight to Him that I realize it's already been fought and won." I want so badly to tell her this, but she's not ready. I know that even if I say it, she won't hear it, not really. So, instead...
P.D. Rachel: Let me ask you something. Why do you write about unicorns?
12 year old Rachel: Because they seem so much more exciting than the world around me right now. You remember, don't you? We're stuck in this little house in the woods and unicorns just seem like a great way to get away from it all.
P.D. Rachel: Do you remember that feeling of wonder you felt when you first put the thought down on paper?
12 year old Rachel: Yeah, it was amazing. There were all these possibilities of where the story could go, there still are. I'm really not sure how it's going to end, but it is so exciting. Do you know what I mean?
P.D. Rachel: (nodding) Of course I do. Listen, no matter what happens, don't forget that whatever happens in life, the fact that we have God fighting for us means that the possibilities are endless. And no matter what anyone tells you, life really can be an adventure if you keep looking to God. That sense of wonder you felt for unicorns can actually be applied to everyday life, even to doing laundry and sweeping the floor.
12 year old Rachel: Really? Doing laundry can be wonderful?
P.D. Rachel: Trust me, when you're looking to God for everything and talking to Him, even doing laundry can be wonderful.
12 year old Rachel: As beautiful as unicorns?
P.D. Rachel: Yes.
12 year old Rachel: But what about the dragons?
P.D. Rachel: Don't worry about them.
12 year old Rachel: I like the way we're doing our hair.
Present day Rachel: Me too.
Both of us: (laughing) That is so silly.
12 year old Rachel: I would ask something like that.
P.D. Rachel: (giggling) I knew you were going to! Oh, and by the way, Grace likes these jeans that I'm wearing.
12 year old Rachel: Thank goodness. I thought she would never approve of our fashion choices.
P.D. Rachel: I didn't say she liked this shirt. (laughs)
12 year old Rachel: You goose. I'm glad we still laugh a lot.
Present day Rachel: Me too.
12 year old Rachel: So, tell me everything. Did we ever get to go back to Brasil? Do we go home? Is everything the same? Did we finish our story?
P.D. Rachel: Slow down.Yes, yes, and no. You'll figure out pretty quickly, things never stay the same because people change. But it's okay. You'll learn a lot from it. And I haven't finished the book because I don't remember what it was about.
12 year old Rachel: (hopefully) Oh, that's silly. Well, have we fought any dragons yet?
The question catches me off guard, though I understand what she's asking. She wants to know if we've done anything really hard, and succeeded. She wants to know if we've finally become strong. I want to say, "Yes, I've tried to fight dragons, but I've found that I can't beat them. I'm not strong enough. In the end, they will crush me unless I turn to God and say, 'Please fight this one for me.' It's only in giving the fight to Him that I realize it's already been fought and won." I want so badly to tell her this, but she's not ready. I know that even if I say it, she won't hear it, not really. So, instead...
P.D. Rachel: Let me ask you something. Why do you write about unicorns?
12 year old Rachel: Because they seem so much more exciting than the world around me right now. You remember, don't you? We're stuck in this little house in the woods and unicorns just seem like a great way to get away from it all.
P.D. Rachel: Do you remember that feeling of wonder you felt when you first put the thought down on paper?
12 year old Rachel: Yeah, it was amazing. There were all these possibilities of where the story could go, there still are. I'm really not sure how it's going to end, but it is so exciting. Do you know what I mean?
P.D. Rachel: (nodding) Of course I do. Listen, no matter what happens, don't forget that whatever happens in life, the fact that we have God fighting for us means that the possibilities are endless. And no matter what anyone tells you, life really can be an adventure if you keep looking to God. That sense of wonder you felt for unicorns can actually be applied to everyday life, even to doing laundry and sweeping the floor.
12 year old Rachel: Really? Doing laundry can be wonderful?
P.D. Rachel: Trust me, when you're looking to God for everything and talking to Him, even doing laundry can be wonderful.
12 year old Rachel: As beautiful as unicorns?
P.D. Rachel: Yes.
12 year old Rachel: But what about the dragons?
P.D. Rachel: Don't worry about them.
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