Trouble in River City
In a dimly lit cave in the Iron Ridge Mountain range in the land of Rigaran, a brown-gray fog slid slowly across the floor. The cave was cold, and water trickled in streams down the dark stone walls. Murky figures arose from the mist, forming slowly in the center of the cave, with their arms and heads taking their various shapes. Veiny arcs of electricity crackled through the fog and up into the figures. Dull, whitish orbs emerged where eyes ought to be. Wispy streams continuously slid down the figures’ bodies, spilling back onto the ground. A large blackish-gray figure with glowing red eyes, known to his kind as the Visitant, materialized before them. One of the creatures spoke to him in a hissing, reverberating voice.
“Now, sire?”
The Visitant responded. “Yes. The unicorn alliance with man has been broken for long enough. We’ve gained in strength, while they’re now sufficiently weak. I have been denied that which is mine for far too long! Capture them alive for questioning - for now. And find the Symbol of that Prophecy!”
One of the creatures asked, “And those who protect them?” The Visitant sneered. “What of them?” The Visitant and the other figures slowly collapsed and receded into the fog on the floor. The cloud slowly migrated out of the cave and into the valley outside.
***
Tabitha Jean McPherson ran down the concrete back steps of her tri-level house with her soccer ball in tow. She kicked it straight across her backyard where it bounced off the cyclone fence and rolled toward her in the grass. It was late afternoon in Plainstown, Illinois. Her tenth birthday party was soon to begin. Her mother was setting up the picnic table while her father was firing up the grill. The back of her house had a large, spacious concrete patio with an ample wooden pergola which provided lots of shade. It was a pleasant space in which to spend a summer afternoon. Tabitha was tall for her age with tawny brown hair, bright blue eyes, and cute cleft chin. She also had quite the interest in mischief, books, and adventure, and particularly liked stories in which the girl heroine had plenty of exploits. When she read, she loved to imagine herself living in those stories and having some daring experiences of her own.
“Tabitha,” said her mother, “you should kick your ball further out in the yard. We’re getting set up here.” Tabitha nodded.
“Okay Mom,” she said and headed down the lawn to the back of the yard. Her grandparents arrived, greeted Tabitha and her parents, and began placing food and presents on the picnic table. Tabitha smiled and waved at them. She loved seeing her grandparents, and certainly didn’t mind getting presents, but she was even more enthused than she normally would be about her birthday. And she wasn’t quite sure why. She just had a good feeling about today, that somehow it would be special.
***
In a wooded area in the park behind Tabitha’s yard, a white, opalescent stairway quietly manifested itself slowly, emerging into view with a hum. Fog obscured the top of the staircase, which shimmered in numerous pale colors in the sunlight. A dappled gray unicorn followed by a filly ran down the stairs in a panic. A purple glow sparkled around them and the stairway. The sounds of cries and arrows whizzing through the air could be heard.
The unicorn said hurriedly to the filly, “Stay here for now. Find someone who can help us. You’ll know when you can bond with one of the children of man, and you’ll know when to return. Trust your instincts.”
The filly, with a troubled look, sniffled and said, “Bond?”
The unicorn responded, “There will be a powerful connection between you and one of them. It’ll give you a feeling of strength, and you’ll feel and see as they do, and vice versa. At least, that is what we are told. I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go back to help the council if I can. Be careful,” the unicorn said.
She placed her head next to the filly’s and then dashed back up the staircase. She and the stairs slowly vanished, growing dim and pulsating out of view. The filly shrank in size and transformed into a small toy, laying in the grass.
Tabitha heard what she thought were voices and walked toward the back of her yard to explore. She was certain she heard someone talking but didn’t see anyone in the wooded area. She sat down on a small bench her grandfather had made for her, which was on top of an old tree stump. It was a shady, tranquil place where she had spent many a quiet summer day reading. While looking around, she noticed a silvery glint in the grass.
Tabitha walked out to it, seeing a small toy horse lying on the ground. It was ivory colored with a silver mane, tail, hooves, and a multi-colored horn. A soft pinkish hue surrounded her mane, tail, and muzzle. Her horn had pale colors of the rainbow in it, starting with purple at the base and ending with red at the tip. It was a toy unicorn, although it looked nicer than any toy she’d ever seen. Tabitha looked around, wondering where it’d come from.
“Well, aren’t you cute,” she said. She picked it up and examined it, holding it gently in her hand.
An electric, purple glow began to imperceptibly radiate from the horn, surrounding both her and the toy. The hairs on the back of Tabitha’s neck and arms stood up and tickled her. A surge of unexpected warmth ran through her body, which surprised her.
What is going on?
The wooden unicorn became warm and soft in her palm. It stretched and whinnied as its black, sparkling eyes grew large. For an instant, Tabitha saw her own face, and then she realized she was seeing through the unicorn’s eyes, looking up at Tabitha as she held it. Tabitha was so startled by all of this that she dropped the toy to the ground just as she heard someone walk up behind her.
Tabitha stared in astonishment at the wriggling unicorn in the grass as it slowly stiffened again into a toy. The purple glow ebbed and faded.
“Say, young lady, do you know where an old Grandpa can get a hug around here?”
Tabitha turned and hugged him. “Grandpa!”
“Happy birthday. Ten years old. I can’t believe it,” he said excitedly. He noticed the toy on the ground.
“Hey, what’s that?”
“Grandpa, she moved when I picked her up. I think she’s alive,” Tabitha insisted. Her grandfather picked the unicorn up and looked it over. Tabitha studied his face as he held it. She saw him smile briefly as the toy unicorn made faint, slowing movements and a fading glow came from it as it stiffened. Tabitha had the impression that the toy reminded him of something. Perhaps a fond memory.
“Hmm,” he said. “Well, young ladies and unicorns usually share a special friendship. She probably does seem alive to you.”
“No, Grandpa. I’m serious. She moved and made a sound,” Tabitha insisted.
Tabitha noticed that her grandpa seemed to be thinking about something and was nodding. “You know, unicorns are truthful creatures and good friends to mankind. We should always take what they say seriously. You know, uh, just in case this one has something to say. But maybe for now we should just keep all of this between us, don’t you think?” He gave her a quick wink.
Tabitha shrugged and said “Ok.” She looked at her grandfather with curiosity. How could a toy unicorn have something to say, she wondered, and why would Grandpa be familiar with them? The unicorn moving in her hand and how she felt while holding it was odd enough, but now Grandpa was acting as though something was affecting him too. What on earth is going on here? At the same time, she was very much intrigued by it all. This all seemed to be a very special kind of magic.
“Here,” he said. “You’ll be wanting this back.” He held the unicorn out to her.
“Oh, you can hang onto it for now. I’m too old to be playing with toys, you know,” Tabitha replied. That wasn’t at all true. Tabitha didn’t mind playing with toys one bit. But admitting it to anyone else, well, that was another story. Her main concern right now was that the unicorn might start moving again, and maybe even begin talking, as her grandfather had mentioned. If that happens, I want to talk to it alone. This looks a whole lot like a great adventure, and adults just don’t understand adventures. Tabitha was determined to handle this on her own and at the right time. If there was an adventure involved, no one was going to get in the way of her being in on it.
“Of course,” her grandpa said, half seriously. “I understand completely. Hey, do you want to get a hamburger or hot dog or two? And maybe some ten-year-old birthday cake? I am one hungry grandpa, after all.”
“Sure, Grandpa. But I’m ten, not the cake.”
“I certainly hope so,” he said with a smile. “Silly me.”
They walked back to the picnic table on the patio where Tabitha’s grandmother was busy knitting. Tabitha’s mother had planted all kinds of shrubs and flowering plants all around the patio. Her grandmother was framed by bright, beautiful flowers.
“Hey, Grandma! Look what we found,” exclaimed Tabitha.
Her grandfather held the toy out.
“Oh, Tabitha. This is beautiful. It looks like an antique,” she said, wiping it off with a cloth. “That mane and tail look like real hair, and it looks as though it’s hand-carved wood of some kind. The horn looks real too, although I can’t say I’ve ever seen colors as pretty as that.”
The horn had pale, pearlescent rings with the colors of the rainbow, and they seemed to shimmer ever so slightly in the afternoon sunlight.
“I think I’ll call her Zoe. I like that name,” Tabitha said.
“That would be a nice name for her,” said her grandma.
“Hey, burgers and dogs are up,” said Tabitha’s father, who was piling food from the grill onto a tray. He smiled at Tabitha. “Hey, you know it might almost be time for singing ‘Happy Birthday’ and for a certain young lady I know to open presents.”
“Sounds good to me!” said Tabitha with a grin.
“Here’s your unicorn, Tabitha,” said her grandmother, handing the toy back to her. Tabitha took it and quickly put it in her pocket. I’ll see about this unicorn and whatever else later. But right now, it’s time for a birthday party.
“So, what music would you like me to put on?” her dad asked. “Our usual playlist?” he said.
“Sure. That sounds great, Dad,” she replied. Tabitha and her dad loved the old, classic top 40 rock and roll hits from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s. He had played them for her before she could walk, and she had always enjoyed listening, dancing, and singing to them. Her friends were all listening to the latest music, and not to the songs their grandparents grew up with, but Tabitha didn’t care. These songs sounded so carefree to her, and she just loved hearing them.
“Tabitha,” said her mother, “Come and sit here at the end of the table. It’s the place of honor for the birthday girl.”
They all sat down at the large table on the shady patio, and paused while Tabitha’s dad said grace. In no time they’d all had their fill of hot dogs and hamburgers, Jell-O salad and watermelon. Soon Tabitha was blowing out the ten candles on her birthday cake.
“Be glad you don’t have to blow out the candles on my birthday cake. It’s easier just to wait for the smoke alarm,” joked her grandfather. It was devil’s food cake, of course, with dark chocolate icing and milk chocolate mousse filling, Tabitha’s favorite.
“Tabitha, what’s this I’ve been hearing about this electronic thing you’re working on with your dad?” asked her grandma.
“Well, he got me a drone kit for my birthday, and we’ve been busy assembling it. It’s for my science fair entry at school this fall. He showed me how to connect wires and use a soldering iron and everything. It has a camera, so when we’re done, we can watch and record what it sees when it flies. Oh, and it has a really cool controller so I can steer it and everything,” Tabitha said excitedly.
“She’s a quick learner. She has it half put together already. She’s a natural mechanic,” said her dad proudly.
“Amazing,” said her grandmother. “You’re very talented.”
“So, what else have you been up to?” asked her grandpa.
“Well, Mom and I took a first aid class a couple of weeks ago. I learned how to clean and dress wounds. You know, you clean the injury and put antiseptic stuff on and then put on a bandage. They even showed us how to put tourniquets on if there’s a lot of bleeding, and how to splint a broken arm and stuff. It was really interesting,” Tabitha said with enthusiasm.
“You’re so young to be taking a class like that. I bet your great-grandpa would be proud of you too. Is that why you’ve become interested in first aid, because he was a doctor?” her grandpa asked.
“Yep. Mom was telling me about him, and how he used to show her how to do stuff like that when she was my age. And Grandma was a medical technologist, so I thought maybe first aid is something in our family,” Tabitha said with a smile.
“Well, I think it’s great that you have so many interests. What you learn will always be with you, and you can use it to help others. That’s something my grandpa always believed in too,” said her grandpa.
After opening her presents, Tabitha was excited to see among them a new pair of hiking boots from her grandma and grandpa. She loved it when they took her on long walks in the forest preserves in her town and pointed out all the different types of animals and plants to her. Her old hiking boots were wearing out, and she was glad to have some new ones to use on her upcoming walks with them.
After that, Tabitha helped bring the dishes into the kitchen, where grandma and grandpa were helping load the dishwasher. She noticed that they were speaking quietly. They both had strained looks on their faces. Tabitha assumed that something serious had happened but decided that she’d wait to ask about it. When grownups got serious about something, it was always better to ask questions later.
“So, what would the birthday girl like to watch after dinner? The Three Stooges or Monty Python?” asked her mom, who was coming in with her dad, and some more dishes.
“Um, how about The Stooges, that new collection you bought? Nyuk, nyuk!” Tabitha asked, imitating The Stooges.
“Good choice. That’s my girl. Woop woop woop,” she said, laughing and joking as well.
“I’m really worried about you two,” said her grandmother, who was now cleaning up the picnic table and shaking her head. “That’s just not normal,” she laughed.
Tabitha watched The Stooges for a while with her mom and grandpa, while her dad and grandma talked in the kitchen. Afterward, Tabitha’s mom later went into the kitchen to help put the clean dishes away.
“Hey Grandpa,” asked Tabitha quietly, taking advantage of the opportunity. “Is everything ok? I saw you talking with Grandma and you both looked kind of upset.”
“Well sweetheart,” her grandpa sighed. “You remember your great uncle Ned, don’t you? He was at the family reunion a couple of years ago.”
Tabitha nodded.
“Well, your grandma and I had to put him in a nursing home last week. His health hasn’t been good, and he’s having memory problems. Sometimes he doesn’t even remember us.”
“So, they’re taking care of him in the nursing home?” Tabitha asked.
“Yes, but he doesn’t really understand why. He thinks he’s fine and wants to stay in his own house where he lived all those years with his wife, your great aunt Mandy, before she passed away. He doesn’t think he needs to be at the nursing home, but the problem is, he really can’t take care of himself. He might forget to take his medicine or wander outside and get lost or hurt, so we had no choice,” Grandpa answered.
“But why were you upset? Isn’t it a good thing that you did for him?” Tabitha asked.
“Yes, we think so, but it still hurts to see him unhappy about it. You see, sometimes doing what is right isn’t easy. It can even make people unhappy or angry. But it’s our responsibility to do the right thing, even when it’s difficult. I know we did what was best for him, even if he doesn’t understand because we know he’ll be cared for. It was hard to do, but we just have to remember that he’s safe where he is now. Does that make sense?”
“Yes. But how do we know what the right thing is?” Tabitha said.
“Well, our faith says if we know to do good, and we don’t, it’s wrong. And The Bible tells us a lot about what’s right and wrong. Decisions like this are part of growing up and becoming an adult. Someday, you’ll have decisions to make that aren’t easy either. If we avoided making the decision because it was tough, we’d be irresponsible because Ned could get hurt. If you love someone, sometimes you have to put their needs first. And if you do, at least you tried, and you won’t have regrets later,” Grandpa said.
“I think I understand,” said Tabitha.
“It’s a lot to think about, isn’t it?” her grandpa asked.
Soon, it was time for her grandparents to leave, and before she knew it, Tabitha had to get ready for bed. She remembered the toy unicorn in her pocket, and her excitement grew quickly as she began to think eagerly about what might happen.
What if this unicorn really can talk like Grandpa said? What will it say? What do I say? I can’t even believe I’m thinking about this stuff.
But that didn’t stop her from being eager to meet a real unicorn, and she knew she didn’t have long to wait.
After she kissed her mom and dad good night and thanked them for her party, she made a beeline for her room, closed the door, and turned the light on. She took the unicorn out of her pocket and put it on the nightstand. It didn’t move or look at her. Tabitha’s disappointment was immediate. Great. Now what’s wrong? She got closer to the stand and looked carefully at the toy unicorn. It was a very pretty unicorn after all, she thought as she looked it over. She sat down on the edge of her bed. Well, now what? Why isn’t this working? She was disappointed. As she looked at the small unicorn’s face, the eyes suddenly opened.
“Boo!” said the unicorn.
“Aaaaah!” said Tabitha, with a loud, startled gasp as she nearly did a somersault on the bed.
