My Unicorn Adventure

One warm afternoon, I was walking to my house when I saw a Volkswagen Beetle parked on the side of the street. It was a newer model and the rainbow colors painted on it were arranged in a way that reminded me of a tie-dye T-shirt. I approached the strange car, noticing the small bumper sticker that was next to the license plate. It was rectangular, with a lilac border surrounding a pale pink cloud. Inside the cloud, written in lilac, were the words “I BELIEVE in UNICORNS”, decorated with dark pink hearts and a picture of a white unicorn.

I smiled and began walking closer to it, trying to see through the tinted windows. I stopped next to the passenger’s side, wanting to try the door. I was reluctant, but gave in to my curiosity and pulled on the silver handle. To my delight, the door was not locked and I was able to see the inside of the car. It smelled of strawberries and the tan leather seats were barely visible beneath piles of unicorn paraphernalia. On the dashboard, there were five small, plush unicorns with soft white fur, purple eyes, and small horns topped with tiny gems that reflected sunlight, making them appear to glow. I picked one up, feeling its silky white mane and tail. I set it back down and continued examining the small vehicle.

Draped over the passenger’s seat was a twin sized comforter the color of bubble gum. I wasn’t surprised to see small white unicorns in a pattern along it. Sitting on the seat was a large, flower shaped pillow. A white unicorn, much like the others, was printed on the soft minky fabric of the pillowcase. I sat on the seat to examine the interior of the car more closely. The dashboard was not only decorated with unicorn plushies, but with many unicorn and rainbow stickers that glimmered faintly in the sunlight. There was a white steering wheel cover with multicolored polka dots and a rainbow striped air freshener was dangling from the rear view mirror. As I looked at it, my eyes were drawn to the rear view mirror, which revealed the book-strewn back seat. I turned around, taking in the full view of it. Notebooks piled on top of notebooks covered most of the seat, accompanied by nonfiction, science fiction, and fantasy books scattered around the seat, marked with papers of all colors and sizes. Books that lay open showed extreme wear; pages with corners bent, markings all over and notes written in the margins. There was a purple notebook on the very top of the pile, labeled “Unicorn Sightings”. I noticed that all of the books shared one thing in common: they were all about unicorns. The owner was clearly obsessed.

As I was inspecting the back, something caught my eye. Peeking out from beneath the leather seat was a thin, rectangular wooden box. I pulled it out and put it on my lap, studying the ornate design of flowers carved into the honey colored wood. There was a small, golden latch on the side of it and my fingers rubbed it tentatively. I slowly unlatched it and opened the lid, gasping as the contents were revealed. Resting in a custom made, velvet lined padding the shade of the night sky, was an iridescent cone shaped object with small ridges running horizontally down it. I ran my fingers over it, taking in the smooth feel. I couldn’t believe it. I was touching a unicorn horn!

As I was admiring it, I looked up for a brief second and saw a girl walking towards the car. She had long, wavy brown hair that flowed to her waist, with long braids here and there. She wore a purple and blue floral top that brought out her dark blue eyes, which were framed by large tortoise shell glasses. I scrambled to hide in the cluttered back seat and pulled the comforter over me, terrified of getting caught. I peeked through the window, but the sun had begun to set and was at a point in the sky where it shined in my eyes, blinding me.

Within seconds, I heard the door open and the smell of sweet peas filled the car. I positioned my head so I could see the glove box and the floor beneath and saw something that made my heart stop. Lying on the tan floor mat was the pearly white unicorn horn. She began talking to her unicorn plushies, which was the perfect distraction as I began moving as slow as humanly possible to reach in between the seat and the side of the car to grab the mesmerizing object. Every now and then a paper would rustle, but thankfully she didn’t take notice and I was able to push my arm through the small gap. Finally, when I was stretched as far as I could go, my fingers brushed the horn. I used my fingertips to roll it closer and wrapped my fingers around it. I silently pulled my arm back through the gap, grinning to myself. I placed it back in the box and put the box back under the seat.

The girl placed the unicorn plushies back on the dashboard and began to drive. My heart raced and I began to sweat as I realized that I was trapped. To my disadvantage, my nose was beginning to itch and I suddenly let out a small sneeze. The girl pulled over and turned around, searching for the source of the noise. I decided to take responsibility and lifted the comforter, climbing up out of the mountain of papers that surrounded my legs. Her eyes widened in delight and she smiled warmly when she saw me.

“Do you like unicorns, too?” she inquired, her tone excited.

I nodded, surprised at her positive attitude.

“Well you could’ve just asked to come along instead of hiding in my back seat!” she laughed, her blue eyes shining with glee.

“Come along?” I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.

“Searching for unicorns, silly! Wanna come?” her eyes were then filled with hope, telling me she desperately craved a traveling companion.

I thought about my options before deciding to be adventurous and throw caution to the wind.

“Sure,” I responded as I crawled up front and sat in the passenger’s seat.

She squealed with excitement, her bright white teeth showing, before starting her car. I looked back at my white, cookie cutter, two story house and knew that I might not be back for a while. I smiled at the thought as we drove down the bumpy pavement of my old street, not knowing what adventures we would soon find.