"Chasing Grace"

“Chasing Grace”

By Cody Williams

 

            Once upon a time…that’s the way most great stories start isn’t it. Well this is no different. Graceful was her name. But we called her Grace. She was a beautiful creature with a white snowy coat and a pear like cone shaped horn at the tip of her snout. It might sound unbelievable, but she was a unicorn. I didn’t believe it at first either, but it was true. I’ll never forget the day she first arrived into our lives.

            I was sitting in my office working on story when my youngest daughter, Emily, barged in. Emily was five years old. She ran over to my desk and leaped up on my lap. The expression I saw in her eyes was like the one I saw on every Christmas Day. I took glasses off of my face and rolled away from my desk. I kissed her on the cheek and gave her a hug.

            “What is it baby girl?” I asked her. She pointed towards the door and looked at me.

            “There’s a unicorn outside daddy! A unicorn outside!” Ellie shouted with delight. I gave her a hug and then pushed her away.

            “There is?” I said playing along with. She nodded at me and grabbed me by the hand and I stood up from the chair. She led me out of my office and down the hallway to the back door.

            The back door had a white metal outline with glass in the center. I grabbed the brown wooden handle and slid the door open to my right.

            “Where are you going honey?” My wife Susie asked me. I turned to her as Ellie continued tug at my arm wanting me to follow her outside.

            “We’re going outside to see the unicorn she saw.” I told her. She smiled at me and knelt down next to Ellie.

            “Ellie sweetie, what have I told you about lying?” Susie said to her. She tried her best to steer her away from imagination while I try my best to encourage it.

            “But mommy, I’m not lying! There is a unicorn out there!” Ellie declared. She ran outside and motioned for me to follow her. I turned to Susie.

            “I don’t see any problem with her imagination honey!” I told her. She looked down at the floor and then backs up to me.

            “I hate it when you don’t agree with me Rick! Do you know what happens to kids who have an overactive imagination?” She asked me. I kind of gave her a grin and then turned my back to her.

            “They become writers.” I said smartly looking back to her. I turned my attention to Ellie who was outside playing in the snow and talking to somebody. I walked outside closing the door behind me and then walked off of the porch to Ellie.

            “Hey sweetie, who are you talking…” I began to ask her, but then I knew. What I saw was completely unbelievable. It was indeed a unicorn. That’s the only thing I knew to call it anyway. It horse with coat as white as the snow and pearl colored horn on her snout. I reached out to pet her and she allowed. I was stricken speechless. But she wasn’t. She opened her mouth and spoke.

            “Hey! My name is Graceful, but everyone calls me Grace!” She said to me. Ellie looked up to me with glee in her eyes.

            “Can we keep her Daddy? Pretty please with sugar on to?” She asked me. How could I say no to that? I nodded my head and squeezed my leg with a hug.

            “Thanks you daddy! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She said to me with joy. To this day Grace resides with us! And we lived happily ever after.

Copyright 2014 by Cody Williams

Courtesy of The Enchanted Press

A division of TTP Entertainment

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Author's Note

This is WAY different than what I usually write. So I don't expect too much of a reaction from it. Anyway, I have this friend who one day asked me why I can't write anything but horror fiction. I think that I have proven already that I can. But he also asked me when I am going to write a story about unicorns and rainbows. This is my response. I don't think it's remotely my best but it's not bad I don't think. This will probably be the only one I write like this. It's just not my cup of tea. But maybe it's something you can tell your children...or grand children.

Stay tuned though! I got more horror fiction on the way and an installment or two of my ongoing Lost Empire Series.

Thanks for reading!

-CW

Reviews

[Dayran]

I think it says a lot when a person comes out to say they believe in unicorns ... of course they could also say that the Irish represent it well in their legends as a positive light that moves people ... believing in something you can't always see ... and the hope we have in the world for the union of the sexes and opposites in nature. Nice.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Dayran!

-CW

[Riding the Rainbow]

This was really lovely.
I'm really disappointed at her mother and really proud of her daddy.
“I hate it when you don’t agree with me Rick! Do you know what happens to kids who have an overactive imagination?” She asked me. I kind of gave her a grin and then turned my back to her.

“They become writers.” I said smartly looking back to her.

Yes!

[TL Boehm]

and its lovely and you should write more of it. Stretch those sparkly little wings of yours. Horror is dark and meaty and gritty and you're adept at it, but this stuff? There's a place for it too. Well done.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading TL! Just a little experiment.

-CW

[Nia Hope]

Awww that was really cute it made me feel all warm and fuzzy :)

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Ankara!

-CW

[Anna Blackburn]

Missing a lot of articles, and spelling is obviously not checked in this story. I enjoyed it; it was very entertaining.

[Dhaye]

Wow! A fantasy write. I like the story. Sometimes, we have to believe the children because they say, they don't know yet how to lie. LOL
Thanks for the share.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading!

-CW

[Dhaye]

You're welcome.

[Marie]

This is a lot different, and I like it. You're good at horror, but I'm glad to see you can do other things too.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Marie! I have been asked for quite some time if all I could write was horror. This was my response.

-CW

[Sarah]

ok i am in to the horror and everything but... im in to the thought of unicorns... its some resemblance of hope. this was a good story.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading!

-CW

[Dan Hiland]

Of the several pieces of yours I have read, this is the one I like the best. It flows more smoothly, and has a good balance between dialogue, description and action. I especially like the part about what happens to kids with overactive imaginations. LOL.
Two things I would change, though. Dump that opening paragraph. The introduction is unnecessary, and as such takes away from the surprise later on. It also hamstrings you if you want to alter the mood or tone, later. Having dumped that intro gives you a little more latitude to do somethine a little darker and more realistic with the story, without sacrificing humor, etc.
The other would be the ending. You set this situation up in order for the father to teach his kid about too much imagination. When the father sees that there really is a unicorn, he has to make a choice: believe his eyes or go into instant denial. You have a chance to give this a twist ending- sort of a comeuppance for the parents. Maybe he goes into shock- or he tells the daughter to go inside so he can try and dispose of the thing that "isn't really there"- then gets gored by the horn, in the process, and has to try and explain the injury to the paramedics...
I'm just playing around here- but it seems a shame to go to all that work and not have some fun with it.
Thanks again for sharing your imaginings with us.

[Cody Williams]

Thanks for reading Dan!

-CW

[Tania]

love this story ! very creative

[Cody Williams]

Thanks!

-CW