Session 2 - The Sick Planet

Once upon a time there was a very sick planet. It was dying.

The sickness floated through the planet like a gas, infecting all its inhabitants. Living there were the unicorns and the green creatures. The sickness whispered to the green creatures that they were better, cleverer and more important than the unicorns. The sickness seeped into the brains of the unicorns and told them they were worthless until they found a green creature to be their rider.

The sickness showed up in the planet’s magazines, films, songs, books and in the way the planet was run. Green creatures did the important jobs, running the government and the businesses.  The green creatures knew deep down that they would struggle to run the planet if they didn’t have unicorns to gallop around on. Although some of the green creatures wanted the unicorns to run the planet with them, others scoffed at them saying, “Ha! Those unicorns are too stupid to do anything but gallop and do as they are told.”

And the planet got sicker.

One day, a young pink unicorn named Noreen set out to find a green creature to be her rider. She had been told the usual stories of valiant green creatures who rescued unicorns. She had sung songs of wonder to the green creatures. She had giggled with her herd about how much better she would be once she had a rider.

Along came a green creature. And not just any green creature: an important one. Immediately Noreen bowed and said to him, “I am yours, dear rider. I will be better with you.” This green creature, named Boris, was a cruel creature, deeply infected by the sickness.  His insides squirmed with malice, but his face smiled. “Yes, I shall be your rider,” he said.

Boris was so unkind to Noreen. Her hoofs became sore and wounded, her mane bedraggled, her heart broken. “Leave him,” said her herd but she couldn’t. Her whole young life, she’d been told that her only value was in her rider. “She’s stupid!” muttered the herd. “She deserves everything she gets!” they jeered. The sickness had got to them too.

One day, Boris nearly killed Noreen, and she finally limped away. She went to the planet hospital and they treated her, then sent her to wellness classes. Boris was left to his important green creature job. In the wellness classes they told her if she mended her heart, everything would be better.

“But how?” she asked, "The planet is sick, but you want to mend me!"