When the Stars come out to Play

Unicorn

Eight years ago...

"Winnie.... Winnie".... the eight-year-old girl opened her eyes and looked straight into green sparkly gems. She happily smiled up at her best friend and stepbrother Rens. A quick glance at the digital Lion King clock told her it was only six am, and she stifled a yawn. "Why are you waking me up silly? It is still so early". She asked in that typical squeaky voice all girls have at that age. Sorensen chuckled lightly. "You are the only eight-year-old I know that isn't up at the crack of dawn". Winnie scrunched her face and muttered: "momma had visitors last night. One of them tried to get into my room again". She wrapped her tiny arms around her equally tiny frame as if to protect herself and shivered. Looking at the scared little girl, Sorensen's anger spiked to solar flare proportions, and mingled in his stomach with the ball of churning guilt living there almost permanently. He knew he shouldn't have gone out yesterday, but he had had no choice in the matter.

He pushed down the whirlwind of emotions; he came here for another reason; he wanted to surprise his closest friend and the only person left he actually cared about. The only person who kept him in this world. His thoughts had wandered to dark places so many times in the five months since his father passed ... if it hadn't been for Winnie. ..That little ray of sunshine gave him a reason to wake up in the morning.

He pulled his thoughts back to the present, and he hugged the tiny spit of a girl in front of him, whispering " I will never leave you alone with her again" into her silky blond hair. Then he shot to his feet and proclaimed in an exaggerated whisper "Winnie-Pooh, I have a surprise for you. Meet me downstairs in the kitchen when you are ready and I'll make some of dad's famous breakfast pancakes". Winnie's eyes lighted up with excitement and she immediately jumped out of bed, running for the dresser to find some clothes.

She rushed to get ready, egged on by the smell of delicious pancakes. She missed Dan so much. Ever since he died, she had barely had a smile on her face. She learned quickly that even losing Dan couldn't bring her mom to cuddle her. Mom was never kind to her, but with Dan there she didn't miss it all that much. Now he was gone, and she felt so lonely. It seemed as if no one in the world loved her anymore, except for Rens. But she barely saw Rens these days, because he was either at school or working. He had only arrived in her life two years ago, but the three of them had quickly become a family.

It had been a gloomy few months, but today her best friend had a surprise for her, and she couldn't wait. She rushed down the stairs, to a kitchen counter set with plates, orange juice and a stack of delicious smelling pancakes. While gobbling up the breakfast, Sorensen finally told her the surprise: They were going to the aquarium! Her favorite place in the entire world. Every time she went with Dan, she felt like she had entered an entirely different world. A mystical one, with magical creatures and exotic people. Only good things happen at the aquarium.

They got into the old beaten up VW beetle Sorensen had named Herbie after the car in the similarly titled movie. One night, Dan, Rens and Winnie had watched "Herbie Goes Bananas" together and laughed so hard at the car's antics that Rens had promptly declared he wanted his first car to be a Beetle. He had saved for it, through odd jobs, and his dad had put in the extra money he needed.

They rode silently but companionably to their destination, a little girl and her eight-year-older best friend.

When they arrived at the aquarium, they went through all the exhibits, the information museum, and attended all the shows. It was an amazing day and both of them felt happy in their own world for a little while. After the aquarium, he took her to the fair, where they sampled all the sugary goodies and went on all the rides she could go on. They had the best time, and at the end of the night, Sorensen caught a green and blue sparkly unicorn in one of the claw machines. He gave it to her and said: "when you ask this unicorn for help, it will magically reach out to me and I will come to rescue you". She giggled happily and nodded. She held on to the precious unicorn like it was her lifeline.

The next day he was gone, and he never came back, despite the many times she had asked the Unicorn for help. He never came when she whispered to the unicorn that mom's evil friend had hurt her in her private place and she wanted to leave. Or after her mom and her friends had fun putting cigarettes out on her back, or the day she tried to take her own life and failed miserably because she didn't know how to cut her veins properly...As she grew older, and tougher, the unicorn got thrown aside somewhere in her room and hadn't resurfaced, until today.