It was a normal day and the sun shone warmly on the country mansion, showcasing a welcoming shimmer.
“I don't want you anymore to tell me what to read and what not to read,” Alice shouted at her Uncle Albert, and slammed the door of his study with all her might, shutting it.
“Ever since dad died, he's been trying to take his place, but he just can’t… he just can’t! Dad was kind, he is not! He only thinks about the family business, selling animal skin!” Alice thought out loud as she was cooling off in her room, "I dont want to be like him... I dont want to grow up like this!"
It was then that she heard footsteps coming from the attic. It sounded like hooves clopping on the floor. She got curious and went to check what it was. When she opened the door, she couldn't believe her eyes. It was a unicorn. The unicorn set eyes on Alice, and panicked.
“It was a mistake to come here!” Iris said in a whisper.
“A speaking unicorn!” Alice said, amazed and startled.
Alice only saw pictures of this magical creature in books and, unlike kids her age, she was realistic and didn't believe in magical creatures.
There was a secret passageway in the walls that illuminated the room with a bright light. Iris ran away, going through the wall.
Alice followed her and found herself in a magical cave, which was dark, and smelled like exotic flowers and plants. The cave wall was wet and the sound of a nearby waterfall was heard. The opening of the cave wasn't far and Alice could see the light.
“I just want us to be friends… Hey, wait for me! … Wait!” Alice shouted, chasing after Iris, and following the sounds of her footsteps inside the dark cave.
“I'm tired of being alone… Please don't run away from me!” Alice continued, tears formed in her eyes.
Iris stopped upon hearing the word “alone” and looked at Alice, who was panting. Iris's eyes were shiny, warm, and watery.
“I don't come out of the cave very often, specially to human's world because of my skin condition. I have to stay inside the dark cave. I was bored and wanted to peek into your house. By the way, I'm Iris,” Iris said calmly with a lovely, beautiful voice.
“I've never seen a unicorn, let alone a unicorn with a skin condition!” Alice said, and stretched her hand to touch Iris's skin, wanting to see what it felt like to touch such a magical creature.
“No! Don't touch my skin! Never!” Iris screamed. “It might be contagious! I don't want you to get it!”
“So, you have never been touched? You're all out here in this dark cave by yourself?” Alice asked.
“I come from a breed of unicorns who are travelers. They travel to distant lands and worlds, granting wishes to those who need their wishes come true, but I've been left out here because I feared they would judge me for my skin condition! It's genetic, and I tried to heal it, but it didn't work, my kind criticizes me for it,” Iris said, about to cry.
“Well, in that case, I wish for you to heal,” Alice said, excited to be there for Iris.
“It is not that easy Alice, I can't grant your wish and heal myself, I can't do any wishes for my own well-being!” Iris said with anguish and disappointment, her head was down, avoiding eye contact with Alice.
“My wish granting ability is affected by this skin condition, I can’t grant just any wish, only wishes that come from the bottom of the heart!” Iris continued.
“I have a problem as well. My Uncle Albert doesn't let me read other sections of the family library, and ever since my dad died, he only lets me read about hunting, but I don't want to be a hunter like him! I also want to eat as much ice cream as I want, I am tired of my Uncle Albert and mother Lily telling me what to read and what not to eat!” Alice said furiously.
“So, do you want them to go away? Is that what you really want, Alice?” Iris asked.
“Yes, that's what I want!” Alice said.
Iris tried to grant her wishes, but she couldn't. “Your wish for your mother and Uncle Albert to go away is not being granted because there is something wrong with it, maybe it doesn't come from your heart!” Iris said.
Alice didn't know what to say, she was disappointed and put her head down just as she saw Iris do it.
“I think it's time for you to get back home! They will notice that you are missing!” Iris continued, “Every minute here equals to one hour in your world! You must get back!”
“But, I don't know from where I came from, it's dark in here, can you help me find my way back to the magical wall!”
Iris knew the way to the magical wall very well, and she helped Alice get there.
They reached the wall.
“The wall gets activated when I murmur something in its ears! It's an old incantation!” Iris said and murmured something in a strange language.
They stepped into the attic when they heard a woman calling, “Alice..... Alice..... Where are you?”
Alice's mother and Uncle Albert were looking for her all around the house, and as soon as they heard footsteps from the attic, they rushed there.
“It must be your mother, Alice, you better go…. And remember…. “Iris couldn't finish her sentence because she was shocked to see Uncle Albert. He was wearing gloves. He took Iris in his strong hands and as Iris was shouting for help, Alice yelled at her uncle asking him to stop hurting Iris.
“I wish you go far away from me and my mother!” she shouted.
“So, her name is Iris! Good to know! How on earth you showed up here in the house! We will talk about it tomorrow afternoon!” Uncle Albert said as he injected something into Iris's body with force.
He always carried his tools by himself.
In this chaos, Alice heard a whisper from Iris before she went unconscious in Uncle Albert's arms, “Your wish is being granted Alice.”
“Oh, Alice, where were you? we were so worried about you!” Alice's mother Lily said. Lily hugged her daughter tightly, and they both watched Iris being taken by Uncle Albert to his study room.
Alice was crying in Lily's arms when she suddenly stopped and got away from her, because she realized she has to grow up and think of a way to free Iris from her cage.
"Iris is going to be fine, your uncle will take care of her!" Lily said, with no compassion.
Alice knew deep down her mother was not going to support her. She was on Uncle Albert's side. “I know Uncle Albert puts his animals inside cages to study them, so if I don't act fast, I will lose Iris forever, that man loves animal skin, that's why he collects them!” Alice thought to herself.
The following morning, before Uncle Albert got a chance to do something unforgivable to Iris, he decided to go hunting for a deer.
Hours later, around noon, Lily got an important phone call from the hospital. She got nervous when she was on the phone. After the call ended, she looked for Alice to tell her the critical news.
“Alice, your Uncle Albert decided to go hunting this morning. And apparently, one of his fellow hunters mistook him for a deer. He got shot in the leg. He is now in the hospital. I'll have to take care of your Uncle. Be a good girl while I'm gone, okay!”
“Yes, mother, I'll be a good girl!” Alice snapped at her mother, still angry over the situation with Iris.
Alice managed to escape the grip of the two servants who were assigned to watch her with her mother's sleeping pills. She put them in their lemonade when they weren't looking, and then she went straight to Uncle Albert's study room, where Iris was imprisoned in a cage. In the room, there were a few animals inside cages, but she only cared about Iris.
“I know where Uncle Albert hides the keys to his cages!” Alice said to Iris.
“Quickly open it!” Iris demanded.
Alice opened the cage and Iris was freed.
“Let's go back to the cave, Iris. I'm not allowed to be in Uncle Albert's study.”
“Because of the books you shouldn't read?!” Iris asked with curiosity.
“Yes! This library is old, passed from generation to generation. My mother said it has books you can't even touch, I don't know what she is talking about!” Alice said.
“You have to face your fears, Alice, you have to explore the library!” Iris said with determination. “Don't worry I got you, if a book is evil, I'll know, and I will tell you not to touch it.”
“Oh, Thank you so much!” Alice said while looking at the books, mesmerized.
As they were exploring the library for hours, Alice grew an interest in plants and their herbal remedies, especially she got interested in skin conditions. She found an old book called Herbal Remedies for Magical Creatures! What a discovery it was to find this, “Look what I found, a book that might help you!” Alice showed the book to Iris and together they got excited.
They found a remedy for skin conditions inside the book.
“Let's make it!” Alice said with so much thrill, excited to make the herbal remedy. She got to work fast and gathered the ingredients from the garden.
After carefully mixing the ingredients, Alice used her uncle's gloves to apply the remedy to Iris's skin, and to her surprise it showed a positive sign.
“Oh, goodness, thank you so much, Alice, it's working!” Iris said joyfully.
“It's now time to go! I think they are waking up!” Alice said, and they both quickly rushed to the attic.
“I will never forget you!” Alice said feeling grateful.
“Me too! You're the bravest and kindest person I've ever met, Alice!” Iris said cheerfully.
“Alice remember! Don't eat too much ice cream, but read as many books as you want!” Iris said, smiling.
“What are you going to do now that you are healing?” Alice asked.
“I need to find my new self! I want to travel with other unicorns and make people's wishes come true. I need to practice getting better at it,“ Iris replied.
“That's great, I wish you have the best time of your life!” Alice said about to cry.
"Will I see you again?" Alice asked.
"Yes, and we will eat ice cream together," Iris said, laughing and after a short stare in each other's eyes, Iris went through the wall.