Shimmer in the Meadows

As I walk in the green meadows, near the mountains, I feel joy for now Spring is back. It is the season of recharge and blooming.

Fortunately, my mother let me out of the house after so long. My name is Hazza and I am six years old, with light brown eyes, straight, dark blond hair and dimpled cheeks. I love going out to explore and play in the meadows.

Today, I am going to meet my cousins, Zayed and Maha, who are four-year-old twins. Our mothers have asked us not to venture too far. Therefore, we shall play near the lake at the foot of the mountain, where beautiful tulips grow.

In this area, there are different coloured tulips; red, white, yellow and green – I’ve never seen or heard about any green tulips before and these green ones catch my attention every Spring. At times, I think that there are magical creatures living around here. How I wished I could meet one.

As Zayed, Maha and I tread on the lush meadows, the grasses tickle our little toes.

“It feels great to be here after so long,” I say excitedly.

“Indeed, Hazza,” Zayed and Maha agree.

Zayed and Maha look similar, having black hair and almost the same height. I just love their dark brown eyes and cute faces. They are my best friends.

We are so delighted at the blue sky, dancing clouds and soft breeze that our chuckles echo in the mountains.

I pluck a green tulip and hand it over to Maha. She blushes and smiles. Then, she brings the lovely tulip to her nose, sniffing deeply.

“They smell so good. Thank you, Hazza,” Maha says.

“Should we go to the lake now?” I ask them.

They both say, “Yes. Let’s go!”

As soon as we are quite near, we spot something strange. To our amazement, we see a beautiful white horse drinking water at the lake. It has a shiny hair coat and I have never seen anything like this before.

“Zayed, Maha,” I call out in a low tone.

“Yes, Hazza, we see it too!” Zayed exclaims in nearly a loud voice.

“Shh! You’ll scare it,” I shush him.

We are all quiet, watching this pretty horse. When it turns around, we spot a spiral blue horn on its head.

“It’s a Unicorn!” I gasp.

The Unicorn suddenly turns its big brown, lovely eyes towards us and we are frightened. Zayed, Maha and I back off.

“Don’t be scared, children,” it says in a male adult voice.

“You talk?!” I asked, shaking.

Looks like my wish has been granted, but now I am afraid.

“Yes, I talk… You don’t need to be scared of me.”

I rub my eyes to make sure that I am not dreaming and I see the twins doing the same.

“B-but,” I stutter.

“I’m bored. I have no friends to play with. Will you be my friend?” Mr. Unicorn asks.

He approaches me and nudges me with his wet nose on my face. The urge of petting this spellbinding creature arises and I reach out to him.

As I pet his forehead, I can feel his soft coat. All of a sudden, he spreads his two large twinkling wings and I nearly fall to the ground.

“Don’t be afraid, Hazza.”

“You know my name also? May I know your name, please?”

“Shimmer. Yes, I know your names,” he replies happily.

“Wow! What a beautiful name!” We all uttered altogether.

“Do you want to go on the rainbow for a ride?” Shimmer offers.

Zayed, Maha and I look at each other in surprise. That is so unexpected.

“Yes, please!!!”

Shimmer crouches on the ground, making it easy for us to climb on his back. I make Zayed hop in the front, Maha in the middle and me last because I am the eldest. I need to keep them safe.

Suddenly, three reins magically appear for each one of us to hold on during the trip.

“Wow!”

Shimmer does not stop surprising us. He makes sure that we are safe and he is full of enchantment.

“Ready?” Shimmer asks joyfully.

“Yeah!”

As we answer him, Shimmer goes in a flash into the sky, in the clouds.

“Ooh!!!”

It is fantastic!

Instantly, a huge rainbow appears before us. The colours are nothing like we see in the movies or read in books. They are glistening and make lovely tunes as Shimmer trots along.

Above us, we see fairies; tiny girls and boys with transparent glittering wings. They start singing and they have the sweetest and melodic voices.

Then they all hover around Shimmer and over us. One of them comes to me. I extend my palm for her to sit in my palm. She plays the violin in a graceful way. I smile at her letting her know that I am enjoying her performance.

She flies away and they all circle, writing Hazza, Zayed and Maha in the sky. We all clap gleefully at the sight. Once they are done, they bow and disappear.

“Did you like it, kids?” Shimmer asks us.

“It was amazing!” I shout.

“Ha! Ha!” Shimmer laughs.

In a swift, Shimmer goes down the meadows and I feel butterflies in my stomach. I start giggling.

“So, kids, our trip ends here, but I promise to come every Spring to spend time with you,” Shimmer says.

“Only during Spring?” I ask, feeling sad that Shimmer will leave us.

“I’m allowed to come down here only once every Springtime.”

As we all descend from Shimmer’s back, I hug him tightly. The twins do the same too.

“Thank you, Shimmer… See you soon.”

As he smiles and bows, he vanishes in thin air.

Although we are disheartened, we have hopes of seeing him again. So, we decide to go back home and I wonder if our mothers will believe us when we narrate our tale to them.