Night of the Unicorn

Note:One night I was driving home in the rain and fog and saw a white creature standing on the bank. I told my husband I saw a unicorn and of course was laughed at. Later I found out there was an albino deer in the area and later saw it in the daylight. The other day I saw something white again the woods and recalled the unicorn theory. Thus a story was born.


The day the doctor told me the treatments weren't working, I wasn't surprised. It was hard to come back from stage four breast cancer. I thanked him for all his help and reconciled myself to finishing my life with dignity. I drove home slowly through the steady rain, wary of the heavy fog that was moving in and covering the road like a blanket.

As I turned into my driveway and glanced over at the woods, something white caught my eyes. I slowed down even more, eventually coming to a full stop. There on the bank stood a white horse with pink eyes that stared into my headlights.

I couldn't be sure of what I was seeing. The fog floated in and out, obscuring the animal. Even so, I could clearly see its white body, legs, and glorious long mane. Then when it lowered its head, I saw a black horn that touched the ground. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second. When I looked again, the unicorn was gone, lost in the rain and fog. I was alone again, wondering if my medication was causing me to see things.

The next day I was helping my older sister box up her things for the move to a nice living-assisted facility in town. Ever since her husband had died ten years ago, she'd been living with me. Now that I was dying, she had to find a new home. My children would be selling my house to pay the medical bills. I told her about the creature in the woods.

"White unicorn? Not likely, dear. I do believe you might have seen that albino deer the neighbor was telling us about last year. He said the head and half the body was white, but the back half and legs were brown. Speckled-like. That's probably what you saw, Harriet."

I mulled over her explanation. "I suppose you are right, Jane, and yet it seemed so real. You used to teach folklore at the university. What does it mean to see a unicorn?"

Harriet taped a box shut. "Well, that would depend on which culture you are talking about. Did you know the unicorn is mentioned seven times in the Bible? It was the first animal given a name by Adam. After the fall of man, it  followed Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. Its compassion for humans made it white. During medievel times. unicorns were said to show themselves at times of peace and prosperty. They also were seen before the death of a great leader, leading them to a blessed eternity."

I stacked her box with the others by the door. "Then I would prefer to believe I saw a unicorn rather than some flower-eating deer," I told her. I heard her laughing in the living room. She suddenly stopped and called my name. I came back into the living room where she was standing by the large picture window and pointing out into the yard.

I moved to her side and looked outside. Where the yard ended and the trees began, a white creature stood half hidden in the brush. It was tall, resembling a horse. Its head was covered by the leaves of a tree.

"I told you I saw a unicorn," I said to Jane. "What do you see? "

She shook her head. "I'm not sure. What I can see of it looks like a white horse. Maybe it got loose in the woods and people are looking for it right now. We should call someone."

The creature moved away in the woods. I thought I saw a glimpse of a black horn on its head, but didn't mention it to Jane. She wouldn't believe me. Jane went back to her packing. Her daughter was coming that afternoon to pick her up and take her to her new home. I would be left to fight the cancer alone and to the bitter end.

After Jane left and all the good byes were done, I got into my car to drive to the lawyer's office where I had an appointment to sign final papers. I was heading down the driveway when suddenly the car swerved to the right as though I had no control. I screamed as the car charged into a large oak tree, and my head flew into the windshield. When I came to, I was outside the burning car lying in the wet grass. I crawled on my knees to get away from the heat of the car. When I looked up, I saw the unicorn again. It stood over me, its sad eyes gazing into mine. I stood up, my body stiff and painful. I looked back at the car and wondered how I had escaped the burning inferno. It didn't matter now. I felt suddenly free from my earthly worries. I reached out and touched the unicorn. It turned and let me rub the white fur on its back. Immediately all the pain in my body evaporated. The unicorn began walking down the driveway which was bathed in a bright white light. The world seemed to fall away as I walked beside the unicorn into paradise.