When Magic Collides

By Eliza Stewart

Deep in the land where the green flowers grew,

And where dragons and griffins with golden fur flew,

There was a mysterious line in the grass,

One which nobody on either side would pass.

This line marked the border between two different lands,

And their fate would be harmed if in the wrong hands.

This line separated two species that might sound scary:

The Rainbow Unicorns and the Marshmallow Fairies.

Now, these two creatures’ lands were quite diverse,

But each side lived happily, like a song in verse.

And while both lands agreed that the line be resisted,

Neither side was aware that the other existed.

One day, a herd of Unicorns and a band of Fairies

Set out to the forest and picked some berries.

Each group recalled the small line in the grass,

The one which nobody on either side would pass.

Both groups decided to investigate,

And that, my friend, is where it all turned to fate.

The Fairies saw predators; the Unicorns saw prey.

So, as you can guess, the Fairies did not stay.

They flew away high, darting into the sky,

And the Unicorns decided to follow and fly.

The chasing went on for hours and hours,

Until, finally, the Fairies hid in some flowers.

One Fairy creeped out with a raspy, “Achoo!”,

Cleared his throat, then asked three simple words:

“Who are you?”

“We are the Unicorns who come from the East,

Known as beautiful creatures, not hideous beasts.

We entrance all others with our bright Rainbow hair,

Except, it seems, you, for you live Over There.”

“We are the Fairies of Marshmallow West;

We love beauty, truth and friendship the best.

We have mastered the art of reading minds,

And in our species, there are many different kinds.”

The Rainbow Unicorns stood down and were calm;

All the Fairies emerged from the Flowers of Palm.

They each shared their views, with ignorance righted,

And agreed to form a new land, fully united.

One Rainbow Unicorn wrote a contract,

A document of laws that governed their acts.

Everyone agreed to abide by the rules

And made the kingdom a most precious jewel.

Things thrived in the land for all of time.

They hung a Memory Bell by the line that would chime

For the Rainbow Unicorns, the Marshmallow Fairies

And the day they went out to pick some berries.

1st Place Children’s Book Manuscript

13-18 Age Group

Read the piece in “Detroit Voices” featuring the 2025 DWR Award winners.

Eliza Stewart, age 14, has loved to write ever since she could hold a pencil. Her best superpower is coming up with new, creative ideas. She has published a zine and is currently working on several full-length novels. When Eliza is not writing, her favorite hobbies are video editing, karate and drawing in her sketchbook. She also loves to hang out with her family, friends and dog.