October’s Five

Once upon a time, there was a unicorn named Cinnamon Star who loved to entertain and perform silly stories for his friends. He had a special, fun sparkle that made everyone happy – especially his little daughter Kuu.

Cinnamon Star glittered the very brightest when he galloped with Kuu. Together, they shimmered and swirled with so many colors, even grumpy, frothy possums would pause to watch the light they made.

Cinnamon Star’s sparkle was so charming that he thought his special sparkle must be powered by wild magic – a magic that can only be gathered by frolicking and having fun. And so, Cinnamon Star made a point of being the most frolicky unicorn who could create the most fun.

When winter dropped blankets of snow, Cinnamon Star made mazes for his friends and ice slopes for Kuu to slide down.

In Spring, when the river frothed and hurled fresh opals (a unicorn delicacy) downstream, Cinnamon Star, stood in the middle of the splashiest current, on top of the slipperiest rock, in the iciest waters to catch the tastiest treats for his herd. He saved  the special, The gold-dusted opals for Kuu.

Whenever a rainbow appeared, Cinnamon Star would dance and prance on it’s very tip top until little droplets of color drifted down onto the delighted unicorns below. Kuu was tickled pink.

But Cinnamon Star carried a secret: whenever he felt sad, or alone, or even a little bored, he tried to chase his feelings away with too much fun. He’d make maze after maze until every unicorn was lost and dizzy. Sometimes, he’d slip on a boulder and hurt himself. Sometimes, rainbows would collapse into a pile of colorless rubble.

On moonless nights, when wild magic is mixed with light and dark, and unicorns are advised to sleep, Cinnamon Star would wake slumbering mountain sprites to just to chase them over rock fields and into Hawthorne thickets. Sometimes Cinnamon Star’s fun wasn’t so fun for everyone.

Overtime, the harder he played with nature, the less magical he felt.

One day, Cinnamon Star was nowhere to be found. Kuu looked and looked and waited and waited but Cinnamon Star didn’t appear. After wandering and wondering for four full seasons, Kuu came upon The Healers. The Healers are a herd of quiet, careful unicorns who tended to nature’s sick and injured.

The Healers told Kuu that dark magic had pooled deep inside the part of Cinnamon Star’s body that swept darkness away, The bits of him that balanced the light and dark had been damaged.

When Cinnamon Star could no longer walk far, The Healers had gently moved him to the quiet of the enchanted apple grove – far from where the unicorns frolicked. Far from Kuu.

As the dark magic grew stronger, Cinnamon Star grew sleepy. His legs became too heavy to lift. The dark magic had taken hold of his shimmery sparkle. His thoughts tangled like the kind of thick, dangerous roots unicorns can’t help but trip on. He rested in the apple grove.

Sometimes, he forgot where he was. He mixed up his words and didn’t remember to eat. Other times, he said things that didn’t make sense at all.

It wasn’t because he didn’t love anymore — it was because the dark magic had made a bed in his mind.

His body began to fill with what he could no longer chase away. His belly swelled and his eyes turned the golden color of a harvest moon. Sometimes, he wandered between dreams and waking without knowing the difference. Sometimes he heard things that weren’t there.

The Healers explained that visits would confuse Cinnamon Star  — the dark magic had clouded his world. Voices, lights, or even emotions could frighten him. The Healers wanted Cinnamon Star to rest in peace, surrounded by their calm magic, so that his pain could fade gently.

Kuu felt a deep longing to see her daddy. She wanted to tell him that she missed him and loved him. She wanted to lean into him and feel him lean into her. Most of all, she wanted him to know how sad she was that she’d never again feel the magic or see the light that they made when they were together.

The Healers told Kuu that Cinnamon Star had heard her, even from far away. They said that his heart still sparkled with their special light, even though his mind could not speak.

Then, one night, the moon rose full. It shone so brightly that the dark magic in Cinnamon Star’s body released his sparkle. He stayed still for a long time. His breathing slowed and softened. Quietly, gently, in the safety of the moonlight, his true, brilliant light lifted out of him. It sparkled and danced and galloped up to the sky to return to the stars. His light was so beautiful that the mountain sprites – made lightning fast and super strong from midnight calisthenics – carried a little of his amazing sparkle, one last time, to Kuu as she slept.

Now, when Kuu looks up at the night sky, she sees one star that flickers brighter than the rest.

She tells her friends, “My daddy Cinnamon Star’s body couldn’t clean the dark magic anymore. It made him tired and confused. He had to rest far away in the apple grove. But his love did not break— it just returned to the sky.”

And when the other little unicorns ask her questions, she can answer honestly:

“It’s what happens when a unicorn’s magic can no longer stay in balance. It’s sad and real, but it’s not anyone’s fault. It just means his magic is part of the stars while mine is part of this world. Our love still connects us. Our love is part of my shine.”

And every time Kuu shows her light— her very own special light — her daddy’s star burns brighter too.