The Noble Unicorn

When God created the earth, he made a river which flowed from the garden of Eden over braided veins of onyx & gold. The river split into 4 branches and where ever the rivers ran, the land was filled with living things.

There were vines, spiky yucca, dry-dropping quince, mosses, and citrus fruit. And there were creatures. All were beautiful but only two had names-Adam & Eve, who didn’t know that they had dominance over the others.

Then God told Adam to name the animals. All the creatures gathered around. They were all equal, and Adam had always been one of them, yet as he began to name them, he drew himself apart. And the first animal he named was the Unicorn.

When God heard the name Adam had spoken he reached down and touched the tip of the single horn growing from the animal’s forehead. From that moment on, the Unicorn was elevated above all other beasts.

Adam & Eve rode upon the Unicorn’s back throughout the garden and all of creation was at peace until Adam & Eve became curious about what was forbidden. Then they tasted of the fruit of knowledge and, ashamed, they clothed themselves w/woven leaves.

When God saw what they had done, he drove them from the garden and barred the entrance with cherubs waving flaming swords. But God gave the Unicorn the choice of remaining in paradise or accompanying Adam & Eve into the world, where there was pestilence, war, pain in childbirth and in death.

The Unicorn looked to the angels with their burning swords and looked to Adam & Eve-and followed them. Forever after the Unicorn was blessed for its compassion, for it could have stayed in that place of ideal beauty & delight, but instead, out of love, it chose the hard way-the human way.

by Nancy Hathaway