All was still in Gemstone Glade, silent snow lacing the ground in winter white. Ice jewels sparkled in the frozen fountain.
(c) Can Stock Photo

Nadia-Leigh and Telliah entered the glade, child unicorns with horns of rose quartz crystal. They were the first foals in one hundred years to manifest the rose quartz gene. Fun-loving, they frolicked happily, catching snowflakes on their horns.

As snow fell on the fountain, the magical water turned it in to stars, rising slowly in to the sky and far away.

Nadia-Leigh and Telliah loved the snow. As their horns touched it, it was blessed with rose quartz love. The snowflakes began to form together, making snow unicorns. Two icy unicorns rose in to the sky, and were gone. Their mission was simple, an extension of rose quartz magic. They would find a child’s bedroom window, and bless it, before disappearing in to the winter night.

Nadia-Leigh and Telliah continued to play.Two snow unicorns found their window, and left their imprint, breathing snow tears in the wind as they dispersed in to the sky. Children the world over wished upon a star.

Fun abounds in Gemstone Glade when fairies throw parties, which they do at any chance to celebrate. Birthdays are bliss generators, fairy energy filling the glade with abundant laughter.

Today Tourmaline Tina turns 21. Merrily she dances in to the glade, where her friends are already waiting: among them Amethyst Anna, Rose Razelle, Ruby Rihanna, Emerald Ella and Blue Lace Lucy. Tina’s body glows green, purple and blue, and within her is the healing energy of the crystal tourmaline. Laugher fills the glade. It is time to celebrate.

But first, Tourmaline Tina must open her presents. Fairies love to be glamorous! Coloured scarves and different shaped hats abound. Tina laughs with delinquent delight.

Then begins the dancing. Quartz crystals are gathered in the middle of the glade, and set on “magical” crystal fire. Rainbow colours emit from the crystals as they begin to sing.

Crystal on Fire

Grandmother Gina gives Tina a homemade potion in a beautiful dispenser of silver and gold.  This will unleash the magic of her tourmaline heart. Slowly Tina drinks, as green smoke surrounds her body. She glows in the crystalline firelight, her heart beating with joy.

The dancing lasts all night. But when the sun rises, the glade is empty, remains of the crystal fire the only clue that anyone was there. All is still in the glade, as the sun kisses and sparkles within the pure fountain waters. The glade is happy, a sleeping magic lingering from last night. The sun rises higher in the sky, and the peace is complete.

Aravana, an elderly unicorn with a large heart, lay on the grass in Gemstone Glade and lightly neighed, the sound of silent magic. Her mane and tail sparkled with glowing flowers, one for each of the magic spells in her soul.

Today, she touched her silver horn to the mushrooms in the glade. They began to sing, pink smoke around them. Then the fairies hiding under them flew forth, all the colours of the rainbow. Their bodies grew, from inches to three feet. They laughed, music in the air. They flew higher, flapping their larger wings, sighing and shrieking in the wind.

Aravana watched, happiness in her eyes.

The fairies flew away, but she knew they would be back: more powerful than ever.

(c) Can Stock Photo

(c) Can Stock Photo

Happy slowly entered Gemstone Glade, butterflies in his wake, the souls of pure joy.

A year old unicorn, Happy was named for his life purpose: to bless all he met with the spell of pure happiness. A laughing heart eased his path through life, doors opening to welcome his gift of joy.

He walked regally around the glade, then stopped to drink slowly from the fountain. He touched the waters with his horn, and infused them with the spirit of joy. The water ran quicker, bubbles of glee rising in the air.

Then Happy walked round and round the glade, moving his horn in spirals and adding spells of happiness to the air, spirals of joy which hung there, waiting to be collected by the next lucky souls to enter the glade.

Neighing fitfully, Happy ran from the glade, a distant call for help in his head.

There was no end to the happiness that he could spread.

Miracles exist. In Gemstone Glade, they can happen daily; each as unique as the unicorns that frequent the glade.

(c) Can Stock Photo

A whistling winter wind blows snow in spirals around the glade. Sparkling white flakes dance faster and faster, drawing stark beauty in the air.

As the wind softens and the snow slowly settles, a white doll’s house size castle appears, standing tall and proud with fairytale turrets and shining ice windows.

A unicorn glides in to the glade: Tori, an elderly female who has mothered many special fouls, some of whom you will shortly meet. Her horn glows with golden light.

She touches the top of the castle with her horn, and it solidifies snow brick by snow brick. The windows wink, and smoke magically appears from its chimneys. Lights go on behind the windows: the castle is alive. Music and merriment can be heard within.

The unicorn gently watches, then silently leaves. The frozen fountain shines in the castle lights.

The winter night is alive with magic.

Christmas Eve was cold and chill, a sparkle of promise in the frosty air, a festive future unseen.

Anna turned over in bed, restless, tomorrow teasing her brain with messages of Christmas cheer. Sleep slowly claimed her heart with starlit snow scenes, festive flakes that played with her dreaming mind.

Snowflakes faded to reveal a beautiful forest glade, a floor of fresh snow, a fountain frozen in time, trees in cloaks of dazzling white.

Anna turned round in delight, as other children appeared, wanderers of this quiet winter dreamscape. Anna held out her hands, and the snow started again. Cold drops kissed her fingers.

The children began to sing, a chant of hope in the cold winter air, a melody of magic. Anna stuck out her tongue and swallowed a snowflake. In Gemstone Glade, the snow is imbued with fairy kisses, and is the substance of happy ever after tales.

As the snowflake melted in her body, it sung in her brain and lodged in her heart. Her innermost dreams took on life, a tiny fairy inside, there forever to bring her deepest wishes in to reality.

The other children copied Anna, and soon all were singing their wishes to life in the expectant winter air, in the glade where all dreams begin and end.

(c) Can Stock Photo
 

A giant ladybird flies into Gemstone Glade, and perches on the edge of the fountain. Her red body is radiant, black spots dancing over it like planets rotating in a galaxy of burning light.

Slowly she drinks from the fountain, and her wings grow longer, changing colour, glittering green, sighing in a gentle wind.

Satisfied,the ladybird flies in to the sky … and straight in to Andy’s dream.  Andy is running from his own shadow, furious to outrun it: that part of him that gets bullied daily at school, a shadow he discards as soon as he arrives home. But in his dreams it catches him.

The ladybird carries Andy to Ladybird Land, towers in the clouds under a red sun flecked with black dots. The sky is alive with ladybirds. Their wings create a song of sweetness, nectar to the ears as Andy is soothed and falls in to a deeper sleep.

In the morning, he awakes to the taste of contentment on his lips, heaven in his heart. There is a safe place to return to, night after night. The shadow will not catch him there.

A red ladybird is on his windowsill. He sets it free, to fly forever, as his dreams dissolve to dust.

Mirella lay in bed, unable to sleep. Only five and she already hated the world and its bullies.

She turned over, and that was when she heard it. A soft lullaby, a song that sounded like … why, horses neighing!

And then she was there, in a forest glade resplendent with autumn trees and a shining fountain. They were all around her, horses, no unicorns. From their horns emitted a song of the sweetest sighs. Mirella smiled. The unicorns made a circle around her, gently neighing. Mirella began to dance with them, her feet as nimble as hooves.

And as she danced, she fell in to a deep sleep.

In the morning her memories had evaporated with the night, but she felt a heart-deep happiness like no other. Sweet dreams would return, she knew.

A small girl wanders in to the glade, a thumb in her mouth. She is doing a special kind of sleep walk – she is here in the glade while still in her bed. This is the magic of Gemstone Glade: it is a waking dream where a child’s imagination is nourished and flourishes, where her favourite fantasies are all real, a dream from which you never wish to wake up.

Slowly the child kneels and touches the rose pink quartz book. Sparkles rise in the air like disturbed dust. Opening it, she sighs. An orange page proclaims “Carnelian,” and a small tumbled golden stone rises and settles on her hand. The child laughs in delight.

Holding the crystal, she runs from the glade … and wakes up in bed, the crystal still in her hand. Slowly she drifts off to sleep once more, a smile on her face and a crystal in her heart.

A golden labrador runs in to Gemstone Glade, glee in its eyes. He stops at the fountain, and slowly sips the quiet waters. Satisfied, he circles the glade as if searching for something.

The he stops. Madly, he begins to dig … and dig.

He has found something. He pulls from the earth … a rose quartz book!

But he has no time to play or even open it. He hears his master calling.

Gemstone Glade is invisible to adult eyes. Slowly Golden boy retreats.

The books lies on the grass, waiting for a new reader, silent secrets within.