Prince and the Silver Unicorn

PRINCE AND THE SILVER UNICORN

On a farm nestled among the rolling green hills of the Highlands, lived
a pretty Palomino pony named Prince. One day, while he was cantering
happily around the farm with the other ponies, he heard a voice calling
his name. It was Sian, the farmer's daughter. As he cantered over to
her, his golden mane flew in the wind and his beautiful blonde coat
glistened under the rays of the warm sun, he noticed she was carrying
Prince's saddle under her arm.
"Would you like to go for a ride with me, Prince?" asked Sian.
Prince neighed and she saddled him up. They rode until they had reached
the outskirts of the farm. They had reached the fence that surrounded
the property.
"Can you jump that fence, Prince?" Sian asked the Palomino.
Prince was not really sure that he could jump the fence. He had tried
many times but always lost his nerve at the last moment. Despite this,
he nodded and neighed. He wanted to make Sian happy. They headed for
the fence. Prince was picking up speed, but he was very nervous. He
flung himself as hard as he could into the air but he just could not
jump high enough to clear the fence. He almost knocked the fence over.
Sian fell out of the saddle and landed in the mud. She was laying
there, hurt and dirty. She was crying and holding her right arm
Sian's mother, the farmer's wife, heard her cries and ran to Sian's
side. She lifted her up, wiped her tears and took her back to the
house. Then, the farmer and his wife took Sian to hospital so the
doctors and nurses could fix her broken arm. After that day, Sian's
mother would not allow her to ride Prince again until her arm was
completely healed.

Weeks turned into months as time passed. It seemed to take ages for
Sian's arm to heal. He was determined to one day jump the fence and
every day, he tried and tried. He just could not seem to be able to
clear the fence. He was feeling very despondent.

One night, while Prince was in his stable, he heard a noise that woke
him out of a restless sleep. A gentle breeze started to swirl in front
of his barn door. This became a large gust of wind that was made up of
golden dust. A large figure began to take shape before Prince's eyes.
First he saw four legs, a large head, a body, a mane and then a
tail.
Prince blinked several times. The stranger was as white as the snow
that covered the peaks of the hills in winter. It did indeed have a
beautiful silver mane and a thick, long silver tail. It seemed to be
surrounded by a beautiful white light. Then Prince noticed something
even more unusual about the beast. Out of the middle of its forehead
grew a long, white and pointy horn. Prince was startled by the vision
before him and he reared up on his hind legs.
"Don't be afraid, my friend. I am just a horse like you. They call my
kind unicorns. I have been sent to guide you."
Prince was not convinced that this strange creature was his friend. He
kicked the stable walls and door. His whole body was trembling with
fear. Just then, a flash of light beamed at him from the unicorn's
horn. It bathed Prince's entire body in white light and seemed to have
a very calming effect on the pony. Prince finally settled down and was
ready to listen to what the stranger had to say.

"You have been trying very hard to jump the fence that surrounds the
farm. Your efforts are praiseworthy. You have the desire, the
perseverance, the strength and the ability. However, up until now, you
have been missing one important ingredient," neighed the unicorn.
"What do you mean?" asked the puzzled pony.
"Faith!"answered the unicorn. "You need to have faith in yourself. If
you believe in yourself, nothing can stop you from jumping the fence.
Know that you can do it!"
The strange creature then lifted his proud head and neighed. He pawed
the ground before him with his front hoof. While the pony was trying to
understand his words, a mist slowly surrounded the creature. The
unicorn slowly disappeared into the mist and left Prince bewildered and
perplexed.
The following morning, Sian burst into Prince's barn:
"I have very exciting news, Prince. My arm is almost healed and I am
able to ride again in a few days time!"
The next morning, before dawn, Prince galloped to the fence that
bordered the farm. He made a couple of attempts at getting over the
fence. Each time his hooves just clipped the top and he didn't make it
over. Then he remembered the unicorn's words:
"If you believe in yourself, nothing can stop you."
Prince walked backwards slowly and stood perfectly still. He shut his
eyes and pictured himself flying over the fence with a metre to spare.
He pawed the ground with his front hoof, neighed loudly and started for
the fence. He started with a trot, then broke into a canter and then
burst into a gallop. The fence loomed before him
while the unicorn's words were echoing over and over in his ears. When
he was close
enough, he flung himself high into the air. He felt like he was flying.
Prince did
clear the fence with a metre to spare. He was so happy, he lifted his
head high into the air and neighed loudly.
The next morning, Prince saw Sian coming out of the stable with his
saddle over her arm.
"Oh good," thought Prince, "I can show her that I can jump the
fence."
Sian saddled up Prince. He was nervous with anticipation. Sian was
nervous too. It was the first time she had been riding since her
accident. Prince could feel Sian's hands trembling as she tightened the
cinch on his saddle. He tried to calm her nerves by being very still as
she climbed into the saddle and took tight hold of the reins.
Prince broke into a trot, then a canter, getting faster and faster. As
they approached the fence, they both held their breath. Once again,
Prince remembered the unicorn's words:
"Believe in yourself, believe in yourself&;#8230;" as he sailed
easily over the fence. Both horse and rider sighed with relief. The
farmer and his wife, who had been watching, clapped their hands
together. Sian was very proud of Prince and Prince was equally proud of
himself.
Prince has not received another visit from the mystical unicorn but he
will always remember that, not so long ago, he was too scared to jump
the fence around the farm.
Sometimes, when he jumps, he sees a flash of white light out of the
corner of his eye and remembers that, with faith and belief, he
achieved his dream.