Tiny Slivers from a Silver Horn - New Short Story

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Among the great legends of creation, it is oft forgotten that all the heavenly bodies came into existence with the command of He who nurtures the universe. Since the dawn of creation, every night at precisely midnight, when darkness threatens to engulf the earth and devour it back into nothingness, it has been the tradition of the stars hanging in the sky to offer praise to He who created them. In this way the stars serve to remind the darkness surrounding them that it, too, has a creator. And thus, hearing the song of the luminaries, He who rules the darkness keeps it in check, balanced, and within bounds.

Intertwined and inseparable from the song of the stars is a tale which has been lost to the wisdom of man pertaining to the Unicorns. This majestic creation, from the beginning of time followed by all generations proceeding from its loins, was charged with the responsibility of awakening the stars in the heavens from their slumber. And if the Unicorn could not accomplish its task for whatever reason, and the stars failed to be awakened to sing their praise of He who rules good and evil, the darkness upon the earth would begin to spread insipidly. The light which brought all which is good to creation would slowly be extinguished. Thus the balance of nature and perhaps the fate of the world was determined and rested upon the horn of one Unicorn in each generation.

As all such tales originate, this tale too finds its roots in the dawn of mankind, a time when legends were truth and truth became legend, a time which would, over the years, become clouded in much mystique and confusion, a time when the world was a garden, and paradise lay beneath the feet of those who called it their abode, a time when human meshed with the divine, and the divine nurtured the human…a time when evil laid long-range plans for dominion, while good joined in the battle allowing for balance.

Into this time, we will allow our minds to enter, for it is here our tale, the Legend of the Unicorn, begins and yet never ends.

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So begins the short story, "Tiny Slivers from a Silver Horn" published in March, at The Deepening. "Tiny Slivers from a Silver Horn" is in truth a conglomeration of imagination, ancient legends and a long-lost Hassidic story. It is the 11th short story of mine published over the past 15 months.

The Unicorn, like the Phoenix, is a legendary animal that appears in many of the legends of the formative religions of the world. They represent different things in different eras. The Unicorn certainly has captured the imagination of artists, legend-tellers, and writers for thousands of years. It seems to always represent kindness and compassion and at times wisdom. Judaism itself is not bereft of such legends though the Phoenix (which will appear in other stories of mine) is certainly the most central "legendary" animal to appear within Jewish legend and Kabalah.

"Tiny Slivers from a Silver Horn" is a story of choices and one that was written in a frenzy of an idea, as I am sure many stories and novels are. The original impetus came when I happen to come across an old Hasidic legend while doing research for my novel, "The Sabbath Candles of Kotzk". I was immediately shaken by the original story and its implications in Hasidic lore. And thus "Tiny Slivers from a Silver Horn" was born.

The editors had this to say about "Tiny Slivers from a Silver Horn".

This one will bring tears, hope, and quiet joy forever.

A kind, understanding heart is required here.

Listen always, without ever abandoning hope, for the blast upon the horn of the Unicorn.

It's message will always be true.

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Posted On: Cobwebs Of The Mind

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