The Snow Unicorn

  The Snow Unicorn

  by

  Bridget McGowan

  Copyright: Catherine M. Price, 2014

  Dedication

  For Eva, my biggest fan, and one who has also believed in the magic of imagination.

  Chapter 1

  Caitlyn looked out the window. The trees looked beautiful dressed in white coats of snow. White covered everything. Icicles hung in front of the windows, making the house look like a crystal prison. She wanted to go outside to play.

  Her mother made sure she was bundled up in warm blue leggings and coat, multi-colored knit hat with matching scarf and mittens and her tall, red rubber boots protecting her feet. She felt like a marshmallow girl in the bulky winter clothing, but at least she would be warm.

  The snow plow cruised carefully down the main street, pushing show in great lumps against the curb, and shooting salt out the back to keep the streets safe for cars going by.

  Once the plow had passed, Caitlyn crossed the street to her friend, Debbie’s house. She walked up to the back door and knocked, then waited. It took a while before anyone answered the door. Debbie opened the big door and shivered.

  “Come out and play,” Caitlyn said.

  “I can’t. All of my trousers are in the wash, and I only have dresses to wear. It’s too cold to play in a dress. Why don’t you come in?”

  “No, thanks,” Caitlyn said. She wanted to play in the snow.

  She wasn’t really surprised. Debbie didn’t like to be outside much. She would rather sit inside and watch TV than do anything adventurous. She always seemed to have a reason she couldn’t come out.

  Caitlyn returned to her own back yard and began rolling a snowball. Soon she couldn’t push it any farther, it had become so large. She rolled another one that was smaller, and put it on top of the first, then rolled a smaller third one. She put the third one on top. She took handfuls of snow and smoothed them over the snowman, making it look more solid rather than looking like three separate balls of snow.

  Her mother saw what she was doing, and called her over to the door. In her hands were a hat, a scarf, a carrot and some buttons.

  “Here, see what you can do with these on your snowman,” her mother said.

  The girl got to work and gave her Frosty a face with a carrot nose, button eyes and mouth, and a hat and scarf for clothes. She stood back when she had finished, and looked at her creation.

  “I wish you were real so we could play,” Caitlyn said to the snowman with a sigh.

  She wandered out of the yard to look at the chunks of snow that the plow had pushed off the street. Here and there were small chunks of snow that had peculiar shapes. Caitlyn often shaped one of these to look like an animal. She could usually find one that looked like a sitting dog. She would make it bark and jump around the snow until it was time to go back into the house.

  Today she found another dog shape, and brought it over to sit by the snowman to keep it company. Another one looked like a cat if you pretended really hard. She brought that to sit on the other side of the snowman so it wouldn’t fight with the dog.

  Caitlyn wanted to find something different. Maybe a snow elephant or a snow fish. One piece did look a bit like a lion, but it was too big for her to lift. The lion would have to guard the curb.

  She continued to look at the smaller pieces, picking up one, then another, trying to decide what it looked like. One piece, although kind of square, had what looked like a head with a long snout. This could be perfect, she thought. She shaped pointy ears on top of the head and turned the creature this way and that. Yes, it definitely looked like a horse

  Caitlyn whinnied and galloped, carrying the horse around the yard with her, pretending she was riding it.

  Just as she reached the front yard, she heard a low rumbling, and then snow and icicles crashed off the roof. Gone was the crystal prison. Instead there was a narrow ditch in the front garden, with shards of ice sticking up like winter flowers. She picked one and studied its slender length that still ended in a point.

  With the horse in one hand and the icicle in the other, she advanced across the yard holding the icicle in front of her like a sword. She slew imaginary foes, and parried their attacks. When she reached the other side of the lawn she jumped up and down in victory. She had slain all of the monsters in her way. Now she and her horse could gallop back to the snowman in the back yard.

  She started toward the back yard and slipped on some ice from where she’s walked repeatedly and squashed down the snow. As she fell, she brought the icicle hand around to protect the horse from breaking. She sat up and brushed the snow off her. Then she saw it. The icicle had lodged in the horse’s forehead. Oh no! It’s ruined. I’ve stabbed it, she thought.

  She held it up. Her horse wasn’t ruined. In fact, it was better than ever.

  “A unicorn,” she said a little breathlessly.

  Just at that second, there was a brilliant flash. Caitlyn thought it had started to lightning. She looked around for somewhere to hide before the thunder broke. But she was no longer in her own yard. She was in the woods, and the unicorn stood a little distance away. It was no longer made of snow, but looked like a real, warm, breathing horse, only it had a unicorn horn on its forehead.

  The unicorn put out one foot and bowed his head nearly to the ground. Caitlyn was so startled, she curtsied back, even though she didn’t have a skirt on to hold.

  The unicorn walked slowly over to her, nudging her. She petted his head, and wandered to the end of his head and ran her fingers through his mane. The unicorn nuzzled her neck, then gave her another nudge.

  “Shall I get on your back?” she asked. She’d always wanted to ride a horse, but her mother had said she wasn’t old enough yet. The unicorn nodded his head. Hanging onto his snowy white mane, she jumped so that she was lying across his back. Then she wiggled around until she could put one leg across. She sat up and patted his neck.

  “What shall I call you?” she asked, thinking it was funny that she wasn’t at all afraid to be on the back of a unicorn. “I know. I shall call you Storm.”

  The unicorn nodded its head as if answering her. Then it started to walk calmly through the woods letting Caitlyn get used to being on his back. She looked around, and although there was a coating of snow on the ground and the branches of the trees hung crystalline in the sunlight, she didn’t feel cold at all.

  The unicorn felt warm, his mane silken. Caitlyn felt as if she were part of the animal, as if she could stay on his back forever. He sensed this and began to move faster. The girl didn’t know where they were going, but the unicorn did.

  “Where is this place?” she wondered aloud.

  “The land of magic and dream,” came the answer in a deep, rich voice.

  Caitlyn was startled. “Wait, did you just say that?” she asked.

  “Of course, my lady. Where unicorns can exist they have a voice.”

  She smiled. She’d often wished her dog, Bandit, could speak to her. If she could bring him here, maybe he could talk, too.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “To the place prepared for you,” he replied.

  He had gradually begun to go faster, and now they galloped through the woods, Caitlyn’s dark hair flying out behind her. She had long since pushed back her hood so she could see better.

  Soon they arrived at a cottage. The unicorn stopped and let Caitlyn slide off.

  “We are here,” the unicorn said.

  Oddly, Caitlyn noticed his mouth didn’t move when he spoke to her. It felt more like his words simply appeared in her head.

  Caitlyn slid off the unicorn and approached the cottage. It looked like it was made of gingerbread like the ones in the storybooks. She thought it would be ru
de to try to break off a piece and try it, since she didn’t know who lived there.

  She knocked on the door, and a woman in old-fashioned clothes – a long, dark skirt, white blouse, a small white shawl tied over her shoulders, and an apron at the front of her skirt – answered the door. Her hair was light brown mixed with grey, but she didn’t have any wrinkles on her face.

  “Come in,” she said in a rich, warm, motherly voice. “My name is Elsie.”

  “I’m Caitlyn,” the little girl replied.

  Elsie led Caitlyn to a table and had her sit down. Then she brought her a bowl of stew and a glass of milk.

  “Have you lived here long?” Caitlyn asked.

  “Oh, yes, a very long time,” Elsie said. “You are welcome to stay as long as you like.”

  “Thank you, but I can’t stay long. I’ll have to get home before my mother gets worried.”

  “Time moves differently here. A week could go by here and only five minutes in your time.”

  “Have you been to my time?”

  “Why, of course,” Elsie said. “I grew up there. But I like the magical world better.”

  “How did you get here?” Caitlyn asked.

  “The unicorn brought me.”

  “So, he can bring me back sometime?”

  “Yes, if you bring him into your world. But there are only a limited number of times you can come here. By the last time you must make up your mind whether to stay or go back, never to return.”

  “Why would anyone choose not to stay here?” Caitlyn asked.

  Elsie smiled. “You are young yet. In choosing to stay here, you choose to stay forever, and you can never return to your family, to your world. You must give up everyone you know. It is a solitary life. And there are dangers as well as the loveliness you have seen so far.

  When Caitlyn had finished her meal, the woman smiled and cleared away the bowl and glass.

  “This is your first time here, so I think you’ll be anxious to see the land.”

  “I wouldn’t know where to go.”

  “Storm is waiting outside to take you. And when you’re tired, come back here and I’ll have a bed ready for you.”

  “Oh, but—” Caitlyn began, forgetting what the woman had said about time.

  “My dear, you’ll be home before your parents ever know you’re gone. Now go, let the unicorn show you this world.”

  “Can I stay here as long as I like?”

  “There is a limit, but I couldn’t tell you what it is. The unicorn will know.”

  Caitlyn returned outdoors and approached Storm. She mounted him and he galloped away from the cottage.

  Caitlyn saw small woodland animals, many of them wondrous. They paused in their wandering or eating to look at the girl. She wondered if they could speak, since none of them did as she went by.

  After a while they came to the edge of the woods, and the land streamed out before them, green grass blowing in the breeze. That was odd, she thought; the forest had been snowy.

  “These are the Western Lands,” Storm said. “It is sunny here and warmer than in the woods.”

  She pushed back the hood of her coat and took off her gloves.

  They travelled more slowly down a sparkling white stone road for some time. It went down a hill and around a curve before it finally stopped before a castle.

  The castle was huge. Caitlyn had never seen one before except in pictures. The stone of the castle was white with timber window frames where regular windows showed. There was a turret on each corner, and in the center of what the unicorn told her was a curtain wall, a drawbridge was open across a moat. She didn’t see the portcullis until she was on the drawbridge. It looked ready to bite as she rode under it, but it stayed firmly in place.

  “Are we going in?” she asked Storm in surprise.

  “Yes. It would be rude not to say hello to the prince.”

  “Is there a king and a queen, too?”

  “Yes, but they are away just now. The prince is in charge of hospitality.”

  “Don’t I have to dress up to meet the prince?”

  “No. Only when you meet the king and queen is that required.”

  They stopped in the courtyard. Caitlyn slid off the unicorn and a guard dashed over to her and bowed.

  “My Lady,” he said, “you are welcome here. What name may I give the prince?”

  “Caitlyn,” she replied. She tried not to laugh at how formal the guard was. She didn’t want to be rude. No one had ever called her “My lady” before.

  The guard went inside, and a few moments later returned to lead her into the castle. Inside, red carpets lined the hallway. Sconces holding candles were attached to the walls.

  She entered a large room with a gold and white marble floor, and mirrors on two walls. At the far end of the room were two thrones, and a large chair in front of them. Although several people in gowns and robes wandered about the room, they took no notice of her as the guard led her to the chair.

  A young man with brown hair and eyes, a small golden crown on his head, a blue velvet doublet and trousers and black boots stood to greet her as she reached the chair. Caitlyn thought he was the handsomest man she’d ever seen.

  “Your majesty,” the guard said, as they stopped in front of the chair, “may I introduce to you My Lady Caitlyn.”

  The prince bowed slightly and took her hand in his. He kissed her hand.

  “I am enchanted to meet you, Lady Caitlyn,” he said.

  “I’m pleased to meet you, your highness. But I’m not a lady.”

  “In this kingdom you are. You ride the snow unicorn. Only a lady can do that.”

  He took her hand and led her to a table at the far end of the room. Both sat and servants brought them bowls of soup and plates of meat and vegetables. Caitlyn didn’t realize she was hungry until she smelled the food. Then she remembered she hadn’t eaten in several hours.

  The food was delicious. They drank out of goblets, but she didn’t know what the drink was. When the food was taken away, the servants brought out a fluffy cake.

  Once they had finished eating, the prince took her on a tour of the castle. The staircases all wound around as they ascended. The walls were stone, but inside the rooms, tapestries hung against the walls, their needlepoint pictures representing scenes from the country’s history. The furniture was very comfortable, and she wondered what it would be like to sleep in a castle.

  The prince told her about some of the tapestries. Some were about the history of his family and years of prosperity. Some were about the history of the kingdom. Others held stories of other girls who came from her land and decided to stay. They were all between the ages of sixteen and eighteen. One of these girls was eventually the prince’s mother.

  They reached a tapestry in one room that showed wolves and the unicorn in battle.

  “What’s that?” Caitlyn asked.

  “Oh,” the prince said, leading her away. “I didn’t mean for you to see that.”

  “Why?”

  “It shows an evil scene. The wolves are the enemy of the unicorn. Only they can kill him.”

  Caitlyn felt afraid. She loved the unicorn. She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him.

  “The unicorn always wins, though, right?”

  The prince smiled, but there was no joy in it.

  “That would be nice, but even in the magic realm, sometimes the wolves win. The tapestry is to remind us of that.”

  “But – Storm is the only unicorn, isn’t he?”

  The prince wrinkled his brow.

  “There are others, but we do not know where they live. Only one is ever present here at any time. That one stays here his whole life, and it is always male. It is said the female is an ordinary horse that mates with the unicorn.”

  “So, if the unicorn dies, another one comes the next day?”

  “Not usually. Sometimes months or even years go by before another one comes. We never know if the unicorn will be replaced. We only l
ive in hope of their kindness.

  “What would happen if none came?”

  “The door between your realm and ours would close. To insure that doesn’t happen, we have huntsmen who slay wolves who come too close. Of course, we could never find all the wolves in the world. Some might even be able to come from your world into ours, as you were. We don’t know. But come, let us not dwell on nightmares.”

  He led her from the hall and they returned to the large room where they had shared their meal. The tables had been cleared away, and the room was full of people waiting to see the prince. He smiled at her.

  “It has been a pleasure to meet you, Caitlyn. I do hope you will come to the ball tomorrow night.”

  “I would love to,” she replied.

  “Then I will look for you.”

  The guard who had first brought her inside the castle returned and led her back outside where Storm waited.

  Caitlyn managed to stay calm as the guard helped her mount the unicorn, and they started out along the drawbridge. As they returned down the stone road toward the forest, Caitlyn’s excitement was too great to be contained.

  “Storm, the prince invited me to the ball tomorrow night!”

  “Excellent. I knew you would wish to go to that.”

  “But what will I wear?”

  “Elsie has many things in her home. She has been to balls at the castle. She will know just what to have you wear.”

  “Will she have clothes that will fit me?”

  “Of course. This is the realm of magic.”

  There was great excitement in the cottage as Elsie showed Caitlyn a wardrobe full of gowns suitable for a ball at the castle. Yellow, blue, purple, green and pink. Caitlyn was amazed that the dresses all looked like they would fit her.

  “Pick what you would like,” Elsie said.

  Caitlyn picked the yellow and Elsie helped her try it on. It did, indeed, fit perfectly. A square neckline and puffy short sleeves at the top, a wide, darker yellow sash at the waist overtopped a flowing skirt of silk with chiffon over it. Caitlyn twirled to make the skirt flare out. While she danced around in the dress, Elsie took out golden shoes to go with the dress. When Caitlyn saw herself in the full length mirror on the door of the wardrobe, she clapped in delight.