Where Dreams May Take Us

Priscilla woke to the sounds of her four-year-old daughter crying. Holding onto her stuffed pony, Rosie’s little body shook with sobs. Priscilla sat up in bed.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Come here!”

She stretched out her arms to her blonde-haired little girl, who eagerly climbed into bed with her. Priscilla smoothed the sweat-soaked hair from Rosie’s face and wiped away her tears.

“What’s the matter, baby? Did you have a bad dream?”

Rosie nodded.

“It’s okay,” Priscilla hugged her close. “It’s okay. It was just a dream.”

“I c—couldn’t find you. I thought you went away,” Rosie sobbed.

“No, honey, I’m right here. I haven’t gone anywhere. Daddy’s the one who’s away, but he’s just on a business trip. He’ll be back tomorrow. You can sleep with Mommy.”

Rose lay down next to her on the pillow, but she didn’t close her eyes.

“Go back to sleep, honey.”

“I don’t want to sleep. I’m scared of bad dreams.”

“How about Mommy tells you a story? Would you like that?”

Rosie nodded.

“Okay.” Priscilla sat up against the headboard, running her fingers through her hair as she thought.

“Once upon a time,” she began, “there was a girl with a deep, rose complexion and sparkling blue eyes. She had wavy blonde hair that fell to her waist like a waterfall. The girl looked just like her name—Rose.”

“Just like me!” Rosie said.

“Yes! Just like you. Rose had a happy childhood with her mommy and daddy, but one day she and her mother vanished. Just vanished, and no one ever knew what became of them!

“You see, one night Rose had a bad dream. Just like you did. But when she woke up, she looked through the window and thought she saw a shape moving outside. She got up and went to the window and saw a white bird flying—only it wasn’t a bird, it was too big for a bird. It looked more like a winged horse. Rose pushed her pink curtains aside and pulled the window open to see better. Sure enough, it was a majestic white horse, giant wings outspread, circling through the air above.”

“Oooh,” Rosie said softly.

“Rose’s bedroom was on the first floor,” her mother continued, “and a small oak tree stood right outside her window. She climbed onto the window sill and hoisted herself through the window onto the nearest branches to watch the horse. She reached for the stronger branches near the trunk, careful to only trust the thick ones. When the beautiful animal swept to the ground and landed beside her, she could barely breathe. The horse was tall and strong, and so white she seemed to glow. Her breathing was loud but sweet. She neighed softly and reached out her nose to the little girl. Gingerly Rose touched it and then ran her hands over its mane.

“Where did you come from, beautiful thing?” she asked.

She neighed again and looked so intently at her with her dark eyes that Rose felt like she was speaking to her.

“You want me to fly with you?” she asked.

The horse nodded.

Rose reached out and put her hands on its silky back and lowered herself onto her. She gripped her shoulders with her knees and her mane with her hands.

“Rose?” Her mother’s voice came through the open window. “Rose? Where are you?” Her mother stuck her head out and then drew in her breath suddenly.

“Starlight??”

Rose looked back at her mother. “You know the horse?”

“Yes. But I haven't seen her in years!”

Then before Rosie knew what was happening, her mother had climbed onto the horse’s back behind her. Starlight immediately began to gallop and then with several flaps of her powerful wings, they lifted into the air.

Rose meant to ask her mother when she’d ridden Starlight before, but when they started to fly, she immediately forgot about everything else. Air rushed in their face. They could feel Starlight’s muscles working. They flew higher until the lights of the houses were far below. Rose’s eyes grew huge.

“Mother, where are we going?”

“I don’t know, honey!”

They flew through the night sky for hours, but Rose and Priscilla never got tired.

“Priscilla! That is your name!” Rosie interjected into the story.

Priscilla laughed. “Yes, this is a story about you and me.”

“Never had they had a ride like that one!” she continued. “The stars seemed close enough to touch, and the world was far below. Starlight flew all night until the night fled away, and the sun rose over the rim of the world, painting the sky with strokes of orange, red, and lavender.

“Look, Mommy! We’re flying over the ocean!” Rose said, pointing at the blue-green waves below.

“We sure are!” Priscilla said, keeping her arms tight around her daughter.

Just then they spotted an island in the distance. In no time at all they were drawing near. It was a land of rolling hills covered by green forests, lakes of deepest blue, and cascading waterfalls. Asters and roses of every color grew wild. White and yellow daffodils, bluebells, yellow mountain roses, and red poppies covered whole sections of hillside.

Rose gripped Starlight's mane tightly and stared at everything in wonder.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“An island paradise that makes me think of the Garden of Eden at the same time,” Priscilla said. “Look at all those peach trees!”

“We could call it ‘Peach Island’!” Rose laughed, and Priscilla laughed with her.

“Starlight flew lower, and the trees and lakes grew rapidly larger. She alighted on a flat grassy plain in front of a stone gate and a walled garden. The gate was open, so Starlight walked through. Beyond a screen of birch trees, the girls saw a sapphire-colored pond crossed by a white arched bridge. A white bench stood on the bank surrounded by ferns and buttercups. Priscilla slid off Starlight’s back and lifted Rose down to stand beside her. Starlight trotted to the lake and put her head down for a drink. She continued that way for a good five minutes.

A cool breeze fluttered through the trees and the sunlight filtered down in a way that made the garden look magical—for it was. Rose and Priscilla wandered around in wonder, soaking in the beauty around them, eating apples and cherries from the trees. Starlight stayed nearby, but she was more fascinated with the pond. She decided to take a bath in it, and in the middle of the day when it grew hot, Rose and Priscilla jumped in with her. Soon it turned into a water fight. Starlight had the definite advantage at splashing, but even when Rose jumped up on her back to get out of the water, they were already all soaked and dying laughing.

“You see, Rose was a little bit older than you are now when this story takes place.”

“So it’s a story that takes place in the future?” Rosie asked.

“That’s right.”

“For the rest of the day the girls explored the island. Evergreen trees covered most of the hills except where flowers took over. Waterfalls plunged from rocky cliffs and a perfect rainbow spanned both sides of the rock face. When night fell, the girls made a bed out of the crown of a bent birch tree. It was bowed over so that its leaves touched the ground and was surprisingly comfortable.

"The next morning, Priscilla awoke and sat up, shaking leaves from her hair and clothes. And what did she see but Rose sliding down the smooth trunk of the birch tree and jumping onto Starlight’s back! They cantered off, but in a few minutes circled back. 'Mother, come quick!' Rose motioned for her to join her on Starlight’s back. 'We have to show you something!'

"Priscilla climbed aboard and Starlight trotted off.

"The girls bumped up and down on his back. 'Look! There!' Rose whispered, pointing at the water. They were hidden from its view behind the trees, but there about a hundred feet away stood a golden unicorn, serenely sipping from the pond.

Starlight inched closer, but when a branch snapped under hoof, the unicorn stood bolt upright and then darted away.

Starlight followed, but the unicorn was faster because he wasn’t weighed down by two humans and a pair of large folded wings. A quarter mile into the forest and they lost his trail.

“Where did he go?” Rose asked.

“I don’t know,” Priscilla said. “Maybe we’ll see him again.”

But they did not see him again for many days.

Every day passed like the others. Picking flowers, making daisy necklaces, helping themselves to the luscious island fruit, swimming in the lakes, flying around on Starlight. It was fun and everything was very beautiful, but they began to miss Rose’s daddy back home.

“Okay, Starlight, we’re ready to go home,” Priscilla announced one morning. “Can you take us back? Tristan will be worried about us.”

But Starlight, who seemed to understand everything else they told her, just pawed the ground and acted clueless.

“Come on, Starlight,” Priscilla said impatiently, helping Rose up and then climbing up behind her. “Let’s go.” She dug her heels gently into Starlight’s sides.

Starlight snorted and flew a few feet and then slowed to a walk. She continued this again and again, but would not take off.

“Come on, Starlight! We want to go home!” Rose said.

But Starlight refused. She did not want to leave the island.

“Take us home, and then you can come back here if you want to!” Priscilla said.

But Starlight just ignored them. This continued all day.

Finally Priscilla said, “I can’t take this anymore. Come on, Rose!”

They left Starlight behind and headed into the woods.

“Where are we going?” Rose asked.

“We're going to comb every inch of this island until we find the other inhabitants and someone who can help us build a boat,” Priscilla said. They marched for a few minutes without speaking.

“What was that?!” Rose pointed.

“It’s the unicorn!” said her mother.

He was standing in a small clearing in a patch of sunlight. The girls tip-toed after him. He trotted away, stopped for a few moments and then ran a little further.

They rounded a bend in the path and then stopped short. Straight ahead was the unicorn, but behind him rose a huge silver palace with high walls and many turrets.

They walked forward slowly, their mouths open in wonder.

“A palace?” Priscilla breathed.

The unicorn walked right up to the gate, which sparkled as though it were made of diamond. Four men in full suits of armor stood on either side.

When the ladies approached, they turned to face them, holding tall spears.

“Who are you and where do you come from?”

“I’m Priscilla and this is my daughter Rose. We came from that side of the island,” Priscilla pointed.

“What brings you to the palace?”

“We were following the unicorn,” Rose spoke up.

The guard glared at her. “Don’t you know that hunting unicorns is a capital offense?”

“Hunting? We were not hunting him!” Priscilla said.

“I’m afraid I’m going to have to bring you in for questioning,” the guard said sternly, taking Rose by the arm.

“What is going on here?” a voice asked. A man dressed in a full-length purple robe with a glimmering crown on his head stepped forward. He was attended by about twenty men in dark clothes, boots, and helmets.

“Your majesty!” The guards knelt before him. “These foreigners were following your unicorn, so I wanted to bring them to you for questioning.”

“That won’t be necessary, since I sent him to find them,” the king said. His voice was unmistakably familiar.

“Tristan?!” Priscilla exclaimed, staring into his tan bearded face.

“How dare you--!” began the guard, but the king silenced him with a wave of his hand.

The king came up to Priscilla and Rose, and there could be no mistake.

“Daddy!” Rose exclaimed, jumping into his arms.

He embraced Priscilla with one arm and Rose with the other.

The guards all stood stock-still, dumbfounded.

“The king, babe?! When did this happen?!” Priscilla said.

“Well technically, it was a business trip. Business takes on different forms in magical worlds.”

Priscilla only stared at him, but she couldn’t stop smiling, nor Rose either. “So does that make me the princess, Daddy?”

“It sure does!” he said, planting a kiss on her hair. “And your mom is the queen.”

“Wow! Will I have a crown?”

“A crown, and a glittering gown!

“Moonlight, come here!” He turned to the unicorn, which came at his word, right up to Rose and her mother.

“His name is Moonlight?” Rose asked, staring at the beautiful creature up close. The sun reflected off his glossy golden hair and his shining horn. Up close, his size and grandeur were intimidating. “Like Starlight!”

“I named him after her,” her father said.

Rose reached out her hand and touched the unicorn softly on the nose. He whinnied softly.

“He’s so beautiful!”

He nuzzled her shoulder and Rose giggled in delight.

“He likes you, Rose,” Tristan said.

"From that day forward, Rose and Tristan and Priscilla lived in the silver palace ruling the Island of Dreams. Tristan explained to his wife and daughter that he had grown up there on the island among the winged horses and unicorns but wanted to seek his fortune in the normal world where he met and married Priscilla. But his uncle the king had just died without an heir and the islanders had summoned him home to take the throne in his uncle's place. Learning this news, Rose and Priscilla were only too happy to join him in the palace, and they all lived together happily ever after."

Lying in bed next to her mother, little Rosie smiled sleepily.

“So," Priscilla said, "whenever you are scared and lonely or missing Mommy and Daddy, just remember that you can always go to the Island of Dreams to be with them. And just maybe you’ll meet a unicorn while you’re there!”

She kissed her daughter softly on the forehead as she slipped away into dreamland.