Friday, February 22, 2013

Noal "The Beginning" Part II The Battle to Save Young Unicorns

This is where the story begins in the land of Noal. These are the stories about the generations of unicorns and how twelve missing stones brought evil to Noal. The stones, which were at one point a single falling star that came from the darkness in the sky, were lost on earth. These twelve stones, although very small in size, could open a portal with enough power to suck in an entire universe. The stars knew that if Noal and earth collided, then both worlds would be destroyed. The stones had to be found to keep peace throughout the land. If the stars did not retrieve all twelve stones, then they would doom the land of Noal. These are the tales of how unicorns played a vital role in retrieving the stones, giving them back to the stars, and bringing peace to a troubled land. It has been 50 years or more since Yuno and other horses “now called unicorns” crossed over to the land of Noal. Sherrea, Yuno’s brown mate, had enjoyed the solitude of the quiet lands of our new world. There were close to a thousand unicorns spread throughout Noal. The female unicorns enjoy playing in the many fields. The lands here on Noal were a lot different from earth. The horses were no longer enslaved by humans to carry them on their backs. They were free unicorns. Free as butterflies flying in the wind. Yuno, my great grandfather, never knew a more pleasant time. They were no longer herded into the groups and placed in stable stalls. They did not have to feel the whips from humans or the stabs of spurs on their hips. They could run with their mates through the forests, ponds, and mountains. Yuno especial enjoyed playing sword games with his younger friends with their new horns. Yuno’s mate was ready to conceive her first child. Yuno had never been a father before then. He just hoped that he could live up to other unicorns as they continued to populate Noal. Lorine, his white sister stands next to him. She is joyous for Yuno’s new arrival. “How is she?” he asks. “She’s fine. She is resting in the cave. It’s a tan boy!’ she replied while taking a sip of water from the pond. ‘What will his name be?” “His name will be, Suro!” Yuno replied after taking a sip of water from the pond. “Well, be joyous! You have a beautiful, strong boy!” Lorine replied with a kiss to Yuno’s cheek. Yuno returns the soft gentle kiss. “Thank you, sister! Sherrea will be a great mother!” “You, Yuno will be an awesome father!” “I hope so!” Yuno headed back to the cave. Meanwhile, the ground had become jealous and angry that the stars had gotten all the praises for the creation of Noal. Since, ground was the first element to create these lands; they also wanted the unicorns and other animals to praise it. The unicorns only paid homage to the stars, so ground decided to make an enemy for them.” “I feel the unicorns have rejected my role in giving them the new lands, so I am creating a new dark and evil creature that will hunt these ungrateful unicorns,” the ground said. “Out of the shadows of the night there arose new beasts from the dark and black soils of the ground. These creatures were tall men-like beasts with long legs and arms. They had long pointed ears and three deep black eyes over their short noses. Their wide mouths protruded out of their black thick scaly skin. They ran fast like the wind. These beasts were made from the depths of the dark dirt, dead leaves, and underground muddy waters. The females and males were designed for the sole purpose to multiply and kill innocent animals. These creatures carried ugliness and hatred from the heart of the ground. They did not know reason, compassion, or love for the land. They only knew blackness in their minds. The ground created a thousand of these new creatures, and it called the beasts Black Antars. These Antars made spears with broken trees limbs. They ran fast and practice throwing their spears at targets. Within a few months, the Black Antars were ready to destroy unicorns and all other animals that inhabited the peaceful Noal. The stars saw what ground had done. They were equally angry so stars decided to create new mortals to protect unicorns. Ground and stars both agreed never to destroy new beings, so the stars had to create new human-like figures with its own elements. On one early morning, just after the suns rose, the stars took a piece of sunlight to mix with its own elements. The elements shot down to the land of Noal and landed on the edge of a warm pond. Out of the warm waters of the bright morning marched a thousand tiny human-like beings with hair from head-to-toe. These figtures both males and females were equally as fast as the Black Antars, but they carried the warm kindness of the bright suns in their hearts. The stars gave the small humans the wisdom of the lands. They made weapons by using vines from plants and trees. They were highly skilled with their fury little hands. They took big leaves from trees and made bags to wear around their waist. They also collect rocks and other materials to use as tools and weapons. The stars were so pleased with the new creatures; they called them, elves. The elves took their place in the deep forests of the mountains. They were quiet around the unicorns, but in the lands under grounds, they laughed with each other while feasting on wild berries. The elves loved life and enjoyed each other’s company. On the opposite side of Noal, the stars had forgotten about the four black stone that were left on a mountain on earth. The stars and ground knew how important to stones were to insure the safety of Noal, but because they ignored the risks involved in leaving the stones behind, they allowed the possibility of other creatures to invade the land of Noal. The black stones, although not good or evil, only serve as a gateway between the earth and Noal. As long as they remain on earth, Noal would be in high threat for invasion by humans. During this time, a group of young mountain climbers had decided to take rest in the same area where the portal last opened. Among the young climbers, Dane, a soldier, Jo Anne was the youngest of the climbers. She was an athletic climber with very a tight figure and brunette hair. Shane, a student, was the out-spoken person of the entire group. His red hair, blue eyes, and freckled skin made him always question the decisions of others. The other ten group members followed the directions of Dane the leader. Just as the group gathered their backpacks and took their last sips of water from the bottles, a strange wavy pattern appeared facing towards the sunlight. It was the portal beginning to open. As the images of Noal began to appear in the wavy pattern, the group dropped their backpacks and water bottles. Some of the group ran in fright, while others fell to the ground. They were afraid of what they saw, but they were motionless by the portal’s image of Noal. “What is it?” demanded Jo Anne while sitting on the ground. “I don’t know. It looks like some sort of opening into another world.” Dane stood standing on his feet and stretching his left arm to reach out towards the portal. “Don’t go near it, Dane!” cried out Shane. he pulled Dane’s right arm away from the wavy images. “Dane drew closer to the portal. He let his left hand passed through the opening. It was as if the portal was waiting for the group to pass through the opening. The portal was using curiosity to lure the group through the opening. It could have been that the threshold was trying to help the stars to create Noal or that the portal could see the future of the land. Nevertheless, the entrance remained open for the group of climbers.” “It’s alright!” Dane was the first human to step on Noal’s ground. “It’s cool!” Shane followed Dane’s footsteps. Jo Anne and four of the group passed through the entrance. The portal suddenly closed as the seven members wondered around the land. “Great! Now, how do we get back!” Jo Anne nervously looked into Dane’s eyes while placing her hands on her hips. “Where are we?” another female group member named Kindle asked. “I don’t know, but it’s offly pretty here.” Dane glanced over the area for signs of intelligent life. Shane also scanned the deep forest for life and types of food. “Yes, but we don’t know where we are.” “Well maybe, we can find a yellow brick road and the good witch of the north will get us home.” Dane walked through a bushel of plants and trees. “Yes, just say there’s no place like home, and we’ll wake-up from our dreams.” Jo Anne brushed her dirty hands off. Dane looked forward and tilted his head to one side. “Nice! Let’s just stay together guys, and let’s see what’s around here.” Dane and the other group member felt afraid as they walked through the unknown land. “What if we can’t get back to the mountain on earth?” Jo Anne walked along side Dane with her right hand in his left hand. “I know sweetie. You’re afraid. I’m scare too! I think we’re all worried about not being able to get home, but we need to find out where we are and how to get home!” Dane continued to glance through the forest. The group traveled together. They did not know what directions to go, so they headed in one direction. On the other side of the forest, Yuno, Sherrea, and young Suro begin their innocent play in the tall grasses of the fields. Other unicorns joined the games of running together in the tall grass. The river, which was near the field, made its splashing noises as the water hit large rocks and fallen logs. The unicorns enjoyed running through the water. Some unicorns took to drinking the water when thirst indulged their bodies. Suro was young and weak from birth, but the exercises in the field and water made him stronger. During the day, the older unicorns taught their children about the wisdom of life. Yuno sat on the edge of the field with Sherrea while they watch Suro run along the water bank. All seemed peaceful in the forest, but there was evil lurking just outside the field. “Run, my son! The more you run, the stronger you’ll become.” Yuno laid in the tall grass in a near field. Sherrea stood next to Yuno while watching her son run across the warm water. “He’s so beautiful, my love!” Yuno looks back at his wife. “He takes after his mother!” Suro quickly joined his parents in their resting grass, “I’m…. I’m…. tired, father.” Yuno rose to his four legs. “Then rest my son,” The three unicorns rested as other unicorns ran in the distance under the full moon and the bright stars. Suro looks up at the sky. “Dad, what are the bright things up in the air?” Yuno also looks up at the bright stars as the sky turned light blue to orange in the distance. “Those, my son, are your ancestors. We call them stars, but I call them wild horses. The bright one on the right is named Wild Thunderbolt. The one closes to the moon is called Amigo. They are from another world. Stars created us so that we can be free. We must always pay homage to the.” Suro returned to look at his parents. In the distance, more unicorns ran across the water and grass. “Are we horses?” “We are decedents of horses, but the stars gave us a new life in a new world. We must protect our new world;” Yuno replied as he watched the other unicorns run across the land. Now Just as Yuno answered Suro’s questions about the ancestor of unicorns, and he realized that other unicorns were not running in play. They were running away from something. As the heard of unicorns ran across the field, Yuno began jogging towards the heard on his four legs. He then ran along-side another unicorn to gather information. Suro also sprung onto his legs as Sherrea watched beside him. They watched for Yuno’s return. Yuno ran back to his family. “Sherrea and Suro! You two go back to the crave. I will stay with the heard to defend our families!” “What is it?” Sherrea, Yuno, and Surp ran towards the direction of their home, “I don’t know, dear, but these creatures looked to be hunting us.” “What are they?” Suro seeks the comfort of his mother by standing close to his mother. It is her warmth the sooths his fears. Yuno reverses his body to head back to the heard. He looks back at his family. “I don’t know son, but you two get back to the cave, and be very quiet.” The heard of unicorns ran in many directions. They were being hunted by the Black Antars. Spears flew in many directions. Yuno frantically ran in many directions through endless trees and forests. He saw a few young unicorns being dragged by long vines. Yuno also saw a few bloody male and female unicorns on the ground, dead. He decided to run home to protect his family. Within minutes, Yuno reach the cave. Yuno entered the cave to find Sherrea wounded and weeping. Suro was nowhere to be seen. Yuno stood quietly in front of his beloved wife, but his son was nowhere in sight. “Yuno, they took Suro away,” Sherrea lied on the ground. Blood covered he frail body. “Quiet, my love! I will heal your wounds,” Just then, the deep cuts began to heal. “Rest, my love. I will find Suro!” Sherrea calmly stood up to meet her husband. “Go, my husband. I’m feeling better. Find our son! Find our son, and bring him home,” Yuno ran out of the cave in search of more unicorns. Yuno knew that if he could save his son, then he must have help from other unicorns. He ran into the night with a watchful eye for other unicorns and other deadly Antars. Nearing the other unicorns, Yuno heard a voice from the skies. He stopped and looked upwards to see a single star flickering in the night. Yuno listened as the star spoke to him. “Yuno, there are evil creatures invading the land of Noal. The ground has created fierce dark creatures known as Black Antars. They are hunters of unicorns. The Black Antars hunt unicorns because of their magical blood and horns. If they drink the blood of unicorns, they will live longer and be cued of any inflicted wounds or diseases. This is why they have kidnaped your son and a few other unicorns. You must rescue the unicorns before the next night of the high moon.” The stars kept its flickering. “Where are the young unicorns, my master?” Yuno waited patiently. ““They are on the southern side of Noal in the forest known as Endora. There you will find a cave near a great waterfall. The Black Antars are holding the unicorns in that cave. We have created elves from the warm waters of the rivers. They are marching to Endora as we speak. They will become guardians of unicorns. Seek their help, and they will help you rescue Suro and the others,” replied the stars. “Thank you, my lord!” Yuno looks down at the ground. “Why are you seeking to destroy?” The ground made no reply, but in anger, Yuno kicks a solid piece of dirt towards a tree. “We will never surrender to your evil creations.” Yuno once again looks up at the flickering star. “There is more. Humans have invaded the land of Noal. They are resting in the forest of Endora. I will speak to them in a dream. They will be given a choice to be killed or to be turned into new creatures.” “Do not kill them, my master. Some humans are good, and they have treated me well when I was a horse on earth. They could also help us fight the Antars,” Yuno pleaded. “Then, they must prove their worthiness to stay in Noal. No humans will be allowed to stay in the land of Noal. Go, and seek their help. And if they do help in rescuing the young unicorns, then we will give them life as new creatures. They must either be killed or become new beings. They cannot be returned to earth because of their knowledge of the portal and Noal. They must remain here as living or die. In time, we will find the missing twelve black stones, and they will return to the sky.” “Yes, my lord. I will do as you instructed,” Yuno started running to find more unicorns to complete the rescue attempt. Upon the late night moon, Dane and the climbers sat huddled close to a blazing fire. No one could sleep because of fear of strange things in the night. The night was calm in the warm air. Dane kept watch as the others made casual conversations to reduce their fears. “It sure is quiet here!” Jo Anne looks around the camp fire and up at the sky. “Do you think there are any creatures, here?” Kindle reposition herself on the hard dark ground. She misses her warm bed and the comforts of home. “I hope not. But I don’t know which is worse, total silence or scary creature noises in the night.” Ashuni tries to comfort by shoving a thin wooden stick into the fire to make the timber pop and sparks fly upward. Mandara readjust her sweater to calm her fears. She tries to bring laughter to the group, but adds fear to the night by saying, “Hey, let’s tell ghost stories.” “Great, we’re already scared enough. We don’t need spooky stories to make us more scared,” Nick stands up to get closer to Dane. He is fearful about being in an unknown land, but is unsure about who or what to blame. Does he place blame solely on Dane? He does not know. “I miss popcorn and watching late night TV in my pajamas,” Ashuni stated as she threw the stick into the blazing fire. “I miss my electronic gadgets!” Mandara plays with a rock with her fingers and thumbs as a mimic to an earthly device. “I miss hot cheesy pizza with free delivery.” Nick again sits down in front of the fire. “WITH EXTRA CHEESE!” they all shouted with laughter. The group seemed to again unite, if only for that one sentence. Kindle returned to her own reality of being in a strange land. “We don’t even know how long the night will last here.” “I do. Judging by the movement of the moon in its direction, the night should last about nine to twelve hours. This is about the same time frame as earth,”’ Dane explained as he looked towards the sky and into the dark night. The moon shined almost directly eastward in the sky. “How do you know?” Jo Anne stood up and walked closer to Dane. “I was in the military, and I taught myself how to tell time without a watch,” Dane replied. “So what time is it now?” Kindly sat quietly as the other group members looked at one another. “Oh, about ten O’five.” Dane looked at the moon. “You can tell that just by looking at the sky?” Shane popped to his feet and walked to Dane. Shane always sense curiosity about how people knew things. “Yes, and by looking at by my watch.” Dane showed the watch wrapped around his wrist. Laughter broke out in the group. Deep in the night, Dane and Shane took turns watching for dangers in the night. The other five climbers slept near the flames. In the night, the stars made dreams appear in the minds of the sleepers. The stars spoke to the humans in their dreams, and here is what they said, “Humans you are in the land of Noal. Unicorns resemble horses on earth, but they have horns on their heads. They are sacred animals in these forests. You must prove your worthiness to stay in the land by helping the unicorns rescue their children from the dark creatures known as Black Antars. Do not fear the unicorns and small elves. They are friendly to humans. If you fulfill this quest, we will grant you special grace in the land of Noal. You will meet Yuno the white unicorn, Adjuno the grey, and Bluro the brown unicorn. Be kind to these unicorns and you will be rewarded!” In the morning, the group awoke to a quiet morning. No one knew how to react to their dreams. Some group members walked around the forest searching for berries to eat. They all knew that eating berries from the land was a risk, but hunger made them ignore the dangers. Dane and Kindle covered the burning ashes. No one spoke until they gathered themselves to follow their unknown quest. “Where are we going?” Jo Anne walked along side of Dane. “We are going south,” Dane replied while pushing against the deep wilderness. “How do you know which way is south?” Mandara moved forward pass Jo Anne, behind Dane’s body. Dane stopped his steps. “Weill, I’m not sure, but my compass says that we are heading south, so I hope that we’re going in the right direction. We’ll know if we see the unicorns.” He studied the forest for signs of the mythical unicorns and possible dangers. “What did you say?” Mandara moved forward with a surprised look on her face. Dane stopped again to look back at the others. They all gathered around him. “I said, we’ll know if we see the unicorns!” “You had the same dream?” Kindle returned the question. “Yes, I had the same dream,” Dane answered back at the group. He then picked up a large stick and used it as a staff and continued walking in the south direction. Shane fell second in the line, but he was close enough to ask questions.“Do you believe it?” Dane’s voice change into a skeptic tone. “We just walked through some sort of dimension, slept in an unknown land, and ate berries from unknown plants and didn’t get sick. I see two suns in the morning and strange plants everywhere. I don’t know what to believe.” “The unicorn’s name is Yuno. He’s a white unicorn. Bluro is brown and Adjuno is grey,” said Shane. The others looked into each other’s eyes and continued following Dane in the thick forest. Within a few yards into the forest, Dane noticed three large-moving objects running a few yards ahead. The group ran towards them. The unicorns stopped as the group approached them. Dane held out his hand in peace, but the unicorns stepped backwards. The unicorns were testing the motives of the humans by neighing loudly and bobbing their heads up and down. Dane and the group slowly called out Yuno’s name and reached out for his nose. Yuno began to realize that the humans meant no harm to them. Yuno was the first to be touched by Dane. The other unicorns also made peace with the humans by allowing them to stroke their bodies. Dane seemed to take pleasure in petting Yuno’s head and nose. It was as if he knew how to tame wild animals. “I always thought unicorns were mythical creatures, but now, I can see that they are real. Noah’s Ark speaks about unicorns as leaving them behind because these creatures just wanted to play in the land.” Yuno seemed to respond effective towards Dane’s gentle voice and touch. Jo Anne giggled, “You know about unicorns. How is that possible?” She stood beside Yuno with her hand stroking his neck. “I took an ancient mythology course in college a few years ago. They are magnificent creatures like horses, but it is said that their blood and horns carry magical powers. I have always had a fascination for unicorns, but I did not believe they existed.” Shane also took pleasure in petting the grey unicorn. “Can they talk?” “Yes, in their way. We cannot here their words, but they can show us the way. If our dreams are correct, then we must help them rescue their children,” Dane explained. “We don’t have much time, then.” Mandara made a gesture towards her bare wrist as though it had a watch on it. She knew that time was essential towards rescuing the children. “Show us the way, young Yuno!” Dane followed behind Yuno. The others also trailed behind Adjuno and Bluro. On the other side of the forest, Toro and the elves marched in the direction of the humans and unicorns. “The humans are close!” Toro said as he and the fury elves marched forward with their spears at hand. “Yes, I can smell them. Humans are easy to track because they use strange scents to mask their true orders!” replied Maro as he marched beside Toro in the front line. “We must meet them quickly. I sense Black Antars in their area!” Toro scratches his head, looks back at the group, and scans the sky. He knows that the unicorns and their friends are headed towards imminent danger. The humans made small conversations as they followed Yuno, Adjuno and Bluro. They were all unaware of the dangers ahead. The unicorns, on the other hand, sense Antarss in all directions. They became nervous and jittery as they moved forward. “These unicorns are jittery!” Jo Anne is especially quick to sense their unsettling emotions. “It is like they can feel something bad is ahead, but I don’t know what it could be.” Dane looks all around the trees and around the forest. There are creatures in the area, but he is unsure if they are friend or foe. “Yes, they sense danger ahead!” Dane orders the others to be quiet. The group sits down to rest in the forest. Dane is very wiery as to which direction to proceed or whether to prepare for battle against an enemy he does not know. The mood was quiet and very frightening as everyone watch with wide eyes. The group sat in the forest with no words to speak. With seconds a spear flew towards Danes head, but it was deflected by a small stone. Another spear flew past Dane’s head from the opposite direction. It flew into some bushes striking a Black Antar in the head between the three eyes. Two other Black Antars ran further into the forest. The group remained stunned and motionless as Toro revealed himself to the humans. “What was that?” Shane quickly stood up. He turned to face the brushes towards the dead Antar. “That is a Black Antar, my foolish human!” Toro’s deep rough voice explained as he pulled out his spear from the bleeding head of the ugly beast. “What are you?” Mandara drew closer to the tiny elf. She appeared surprised by the little man with the fury body. “I’m an elf! What are you?” Toro returned the question to poke fun at the human. “I’m a human. We all humans!” Mandara bent down to see the elf. The other elves soon surrounded the unicorns and humans with the spears drawn in defense. “Humans are not very smart! Are you? I could hear and smell you all from miles away!” Toro cleaned his spear head on a leave and then looked back at Mandara. She again drew back because Toro’s scent was unfamiliar to her. In her nose, she smelled the scent of spoiled unions. She tried to contain her reaction, but her response startled herself and others. “I’m Dane! And you are?” Dane knelt down to make eye contact with Toro. “Toro is my name. Killing Black Antars is my game. Excuse me!” Toro used a slinger by twirling it round and round to throw a stone at a Black Antar hiding high in a leafy tree. The Antar fell like a thump from the tree and landed on the ground. “I’m the leader of my group. Can you teach us about the Black Antars?” Dane stood next to Yuno. “The Black Antars are hunters of unicorns. They crave their blood and horns because unicorns carry magical powers. Unicorn blood and their horns can heal wounds and other ailments so that those who consume the blood or use a horn to heal an ailment will live longer. Black Antars use spears as weapons. They are fast and accurate with their spears. They also use the forest to camouflage their black bodies,” Toro explained as he recollected his lost stone from the ground. Dane walked around the elves to study their use of weapons. “Can we fight them?” He held a spear in one hand and felt it sharpness. The other group members stood motionless with the unicorns. “Not without our help! But together, we could rescue the young unicorns. You all must follow our directions if you want to really save the unicorns,” Toro raised one finger and pointed it directly at Dane while looking at him with his eyes sharp as a hawk. Dane looked back at his new friend as though he hoped never having to fight him. Dane had strength and size on his side, while Toro’s edge was speed and quickness with weapons to help in fight. Now with the night time drawing closer and the moon becoming visible just beyond the trees, the army of elves and the small band humans marched forward towards the cave in the forest of Enduro. Dane and Toro lead the group to prepare for battle. No one, except Dane, had any experience throwing spears. Toro recommended that the humans gather stones along the way to the battle ground. Toro walked around the humans with a stone in his hand, pitching it up in the air, and then catching it again. “Stones are easier to throw, and you’re more likely to hurt an Antar if you all use stones. We will give you spears, but only use them if an Antar is close to you,” Dane crossed his arms, leaned against a tree, returned the look. “I agree, so what is the plan for attacking the Antars?” “The Antars will be gathered around the cave to watch the ritual. The leader Antar will be in the cave with his guards. At the high moon, they will bring out the young unicorns and sacrifice them one-by-one. We must attack the Antars before they make the first sacrifice. Our strength is that the Antars are unaware of our existence. Our weakness is that this is our first battle. Yuno, you and the other two unicorns must go and be with the children and use your horns to stab at any Antars that try to kill you or the children.” Toro said to the unicorns as they nodded their heads to say yes. “We will kill as many Antars as we can. Humans, get to the children as soon as you can. The sooner we get to the young unicorns, the sooner we can rescue them!” Toro sneaked among the dark bushes as the others hid a hundred yards away from the cave. Dane followed behind Toro. “Sounds like a good plan. I just hope we can get to the children before the leader Antar cuts the first unicorn.” “I’m not sure that I can fight. I’m only a school teacher!” Jo Anne sat frustrated on the ground, her frightened voice made her and the group vulnerable towards getting detected and attacked by the Antar. Toro walked towards Jo Anne, he looked up at her face, and said to her. “This is not a time for weakness. We must be strong or these young unicorns will die and the Antar creatures will gain power. We can’t let that happen!” “I just want to go home!” Jo Anne began sobbing into her hands. Mandara and Shane surrounded her to coax her internal fears. They all felt the same fears, but war was coming, and everyone knew that sharing their fears was not going to diminish the dangers. “There’s no going home!” Toro reported without any considerations of the group’s feelings. Dane understood that the elves probably were unaware of how sharing information might evoke bad feelings. Toro was a warrior, so he never had experience with human emotions. “What? What do you mean?” Mandara’s fear began to show in her deep blue eyes. “No, when you entered from the other land, you crossed over for life!” Toro sharpened his spear head without understanding the consequences of his words. “You mean when we crossed over, we did it for life?” Dane walked towards Toro and he bent down to make eye contact with him, his face turned into horror, and he realized the extent of the consequences of his bad decision. Dane believed that if the portal brought then to Noal, then the same passage would lead them back home. This belief was anything, but true. Toro tightened his slinger and blurt-out a chuckle from his fury mouth “Yes!” “You see.., You see what you did Dane… We can never go back home!” Shane’s sinking feeling in his stomach made him throw a rock at a tree. Everyone turned their heads in anger and disgust. The group was now paralyzed by fear and sadness. Dane felt the blame, but he knew that this was no time to submit to confusion and anger. There were young unicorns to rescue, and now was not the time to worry about getting home. The unicorns had to be rescue from the Antar. Jo Anne continued sobbing. “What are we going to do now, babe?” Her eyes blood-shot red from crying, but focused on Dane’s face for answers. Dane pretended to ignore the question, but still able to give an answer be focusing on the quest. “I’m going to help the elves rescue the unicorns! Toro, we can kill more Antars if we shoot spears with fire. Can we make more spears with tree limbs?” Dane looked at the trees. He planned to make more spears. He also gathered a few stones from the ground and placed them in one pocket. “Let the pieces of the creator of the Antars be our weapons to strike them down!” Toro also looked up at the trees.“Yes, but we have to do it now.” Dane grabbed a broken limb from a nearby tree. He flipped out his pocket knife, began to whittle away a sharp and pointed head. “Then let’s do it!” Jo Anne rose to her feet following Dane. “How can you talk about fighting when we can’t get home?” She argued with him while he gathered more long sticks to be made into spears He stopped for a moment. “Look sweetheart, we can either fight or die here! I’m a soldier! It’s my job to save lives and worry about the consequences later! We have to save these unicorns regardless of our situation! We can either die here or fight for our lives, and if we rescue the unicorns, then maybe we can find a way home!” There was a silence among all group members. Everyone pitched-in in gathering long sticks to be made into spears. Some members used the pocket knives to whittle pointy heads on all sticks. Group members only spoke when they had questions. Dane remained quiet because of his guilt. The other members followed the silence mood because everyone blamed Dane for leading them into an unknown land. Time past by slowly as war was imminent in the night. “How will we see the enemy?” Dane whispered as the group drew closer to the cave and battle ground. Dane also covered his face with mud. Other group members followed soot by covering themselves with leaves and mud. “I will call the fireflies with my whistle. With the fire from the spears and the lights from the flies, we should be able to see our enemies very well. My only concern is your scent.” Toro laughed loudly and scanned Dane’s body. He was now enjoying making sarcastic remarks at him. Dane looked back at him. “Our scent?” “You might smell good in the other world by using oils and lotions, but here you all really stink. Once the Antar recognize your stench, they will fight or flee from you all. We better attack down-wind!” Laughter came from his small belly as he moved forward towards the Antars. Shane looked at the little elf. “You carry a big stick for a little fury man.” He moved forward between Toro and Dane and chuckled at the both of them. Toro moved into fighting position. “Little man? I’m a big fighting man!” Dane and Shane looked at each other, then they pushed forward with the other group behind them. The night grew darker and the moon rose high. Yuno, Adjuno, and Bluro brushed themselves against a strange flower releasing a sweet, but strong scent in the air. Jo Anne, Mandara, and the others built a fire a few yards away from the cave. The wind blew away from the cave. The smoke blew with the wind, but all was safe because the Antars were distracted by the ritual preparations. The elves quietly scattered around the forests. They hunched over in crouching positions walking step-by-step towards the cave. Dane and Toro lead the march while Shane, Kindle, and Mandara stood behind ready to rescue the three young unicorns. Jo Anne, Nick, and Ashuni stayed behind and kept the spears lit in the fire. It was scary for the group because they never knew battle. They only knew the debates of every-day life in school and work. This was a new battle for everyone with only a small army of elves and unicorns with no fighting skills to guide them. The group felt that the odds were against them, but they continued to position themselves for war. While crouching in the trees and bushes with their spears at hand, they waited for the Antars to bring out their first sacrifice. Toro blew a high-pitched whistle that only could be heard by fireflies and insects. In a matter of minutes, swarms of tiny fireflies lit up the night sky above the cave and around the Antars. The fireflies bewildered the Antars as the stood mesmerized by the clouds of light over their heads. Now was the time for attack as the first young unicorn lied tied-down helpless on the ground. Dane watched crouched down as he yelled. “Now!” The first spear was darted in the air as it soon struck an Antar in the head. The Antar fell like a stone as blood splattered on the ground. The rush of elves had begun as spears headed towards the Antars. Spears flew from all directions as Antars dropped like flies. Some spears struck Antars directly on the head or body, while other just hit the ground. Dane and Toro drew closer to the cave as they thrust their spears directly into the Antar’s ugly body. One after another, both man and elf stuck their spears into Antars, bushing them in, and then pulling them out. Other elves did the same as blood marked the territory of dead and wounded Antars. The Antars were helpless in the unexpected battle. They began to scatter throughout the forest like ants. Meanwhile, Shane and Kindle threw fire-spears into the center of the crowed. These well-lit spears frighten the Antars more as they ran away. The lit spear also gave the elves and humans additional advantage because of the added light. Yuno, Adjuno, and Bluro ran towards the cave. They found Suro lying on the ground with his legs bound with vines. Yuno and Mandara eagerly tried to cut the vines. Yuno used his teeth while Mandara used her small pocket knife. Adjuno, Bluro, and Shane rush into the cave to save the other two unicorns. Inside the dimly lit cave, they found a giant Black Antar. He was nearly eight feet tall with three big black eyes above his nose. He howled as his slobbery teeth protruded outward. Shane and the other two unicorns stood in fright as Dane rush passed them. “Let me handle him!” Dane ordered as one giant spear flew pass his head striking Bluro in the neck. Bluro neighed loudly as he suddenly dropped to the ground. “I, Darkly, will kill you puny creatures, and drink the blood of the unicorns. I am the master and lord of the Antars!” he said in his rough deep voice as he grabbed another spear. “Not if I can help it!” Dane swung his spear at Darkly’s head. Darkly ducked down as he countered by swinging his spear at Dane’s shoulders and head. Dane ducked as well, but the head of the spear niched his arm. Dane dew back and covered his now bloody arm with one hand. Dane’s eyes met with Darkly’s eyes as the two collided body to body. Darkly wrapped his long arms around Dane’s Body. “You think that you kill me? You weak and pompous creature!” Darkly replied as drool came down his big ugly fangs. Darkly released Dane’s body as he fell to the ground. Dane quickly arose while pulling off his slinger and adding a rock to it. The two enemies circle one another as Dane twirled his slinger round and round countered-clockwise. Dane under-handedly released the rock towards Darkly’s head, but the cunning Antar ducted sideways causing the rock to bounced off the wall. The two warriors continued to circle one another like fireflies. They were trying to find weaknesses in each other’s body. Dane drew his small pocket knife and held it in his right hand with the blade point opposite of his this thumb. The two once again ran towards each other and they collided body-to-body. Dane shoved his knife into Darkly’s upper eye. Darkly screamed in pain as the two bodies fell backward. Darkly pulled the knife from his eye as blood rushed down his face. Darkly made additional loud roars. He rushed toward Dane’s body again. Darkly picked up Dane’s body again with both arms. He squeezed tightly as suddenly a loud “SNAP” sounded from Dane’s back. Darkly dropped Dane’s broken body on the ground. Darkly lunged forward at Shane and Adjuno, as they began rescuing the other two unicorns. Just before Darkly could grab Shane, a single spear thrust into his back shoulder blade. He turned to see Toro and a few more elves stand in the opening of the cave. Darkly reached behind him to pull out the spear, but he could not believe that a small elf would cause him so much pain. The other elves threw their spears at Darkly. He quickly fell to the ground near Bluro. There he lay on the ground as those dead. Toro and the other elves helped rescue the young unicorns. Shane, Toro, and Adjuno quickly set the children free. As they turned to examine Dane’s condition, the discovered that Darkly had escaped with only a trail a blood behind him. Dane whispered “Look, Darkly is gone!” He helped the wounded bodies. “Yes, he’s gone for now, but he will return soon, and he’ll be ready for battle next time!” Toro looked at Dane as he quietly stood still in sadness. This was the first time an elf felt extreme emotions for another being. Shane, Toro, and the elves pulled Dane’s body out of the cave. He was alive, but unconscious. The other elves pulled out Bluro’s body, he was dead. Everyone surrounded the wounded bodies. Jo Anne was especially hurt by Dane’s injury because she had developed a fondness for him. She sat next to his head cresting his warm face. Dane’s eyes gently opened to see Jo Anne starring back at him with tears of sorrow in her eyes. “I can’t feel my legs!” Dane’s eyes focusing on Jo Anne’s soft and warm face. Jo Anne returned the look of sadness. “Rest easy, my love. I’m here for you!” “I’m sorry for dragging all of you here!” Dane rubbed his hand against Jo Anne’s cheek. “Shoo! Don’t worry about that now!” Jo Anne calmly touched Dane’s week face. Suddenly a bright light radiated from the night-time stars downward on them. “Humans! You have proved your worthiness to stay in Noal. Dane has fought with bravery with the elves. We are saddened by Bluro’s death, so we would like to reward you by giving you Bluro’s body. Dane, your body will be stronger and faster with Bluro’s body, and you will live as long as a unicorn. If you choose to change, then the other six must agree to change as well. The transformations will be painless and quick!” announced the stars. “Hey, I’m in. I always wanted to be a horse’s ass. I mean a unicorn!” Nick stood over Dane’s body. Shane also stood next to Dane. “Well, we can’t go back to earth, so might as well be something cool!” Mandara smiled at Dane with her hand holding his. “I want a beautiful white body!” “I want a pink body!” Ashuni laughed. “Me to!” Kindle returned the laughter. Dane and Joanne both nodded yes. The stars poured tiny specks of lights over all the humans. The specks of lights flew around in different colors. Toro and the elves watched in delight. Clothes fell off of the humans as two additional new legs grew from their bodies. Bluro’s head and horn disappeared as his body moved closer to Dane. Dane’s legs also vanished as his upper muscle grew twice in size. Soon Dane’s and Bluro’s bodies became one. The other group’s upper muscles also grew in size to fit with their lower body as it formed into unicorns. Within minutes, the transformation was complete. All humans were now transformed into new magnificent creatures with the bodies of unicorns and humans. Everyone, especially Dane, stretch their arms out while running wildly around the forest. They picked up tree limbs and swung them on rocks and other trees as they broke to pieces. Dane also threw rocks in the river to see how far they would go. Everyone raced one another in short distances to test their speed. Dane grabbed a hard fruit and squeezed it like a melon as it juices exploded throughout the ground. It was like being born again into a new world. They all enjoyed their new bodies with long hair and strong arms. “Now, go my new creatures and multiply. You are now called centaurs. Go and protect our enchanted unicorns with the elves. Be free and wise in the land of Noal” demanded the stars.” Later in the morning, Yuno and Suro ran home to find Sherrea lying outside their cave. Sherrea rose to her legs as both husband and son met her. They rubbed against one another as a sign of love. Both mother and son ran inside for a long rest. Yuno watched the suns rise as he knew that evil would return soon. But for the moment, all was peaceful in the land of Noal. On the other side of the forest, Darkly slept on the cold ground with his wounds neatly bandage. With his heavy breathing sounding in the night, a sinister dream echoed in his head. The ground whispered, “Darkly, go into the mountains of the forest of Endora. There, the portal will open for new humans. I will transform these weak beings into strong centaurs with pointed ears. I want you, Darkly, to use the poisonous plant known as the Esera flower to poison their minds. You must mix the Esera flower with water to make the strong potion. Spray the potion on the sweet berries. Once the humans crossover in to Noal, they will eat the poison berries and their minds will be forever lost. I will give you an army so large, the unicorns, centaurs, and elves will be out matched and out-numbered. You must train this army to kill anything and everything that has legs. With my evil plan, we will take over the land of Noal. The fool, stars, do not realize the dangers of the black stones. Together, we will crush the centaurs and elves, and use the unicorns as slaves. You will feast on their blood, use their horns to heal wounds and ailments, and you and your army will live forever.” As Darkly slept, he giggled out loud as the other Antars stood guarded around a huge fire.

Noal "The Beginning" Part I

“Master Willow! “Can you tell me the story of Noal? Who are we, and where did we come from”? Unich asked while staring into the warm waters of Noal on a bright and sunny day. Willow brushed against Unich’s body as they played on the shoreline, “I’m glad you ask those questions because our race of unicorns comes from a long history of exciting adventure full of danger and epic battles. These stories are true in our eyes, but there are many versions of truths”. Willow returned to sit on the soft ground and face Unich’s wet body, “Yes, Unich! It is time that you learn the lessons of how your father saved the land of Noal. You are young, but old enough to understand the importance of our home. We owe our lives to your father. He was a brave unicorn. I made him a promise to mentor you after he died. These stories are the reason we unicorns and centaurs go on searching for the twelve black stones that open the portals between earth and Noal. You must carry the wisdom and knowledge of being a humble unicorn to your generations as you wait for the stones to reveal themselve. These are the magical stories of how Noal and its majestic creatures came to exist! These are the tales of our ancestors!” “It was said that “worlds” often come in many dimensions. According to two human theories, the earth was created by a higher power or by cosmic atoms coming together to form all life and objects. But are there other worlds?” said Willow as he scanned the bright blue sky. “The possibility of another world was known only by the stars and land. The stars in space have seen the ugliness of humans. The land had felt human’s destruction on its grounds. The stars had had enough of poisoness gases disrupting the balance of clean white clouds and clear rain water. The ground, and its beautiful plant life, hated the nasty trash covering all plant life. The ground and stars knew that change needed to happen. The stars wanted to see bright, happy birds flying in the skies and beautiful colored butterflies land on fresh flowers. The ground also wanted to see its own healthy dirt without human gunk, and other nasty trash. In the eyes of the stars, humans had polluted their world enough to desert all hope for change on earth. It was time for things to change,” explained Willow. “The ground screamed out to the stars, ‘Help me, stars! For we will surely die!” “Quiet my friend, for we will work together to create our own world. We will create a world without humans. For they do not deserve to have a new world. They have destroyed the natural balance of their world, so we will leave the new world to magical creatures,’ the stars calmly replied”. “When will we do this?’ asked the ground”. “Soon, my friend! Very soon!’ responded the stars”. “Now Unich, the stars had an idea about how create a dimension of nothing. The stars took a piece of an empty space in the black sky that opened a new dimension. This small power was harnessed into a single star as large as a big brown Marrow berry from the tall trees in our forests. The star flew itself into the dark sky where it burned down as it fell like a big fireball to the earth and broke into twelve pieces no larger than a red apple. “What happen to the twelve black stones, my master?” Unich asked. “We have four of the stones in distant cave kept safe by a human guardian. The other eight stones remain lost on earth,” Willow replied as a single star streamed across the clear blue sky. “Master Willow! Why do humans mess up the earth? And did the star taste like a sweet red apple?” Unich asked as he played in the warm water and splashed water towards Willow. Young Unich had a habit of being very inquisitive like a child trying to learn new things. He liked testing Willow’s knowledge about trivial things. You can ask Dane that question during your human history lessons! And no the star did not taste like a red apple, but the humans feared the fireball as it fell to the earth,” replied Willow as he chuckled and walked along the river bank”. Willow continued his story, “Now, the other eight pieces bounced away to the mountains. It was planned that the ground should enter into the small portal of nothing. The ground needed to be the creator of the new world. The stars and ground knew that soil was needed to create all life. The ground shook violently until the four black stones position themselves into the portal opening. A piece of dry rock from the ground rolled through the portal, as it closed. The stars waited a hundred years for the ground to create a new ball of land. It was now time to get the wind, water, and other elements to crossover to the new world”. “Master Willow, can I go back to earth?” Unich interrupted. “Why would you want to go back to earth?” Willow asked. “Cause, I want to teach humans how to clean their world!” added Unich. Willow shook his head and laughed, “You don’t even know how to clean your cave! Be silent my young one, and let me continue the story”. Unich galloped around a tree as Willow continued, “The wind had been polluted for years. It was hard for the stars to find a single area where the wind was clean. In some areas on earth, the wind blew hard in anger. Wind hated the variety of bad odors in its air. The wind tried and tried to blow-off the smelly air, but the more the wind blew, the more it became mixed. Wind was angry and sad towards humans. Nobody ever asked the wind if it could handle the bad smells. Wind was dying because good air was being beaten by the bad. The plants were angry at the wind because pollen was being destroyed by the mixtures of the smelly air. Wind saw itself as filth that was created by humans, so it cried out to the stars”. “Master Willow, you tell great stories!” Unich again spoke up while still galloping around the trees and brushes. Willow adjusted his sitting position and said, “Thank you! Now sit here next to me and be silent and let me continue with our story”. Unich stopped his galloping, shook his head from side to side, and sat quietly next to Willow as they stared at the white capping waves and jumping fish in the river. Willow continued the story of the wind. “Help me stars!” wind said out loud. “Cheer up, wind! Do you have any clean air on earth?’ the stars asked”. “Only in the mountains,’ replied wind”. “Bring the clean air to the portal of nothing, and I will let you cross over,’ said the stars to the wind”. “Will there be humans in the new world?’ wind asked”. “No, the humans will not be welcomed in the new world. They will stay on earth until they kill themselves off or until they learn to appreciate us. You will be warm in the new world. In time, I will invite sun to join us,’ said the stars. Within a few hours, wind passed through the portal like a free animal. Wind blew itself in the dark land”. “How to stars speak?” Unich again interrupted Willow’s story. “They don’t speak out loud. They use their minds like us. Only humans, centaurs, elves, and Antars speak”, replied Willow. “Why?” Willow became aggravated,” Unich, be silent! You’re testing my patience!” “Now where was I? Oh, yes’. The stars had seen the empty dark land with wind blowing the dirt around into lonesome nothingness. The stars knew that light was needed to give energy to all life. Darkness cannot thrive without light. The best source for life was the sun and moon. As on earth, the sun could light the day. The moon lit the night with its friends the stars. It did not take long for the stars to gather the sun and moon together. The earth’s sky appeared as a friendship between the moon and sun, but the dingy clouds obscured its beauty. The humans no longer enjoyed the beautiful sight of the joining of the moon and sun. To them, it was just another day”. “Sun and moon, we are creating a new world. We need you to light up our days and night. Would you two like to give us a piece of you?’ asked the stars”. “The sun hesitated and blew out a flare, ‘I do not want to be a part of a new world, and then, have it polluted by humans! I am already blocked by the earth’s dark clouds. I miss the days when humans would worship me. Who do they worship now? They only worship their games!” “Moon looked back at the sun and the stars, ‘I remember when humans would stare at us. They would play their mating games, but now, their games are played by something they call machines. Humans use to study our beauty with their big eyes, but now, they watch the bad air float around the earth. I would be happy to give a piece of me, but only if humans are not invited to the new world”. “I will promise you! Humans will not be invited to the new world. There will be guardians with human features in the future, but they will be humans with kind hearts that only seek to protect the new land,’ the stars replied”. “Who are these guardians, master Willow?” Unich again spoke. “Dane and the centaurs are guardians, the elves, and there will be others”, answered Willow. Willow continued, “I do not want to compete with the cold winter as I do here,’ said the sun”. “If you give us two pieces, then the cold will not be able to freeze the land’, said the stars”. “The sun waited and blew out two more flares, ‘I will give you two pieces of me’, announced the sun”. “I will also give you a piece of me. I will enjoy the warm nights without having to compete with the human’s electrical creations. I will be the only large source of light for the darkness. The new creatures will love me again,’ the moon gladly responded”. “The sun and moon separated back to their original places. The sun was the first to blow out two flares. The portal remained open as three bright lights fell to the ground. The stars followed the pieces of the sun and moon as they crossed over to the new world. It took a hundred years for the two flares to grow into bright suns. The new moon lite up the darkness at night, and the stars slowly multiplied into new planets. Now the wind blew freely, the two suns burned brightly during the day, and the moon and stars shined throughout the night. Everything seemed good and new again”, explained Willow. “Wow! Noal is really old, master Willow!” Unich again uttered. “Not as old as you think, young Unich. It is still young like you”, replied Willow. Now willow laughed and continued the story. “The stars knew that the most important element in its quest was to create a new world was water. Without water, life would not thrive in the new world. Water is essential to all life because it keeps everything from getting thirsty and dry. Plants and all living creatures need water to grow, young Unich. Even you need water”. “Yeah, to drink and play in!” added Unich. “Right! You see young Unich, on earth, the water had been so polluted that white foam covered ponds, lakes, and rivers. The fishes and other water creatures were dying off or developing into other strange creatures. Plant life were being eaten or poisoned by the dirty rains. Animals were developing diseases and being killed by drinking the water. Nevertheless, humans did little to clean its ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans. It was as if, humans were waiting for their stars to purify the waters. The stars had to search the high mountains to find a tiny pool of fresh spring water. The pool was sad and lonely because it could no longer mingle with its larger waters, so the stars invited the pool of water to cross over to the new world”. “Look at my relatives, stars, they are polluted by the neglect and greed of humans,’ said the small pool of water”. “I can see the ugliness that humans have created with the waters. This is why we need you to cross over with us. You are the most important element for us. Without you, we cannot create life in the new world. Will you cross over with us?’ asked the stars”. “Yes, I will cross over with you. Will I be able to create my own ponds?’ the pool asked”. “Yes,’ replied the stars”. “Will I be able to create my own lakes?’ the pool again asked”. “Yes”. “Will I be able to create my one streams, rivers, oceans, and massive waterfall?’ the pool again asked”. “Yes, you will free to build fresh water banks on the new lands,’ the stars added”. “Yes, I am ready to cross over,’ the pool joyfully said”. “The pool crossed over to the new world. With the burning bright suns, the pool quickly evaporated into many clouds. The clouds multiplied in number. They dropped rain onto the grounds for days. The fresh new water filled every hole, large and small. Within a few weeks, waters ran into oceans, rivers, lakes, and ponds. The waterfalls fell and splashed its waters throughout the lands. The suns dried certain locations rich for plant life. The new land was ready for life. The stars selected new seeds to be planted for fresh plants and trees. This was the first form of life needed to help bring other creatures into the new world”. “That’s when we got the trees, plants, and yummy berries!” replied Unich while looking up at Willow and letting a light giggle. “You learn quick, young Unich,” Willow added while returning the chuckle. “But plant life was difficult to select. The plants and trees from earth were decaying and spoiling from the dirty rains. The stars had to go deep into the rain forests where only creatures hunted wild life. The stars only selected fresh seeds from all plants and trees. The birds and insects helped to gather mounds of seeds to serve as new growth in the new world. Plant seeds from rich berries were collected to cross over. Seeds from the tallest trees were also gathered to be planted. Finally, seeds from every colored flower were collected to cross over to the new world. The mound of seeds that the birds and insects gathered was as large as a small mountain. The stars opened the portal. The winds in the new world sucked the seeds through the portal. The winds blew the seeds throughout the lands while the fresh rains planted the seed into the ground. Within a few days, the seeds began to give life to the new world. The stars waited a hundred years before beginning to select creatures. The new lands were extremely beautiful with its growing plants, flowers, wild berries, and trees. The suns gave the waters rainbow colors, as the rays reflected against the mist. The nights were quiet with only the warm breeze to sway the leaves against the moonlight. The world was a Garden of Beauty”. “The construction of the new world took hundreds of years. The stars made special planning for the selection of the creatures that entered into the new world. Only new born creatures with one male and one female parent were selected to cross into the new world. The stars selected flying creatures from the insect families, some water creatures, a few reptiles, and mammals of a selected group”. “I like the little slimy bugs. They tickle my nose and ears!” Unich laughs. Willow returns the laughter. “Is this where unicorns comes to Noal, master Willow?” “Yes!” “Cool, I love this story!” Unich stands for a moments and sits back down on the moist ground and perks his ears upward and stares at Willow. “Now, among the mammal breed, the horses were selected to cross over into the new world. Because of their magnificent beauty and their loyalty, the stars gave the male horses special magical powers that were stored in shiny new horns. The horns were a symbol of purity and majesty for the new world. Upon crossing through the portal, the stars placed these horns between the eyes and above the nose and they matched according to the colors of the horses. The horses were also given a new name. They were now called unicorns to separate them from the horse breed of the old world. The unicorns kept their beautiful bodies, strong legs, and wild mane. They were now the lords of the new world. They were given high ranking status over all other creatures. The unicorns carried the magic of the stars in their horns. They were free to wander through the land”. “As the unicorns began to search the new world, the stars in the new world shouted, ‘you are free my creatures. Go and multiply in peace and harmony. Go and give yourselves names.” “All unicorns and other creatures raised their heads to the stars to pay homage to them. They then bowed down like humble servants bowing to great kings in the heavens”. “One unicorn bowed its head and thought, ‘I was the first male horse to cross over into the new world. With my humble gratitude, I ask to be named Yuno?” “And that is your great grandfather, isn’t?” asked and stated Unich. Laughter burst out in Willow’s mind, “Yes, young Unich!” “The stars said…. Your new name will be Yuno! You are a great white unicorn!” “What do we call the new land?’ asked Yuno”. “The new land will be named, Noal! We will let all creatures thrive in the new land. You are now free to live in the land of Noal. Use this land wisely and you will live in these lands in peace and harmony!’ the stars said as it ended its role as the creator of the new world known as Noal”. “Wow! That’s was a great story. Tell me more!” demanded Unich as he pranced around Willow. “Not today. Unich, it’s getting late and your mother will worry about you. She might think you got eaten by the Antar! Remember Unich, the land of Noal is very sacred for unicorns. We must do all that we can to protect it,” Willow began walking home with Unich by his side. “Willow, I hope to be strong and wise as you!” added Unich as they slowly left the quiet waters of Noal and returned to their homes.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Unich the Unicorn "A Christmas Tale"

It was a clear, warm day in the land of Noal. The suns burned bright in the clear skies. The first sun was larger than the second sun. The second sun always appeared more like a bright star. We only knew of rain and warm breezes. Our lands were filled with bright Black, blue, and yellow flowers, plants, and trees. The larger the plants, the deeper the colors. We, the race of unicorns, lived off of berries and green leaves that grew on tall trees. The unicorns were slowly becoming extinct because of the ghastly, nasty, evil Black Antars. The Black Antars were tall men-like creatures with long legs and arms. They had long pointed ears and three deep black eyes over their short noses. Their wide mouths protruded out of their black thick scaly skin. The Black Antars ran fast like the wind and they used sharp pointy spears to hunt unicorns. These creatures could hit even the smallest of the critters that crawled on trees with great accuracy. We relied on our sense of smell and sound to defend ourselves from the Black Antars. Our sense of smell could detect a Black Antar from yards away. Their rustling of the leaves would warn us when they were in the area. I was eating my favorite yellow berries when I began to sense a Black Antar coming towards me. I waited, while eating my berries, and I relied on my sense of smell and hearing to locate which direction the Black Antar was coming from. Was it Garr, the head Antar or was it another one? I did not know, but I was not going to wait and find out as I leaped from the trees and ran fast away from the direction of the smell and sound. The Black Antars were fast, but I was faster. I could feel the wind in my long white mane as I felt the plants and flowers brush past my strong white muscly body. I was the strongest of all the unicorns, and the fastest. I learned to rely on my speed and the strength of my legs to escape from the Antars. I guess it was because my parents were both killed by the Black Antars during my early youth. My mentor, Willow, was the wisest of all the unicorns. He was both old and wise and had yellow skin. He lived in the caves of the high mountains. Willow could no longer run fast. This was so for all the elder unicorns. So they moved to the high grounds protected by the elves. The elves were small, furry creatures with long beards and hair from head to toe. They live in holes in the ground with their wives and kids. The elves were very good at using their natural surroundings for weapons. Their favorite weapons have always been the sling-shot and the boomerang. They could knock the tiniest creatures from a tree branch while running and jumping through deep forests. Because elves were shy and quiet around other creatures, I only met one elf in my life time. Snor was the main elf that guarded Willow. He often visited Willow during my younger years, and I might add that elf was very witty for a fur ball. As I ran through the forest, I knew that I had to get as close to the cave as I could because Antars were fearful of elves. So the closer I got to the cave, the safer I was. Soon I was near the cave and I could no long smell or hear the rumblings of the Antar. I was safe again, but not entirely alone in my forest. Beyond the distance, I saw a very bright light. This was the brightest light that I have ever seen, even brighter than the first sunlight. “What could it be?” I thought. As I hid in the bushes and trees, I saw two small creatures emerge from the light. These were creatures that resembled the Black Antars, but with pale white skin and shorter bodies. Their skins were covered strangely, but they seemed gentle. I watched intently as the bright light vanished in thin air, leaving the two creatures behind. “Where are we, John? I heard one of the creatures say. “I don’t know, Katie”, the second creature replied. Even though I could not speak, I intuitively could sense the meaning of their words. I watched immensely as the two creatures wandered around the land of Noal. They looked around the land, smelling the flowers and touching the trees. I could tell that they were not of this world. But what were they? I decided to slowly introduce myself. I gave myself away by making some rustling noises and then getting within sight of the creatures. “Look, Katie, is that what I think it is?” John asked. “No, it can’t be! It looks like a unicorn”, the second creature responded. I slowly moved backward and then forward while bobbing my head up and down. “Come on!” the creatures said as they reached out with their little hands. I did not sense any hostility in them, nor did I see any weapons with them. I could feel a gentle side to the creatures. Slowly, slowly, I moved towards the two creatures until their hands touch my nose and chin. They crested and stroked my neck. Their hands felt like soft leaves brushing against my body. At that moment one of the creatures spoke to me, “What’s your name?” The creature said out loud. “Unich”, my mind said, for my mouth could not form the words in my head. “Unich!” the gentle voice replied in amazement. I nodded, yes. The second creature said, “You can hear his thoughts, Katie?” “Yes, but I don’t know how”, she replied. “I can too”, the second creature added. “I’m Katie, and this is my brother, John. We’re from earth”, she said. Suddenly, a noise startled me. I knew what it was, but I also knew that the creatures were going to be defenseless against them. I quickly commanded them, “quickly, jump on my back and hold on to my long white mane. The two creatures jumped onto my back and we ran through the forest like the wind. I heard two spears hit on two trees as they barely missed us. Yet we managed to escape. “Where are we, Unich?” the female creature asked. “You are in the land of Noal”, I replied. “But how did we get here?” John asked. By now, I was able to call the two creatures by their given names. “I don’t know, do you remember?” “We were sitting and playing in my room and talking about Christmas when a bright light appeared out of nowhere. We saw the beautiful plants and flowers, so we went into the light. When we went through the light, it disappeared”, said John. “So how do we get back?” Katie asked as she sat on the ground. “We are going to miss Christmas in three days if we can’t get back”, Katie began to lay her face in her hands and cry. “Why do you cry?” I asked. “Because we are supposed to celebrate Christmas with our family, and now we won’t be there with our parents,” Katie added. “What is Christmas?” I asked. John explained, “Christmas is a time when we celebrate the birth of a king that lived a long time ago, and we also give gifts to each other to show love for that king. It’s a time for love, peace, and joy in one another.” “It sounds like a great time”, I said. “We love it because it’s a peaceful time in our world”, John added. “Now we may never get back there!” Katie said while tears rolled down her cheeks. I knew then about the children’s heart break, so I decided to seek the counsel of Willow, my mentor. “Hop on! I will take you to my mentor, Willow, the wisest of all the unicorns. He will know how to get you home”. I ran through the forest with the little ones on my back. I was just hoping Willow could show me the path way towards getting the children back home, in time for Christmas. Nearing the cave, the wind blew ever so gentle as I saw Willow lying in the warm hay. Willow was bright yellow, but much older. “Hello, Master, Willow”, my eyes gazed on his large yellow body. “Unich, what brings you to see me, and where did you find those children?” he rose to meet my head. “Their names are Katie and John”, I replied. “They are not of this land, are they?” Willow asked. “How…. How did you know?” I replied. “I know about children from an adventure I had a long time ago, before you were born”, he said. “They entered this land from a portal created by the two suns joining together. The portal happens when and where ever its wants to appear”, he added. “Master, is there a way to get them back?” I asked. “Yes, there is only one way, but the journey is long and hard. You must take the children to Ballou, an old but wise witch that lives on the edge of our land. She has some black stones that can reopen the portal at the same place and time as when they came”, he explained. “Will she still be there and will she help us?” I asked. “Yes, she is kind to unicorns, but she is fearful of other creatures, so you must approach her with caution”, he added. “Then we must leave immediately”, I said. “Travel with caution, my son; make sure the children stay fed and alive. Be careful of the Black Antars and their beasts”, he added as he turned to rest his body in the hay. I gathered the children onto my back and slowly jogged away from the cave. Upon jogging for a few hours, we came to rest near a shallow river. The water was as clear as crystal and it swirled around the jagged rocks. I could see the fishes swimming in the water, and hear the sound of a waterfall in the distance. The children took turns eating the pink berries that grew on the bushes just on the edge of the river. I slowly drank my fill of water as I carefully kept my ears open for signs of danger. As I slowly drank the water, I heard a strange sound just beyond some trees. It was not the sound of danger. It was more the sound of sweetness from another unicorn. I watched with eagerness as a well-built black unicorn raced from the trees. This was not a horned unicorn, because only males have horns. This was a fine looking female unicorn; with a long black mane, broad shoulders, and a spot where the horn might have grown, if she had been born a male. I was bewildered as to why she was in this area alone because female unicorns are particularly frightened by Antars. I did not know of any female unicorns that lived in this land because the area was heavily populated by Black Antars. She was a bit shy around me as I slowly approached her. The children, especially Katie, tried to coach her towards us. Slowly, slowly, she inched herself closer to us. Katie must have made the first connection with her because she was the first to touch her. She was very intriguing, captivating, and beautiful to me. I took in the array of beauty that beloved my eyes. “What is your name?” I softly asked. She starred back at me like a wild flower waiting for its bee. “I’m Ulassus”, she quietly responded as our noses slowly touched for the first time. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “I always come here to drink the water. Why are you here and what are those creatures sitting near the water?” she asked. “They are children from another land, and I’m trying to get them home. The female is called Katie, and the male is known as, John”, I replied. Just then a spear flew between our heads and landed in the water. John jumped on my back, and Ulassus allowed Katie to jump on her back, and away we all ran out of sight. Ulassus suddenly stopped near a patch of bare forest. She looked around and bent her head downward. I went to meet her, for we knew what had happened in this lonely part of our land. It did not take us long to find it. There he lay with a spear in his neck and no horn on the nose. We somberly lowered our heads as Katie and John jumped to the ground. “What happened, Unich?” Katie softly asked. “A Black Antar killed this unicorn for his horn”, I replied. “Why?” John asked. “Unicorn horns have magical powers that can make life longer”, I explained as I touched the dead unicorn on its nose. “The Black Antars use the horns to cure their ailments, and then they burn the used horn. A horn only has magical powers when it is connected to a live unicorn. Once the unicorn dies, the horn’s powers will die, that is why Black Antars continue to hunt unicorns”, I added. “So why is everything around the unicorn also dead?” John asked. “Because when a unicorn dies, all living plants around the unicorn will also die”, I explained. Just then, the once beautiful brown unicorn, turned into dust as the wind blew it away. All that remained was the bare, dead ground. “So this ground will remain dead?” John asked. “Yes, well, just until a new unicorn is born then the plants will be reborn. This is all a part of the magic of life in the land of Noal”, I said. The children shed some tears as they climbed onto our backs, and we slowly walked away to continue on the journey. The second day was going dim. I could tell that the children were once again getting tired. I had John gather up some wood for a fire. Every insect in the forest knew what to do, including the dragon flies. The wood was piled on the ground. The dragon flies all took turns blowing their tiny breaths of fires onto it until a blaze of Black flames grew high in the sky. The lighting bugs also spread their wings and lit their lights as they flew around the forest. It was as though, all the creature did their part in watching over the children. Sometimes the lighting bugs were so numerous that we could not tell the difference between lighting bugs and falling stars. The children giggled as the lighting bugs flew in and out of their noses. I guess the lighting bugs would tickle their noses, in order to make the children laugh. As the flames blew wildly, I needed to find out why the children walked through the portal when it appeared. So I asked, “John, why did you and Katie walk through the portal?” I got no answer. I asked the same question, but John looked away as he began to speak. “I’m almost ten years old, and it’s time for me to grow up and stop believing in fairy tales”, he said. “What do you mean?” I asked. “Some kids from school were saying that Santa Claus was not real, and that, my mom and dad just bought our gifts and put them under the tree on Christmas Eve”, he added. “Who is Santa Claus?” I asked. “Santa Claus is a man dressed in red clothes with black boots. He rides on a big slay and brings gifts to all the good little children”, Katie added. “I told my dad that I no longer believed in Santa, and that he can just stop lying about where our gifts came from because Santa is a fake”, he angrily added. “Dad sent him to our room, I then went to my room to talk to John about why he didn’t believe in Santa any more”, Katie added. “And that’s when the portal appeared. When I said that I wished that I could get away from my dad”, said John. “And that is why you and Katie walked through the portal?” I asked. “Yes, it looked so beautiful on the other side that I grabbed Katie’s hand and walked through”, John answered. “So, John, do you believe in this land and believe in unicorns?” I asked. “Well, yes, because I’m here”, he replied. “But before you came here, did you believe in unicorns?” I again asked. “Well, no!” he responded. “Just because you can’t see something or some place, it doesn’t mean it’s not real”, I added. I could see tears in John’s eye as he lowered his head, and cried. “Do you believe in unicorns now?” I asked. “Yes”, he replied. “Then you must believe in Santa Claus, too!” I said. “Yes, I do, Unich, you must get us home. I need to tell dad that I’m sorry!” John responded while crying in his hands. “John look at me”, I said. John’s eyes fell upon me. “We will get you two home! I promise!” I sternly said. I could somehow feel John’s emptiness in his heart. It’s like wanting to make amends to a wrong, but being unable to fill the hole due to a disconnection of emotional bonds. I sometimes miss my parents, but I keep their memories in my heart. I knew then that I had to keep my promise to get them home. Soon after that, John and Katie lied down near the fire and fell into a deep sleep as we watched over them throughout the night. Just before dawn, something unusual happened. I heard Ulassus cry out in distress. As I looked towards her direction, I saw a large net covering her body. I watched Ulassus jump and gallop wildly as a net then covered me. Garr had somehow snuck up upon us without being detected by our senses. It took several Black Antars to hold us down, and by now, the children had awakened to kicking and screaming as they tried to run away. Garr had two Black Antars hold down the children. Garr, for some reason, wanted to children more than us. I watched as John and Katie were taken deeper into the forest. Soon after the children were long gone, I managed to kick a Black Antar in the face. I also heard the swirling wind of sling-shots and rocks being hurled at the other Black Antars. I saw a group of elves running towards us, with Snor and Willow following behind them. The nets were quickly removed as Willow approached me. “I thought you might need some help”, said Willow. “The children, why would Garr take the children?” I asked Willow. “The children carry the fountain of youth in their blood. If Garr drinks their blood, then he will be forever young and strong”, added Willow. “How does he know that?” I asked. “It has been a legend for thousands of years. Garr was there when the children passed through the port-hole”, Willow replied. “What must I do to save the children, master Willow?” I asked. “Go find the witch, Ballou. She can help find the children. Go quickly, you have only a few hours to find her and rescue them. Garr will drink the children’s blood only at night. So Run… Run quickly”, he added. Ulassus and I took off like a wild thunderbolt to the edge of Noal. With the children in the hands of Garr, we were able to run faster than ever. “Run! Run!” I said to Ulassus as we raced across the forest. With leaves, flowers, and branches brushing against our bodies, we ran like the wind to a place never seen by my eyes. Were we going in the right direction? I did not know. All we had was our sense of hearing and smell to guide us. After running for about an hour, it was time to catch our breaths. I heard the sound of water in the near distance very near a foggy cliff. So Ulassus and I headed in that direction. The water felt cool to our throats as we drank, but my heart burned with thoughts of the children. I knew what it was like to be held captive. The helpless feeling of being held down without being able to move. The hopeful feeling that someone will come to rescue you, but not knowing when or if help will show up. I knew that we were doing all we could to rescue the children, but these same feelings of helplessness and despair resonated within me. We knew that we had to drink the water and move on. This was the only way to save John and Katie. As we drank the water and prepared to move forward, we heard noises in the distance. It was the same sounds the children made as they spoke to us. I saw a hidden cave buried in bushes at the end of the stream. Could this be Ballou, the witch? How would she react to two unicorns invading her home? I slowly approach the cave with Ulassus next to me. I saw a strange hooded figure dancing around a fire. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I knew time was becoming short. I needed to find out if the hooded figure was friend or foe. “Hello, Unich and Ulassus. Come in! Come… Come… Don’t be afraid”, the frail voice gently said as she stirred her food in the pot on the fire pit. My eyes looked upon her with caution as she walk towards us. She did not seem very old. She had greyish hair with brownish skin and eyes. Her body was slender, and her face still had some features of youth. She seemed to be quite gentle, but very straight forward with her words. I watched closely as she began rubbing our noses and necks. “How did you know our names?” I thought. “Oh! I know all about you. I have been watching you two since the children entered the portal”, she said as her coverings swayed in the warm breeze. “But how have you been watching us?” Ulassus stepped forward to ask. “My wall of visions. It lets me know everything that goes on in our lands”, she said while pointing to a wall on the cave. The wall showed us random images of the forest as we spoke to one another. “Yes, I can see anything with my wall, even where the children are now”, she added. Then the image changed to show the children tied to a tree, crying out for help. “We must hurry, and rescue the children”, I frantically said! “Yes, it’s time to go and rescue the children! Are you strong enough to carry me, my new friend?” she asked. She then adding more coverings to her back and picked up a long staff and a bag to be hung around my neck. “Yes”, I replied. “Then let’s ride like the wind my new friends!” she shouted as she climbed upon my back. “Now hurry… Hurry! We don’t have much time. The suns are setting and Garr is preparing to harvest the children for their blood!”, she said while adjusting herself and grabbing a firm hold of my mane. We did not waste any time on food or water. Boui knew right where the children were, so we ran faster than ever. We ran to save the lives of two children. Garr had the children tied to a tree. He was close, but I could not spot his tracks or smell. He must have learned to cover his scent and mask his sounds. The children stood a few feet away as we searched for Garr. I forced Ulassus and Blair to stay near the trees then I hurriedly, but cautiously approached the children to try and set them free. I used my mouth to bite away the ropes. It seemed like a slow process, but finally, my strong teeth were able to break the rope. I managed to release John and we both tried to release Katie. Just as the ropes fell off Katie’s hands, I felt a sharp spear pierce my side. It was a pain like no other, as I moaned loudly and jumped around. Garr lunged towards me with great anger. I lowered my head to spear Garr near his heart. He stumbled backward, and howled in pain. Katie and John ran towards Ulassus as I heard elves springing up from the ground cover with their sling shots. Round and round and round the sling shots shot their rocks directly in Garr’s direction. Garr threw his spears back at the elves, but he hit nothing. The rocks were so numerous that Garr did not have the chance to escape. Rocks came from every direction and a few struck his head until he fell down into death. Garr was now dead, but not without sacrifice. I fell down with a spear stuck in my side. An elf removed the spear, but the damage was done. I was dying. The land in the area was slowly dying as I lay on the ground. I could feel my heart slowing down with every breath. The spear from Garr was not only taking my body, but my spirit as well. I could hear John and Katie sobbing as I felt their tears fall on my face. Katie sat next to my neck as her hand rubbed away the pain from the spear. Ulassus, Ballou, Willow, Snor, with all the other elves gathered around me with heads hung low. I could feel their sadness in the air as my life began to slip into the wind. “Willow, thank you for being my master! I will miss our long conversations about my parents and your adventures with them. Ulassus, your love has filled my heart with joy” I said with tears in my eyes. I never felt death before, but it was a calming feeling as my mind returned to the younger years of running in green fields and colorful forests. I was dying, but my spirit still wanted to live. Was this the end? How would John and Katie get home for Christmas? For now, I knew love, hate, anger, and now death. I knew about the precious joys of life, and the coldness of death. I was not ready to be beaten by Garr, but he was dead, and I did not want to share the same fate as him. Suddenly, new sounds rose from the trees. It was the sound of hope, love, and life. Yes, from beyond the trees sprung one unicorn, then another one, then two more unicorns to rescue me from death. I found myself surrounded by unicorns with a variety of colors. Four unicorns gathered around me. I felt their horns touch one another as they touched my horn. A blinding light shinned brighter than all the suns in the world. I felt my wombs healing and my heart beating again as the air once more filled my lungs. Life was once again coming back into my body. With a light touch of Willow’s nose on my face, I heard him say, “Unich, rise from the shadow of death and live again”. The dead flowers and plants began to regain their colors and scents. The children’s sorrows began to ring out songs of joy. My lifeless body now had life again, and my spirit grew stronger and stronger as I sprang onto my four legs. Death was no longer in me as I reached for Ulassus with love. I was back for good and ready to fulfill my destiny. It was time to get the children home so that Ulassus and I could become free unicorns in the land of Noal. After my revival into life, we traveled back to the same land where the portal first appeared. Ballou, the witch, placed the four black stones upon the ground. She stomped her staff three times on the ground and uttered the words, “Great suns of Noal, bring fourth the portal, and open once again for the children to pass through to return home”. The wind wildly blew as the portal slowly appeared like a bright sun. “You will only have few minutes before the hole closes again”, Ballou said. I could feel the children’s sadness about leaving me and the land of Noal, but it was time for them to go home. Katie was the first to hug and kiss my cheeks as she shed a few more tears. John followed behind her as they both hung on my neck and stroked my nose with their warm hands. “We love you, Unich, and we will always remember you and Ulassus”, Katie said softly. “Yes, we would have never made it home without you all”, John added. “I will always remember you two as well. You brought Ulassus and me together. Because of you two we now know the miracle of Christmas and love”, I replied. The children turned and held hands. I pushed them forward with my nose as they walked through the portal. “Remember John and Katie, just because you never see something, it does not mean it doesn’t exist. Sometimes we must walk in faith to believe in something to guide our lives”, I added with a wink in my eye. I turned to run towards Ulassus. We stopped to look back at the portal. We saw the children waving goodbye with smiles on their faces, as the portal quickly closed for good. I never thought that I, Unich the unicorn, would have had such a fantastic adventure with two human children and found love with a female unicorn. I can’t help to think about the children as they open their gifts for Christmas. Whatever Christmas may be? I hope their Christmas is filled with love, joy, and peace. Ulassus and I ran into the sunsets with our mane’s blowing in the warm breeze, our bodies touching on the run, and our nose rubbing together. We were now free to live in the land of Noal.

A Guardian in the Land of Noal

The rivers in the land of Noal always give me solitude and peace as I walk through the many forests. I enjoy sitting on large rocks reflecting on past events. I, a witch from the land of earth, am sitting on a rock on the northern side of Noal known as Insigna. I can hear a deep waterfall filling its river in the distance. The suns are high in the sky while the rays shine colors against the water. On occasion, I will see a fish jumping out of the water. The colorful flowers, plants, and trees add sweet scents in the air. Such smells I can recall from my youth. As I sit on this rock on a warm sprinkling day, I cannot help but remember the journey that brought me to the land of Noal. I was a young child then, barely 13 years old when I began my journey to be a witch. I came from earth through a portal. I think the portal was created by the higher powers that first formed on earth. I was an odd ball teen. I was the kind a girl that hated the social scene, but loved books. I was heavily involved in subjects of math and science. I especially loved mixing chemicals and studying the table of elements. I had short dark blonde hair and wore pants and t-shirts to school. Some people in the neighborhood probably called me a tom-boy. I did not care about my looks, nor did I call boys on the weekend. I lived a solitary life-style, and some people might say that it was normal for me to be alone. I loved the peaceful outdoors of the summers and solitude of the cold winters. My dad and I did not always see eye-to-eye. I think my presence reminded him of mom. According to some photos, my mother and I looked alike. We both appeared kind-hearted when I compared pictures with mine. This is why I was sure that my good nature and physical appearance made dad miss mom’s love. According to dad, mom died due to complication of my childbirth, but I do not believe his story to be the whole truth. Some former relatives on my mom’s side of the family had hinted of spousal abuse, but we lost all contact with that family. I think dad cut-off the connection between us and them. My father always had a mean streak in him. I was never physically abused, but dad would often yell at the top of his lungs when he became angry at me. I did not enjoy being around him at all. This may be why I wanted a new life. I needed to get away from a place that reminded me of the mother I never had and the father that verbally abused and neglected me. There was nothing in my own life that I enjoyed. I wanted to be somewhere where I could take long walks and mingle with nature. I did not care about modern electronics. I did not like to send out emails, texts, or instant messages. I enjoyed playing with mud, sticks, and skipping rocks in ponds. Sometimes I would walk to near-by farms and pet the horses and cows. I would imagine myself horseback riding in wheat fields. I desired the comforts of a fantasy land where I could be free to be one with nature. During this time, witches were known to be ugly, evil, child eaters, and conjurers of magic and spells. These beliefs were anything but true. I first encountered a witch in grade school. She was a kind neighbor that sat on the front porch of her house. All children believed her to be a witch, but no one wanted to speak with her. They were always afraid of becoming a toad or some other animal. I, on the other hand, began to see her as a nice neighbor. This labeled me as a witch lover by other students. Girls would call me “witch lover” and future “witch”. There were also times when girls would pick on me. Girls would often pinch my skin, pull my hair, push me down, and/or spit on me. I wanted to fight back, but my heart told me not to stoop to these girl’s levels. It was one day during a walk home that my new journey began. It was a journey that would open a world full of unicorns, centaurs, Black Antars, a scary dragon, and other good/bad creatures. In the earthly world, I was a slave of other people’s hatred and bullying. In this world, I am free to practice my craft and preserve the sanctity of life. I owe this life to the bullies that abused me and the witch neighbor known as Witch Rohana. I first started the journey during my walk home from school. I could hear footsteps behind me. I could only assume that it was Karen, the snobby cheerleader with dark red hair and bad breath. Jessica, the obsessive-compulsive blond that worried about her looks more than her cheerleading skills, and June, another blond that only became a cheerleader so she could be noticed by all the boys. Not one of these girls had any positive attributes, but only wanted their way with boys and teachers. I was walking home with my blue-jean pants and t-shirt on and my arms folded with books in them. I began to walk fast because I knew that they were coming to beat me up. It did not take them long to detect that I knew they were following me. I did not get very far when I felt a hand grab my pony-tail and my head being jerked back. “Where are you going? You little twurp!” Jessica demanded while pressing against me. “Home! I’m going home”, I replied while trying to recompose myself. “You’re not going anywhere!” Responded Karen as I felt her hand connect with my right cheek. I stumbled back to find myself seated on the sidewalk. The slap felt as if I had pressed my cheek on a blazing hot iron. My books scattered on the road like wind-blown leaves. I was but a few yards from my house, but there was no one home to defend me. “Get up!” shouted June and Jessica as they lifted me to my feet. I once again felt a hand whiz across my right cheek. The burning feeling on my face left me speechless, but I wanted to see the girls thrown across town. “Was anyone going to help me?” I thought. Just then, I heard an unlikely voice. It was Mrs. Rohana, the neighbor. “Get out of here, before I turn you all into toads”, she screamed while opening her white wooden gate. The girls were so startled by the loud yell that they gathered themselves and ran in different directions. “Thank you, Mrs. Rohana”, I said while gathering myself. “Would you like to come in?” she asked. I gathered my books and followed her towards the front porch. A part of me wanted to say no, but I found my curiosity towards her causing me to accept the invitation. “You weren’t really going to turn those girls into toads, were you?” I asked while stepping onto the porch. “Yes, of course, if only I knew how”, she replied with a twinkle in her eye. This was the beginning of our friendship, and the start of my journey towards becoming a witch. On that day, I first entered Rohana’s house with some nerves in my stomach. I had seen her sitting on the porch from time to time, but I never stepped in the yard. My father always told me to respect other people’s property and privacy. As I entered the house for the first time, I felt my body tense up like a cat ready to strike at its enemy. The house was old with an array of scents. Odors of pine, to the smell of Jasmine mixed with rose peddles. The living room had old couches, tables, and chairs that looked from the Victorian era. On the north wall, I saw shelves of books that seemed over a hundred years old. There was even an old chimney with a mantel full of unicorns and centaurs. I have never seen so many unicorns and centaurs of a variety of sorts and sizes. I had always loved the mythical creatures, but I never believed that they existed. I walked slowly into the kitchen where Mrs. Rohana was pouring a glass of milk along-side a small plate of cookies. In the kitchen, I saw several crescent moon faces hanging above the stove and magnets shaped of suns, stars, moons, and more mythical creatures. I sat quietly in a chair as she brought the cookies and milk to me. “Do those girls always pick on you?” she asked while sitting in a chair across a small dining table. “Yes, they are mean girls from school”’, I replied while taking a sip of milk and a bite of chocolate chip cookie. “Sometimes, mean people are mean because they themselves feel pain”, she added. “Are you a witch?” I asked to divert the conversation to a different direction. “Why? Would it bother you if I was?” she asked. “No, I just thought witches were ugly, and they ate children”, I replied. “Oh silly girl, you watch too much TV”, she said. “What is a witch?” I asked while looking around the room. “A witch is someone that believes in many gods, and we are promoters of life. We do not cast spells or inflict harm on others. We are protectors of the worlds”, she explained while taking a book from the shelf in the living room. I found myself curious about the concept of being a witch. “But, I thought there was only one world”, I said while turning in my chair. “You can accept the one world, but believe in others. You see, young girl… You can accept the one God, but believe in many gods that are pieces of him”, she added while handing me the book. “I don’t understand”, I replied while looking at the book with old words and pictures. She giggled and sat back down. “Take the book home and read it”, she said. I took the book under my arm, finished my milk and cookies, and headed towards the door. “Thank you, and my name is Pam”, I said while opening the door. She smiled, “Come by tomorrow, young Pam”. I ran out the door. I looked back because I knew that I was now going on a journey. It took me a week to read the book. For a young girl with low self-esteem, this book gave me a better understanding about the meaning of life. I read about the wisdom of being human and the importance of life. I read short stories on the power of using potions for healing wounds and curing illnesses. After reading the old dusty book, I began to see myself as a witch. I made several trips back to Mrs. Rohana’s house. It was as if I had a second mother. During a visit to Mrs. Rohana’s house one day, I slowly entered the house. Mrs. Rohana did not hear close the door, as she did most days. I saw a strange image on the wall of her bedroom that was at the top of the stairs on my right side. The image was large like a movie screen that showed creatures hurting and killing other creatures. Mrs. Rohana was watching the images as tears rolled down her face. The images lasted about five minutes until it slowly faded away. Mrs. Rohana turned to see me standing in the doorway. I did not know whether to run or face the consequences of my ease dropping. “Pam! What are you doing here?” she demanded. My feet said run, but my head made me stay. “I’m sorry…. I came in thinking you’d be in the kitchen, but you weren’t there, so I came up here to check on you!” I calmly replied. “What did you see?” she asked while sitting on the bed. “I saw the images of creatures hurting and killing what looked like horses or unicorns…. What was that?” I asked as I walked closer to the wall where the images were. “It’s a land known as Noal”, she sadly said. “There is no other land”, I said. “There is, but no one knows about it”, she replied. “I don’t believe it,” I said while sitting on the edge of the bed. “Do you doubt your own eyes, my young Pam?” she asked. I did not know how to answer the question. On one hand, I never believed in anything that cannot stimulate at least one of my senses. On the other hand, I saw the images on the wall and I wanted to seem open-minded towards my mentor. “Humans cannot know about the land of Noal. The discovery would upset the balance of nature in both worlds,” she added. “Have you ever been there?” I asked. “I was invited once, but I could not leave this world”, she replied. “They were hurting creatures that looked like unicorns. Can we save them?” I asked as I felt sadness for the slaughtering. “No, not now. But in time, the decision to enter the other land will be up to you. Creatures will be born, live, and then die. Some are hunted and killed, while others escape their hunters. In the land of Noal, there is great evil beast that is growing in a cave. With my training, you could be the one to guard the unicorns against the beast”, she explained. “What is the beast?” I asked. “It’s a great dragon. The dragon has scaly skin, large fangs, wings as big as two football fields, and firie breathe”, she added. I knew then that my destiny was to be the guardian and defender of these unicorns and other innocent creatures. I was eager to start my journey to the new land. My life as an apprentice was not easy. By now most girls at my school knew of my relationship with Mrs. Rohana. Karen, Jessica, and June were especially interested in my personal life. Sometimes these girls would follow me to Mrs. Rohana’s house, and then run off when they saw her. On another occasion, the girls took turns spitting on me when we were in the bathroom at the same time. This was a time when I wanted revenge. I wanted these girls to be thrown anywhere. And if they got hit by a car or were accidently killed in an automobile wreck, I would not miss them or shed a tear over their death. I would probably grin in silence as I celebrated my freedom from constant abuse. It was about this time that Mrs. Rohana taught me a new skill. She defined the skill as telekinesis “a manipulation of living energy”. We sat in her living room as she held a ball in her hand. The ball suddenly and magically began to float and fly around the room. “How are you making the ball fly around the room?” I asked in wonder. “The living energy can be manipulated with the opening of the mind”, she said. “What is living energy?” I asked. “Living energy is positive and negative atoms mixed with neutrons that make up matter. This matter is used to create all living and nonliving objects. We just open our minds and let out energy to move objects. It is kind of like when a remote control sends signals to a receiver to turn something on or off. We just use it to move objects”, she explained as the ball landed in my lap. “Can you teach me this skill?” I asked. “Yes, but it will take practice. And you cannot use the craft for selfish acts. Witches that use their skills for self-absorbed acts will be doomed after death. You must promise never to use these skills to hurt or frighten anyone no matter what”, she explained while looking in my eyes. “I promise!” I replied. “Then take the ball home with you and practice opening your mind. Now, let’s go outside”, she said while handing me a broom. “Are you going to teach me how to fly on a broom?” I asked as I took hold of the stick. She smiled and grabbed another broom. “Fly! No, I just want you to help me sweep the leaves off of the front porch”. We both laughed and headed out the door. I was not the kind a girl to break a vow. But on one occasion, a broken promise would set me free from the three-headed dragon, also known as Karen, Jessica, and June. It took me months to learn how to use telekinesis. I would stare at the ball for hours, but it just sat on the surface like a rock. I would sometimes walk in fields and forests on windless days, and try to move leaves and twigs, but nothing ever moved for me. I was beginning to give up. Until one summer night, I stared at the ball for so long that my eyes began to ache. I became so frustrated that I threw the ball across my bedroom. It rolled under the bed as though it was hiding from me. I yelled “GET OVER HERE YOU STUPID BALL!” and believe it or not, the ball rolled towards me and stopped at my bare feet. There was one trick to telekinesis that Mrs. Rohana did not tell me. Telekinesis, the ability to move objects with the mind, has to be driven by emotions. I used my anger to move the ball towards me, but I also used love to pick up the ball and put it in my hand. With my body tired from all the concentration, I lied in bed. Then I turned off the light with my mind. The next morning I walked to school by taking the same route I always took. I could now move leaves, twigs, and rocks out of my way just for fun. During the walk to school, the three-headed dragon backed me into an alley between two old buildings. I was trapped like a helpless dog trying to escape its tormentor. These girls pushed me down onto the ground; and began calling me names, spitting on me, and pulling my hair. Then each began slapping me around. I tried to control my emotions, but I could feel my anger boiling over. As my body endured the physical abuse, I could imagine their bodies burning in flames and being thrown far away in my mind. I could no longer take the abuse. I stumbled upward to my feet. Jessica swung her right hand across my cheek, and I again fell to the ground. I turned to sit up as they stood in front of me. Suddenly, the dumpster lid loudly flew open. The trash from inside the dumpster began flying around in thin air in a circular motion. I watched as the girl’s eyes widen in fright. I shot non-lethal objects at the girls as they screamed and cried for help, but no one came. The girls took flight like roaches being exposed from a dark corner. I knew then how this new skill could be used for power and control over others. I felt relief from the torment, but I was also ashamed of myself. I not only broke my promise to Mrs. Rohana, but I used the skill for selfish needs. I gathered myself and my books and headed to school. I did not see the girls in any of the classes, so I guess they ran home. I was not too afraid of the consequences of my actions because, the girls would never admit to bullying me. Also who would believe the girl’s tale of trash flying from a dumpster and hitting them like fruit flies. I was free at last, but I had to face Mrs. Rohana as I walked home that evening. “Don’t you have something to tell me?” she asked as I walked up the old wooden steps. My feet were heavy like bricks with every step onto the porch. I hung my head low as I sat in a white wicker chair and placed my arms on the arm-rest. I could feel the warm air on my face as I looked Mrs. Rohana in the eyes. “You know what I did?” I sadly asked. “Pam, you know that I can watch you with my wall of visions”, she added while taking a drink of her coffee cup. “I’m sorry! I just wanted the girls to stop beating me and calling me names”, I said as tears came down my face. “I know you will be tempted to use your new skills to serve your own needs, but you must learn to fight battles without the living energy. Battles of the heart are best won when you can fight them with your mind. It is a difficult lesson to learn, but it is what makes us stronger”, she sat back and explained. “I know that I broke my promise to you, but can you forgive me?” I asked while playing with a nail in the wood floor with my shoe. “I can… I think you have enough guilt to punish yourself!” she added while standing up. “I didn’t feel good after I made the trash fly at the girls, but I was relieved to get them off of me”, I said as I stood up to follow Mrs. Rohana into the house. “You did do a good job of creating that tornado of trash, and you should have seen those girls run. I don’t think they’ll bother you any more”, she giggled while walking into the kitchen filled with scent of freshly cooked food. I giggled back, but I swore never to use the living energy for selfish needs. This was a promise that I kept as I grew older. As time passed by, I began to grow into a young woman. The rift between dad and I was becoming more prevalent. He had met and married another woman. I was trying to develop my own identity. I called my new stepmom by her name, and not mom. She was every bit of the tramp that I suspected her to be. She was a bartender in the evening. She had dark hair and a fat body full of assorted ugly tattoos. I hated her from the beginning and she felt the same about me. I could tell that she flirted with all the bikers and boozers that entered the bar. It was all dad needed, was to be around more alcoholics. With their bad clothes and bad breathe. She smelled of alcohol drinks and cigarettes. I made it my mission to stay out of their way. My focus was on my training to be a witch and on my school work. I stayed in my bedroom while dad and Tammy made social conversation over dinner about drinking and work schedules. I had my calendar marked for May 10th, my graduation from high school. This was my last year. I would be glad to move on with my own life. During the spring of that year, I had become so fed-up with school and my so called parents. I had made my first date with a boy. It was about the time of my high school prom. David was a junior and maybe two years younger than me. He was a basketball player with short blond hair, pale white skin, and long legs. I was not into sports, so I knew nothing about his position or ranking of the players. I didn’t know what attracted him to me, but I needed to feel some sort of self-attractiveness about myself. I was seen as a bag lady by my peers, and not much into the social life. Which was always fine before then, but I seemed to need more later on. David began talking to me in the halls during class changes. I thought he was cute for a dumb jock. I kept my arms crossed with my books locked over my chest. It had been my way of putting up that invisible wall so no one could get close to me. I chatted with him on and off for two week before he asked me to the dance. “Will you go with me to the prom?” he said in his rough voice as we walked down the hall. It was almost like a wedding proposal to me. I planned not go to the prom, but since I was asked by a boy, I might as well try something new. I have not had any dating opportunities before I thought, so I might as well give it chance. I said yes because I was excited that David wanted to be more than friends. My only worry was that I did not have a prom dress, nor did I have the money to buy one. It was about this time that my father had shown is true colors towards me and our relationship. “Dad, a boy asked me to the prom”, I said to him while sitting at the kitchen table. “Yeah, so!” he replied while sipping on a beer. “I need a prom dress if I am to go with him”, I quietly added. “You need a prom dress! Well, I guess you better go out and get a job because I’m not buying you one… It’s bad enough that I have to feed you, clothe you, and give you a roof over your head, and now you want me to buy you a dress for a stupid prom!” he shouted as he slammed his plate on the table. “I never ask you for anything. And the one time I need your help, you tell me NO!” I shouted back. “You spoiled girl! You think just because I agree to raise you after your mother died, that I have to give you everything!” he shouted while swinging his hand across my cheek. “Go to your room!” he added as I fell to the floor. “I’m leaving this house for good!” I shouted back as I rose to my feet. “Good! Get out of my house!” he shouted back while following me to my room. I slammed the door in his face. I gathered my clothes and books and stormed from the dreadful house. It was like a bad dream to be kicked out of home by my own father. What did I do to deserve such hatred and abuse? If I had stayed another minute, I might have burned the house down. I would have used my mental abilities to destroy every existence of his body and the wife he took in. If this was a test to see if I could control my mental skills, then I passed the test. Mrs. Rohana was sitting on the porch. I knew that she had heard the shouting matches between my father and me. I slowly climbed the steps of the porch with tears running down my face. Why was I on this earth? Why was I born? I just wanted to die. I wanted out of this miserable life. I was in misery with no loving parents to consult my sorrows. Who was I and where was I going? Mrs. Rohana held me in her arms as I sobbed uncontrollably. It was like there was no happiness in the world because I had no happiness in me. I could not stop crying. I wanted my father dead in my heart. I wanted the pain to end. Mrs. Rohana finally calmed me down after ten minutes of crying. She took me in, and I never went back home. A week before prom night, Mrs. Rohana had a few surprises for me. I came home from school. Mrs. Rohana was in the kitchen preparing dinner. She asked me to go up-stairs to put my books away and wash up for dinner. I never had a mother ask me to do anything. I was content to follow her requests. As I drew closer to my room, I caught a faint scent of newly purchased items. I thought that maybe she had bought new bedding or something else for herself. I slowly walked in my room. I saw the most beautiful white dress with ruffles around the chest and legs and matching high-heeled shoes lying on my bed. The dress was wrapped in plastic to protect it from dirt. Next to the dress was a box wrapped with a red ribbon and a bow. The dress was the most beautiful thing that I ever saw. I picked it up like a fragile creature just being born. I turned to see Mrs. Rohana standing in the doorway. “I hope it fits you. I took some of your old clothes and shoes to match your size”, she smiled while walking towards me. “It’s perfect!” I replied in excitement and with tears in my eyes. “No one has ever been so kind to me!” I said while hugging her tightly. “Open your second gift”, she added. I took the box and carefully removed the ribbon from the box. I lift the lid to find two ugly dolls in the shape of a man and woman. What an odd gift, I thought to myself. “What are these?” I asked bewildered. “These are voodoo dolls. One for your dad, and one for your stepmom”. “Do they work?” I asked with eagerness and excitement. “No, but they are good for you to vent your anger and frustration onto them”, she added. She handed me a big needle as I poked both dolls many times. She was right I did feel better about myself. On the day of the prom, David came in his old yellow Volkswagen that roared with a really bad engine. The windows were cracked on all sides. It had massive dents and scratches on its body, and barely had any front headlights. I wondered if we were going to the dance or if we were going to the nearest scrap shop. David opened his squeaky car door and walked up to the front door in his black bow-tie tuxedo. I waited in my room touching my wavy hair. Mrs. Rohana came up the stairs to my room. She straightened my dress as I starred in the mirror for the thousandth times. I felt like I ate hundreds of butterflies and they were dancing in my stomach. A part of me wanted to cancel the date, but the other part of me felt like a princess. I had never been on a date before now, so I was not sure what to expect. I turned to face Mrs. Rohana. She expressed delight in my happiness. I felt like a beautiful white swam spreading its wings over calm waters. It was like a fairy tale from a really great author writing a master piece love story. It was the evil father and his bad wife, the witch that transforms an alienated girl, and the young ugly duckling that becomes a princess. I felt beautiful for once in my life. I looked in Mrs. Rohana’s eyes as she said, “You look so beautiful. You’re the daughter that I never had. I’m so proud of you. Now go and have fun, but keep your dress on!” “Thank you! You’re the mother that I never had, and I love you!” I replied while hugging her tightly. “Remember, you could have really hurt your father and his wife, but you didn’t, and for that, I am truly proud of you!” she added as we walked down the steps together. “Have her home before midnight or she’ll turn into an old maid”, Mrs. Rohana said to David. “Yes, mam!” he replied while opening the front door for me. The old Volkswagen seemed to be like a horse and carriage in my imagination. I could see the doorman opening the door as my prince and I walked hand-in-hand together. He would lift me into the carriage. The birds sang in the distance and all lovely creatures waved “Goodbye” as we drove away to the great ball. We arrived at the prom. It was held at the finest hotel in town. It usually was not normal to take a younger date, but I did not care. This was going to be my night for enchanted romance. I wanted time to stand still, if only for one night. I sought only to savor this night like wine held in the mouth at its first drink. Inside the ballroom, I saw glittery floors, bright dance lights of assorted colors shining onto the floor, balloons in our school’s colors, and streamers hanging from the ceiling and chandeliers. The tables were covered with white shiny cloths with fancy napkins and wine glasses filled with non-alcoholic wine. The buffet table was filled with assorted meats, cheeses, breads, fruits, and soft drinks. The music played a variety of songs from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s era. Some of the music were up-beat dance song, while others were soft couples dance songs. We sat together with other classmates. I could tell by eye contact towards my classmates that they were astonished with my beauty. David and I played with a balloon by hitting it to each other for several minutes. We got tired of sitting down, so David lead me to the dance floor. I was not very graceful on my feet, but I did learn to slow dance by watching old musicals. It was very nerve wracking to be touched by a boy. I always closed myself off before anyone could touch me. I guess I did not want my heart broken as it had been for so many times in my life. The songs seemed to last for hours. My eyes gazed to meet David’s deep blue eyes. I could tell that he wanted to kiss me. I had never experienced kissing a boy. Many of my female classmates had already had their first kiss, and probably done much more than that. Was I ready? Did I have a choice? I could feel the goose bumps rising throughout my body. With my heart racing, David leaned forward with puckered lips. My lips moved forwards to meet his mouth. Our noses gently touched as I felt his warm breath and lips rubbing against mine. I could taste the mixture of fruit and soda as the kiss seemed to last forever. Did I enjoy the experience? Yes, I did. I wanted the moment to last forever. Unfortunately, fairy tales do not always come with happy endings. David and I danced a few more songs together. Jessica, Karen, and June had been eyeing me from a far. I could see the jealousy in their eyes. I suspected they might have a plan to spoil my evening. It was during this time that David went to the buffet table. I took my leave to the ladies’ room. Upon my return to the table, David decided to ask me a question. “Are you a witch?” he asked. I knew that one of the girls had blabbed the rumor to him. “Yes, I am,” I replied while sitting down. “Why didn’t you tell me? I can’t be seen with you!” he responded quietly. My heart sank into my stomach. I looked down because my spirit had been broken. My dreams of the fairy tale life were shattered by one sentence. “I can’t be seen with you” were daggers to my lonely heart. “I’ll take you home, but that’s it,” he held out his hand to try to escort me out. I did not take his hand. I got up. I recomposed myself after shedding a fear tears. I walked towards the door, but stopped short to meet the three girls that were standing near the exit door. I turned to meet their eyes and said, “I’m no longer afraid of you three. You will no longer hurt me. If you try, I will defend myself. You may have the looks, but I have the brains….. DON’T BOTHER ME ANY MORE!” I lifted my head and walked out the door. David drove me home for the night. My heart ached in sadness, but I learned a greater lesson. I learned how to use my self-confidence against cruel bullies. I also learned how to use my mind to fight battles without using telekinesis as a weapon. I was sad about losing David, but I felt good about myself. I never saw David again. The three-headed dragon never again bullied me. I rested in my bed content with my confrontation with the girls. My eyes slowly closed to sleep. I guess fighting dragons both figuratively and literality was becoming my destiny. As the days grew longer and high school graduation drew closer, I began to miss my father. I would sometimes see him coming home from work. On the weekends I would stare out of my bedroom window. I would often see him and Tammy stumbling out their car just after a night of binge drinking. On occasion, I heard a lot of shouting from their house. I could not make out the words, but I can only assume that their fights were about her flirtations remarks towards others at the bar. I was sure glad to get out of that house. During the day of my graduation, I walk onto the stage alone. I did not send out invitations because my list of inviters was very short. Two people at most. I invited Mrs. Rohana and my father. I had taped the invitation on the front door when no one was home. I knew that if I had just stuffed the invitation in his mailbox, he would never open or read it. I added a small note inside the invitation that read, “Dad, please come to my high school graduation on May 10th. It would mean a lot to me if you and Tammy could see me walk across the stage. Love, Pam!” As I walked across the stage, I heard a light audience of claps and a faint yell from Mrs. Rohana saying, “Yeah Pam! You did it!” I heard no other cheers from my peers, nor did I see or hear my father and his wife in the audience. My heart was broken, but somehow I managed to contain myself through the ceremony. Mrs. Rohana and I celebrated by going to the finest restaurant in town. This was the extent to my graduation celebration. I sat on the front porch just staring at my father’s house. I used the voodoo doll of my father to vent my frustration by repeatedly stabbing it with needles that felt likes knives in my hand, and then I threw the doll across the yard and into his. It was my way of saying that I was done with him. I went inside the house and up the stairs. Mrs. Rohana was again watching the wall of visions. The image showed a yellow unicorn trapped in a hole with vines wrapped around its neck. I was horrified by the images. The unicorn kicked and screamed trying to get out, but there was no hope. I, being a lover of creatures, made a rational decision. “Is there a way to get into that land?” I asked while sitting next to Mrs. Rohana. “Yes, but once you leave this world, you can never come back,” she explained. “Why didn’t you go?” I asked. Mrs. Rohana handed me a very old photograph of a kind-looking gentleman dressed in a tuxedo with a black bow-tie. He had a white mustache and a receding hairline. “We were married for ten years before he was killed by a warlock named, Black Sun” she answered with tears in her eyes. “He is buried in a cemetery just north of here. I can’t leave him,” she added. “Let me go!” I said. “You can’t. You have a life here!” she replied. “No I don’t! My own father disowned me. I was bullied by my peers. You’re the only mother I ever had. I don’t have anything to leave behind, but you. Show me how to cross over to that land. I can protect all the good creatures and I love the solitude of the forest! Let me go!” I sternly explained. She paused for a moment and said, “Ok, but Pam must die! You must assume a new name!” I agreed because I was transforming into an adult woman. I wanted my old life to die. I wanted the new life to have meaning. I needed to leave this life of depression and find happiness in the sanctity of life. I was ready to assume my new identity as a witch. The name Ballou is often associated with dominance or “To dominate someone or something”. I enjoyed the name because I was once dominated by stronger people, but now, I dominate myself. I am the master of my own destiny. I am choosing to leave this world not dominate other creatures, but to be a master for others. I want to serve creatures that are weaker in the other world. I am ready to use my craft to serve and protect the needs of creatures. I understand that I must live a solitude life. I know that I have to create a balance between being the protector and respecting natural boundaries. I must know when and where to intervene and when to let the natural course of life exist. I am ready to crossover to the land known as Noal. Mrs. Rohana prepares me to leave this world by giving me several gifts. “I am giving you this silver staff to guide you in dark times. I’m giving you these books of spells and healing potions, and I will give you these four black stones that will open the portal for crossing over. There are twelve black stones in the world. The other eight stones are lost. I do not know who has them, but in time they will reveal themselves. I will continue to search for the stones in this world. You guard these stones and wait for the other eight stones in Noal. Good luck Pam, now named Ballou. You have been like a daughter to me,” she said while placing the stones in a four-foot by four-foot square. A wave image and bright light began to appear. I hugged Mrs. Rohana tightly. She returned the affection. It was now time for me to crossover. “I love you Mrs. Rohana. You will always be the mother that I never had,” I said as I gathered my black cloak, a bag of clothes, and my books. I carried my clothes and books in my backpack with my staff in my hand. I slowly took my first two steps on the new land. It was as though I was a new explorer discovering a new land. I was excited and nervous. I finally crossed over. I turned to see Mrs. Rohana’s hands with the stones. She handed me the stones and blew me a good by kiss. The portal quickly closed, leaving me alone in the new land. I turned to see the struggling yellow unicorn. I carefully walked towards the unicorn. It screamed and squirmed in fright. I knew that it was frighten of me. I put down the staff, and slowly approached the unicorn. I took out my small pocket knife that was once given to me by my father. It was the last gift he gave me. I cut the vines, one after another. The unicorn sprung out of the hole into freedom. I asked the unicorn if it had a name. It stopped to look back at me. I read its thoughts to make out the word “’Willow”. The unicorn then ran off into the deep forest. My life here has been peaceful. I continue tranquilly in my solitude. I can hold my head up and feel proud of my chosen life. I am free to worship any god. I do not have to worry about my looks, home, or money. I can smell the roses every day of my life. I am not judged by the creatures of this world. The unicorns, centaurs, and smaller creatures are my friends. I do not feel the need to advance myself through college, work, for success. There is no technology here to watch over me. I do not miss the hustle-bustle of the other world. I enjoy being the guardian on Noal. I have reached my destiny. As I walk through the forest with my silver staff, I am keeping a watchful eye out for the evils that seek to destroy the land of Noal and the race of unicorns. I will always keep harmony with the elves and other creatures of this world. I will seek to help those that request help. I will use my wall of visions to watch for evil and look for the eight stones. I will remain in my cave to practice my craft and potions of healing. As I walk towards my home, I know quite simply that I am the witch known as Ballou in the land of Noal.