"Gold at the End of the Journey - Return Of The Unicorn(Chapter 2)" by Samantha L. Papworth

Rain poured down in sheets upon the busy city streets. Droplets collided with the clear glass of Aletea’s bedroom window. She stood there her nose pushed up against it, moist ivory mist emerging from her mouth and nose, sticking to the glass longingly. She peered down at the people hurrying to dodge the plummeting rain. Their umbrellas forming into a wave of black and red. People of all ages, of all backgrounds, of all classes becoming one great blur.

Slowly Aletea’s eyes began to droop, and the soft sound of snoring soon filled the room.



Groaning she woke up. After looking around her room to catch hold of what had happened, she ran her hand through her honey brown hair, lifting her bangs off her sweaty neck. She glanced down at the street to find out how long she had slept. Noticing the abounded soaked road and path, she came to the conclusion that she had to be sleeping no longer then a few hours. Using her hands to push her self up, she stood, though she looked more like a foal taking its first crucial steps, wobbly and uncontrolled.



Aletea gained her footing and walked over to the desk chair to sit down. The puffy cushion like seat was comforting, its bendy back offering her some support. She reached her hand out to the photo frame sitting by her arm and she picked it up slowly. The photo within the silver glittery frame, showed her friend, her cat Smegel. The kittens white paws where rested under its tiny chin. Its head off to one side as it slept soundly. Its striped coat looked clean and soft, so silky and warm. How she wished to run her fingers through his fur. But Smegel had died long ago, but not much later then her brother died five years past.



Resting her head on her hand, Aletea sat there trying to think of anything but her memories of her brother and cat. So instead her mind wandered to her memories of that very day, when she saw the unicorn. Its mystic visit, how it had just disappeared before her eyes, it made no sense. In all the children’s books she had read about unicorns, though she had not read many, stated nothing about unicorns disappearing. They only said things like unicorns only come to beautiful young girls with a wonderful singing voice that would fill a graveyard with joy and love.



Aletea chuckled to her self, she was not a glorious singer and never will be. She had ruined her aunts wedding because of it and at the time wished nothing more then to never have to sing in public again. She was defiantly not beautiful, her overly extended nose, and her long shaped face proved that well. So it seemed to her that the only truth in it was her age. Being fourteen many would consider her young.



Aletea continued to think about it and as she did, a soft rhythm played out side though it sounded like that of a horse trotting. She didn’t notice it at first, but soon it grew too loud for her to ignore. Getting to her feet quickly she moved over to her window. There she stood, her head shoved out watching the silver sheets of rain, the sound growing even louder.



She continued to watch until the sound was right bellow her. She searched frantically down at the black tar road. And then she saw it a flicker of steel grey.

“What is it?” Aletea uttered to her self. Squinting she finally saw its small head, thick neck, muscle packed body and slender legs. She could not believe it, this was it, another unicorn. This one was different from the other unicorn she had seen that day. This one was jet black and was hard to spot among the rain and black road. Though the occasional splash to water, where its hard hooves struck the ground, gave away its position.



She waited patiently for the unicorn to fade off into the night. But instead it pranced around the street, being careful not to leave her sight. This confused Aletea, the beautiful beast looked like it wanted her to follow it, to assist finishing the journey it once started solo.

She watched it dance, its head tucked in, and its neck arched. Its tail held high, wet stands of hair blowing wildly in the wind. She tried to resist the urge to be out there with the glorious beast, but for some reason she had lost her free will. Not looking back she dived out her door, and rushed down the stair case. She glanced in through the living room doorway, on her to the door leading to outside. Her parents sat on puffy sofa chairs on opposite sides of the room to each other, Mitchell occasionally mumbling something to her mother Hali. He did that often she had come to realise.



Without taking with her any shoes or jacket, she walked out into the pouring rain. The water quickly soaking her thin pyjama top and pants. Though she didn’t care, all she needed to worry about was reaching the unicorn. She approached it cautiously, afraid she might make it flee like the last one. When Aletea was only a few feet away, the unicorn lifted up its head and stretched its neck out towards her, as it did so it curled back its upper lip.



She slowly reached out her hand to touch the unicorn’s velvet lips. But as she did so the jet back equine pulled back sharply and snorted at her. Deciding that was not the best way to approach the excited creature, she began to think up another way. As she did so the unicorn kicked up its heels and began to trot around the street again. Aletea watched it and as she did so she noticed that the street lamps had gone out and they had been left in the silent dark of the night. Though she could see everything clearly, as though one was shining above her head.



Half expecting there to be one, she looked up, but only to the black night sky sprinkled with a few twinkle of stars.

She wrapped her arms around her water soaked body, she didn’t know what to expect. Two unicorns coming to her in one day, neither saying anything to her, both making her question her sanity.

The unicorn slowed down and approached her, it’s brown eyes searching her form for any weapons. But none it found so it approached more and more until it could hear Aletea’s steady breathing.

Aletea slowly and more cautiously then before produced her hand, now wrinkled and wet due to the rain. She carefully placed it upon the unicorns velvet nose, as whiskers gently tickling her skin.



She closed her eyes automatically and her head was filled with words, not her words but the unicorn’s words. Its thoughts in a way but more like it was talking to her though she could not hear it with her ears but in her mind. The voice was soft yet strong like that of a male, it offered her support and warmth. It said to her many things but one thing she focused on more then the rest.



‘I was sent from the magical land I call my home, to find a girl with honey brown hair and blue eyes, she was to be looking out upon her life with dispar. And there I saw you with your head out your bedroom window looking out to the street. This was yesterday, and I have been waiting for the right opportunity to call you out. But first I had to wait for the magic to take effect.’

At this Aletea shook her head, what magic was he talking about, but he answered her quickly after she questioned, like he could read her mind as well as talk in it.



‘Last night I was there under your window, I waited just until you where about to go back in and I sent up magic of the Valcroci. The magic strengthened your senses. First your smell, then your taste, your hearing, your touch and then your sight. The last took the longest to react so I had to wait. To make sure that you had received the powers, Lilith the lilac unicorn you saw, went to your garden. She hid so well that only a person with powers like the ones you possess now, would be able to see. You saw her I know, so now that they have worked I have come to take you to my land. So you can accomplish what you where always meant to do.”



He stopped to allow Aletea to let sink in what she had just heard. She took her hand off the unicorns delicate nose. What had he just told her? Was this some dream she was having so she didn’t have to face reality? Why had he chosen her? Why was she the one he needed?



The unicorn pushed his head up to her arm, “Do you want me to tell you, why you where picked?”

Aletea turned her head towards his equine figure, “Yes,” she uttered as she took in deep breaths.

‘You Aletea where chosen because the oldest unicorn, Gardeynia, had a prophecy. About a girl with an appearance that fits yours precisely. For we need a guardian to help make peace throughout my homeland again.
Our land is now corrupted by death from starvation, illness and fighting. There is no one unicorn that can stop them she once said. You are the only one with enough wisdom to not get caught up in relationships and help treat everyone fairly. That is why you where picked, you out of all the six billion in your world, have the right experience to accomplish such a thing.’



“But you must tell me your name,” she said to him eager to get all the details before she was taken to another world.

‘My name is not important but I guess you must call me something. So let that be Eloy.’



When he finished both where silent, both pondering about the future, about the present and about the past.