In the constant flux of horses and Dragons, many are the creatures whose sightings happen so rarely that they are considered closer to being legends than to be real. After all, not everyone had the chance to witness the landing of a flaring Phoenix descending from the skies with its might wings, or the arrival of a White Tiger ready to roar at the Moon to share songs about wisdom with the world, not even if one managed to live to be over a hundred years old.
Moreover, while lots of men and women bragged and claimed to have received the visit of a Dragon, often it was the case of an exaggerated lie, the encounter of a snake whose proportions became larger in the person’s mind and ego, in order to appear worthy of praise and respect for the simple fact that Dragons have decided to appear in front of them. Some have even altered paintings of snakes by adding legs on its bodies, effectively turning them into strange lizards, just to sell their point.
However, there is one creature which is considered to be rarer than all those, even rarer than a Dragon. Said creature is known in this area as the Golden Unicorn.
Despite the name, however, one should not immediately think about it as a horse with a golden skin and a sharp, shiny horn on its forehead. The peculiarity of the Golden Unicorn was that, according to the very few people who saw one and wrote that down, its body parts resembled those of other animals.
Its tail was sleek, with lots of fur on its end, similar to that of a bull. Its belly was the same shade of yellow as a crocodile’s. Its body, green and scaly, was compared by many to both a snake and a Dragon. Its mouth was decorated by two long barbels, like those of a carp. Then, its horn was tweaked and imposing like the ones on a deer’s head.
As people began to wonder why was the Golden Unicorn so similar to other animals, which had nothing in common with one another, there were wise scholars who tried to point out that such a creature had characteristics which made it comparable to those specific animals.
Like the bull, the Golden Unicorn roamed freely, with nothing on its path capable of bothering enough to either stop it or face it. Like the crocodile, it was able to walk on both land and water, being so gentle in its movements to not harm a single blade of grass. Like the Dragon, many beings feared and respected its arrival, rarely trying to cause any harm to it. Like the carp, much like said fish is able to swim against currents and waterfalls in order to reach its destination, the Golden Unicorn always made it back to its celestial place with safety, against any possible odds. Then, like the deer, it seemed like a majestic presence, a spectacle that people felt glad to have witnessed.
Another curious characteristic of the Golden Unicorn is that it is said to be engulfed in flames. However, it has always been unclear if those “flames” are proper ones, or if the bright sunlight wrapped around its body was so intense that people just assumed its body was completely surrounded by fire.
The reason why it was so rare to see one of them was that they only appeared on one of two specific occasions: the beginning of an important period, or its end. Many also say that it announces the birth or the death of an individual, but that was solely because they were so intertwined with the events that their mere existence was necessary for them to occur.
To better explain this, let’s talk about three of the last times the Golden Unicorn had appeared in this land.
There was once an old King, the type of ruler who was honest, gentle and kind to its people. His white beard was so long that it almost touched the ground, even when he was standing up to walk. For sixty years he had ruled, and he was now worried about what was going to happen to his Kingdom, once he had passed away. So much he worried that he barely left his throne room, even in days where nobody was requesting his advices or waiting for his orders.
Then, once day, while peeking through a window, the King saw the shining aura of the Golden Unicorn. It took him a couple moments to recognize it, but, once he did so, he felt warmth across his wrinkled old body. If it had paid visit to the Kingdom, then it meant that a period of peace and prosperity was on its way. Being aware of that, the old King celebrated with its people one last time, as he passed shortly after.
While a young woman was looking at the colorful flowers of spring on the hills close to her house, her mind was focused on what had become of her betrothed, who had left their town in order to enlist in the army. She was too preoccupied for him to even notice how beautiful the flower petals caressing her arms were.
In that moment, the Golden Unicorn appeared in front of her, as it even smiled at the woman. Whatever was happening far, far away, was over, as peacetime was upon them. Her beloved was going to return, and they were going to raise a family of righteous people, who would have brought good to others. Indeed, the man returned after a fortnight, as they finally celebrated their wedding.
So inevitable was the arrival of peace and happiness when the Golden Unicorn appeared that there was once a time in which a powerful warlord tried his best in order to conquer and destroy the capital city of his state. No soldier was able to defeat him, and his men were an unstoppable force, as they had reached the city walls, ready to destroy them.
Yet, before they were able to do so, the Golden Unicorn appeared from the clouds, walking towards the warlord. It felt so light as it passed through the soldiers, as if it was floating. All it took for the warlord was to see the Unicorn’s eyes once before he decided to retreat, having accepted his defeat. If celestial beings were against his victory, then he was only going to cause unwanted and unnecessary harm.
Those are just three specific events, but they all reflect how widespread it is that witnessing one has always been a huge deal.
There are many people nowadays who try to spread the rumor that the Golden Unicorn has returned. Only a handful of them try to do so in order to justify their actions, and another
handful say that because they hope to see peace once again before they are laid to rest, but the majority is just confused by the fact that not everyone is able to recognize one.
Who knows: perhaps, not even the old King, the young woman and the warlord saw an actual Golden Unicorn, but they still believed in it anyway, and prosperous times did follow after their actions.
Should you have the fortunate occasion of seeing once, remember that you are not encountering sorrow, but great omens. Do not believe that your choices are sealed, but be aware that you have made the correct ones.
And now, go ahead, and look up in the sky. Perhaps, you would recognize the scaly body, or the furry tail, of a Golden Unicorn.
An Italian university student who loves learning, writing and creating, because every moment is worth creating for.