The ‘almost’ last Unicorn! part 1

Verity woke up to a bright new day but she didn’t feel so bright herself.  With her beautiful, silvery-blue coat, and sparkly, silver horn Verity knew she was not the same as the other horses.  Yes, they all ran and played boisterously together and enjoyed the same luscious, green grass and crispy, red apples but she was the only one who looked like her.  That was why she had to stay in the middle of the herd, or in the middle of her group of friends as they ran together… always… never really able to run her full speed or test her limits as she wanted.  But don’t get me wrong, Verity was happy and had a good life, there just comes a time when you need to do what you’re created to do and Verity had arrived at that stage in her life.  For example, you may be a young boy or girl and have a gift of music, there comes a day when you will spend more time learning and playing your instrument than you would spend at painting or drawing, this is where we find Verity… knowing that she had a purpose inside her but not yet knowing what that purpose was but wanting to find it and start learning how to use whatever that talent may be!

“Okay Verity, let’s go over this one more time, I know there’s a mystery here!” said Strawberry.  Verity’s closest friend, Strawberry had a love for mystery and adventure, she was a thinker and problem solver and would grow up to be a great help to the herd if she continued to develop her talents.  “So-ooooo are you going to retell the story or am I?” she quizzically questioned Verity with a glint of humour in her eyes.  “Humph, you and your mystery” exclaimed Verity. “Ok, here goes it!”  “They say I was taken into the herd as a newborn foal (I don’t know anything about my herd).  The leaders were told that I was never to be seen by humans and that this was very important because of my silver-blue coat and sparkly horn, that, by-the-way, no one else seems to have and that’s it! Here I am.”  “Interesting, ver-rry interesting” mused Strawberry “Oh Straw, you know all that already, how is it VER-RRY INTERESTING!!”  laughed Verity.  “Well, I don’t know it just is and I will get to the bottom of it or my name is not Strawberry Holmes!”  declared Strawberry. “Ha Ha, you’re name already isn’t Strawberry Holmes” cried Verity as she rolled on the grass with laughter.  “It’s a figure of speech Ver!  Come on let’s run”  proclaimed Strawberry as she neighed to the other youngsters standing nearby and together they all ran across the hills back to the main herd.

That night as they all huddled together to sleep, Verity couldn’t shake Strawberry’s comment about it being a mystery.  The reason why was because she knew there was questions that needed to be answered, that she had to be here for a reason! What did happen to her parents and her herd? Where are the horses like her, with a horn on their foreheads?  Verity knew she had to get some answers and that meant one thing, finding the horse elders, they would have to know who she was and why she was here. Only the top leaders in the herd had seen the elders but the story goes they live way high up in a secluded spot on Foia, the inner mountain of the golden mountain range.  She nudged Strawberry and whispered “I must speak with the horse elders soon” and a half asleep Strawberry mumbled, “Count me in Ver, adventure is my middle name”  Verity giggled to herself, “What is it with her and names” and then as she drifted off into sleep soberly thought to herself, “Okay Verity, are you really ready for this?”

For indeed just getting there would be an adventure in itself!

To be continued…

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The big race!

Vruum, vruum, went the sound of Ian’s turbo charged, remote-controlled car.  He looked over at Mitchell, who was standing ready to accelerate his silver McLaren F1, “Go” he shouted and they were off!  Two short laps of their homemade track and the race was over, with Ian’s red Ferrari winning, “But only by a nose”, Mitchell insisted.

As the twins put their cars onto charge they talked about the upcoming “Big Race” Yes, the “Annual Derby for Remote Controlled Vehicles” was taking place in their home town in two weeks and the boys, along with half their class had entered, for what was going to be a spectacular showdown!

“How are we going to avoid Andrew and his bullies for two weeks?” Ian wailed, as they walked to school the next morning.  Ever since the race was announced, Andrew had made it his business to try and make Ian and Mitchell pull out of the race.  Don’t get me wrong, Andrew was a good boy at heart but had somehow gotten into the practice of bullying others to get what he wanted.  He hadn’t always acted this way, in fact, he had been good friends with the twins since they were four but for some reason this year he had changed. “I don’t know what’s going on with Andrew, Ian, but I do know he was our friend and there is still good in him! For now, let’s just keep out of his way and focus on racing!” replied Mitchell.

Each day after school everyone made their way down to the practice tracks at the leisure centre.  Oh the noise and the buzz of excitement that hit them as they opened the hall doors and entered the Derby room.  “This is the best!” exclaimed Ian, as he punched the air with joy!  There were stands around the entire room with a few people watching the practice sessions and then there were people of all ages at the tracks, practicing.  Cars were going faster and faster, and overtaking and even crashing as the racers pushed themselves to the limit of their skills!  Then there were those working on their cars, and laughing together.  Everyone was having a great time.  It didn’t take the twins long to set up and get their cars on the track.

“That blue car keeps trying to crash into me” Mitchell shouted out.  “Oh no, it’s Andrew” said Ian. “Quick, Mitch, get your car to the pits”.  Too late, Andrew drove his car into the back of Mitchell’s McLaren and broke a wheel off.  “Noo!” cried Mitchell as he ran to get his car.  “Andrew, why did you do that, you broke my car and yours too!”  “Ha, I don’t care, I have another car and you were getting too fast Mitchell.  I can’t have you winning” replied Andrew and off he strutted.  “Andrew, you’re my friend, why are you being mean?” Mitchell shouted after him.  For a brief moment Andrew paused and looked at Mitchell, but then he turned around and walked back to his station.  Mitchell thought he saw sadness in Andrew’s eyes, but he hadn’t time to go after him, there was a car to fix!

The twins and some of their friends picked up the car and all the broken pieces and took it over to the emergency station to see if it could be fixed.  “Well laddie, what did you do, reverse into the wall” said the old man, with a grin, “Let me see what I can do.  I will need a day or two, so come back and see me next Tuesday”  With a glimmer of hope they collected Ian’s car and headed home.

Next Tuesday came, the boys rushed down to the leisure centre after school and sure enough, there was Mitchell’s car sitting ready to race!  Oh, what fun they had that afternoon, racing around the track, “I think it’s better than ever” an excited Mitchell shouted, “I know I can win the race” he proclaimed.  “Well I’m sure going to fight for the win, Mitch” Ian hollered back as he navigated a tricky corner.  They both laughed and brought their cars into the pits for the day.   “Let’s go home” said Ian, “I’m getting hungry!”

A few days later Mitchell was walking home from the shop when he came upon an unexpected sight.  Andrew was sitting on the park bench crying.  “What’s wrong Andrew” said Mitchell as he sat down beside him.  “Nothing, go away” mumbled Andrew.  “No, I won’t, we’ve been friends since we were four and this year you started being nasty but I know you’re not really like that, what is it?” “Dad’s got a new job and we’re moving far away at the end of this year.  I didn’t know what to do, so I started to act like I didn’t care and was nasty so I wouldn’t miss you when we go, but it just made everyone miserable, and now I only have a few more months left, and have no friends anymore” sobbed Andrew.  “Awh, Andy, I wish you told us, we could have helped you get used to the idea of moving and had loads of fun, but you’re not away yet!  Come on, wanna come round to my house and play?” replied Mitchell.  “Thanks Mitchell, I feel better already.  I’m sorry about your race car!” said Andrew, as he wiped the tears from his eyes.  “It’s ok, it’s fixed and better than ever now!” said Mitchell.  The boys hugged and headed on their way chatting and laughing like the friends they always were.  Ian had a surprise when they got back but it didn’t take long for the three of them to start talking about how they were each going to win the Derby!

Race Day had finally arrived!  After an intense morning of racing, all the heats had been completed and now Mitchell was in the final!  Ian had made it to the semi’s were he skidded off the track at a tricky bend, but he was happy with his results and was now at the sidelines with Andrew and friends, cheering Mitchell on.  “There’s no time for nerves, you can do this” Mitchell told himself, as he headed to take up his spot, among the five other finalists.

The racers were lined up with their remotes, the cars were on the track and lights were about to turn green.  “Ready, Set, Go!” The five cars sprang into action, the crowd began to cheer and the racers tried to stay focused on getting their cars to the finish line.  Mitchell was going as fast as he could, only one lap to go and he was second and catching up on the car in front.  The car behind him suddenly missed the corner and shot past his McLaren, and off the track.  “Whew, that was close, he could have hit the back of Mitch” shouted Ian to anyone that would listen.

“Come on Mitchell!” cried his classmates, as they started the final lap.  He accelerated as fast as possible down the long straight and was right behind the leader, round a tight corner and then the next, onto a short straight, when the car in front wobbled slightly and took the wrong line into the final corner, giving room for Mitchell to slip past him and into first place!  “Go Mitchell”  a delerious Ian screamed!  Mitchell hit the accelerator to the max and managed to cross the finish line, just half a car’s width ahead of the other driver!  “Woohoo, I won!” Shouted Mitchell as he pulled his car to a halt and ran to the finish line.  The crowd went wild! “Well done kid” said the number two racer, as they shook hands and headed to the podium.

With the winner’s trophy in hand, along with his winning cheque of £500 pounds, Mitchell and the gang headed home, laughing and cheering the whole way.  “It’s party time” shouted Mitchell, as they burst into the house, ready to enjoy all the tasty goodies their mum had prepared for this special Derby Day!  “It’s even more special now, because you won Mitch! said Andrew as he popped a chocolate mallow into his mouth. Ten minutes later the boys were all out the back playing a game of football, and being as loud and competitive as ever!

As night time came, Ian exclaimed “What fun that was! But you know what Mitch, you better enjoy being the Champion, because I’m going to win next year” he grinned, as he grabbed the trophy and ran around the living room pretending to be the champ!

Until next year then.

The End

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The City beckons

The tick-toc, tick-toc, tick-toc of the Old Grandfather clock in the hall was the only sound to be heard at this early hour of the morning. Indeed the sun was just about to rise signaling not only the dawn of a new day but the dawn of a new season in Angie’s life.  The day had finally come for her to advance beyond the comfortable borders of the homestead, leaving family and loved ones behind, it was her time to “make it big” in the hustle and bustle of New York City.  Well at least that’s what she told herself many times this past week, as the fear of all things new threatened to overcome and squash every ounce of faith that she had.  Thankfully all those years in Miss Murphy’s sunday school class had helped establish her strongly in her relationship with the Lord and it was from Him that she drew her strength and courage again on this special morning.

“Ok, that’s definitely everything packed, nothing more can fit in that case”, she mused to herself.  “Let’s get this down to the buggy, kitty!” and with that she marched out of the room with the tan and striped kitty chasing after her.  “I could have got that for you sis” said Charles, “Although, I suppose you will have to get used to handling things yourself in the big city, are you sure you still want to go?”  “I’ll be ok Charles, it’s only for a year, until I get my teaching qualifications and then I’m going to come back and start a school, right here in Mistysprings.”

That had been her childhood dream and now here she was about to make it a reality, all those long hours of studying had been worth it, to get this far.  And she was certainly ready to complete the final part of this journey to become a fully qualified school teacher. She could almost hear the chatter of her future students in the playground!

“You best be going now daughter, the train waits for no-one!” At her father’s words, reality kicked in and suddenly New York seemed as far away as the moon.  Angela give her mother and father a final hug and jumped up beside Charles, doing her best to keep the tears at bay.  “Let’s go then, bye bye, love you, see you at Christmas!” She shouted back to her parents, as the horses pulled her away from the home she cherished so. Once at the train station and with the final goodbye and promise of letters said, Angela found herself trembling with excitement at the prospects to come. “You have been accepted to the Mission Academy for Teacher Training in New York City” the letter had said, “Please make your way here one week before your start date, so that you can get settled into your communal house and familiarise yourself with the area” At first read, she was startled at the thought of sharing with “others”, but after reading further, was greatly relieved that it was indeed only for the women teachers and that the men did have their own accommodation in the house next door!

The platform suddenly became alive as the train pulled in. Quickly Angela gathered up her belongings and made her way to her designated carriage.  Thankfully her father had insisted that she ride in her own carriage room with a bed and lockable door. She was indeed grateful, especially as it was going to be a two day journey to New York.  With a blow of the whistle they were off!  “Oh what adventures do await me, I wonder” Angie gleefully thought to herself as she left the familiar sights of Mistysprings behind!

…to be continued.

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A musical discovery!

“Bam, bam, ting”, “Bam, bam, ting” went the unusual sound that echoed loudly through the Savannah on this particular Saturday morning.  “What is that?” cried out Spunky, “It’s not like any bird, I’ve ever heard and I have exceptionally great hearing!”  The young lion cub who was relaxing on a warm rock with his friends, BuzBuz and Star could not resist an adventure.  He was already starting to make his way towards the noise. “Come on, let’s go check it out!”  he bellowed.  Star, who was equally adventurous needed no second invitation, “Let’s go BuzBuz” she said and they ran to catch up with Spunky on their new found quest in search of the “bam, bam, ting” noise.

Now as we all know, or soon come to learn, noise travels quite a distance and sometimes sounds like it’s coming from one direction when actually it’s coming from another. Oh dear, I think this trio may be in for a long walk! “We’ve been walking for ages and I think the noise sounds farther away than it ever did” observed BuzBuz.  They had made it all the way to the river, which was a good thing because they were now really quite hot and thirsty and definitely in need of a splash in the water to cool down. “We are no where near the noise! Now it sounds like it’s coming from back the way we came!” Star cried out in despair. “Bam, bam, ting”, “Bam, bam, ting” came the faint sound!  “Let’s not give up now, we must find out what that is” cried Spunky.  “I think we need to go that way” he said and pointed to a dirt trail that had been made by one of those machine things the park keepers are always in.  “Oh no, we are meant to stay away from the people, remember mama said they are afraid of lions and it’s not safe for us either” exclaimed BuzBuz.  “Yes, I know but we are not going to visit the people, just find out what that noise is.” “Ok” BuzBuz replied, “As long as  we obey mama.”

After taking one last drink they headed off down the trail and sure enough, the noise became louder and louder! Finally it became so loud that their ears were starting to hurt! “Ok, I think it’s around this last corner!” shouted Star, “We should get off the trail now and stay hidden in the long grass.”  “Great idea” said BuzBuz and Spunky.  Although they were excited to finally discover what this strange noise was, they were also getting a bit nervous because it was all so new and they were pretty close to the people’s campsite now. As they rounded the last corner, safely hidden in the grass, they saw such an unusual site – it was a young boy holding two sticks and banging on these round barrels and bits of tin.  The lion cubs had never seen anything like this before.  “What is it?” whispered Spunky, “I still don’t know” replied BuzBuz!  Just at that moment a lady came out with a glass of juice for the boy.  “Mother, listen to the music I’m making with my drum set!”  shouted the child.  Immediately he began to beat the sticks on the drums, “bam, bam, ting”, “bam, bam, ting” louder and faster than before!  “Well done son, that is beautiful music”, said his mother as she went back to the tent.

The young lions watched a moment longer then started to make their way back home.  “Wow!” “Drums and music” shouted Spunky, “I’ve never heard music like it, how amazing!”  They talked about what they had seen the whole way home and even after dinner as they were getting ready to go to sleep, they still remembered the “bam, bam, ting”, “bam, bam, ting” of those drums.

The next morning, back on the rock, as they lay sunbathing, Spunky decided that yesterday’s adventure wasn’t enough, he wanted to make his own drums to play on!  “What a great idea!” shouted Star, “Let’s all get our own drum to make music on”.  “Yea and we can play a song for the whole family, like that boy did for his mother” said BuzBuz.  And off they went, in search of anything that could be used to make music.  They eventually found old thick branches that made a good noise when they hit them with their paws and dragged them over to the rock area so they could practice.

“Whew, this is hard work” exclaimed Star, after spending the whole afternoon creating music that they could play for their families.  “Yes, but I think we sound great!” Spunky joyously proclaimed, “Let’s surprise everyone tonight, after dinner!” “Yes!” They all agreed.

The time had come. The young lions had managed to get everyone to gather at the big rock for a surprise!  Remember lions don’t normally play drums, so they are in for a big surprise!  “Welcome to our special show” announced BuzBuz, “Let’s begin!” And with that the three cubs played their drums loud for everyone to hear.  All the lions were amazed at the youngsters and really enjoyed the drum show!

“What an adventure” said Spunky as they settled down to sleep that night “And we get to play all over again tomorrow” he mumbled as he fell into a deep sleep, dreaming about drums! The end.

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