The Little White Unicorn
by Bette Ridgeway
It all began on the school bus. Melissa was sitting quietly when she heard the younger children in the front row talking in hushed, serious whispers. Their voices were full of mystery, and Melissa leaned forward, listening with all her might.
Mickey asked, "So, what are they, anyway?"
Erin, a little girl with bright red freckles, whispered back, "Some people say they are magic! They look just like horses, but they have a big, shimmering horn right in the middle of their forehead."
Annie, the youngest of the group, nodded her head. "That’s what I heard, too. They are supposed to be real, but I don’t think anyone knows where they live."
Melissa thought about this all the way home. She lived in a house filled with soft light and the smell of old books. Her father was a man of maps and facts, but her mother was a keeper of dreams. And then there was her Grandmother, who told Melissa that the most wonderful things in the world are often the ones you cannot see with just your eyes.
One evening at dinner, Melissa asked, "Mom? Dad?" She took a breath. "Are unicorns real? Or are they just made of pretend?"
Her mother smiled and gave her a secret wink. "I've never seen one in the woods, Melissa. But if I ever see one hiding in the morning mist, you will be the very first person I tell!"
The mystery stayed with Melissa. On Saturday, she went to the "Collectors" bookstore downtown. She walked past rows of tall, dusty shelves until she found a special book. There, on the pages, was a snowy-white unicorn standing in a garden of glowing flowers. Melissa felt a shiver of excitement. The book said unicorns were shy and could only be found by someone with a truly patient heart.
Melissa found many pictures and drawings of unicorns in the library.
rived, the house was fragrant with cinnamon buns. Melissa opened a gift that made her heart dance: a big box of art supplies from her Nana, and a wooden shelf Grandpa had carved just for her. She used those paints all through the winter, filling her room with color while the snow fell outside. As the year went by, Melissa was a very busy and happy girl. She worked hard on her studies at school, her backpack always full of books. She loved spending time with her friends, sharing secrets under the big oak trees at recess. But her favorite times were the weekends and holidays spent at Nana and Grandpa’s house. She loved the long, golden days helping Nana in the garden. As the air turned crisp and the leaves turned to gold, Melissa helped Nana in the kitchen, carefully rolling out dough for the upcoming Thanksgiving celebration. It was a year full of laughter and the warmth of her family. However, just after that beautiful Thanksgiving celebration, the house grew very quiet. Mom told Melissa that Nana was very sick in the hospital. Melissa knew she had to be brave. Every time she visited, she brought her brightest drawings of the Unicorn to pin on Nana's wall.
One afternoon, Nana took Melissa’s hand and shared a secret. “When I was your age,” Nana whispered, “my grandmother taught me that love is why we are here. One morning, when I was very sad, I looked out my window and saw a beautiful Unicorn. He looked at me with such peace in his amber eyes, and I knew then that love never truly leaves us.” Then came the quiet morning when the doctor took Melissa out into the corridor. He said, ”I think you should know that your Nan is not expected to last the night.” He was very nervous; gazing out the window to avoid Melissa’s questioning eyes. Soon Nana’s long fight with illness was over. She slipped away peacefully, like a soft breath in the wind, and became Melissa’s NanaAngel. Melissa was sad, but she knew her Nana was in a better place.
The winter weeks that followed were long and heavy. Melissa’s heart was still sad, and she noticed that Grandpa was very lonely. He sat by the fireplace in a quiet house that used to be full of Nana's songs. Melissa decided to use the lesson Nana had taught her. Every weekend, she went to the farm to help Grandpa. She helped him stack the firewood, she brought him warm tea, and she sat with him while he told stories. She realized that by helping Grandpa, her own heart didn't feel quite so heavy anymore. She was giving her love away, just like Nana said. Then, on a warm, sunny morning in early spring, the world began to wake up. The first green buds were peeking through the soil, and the air smelled of fresh rain and new life. Melissa stepped outside into the cool, sweet air.
She heard a soft sound—thump-thump, thump-thump—like a heartbeat on the grass. Was it a horse? She looked toward the horizon where a silver mist was glowing in the morning sun. Slowly, the mist parted like a velvet curtain, revealing a hidden valley.
Melissa took her first steps into the secret world. The grass was softer than silk, and the trees shimmered like jewels. And there, in the very heart of the garden, stood the Unicorn. He was snowy-white and regal, surrounded by a light so warm it felt like a hug. He looked at her with kind, amber eyes, and Melissa felt a wave of pure happiness.
She realized then that she was never truly alone.
She understood that she didn't need a map to find this place ever again. Whenever she felt lonely or missed her Nana, she could simply close her eyes and step back into the sunshine of this magical unicorn garden her very own Garden of Love.
