The Great Work

Sera, why are you always so wild?

Well, you are a silly goose, what is life for except to fly and be free, I said, rather sarcastic. I have never been one to suffer fools gladly.

Unicorns are domestic animals and we should be happy living where people take care of us, she said in that voice that she uses when she is trying to teach me a life lesson.

How regimented you are, Angela, I scoff. I will rather take care of myself than be held in a cage and have to wait for someone to decide when and what they want to feed me. I would rather bite than eat from the hand that feeds me. Don't you remember my sweet cousin, what Granddaddy told us? The Unicorn is never taken alive; and the reason being that the greatness of their spirit is such, that they rather chose to die than to be taken alive. Then I spread my wings and take to the air. I hate when she starts in on that crap with me.

I love the forest and the mountains and the ocean and the wind. I love the sunshine and the beauty of the day, the air that smells so delicious. It doesn't really matter that I never had anyone to love me. The ones I did love betrayed me. And something deep inside me told me that if love is true it does not lie nor does it hurt. That true love lifts each other higher; it does not seek to destroy. So I prefer to live alone and I keep my eyes on the horizon and do the best I can each day. I sleep way up high in a castle tower on a bed with strange carvings of plants and unicorns. I took it as a divine sign that it should be mine.

I guess it was abandoned at one time. Some of the walls are crumbling, but you can still detect a glimmer of its magnificence that once was. They said that castles were built by Kings for their Queens and this greatly appeals to my romantic nature but I have never known any love that would reach that high. But who cares who it belonged to, now it is all mine.

I like to be outside as long as I can each day. I like to search out and learn new species of plants and flowers. I dry them to make them into herbs and tinctures. Granddaddy told me I inherited this skill from my Grandmother. That neither of us can stand to see anyone in pain or suffering.

I was late getting back to my sleeping chamber. It was already full dark with a bright moon. I flew in through the window and there lying on my bed was a Prince. I was in shock. I had heard of Princes and I knew some were kind and some were wicked. Which one is this one?

I walk quietly over to the Prince. His face has dirt on it and his clothes are torn and there is blood on his arm. His weaponry is lying on the floor next to the bed. He moans softly and I reach out to touch his forehead with my lips and he is too hot. He has a high fever. He wakes up and sees me and reaches for his sword. I back up. I tell him, do not be afraid of me. I am a healer and I will help you.

Do you know why you are running a fever? His eyes are red and glazed. He said I was hit in the arm by a poisoned dart by the witch king. I was preparing to destroy him to stop his destruction; he takes just to be taking. And then he passes out.

I fly down to the lake to get some water but then I realized I don't have anything to give him for poison in my medicine bag. I do have my Grandmother's notebooks. She kept all her notes and drawings in little black books. I will need to go read her books to find a cure. I keep all my belongings in a cave by the lake. It was my grandmother's, she has shelves of jars of plants and herbs. She loved rocks and crystals and she has them everywhere. She made lavender candles and I think of her every time I smell lavender. I love looking at all the things she loved

As I pick up the notebook and turn to first page she had written, In case of loss, please return to…. her name and address and as a reward she wrote, $20,000.00. I laugh, as my Grandmother was rich in love but she never had any money.

I read in the last notebook that the antidote for poison dart is based on a legend. The legend states that the horn of a unicorn is the only thing known on earth that will heal a person who has been poisoned.

I go outside and look way up in the sky at the moon. My Granddaddy always told me that all of us have one great work in life and when it comes to you, whatever it is, you damn well better do it right. I wish my Granddaddy was still alive so I could talk to him.

I fly back to the Prince with fresh water. He is hotter than before and thrashing around on the bed. I dip a cloth in some water and lay on his forehead. He seems to settle down a little. A few hours later he starts moaning and moving his head back and forth. He wakes up and looks at me so strangely, he says, my chances are small to recover and I wish that you tell my mother that I love her.

It breaks my heart to think that such a man would pass away because of trickery. If he stands for justice then let him at least die in an honorable way. I hand him his sword and tell him to cut the horn from my head. He says I cannot do it. I say you must. It is my great work, to give life back to a man of honor. Your life makes my life worth something.

Will this hurt you for me to do this, asks the Prince? No, it won't hurt. And he takes the sword and cuts the horn and it falls into his hands. I tell him to lay back and I sprinkle the powder that is inside the horn into the wound on his arm. This will make you sleep but when you wake up you will feel much better.

I bathe his face with cool water and smooth the hair back off his face. Even dirty he is heartbreakingly beautiful. His eyes are the color of one of my fondest memories, the boiling ocean in a summer storm. He drifts off to sleep and I go look out the window at the moon. The night-mother, who rules over the sea and water every night, she has always calmed my soul.

I accept I will never be able to fly again. Once a unicorn's horn is removed, they are no longer able to fly. But if I had to give up flying to save his life it would be a small sacrifice. He will go on and do higher works and help his people and I can go live in my fenced pasture.

During the night his fever breaks and I know he will survive. I leave him and go back to where Angela is. She is asleep on her feet. God, how anyone can sleep standing up is beyond me. Wake up, you silly goose, the lost sheep has come home.

She said you could never be a sheep, a wolf maybe since you love to howl at the moon. I laugh, she always knows how to make me laugh. Then she sees my face, Where is your horn?

I gave it for the life of a prince, it was my great work.

What!! You won't ever fly again, she said.

I know that Angela, I sigh, but sometimes you only get one chance to be a star and this was it for me.

So do we have to eat the same thing every day or do we get to order different grass? This time she laughs at me.

One day I am standing in my spot in the meadow that I have staked out for myself. It is the corner where I can see the ocean, unicorns insist on living around water.

In the distance, I see a man riding a horse towards me. It is the Prince, I recognize him by the blue of his armour. He rides up to me and he said, you saved my life with the gift of your horn.

And I said, you gave my life meaning, I am thinking I got the best of that trade.

He gets down off his horse and says, I would like to give you something in return. What could I give you, said the Prince?

Well, if you insist, I would like the castle where I found you. It is one of my favorite places with the lake and the cave.

Easily done and he throws down a bag of gold, there is over $20,000, let me know if you need more.

I think to myself, Reward: $20,000, and then I laugh as life can be so ironic.

And the other, the Prince asked?

I said, I kinda always wanted to be kissed by a Prince. He said, granted.

And he kissed me….. and let me tell you this… you have truly never lived until you have been kissed by a Prince.

It is the stuff fairy tales are made of.

The End…..