The Unicorn from the Stars

Interior of a coachbuilder’s workshop. Parts of a gilded coach, among them an ornament representing a lion and unicorn. Thomas working at a wheel. Father John coming from door of inner room.

Father John

I have prayed over Martin. I have prayed a long time, but there is no move in him yet.

Thomas

You are giving yourself too much trouble, Father. It’s as good for you to leave him alone till the doctor’s bottle will come. If there is any cure at all for what is on him, it is likely the doctor will have it.

Father John

I think it is not doctor’s medicine will help him in this case.

Thomas

It will, it will. The doctor has his business learned well. If Andrew had gone to him the time I bade him and had not turned again to bring yourself to the house, it is likely Martin would be walking at this time. I am loth to trouble you, Father, when the business is not of your own sort. Any doctor at all should be able and well able to cure the falling sickness.

Thomas

He used to be queer as a child, going asleep in the fields, and coming back with talk of white horses he saw, and bright people like angels or whatever they were. But I mended that. I taught him to recognise stones beyond angels with a few strokes of a rod. I would never give in to visions or to trances.

Father John

We who hold the faith have no right to speak against trance or vision. Saint Elizabeth had them, Saint Benedict, Saint Anthony, Saint Columcille. Saint Catherine of Siena often lay a long time as if dead.

Thomas

That might be so in the olden time, but those things are gone out of the world now. Those that do their work fair and honest have no occasion to let the mind go rambling. What would send my nephew, Martin Hearne, into a trance, supposing trances to be in it, and he rubbing the gold on the lion and unicorn that he had taken in hand to make a good job of for the top of the coach?

Father John

Taking up ornament. It is likely it was that sent him off. The flashing of light upon it would be enough to throw one that had a disposition to it into a trance. There was a very saintly man, though he was not of our church, he wrote a great book called Mysterium Magnum, was seven days in a trance. Truth, or whatever truth he found, fell upon him like a bursting shower, and he a poor tradesman at his work. It was a ray of sunlight on a pewter vessel that was the beginning of all. Goes to the door and looks in.

Father John

Bringing in Martin. They are gone out now⁠—the air is fresher here in the workshop⁠—you can sit here for a while. You are now fully awake, you have been in some sort of a trance or a sleep.

Martin

Who was it that pulled at me? Who brought me back?

Father John

It is I, Father John, did it. I prayed a long time over you and brought you back.

Martin

You, Father John, to be so unkind! O leave me, leave me alone!

Father John

You are in your dream still.

Martin

It was no dream, it was real. Do you not smell the broken fruit⁠—the grapes? the room is full of the smell.

Father John

Tell me what you have seen, where you have been?

Martin

There were horses⁠—white horses rushing by, with white shining riders⁠—there was a horse without a rider, and someone caught me up and put me upon him and we rode away, with the wind, like the wind⁠—

Father John

That is a common imagining. I know many poor persons have seen that.

Martin

We went on, on, on. We came to a sweet-smelling garden with a gate to it, and there were wheatfields in full ear around, and there were vineyards like I saw in France, and the grapes in bunches. I thought it to be one of the townlands of heaven. Then I saw the horses we were on had changed to unicorns, and they began trampling the grapes and breaking them. I tried to stop them but I could not.

Nanny

Outside. Hurry on, now, you limping crabfish you! We can’t be stopping here while you’ll boil stirabout!

Johnny

Seizing bag of money and holding it up high in both hands. Look at this, now, look! Andrew comes behind, seizes his arm.

Johnny

Letting bag fall with a crash. Destruction on us all!

Martin

Running forward, seizes him. Heads disappear. That is it! O, I remember. That is what happened. That is the command. Who was it sent you here with that command?

Johnny

It was misery sent me in, and starvation, and the hard ways of the world.

Nanny

Outside. It was that, my poor child, and my one son only. Show mercy to him now and he after leaving gaol this morning.

Martin

To Andrew. I was trying to remember it⁠—when he spoke that word it all came back to me. I saw a bright many-changing figure; it was holding up a shining vessel holds up arms; then the vessel fell and was broken with a great crash; then I saw the unicorns trampling it. They were breaking the world to pieces⁠—when I saw the cracks coming I shouted for joy! And I heard the command “Destroy, destroy, destruction is the life-giver! destroy!”

Andrew

What will we do with him? He was thinking to rob you of your gold.

Martin

We will go out against the world and break it and unmake it. Rising. We are the army of the Unicorn from the Stars! We will trample it to pieces.⁠—We will consume the world, we will burn it away⁠—Father John said the world has yet to be consumed by fire. Bring me fire.

Andrew

To Beggars. Here is Thomas. Hide⁠—let you hide. All except Martin hurry into next room.

Thomas comes in.

Thomas

Come with me, Martin. There is terrible work going on in the town! There is mischief gone abroad. Very strange things are happening!

Martin

What are you talking of? What has happened?

Thomas