Horn of the Unicorn

"Amelia. Amelia, can you hear me"? I heard the voice as if from the skies above. It was disembodied and distant.

"Who is it"? I asked, trying to open my eyes, for sleep was heavy upon me, and I was in a dreamlike daze.

"Please open your eyes. It is I, Ashanti, I have come to seek your help".

"Ashanti? Am I dreaming, I have only ever seen you in my dreams".

"I too, have always seen you. We are spirit bound asleep or awake". The voice said.

I finally began to see through the sleepy haze, only to make out the figure of a large horse, no, this horse had a horn in the middle of his head. A unicorn? A large black unicorn stood in the middle of my bedroom. I rubbed my eyes and blinked twice. Yep. He was still standing there. I got up and switched on the lights, the clock read half an hour to midnight.

"Not trying to be rude, But, I have never seen a black unicorn before, not that I have ever seen a real one. In pictures, yes, I have". I was trying to make sense of it all.

"My horn has been stolen. I need your help to get it back". Ashanti replied.

"Umm, I can see your horn right now". I said, a question mark in my statement as I pointed towards his head.

"Let me explain. Normally my coat is white, or rainbow colored when my birthday approaches. If my horn is removed, my coat goes black, and a virtual horn replaces the aura around the space which holds my magical qualities". There was sadness in the unicorn's voice.

I arose and tried to touch the horn. My hand passed easily through, as if I had touched smoke or wind. It was uncanny and a bit weird.

I have had many dreams about riding across the sky on the back of this great creature, which at the moment, was taking up almost all the space in my tiny bedroom. We have had long conversations in my dream about many topics. The real unicorn I realize, has a body more like a cow than a horse, and a curved horn that goes forward, then up at the tip.

I had googled 'Unicorn' many times. They were commonly described as extremely wild woodland creatures, symbols of purity and grace, which could be captured only by a virgin (this Ashanti was certainly barking up the wrong tree on that one). In encyclopedias, its horn was described as having the power to render poisoned water potable and to heal sickness.

I didn't know why I was found worthy of being chosen by this magical and beautiful creature, but I would certainly do my best to help.

"Did you speak to me in my dreams Ashanti. I mean, were you there when we spoke about the magical world versus the real world in which I lived. Or were they just my dreams". I was curious, it had seemed so real.

"Whenever you dream of me, I dream of you too Amelia, our dreams are tied to our spirits".

"What can I do to help you. I will assist in any way that I can"? I wondered what it is that I could possibly do to assist a magical unicorn.

"You must accompany me to Greece. Once, they believed that I was not mythological, but rather existed in the accounts of natural history. Their earliest description is from Ctesias, who in his book Indika, described us as wild asses, fleet of foot, having a horn and colored white, red and black. They would not eat us as Unicorn meat was said to be too bitter to eat.

There is one there however, who believes in the magical qualities of my horn. His name is Aristotle. I know him well. He came to visit me, and while I slept, he stole my horn. There was a time when I trusted him completely".

Ashanti paused a while, contemplating friendship and dishonesty, trust and the heartache of losing a friend.

"I shall need someone that I can trust wholeheartedly, to retrieve the horn. My chosen mortal must reclaim and replace the horn before the next full moon, or my magic shall fade away".

"Do I get the fly across the sky with you"? Excitement made my voice a bit shrill. I cleared my throat, a little bit embarrassed.

"Yes, but we must hurry. We must do this before the clock strikes midnight tonight. Aristotle plans to use my magic to gain power over his enemies. He plans to usurp the Greek throne". The unicorn said, sounding quite urgent.

"It is quite close to midnight right now, isn't there a time difference from where we are now though"? I jumped into my clothes which were in a chair nearby, while we spoke. Ashanti averted his eyes.

"Magical Unicorn, remember. I still have most of my abilities even without the horn".

"Jump on, and hold on tight". Ashanti said.

I barely touched his back before we were speeding at breakneck speed through the air, as if the walls of the room had disintegrated into mist. Everything passed by in a blur. Suddenly, we were in Greece. In Aristotle's splendidly adorned, impressive home.

In a room decked out like a museum of antiquities, we found the horn in a lovely glass display case. It was not locked. I jumped down, gently removed the horn and placed it on the unicorn's head. Tiny magical fireworks twinkled around the horn on his head as he lifted it in victory to it's safe return.

"Come Amelia. This time we will go slowly, so you can appreciate the beauty of the world and sky at midnight". Ashanti was gloriously happy.

Behind us, I heard a shout. Looking back, I saw Aristotle pumping his fist in the air. We had not heard the last of that fellow.

τέλος (The end).