My New Pet, is a Unicorn?

Anon’s eyes shot open. His face was buried in his wet pillow, stained from his sweat. He quivered as he very gently tried to lift himself up from the bed. He looked to find his bed was dry, save for his sweat.

He gently placed a palm to his face, feeling the still fresh sweat on his cheek—to his forehead. He shivered, still in shock at the sights he had seen.

“Who… who are…” the vivid images of the nightmare he had just slept through came back in his mind. Horrific cries rang vividly in his ears, the sound of cars colliding hardly together, and the flames burning furiously. Anon shook his head viciously, trying to remove these thoughts from his head.

“These dreams aren’t real. Just forget about it.” He rammed his hands into his head, trying to stop the images that were assaulting him.

Anon dashed into his bathroom, before making sure he hadn’t woken up the still sleeping unicorn on his bed and emptying the contents of his stomach into the toilet. He wiped his mouth as he groggily looked at himself in the mirror. His head was still bald, his eyes were bloodshot with bags under his eyes, his skin was still green, and he was breathing quite heavily. He looked terrible.

He ran some cold water and repeatedly splashed his face with it. He let out a sigh with his eyes tiredly closed then thought deep in himself. ‘Get yourself together Anon. They’re just dreams, nothing more, they’re not... real. You gotta be strong, for your friends, but most importantly.’

Anon turned to his shoulder looking outside of his bathroom at the sleeping lavender on his bed.

‘For her sake...’

MORNING
9:55 AM

The woman employee Smiled at the tall man as she had returned from the kitchen. “Okay sir, your order will be done in just a minute.”

“Oh, thank you! I was just hoping it’ll—”

Ben’s sentence was cut off as he felt some small vibrations coming from his lower thigh. He tilted downward, finding the source.

“Oh it’s probably her!” He squealed excitedly, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He felt excited, he hadn’t heard anything from Crystal since she left town. Sadly though his hopes were thrown out the window when he studied the caller’s name. Before answering he looked at the manager and politely said.

“Um, do you mind?”

She chuckled. “Yea go on, I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”

“Thank you!”

With that Ben moved to the side allowing the people in line behind him to move forward. Placing his right palm on the door he pushes through exiting the restaurant while at the same time answering the call.

“Hey Chris” Greeted Brandon, “Ugh, Yes I know I haven’t called you in a while but I told you I was busy, wasn’t I? Yeah, It’s been so quiet out here ever since you left for college, how are you and your family? Oh that’s great! Me? Oh I’m fine, I mean it’s not like I’ve been waiting for someone else to call me—or me texting them non-stop waiting hours upon hours for their response; and continuing to do that for the next ten days.”

Ben paused scratching his beanie out of total embarrassment after exposing himself.

“N—Not saying I did that mind you...” He lied, “Okay I did send her more than twenty-four of my texts but come on! You know I can get lonely sometimes, ya know?” He wasn’t wrong. The day after Crystal left, Ben would spend his days sending message after message for seven days, seven nights to her phone; other times he would hang out with his dear friend Anon and his girlfriend way back before they broke up.

Ben sat down on a bench a few inches away from a mother and her child. Keeping the device up to his ear he continues the conversation. “No, I hadn't seen or talked to Anon yet. Last I spoke to him I told him he should get himself a pet.”

He blinked.

“A dog, why? Because dogs are awesome! You get to feed them, play fetch with em' rub their bellies. Hey! I’m a dog lover so don’t judge me,” Ben sighed as he turned his body away from the mother and her child holding the phone close to his ear. “Anyway what do you wanna wear on Christmas huh? No Chris I don’t care what we have to wear for Christmas Eve, as long as it's not those same Blue’s clues pajamas. What...? No! No, I'm not wearing pink. What do you mean why? I told you this, you and Anon remember? Okay what are you wearing then? But you wore those last year, you need to try on something else. Mmhm, mhm… okay then. …Oh my god—you’re not hooking up with my Grandma!”

“Um, sir?”

Ben places his device on his chest looking up at the direction of the voice. The same woman from earlier was standing outside of the entrance of the restaurant holding two square-size white bags and when he noticed them the smell of cooked bread filled his nostrils. He stood up from the bench and walked over to the employee with a gentle smile forming on his face.

“Thanks again ma’am. So how much?” He asked.

“Ten dollars.” She replied.

Ben checked his wallet and handed her the payment before taking the bags off her hands and walked down the block to his next destination. He tilts his head to the side keeping the phone close to his ear. “~Sooo Chris I was thinking,” he said, a small smirk breaking its way through his lips. “When you come back after Christmas, how would you like it if you and I played a little UNO together with Anon, hmm? How about it?”

Silence was the response to his request and at the same time he stopped to a halt. He patiently waited for another two minutes then when his patience went limp he grabbed his phone and turned it to face the screen. In a instant his eyes widen, a vein appeared on his forehead, his chest rising up and down and his hand clenched tightly to a fist shaking violently until those inches away heard him in shouting range.

“Did that bastard just hang up on me?!”

MORNING
10:01 AM

Birds were chirping, singing their harmonies tunes while flying over houses across the neighborhood, cars and trucks passed by people's apartments. Two girls were outside sitting in the grass; one was playing with dolls in her big castle, the second was waving her toy wand pretending to be her favorite wizard she saw from a very popular movie. Four boys were riding their bikes going back and forth from their house but stayed cautious from any cars coming by.

Two elderly men were sitting on their chairs just enjoying themselves in this beautiful morning they were having while drinking tea from their mugs. The elder from the right turned his head at his fellow-friend and cleared his throat. “Hey Jimmy remember my dance last night with Jenny?”

Elder Jimmy from thought for a moment before replying, “Um, eh, she didn’t dance with you herald.”

Herald placed his hand behind his left ear shouting. “What!?”

“I said she didn't dance with you!” Jimmy repeated.

“What!?”

“Oh for goodness sake…”

A loud ringing echoed around the room waking our fellow anonymous from his walk to dreamland. He let out a groan stretching his arm out before palm grasping the alarm-clock, pushed the button ceasing the annoying ringing leaving the room back in peaceful silence. The tired man let out a yawn scratching the back of his head. When he tried to stand up he was stopped and was left bewildered. There was something heavy on top of him—a big weight that held him down, pinning him. Only then when he opened his eyes found the source of it. Sure enough, it was the unicorn, sitting on his chest already awake staring down at him without the blank expression this time but a calming one.

Anon couldn’t help but chuckle at this.

“Well, I see you’re awake too huh Starlight?” He said looking up at her. Starlight’s eyes widened out of shock just as he expected. “That is your name right, on your collar?”

He pointed to the tag of her collar. Looking down her eyes beamed at the tag before taking it in her hoof studying it—that is until a rumbling growl from her belly distracted her.

“Looks like someone’s hungry.” Anon said, stepping out of bed, with Starlight hopping off landing on her hooves.

“Come on, let’s get you something to eat.”

He slipped into his house slippers whilst tying his robe around his waist, while making his way down the stairs, Starlight following behind him. On the way downstairs he thought ‘It’s a good thing I’m on my day off. I need a break from that damn office.’

Anon shook his head as memories of constant calls from trolls, clowns, and pranksters would call him more than ten times. On his day off from work though Anon would take advantage of his time by doing what little "research" he could of other sentient creatures from other worlds appearing in his, but he’d have come to no conclusions unfortunately. Anon still has no idea why she is here, or how she got here in his world. Part of him still wonders while the other cares not why or how. Each day with her has been the most amazing time of his life.

Knowing of her existence he knew from day one he had to keep her safe from the public, including his own friends and loved ones. He feared the worst of how the world would react if they come to find out that unicorns are real. Especially the government, Anon thought to himself. He didn’t want to think about what they’d do if they learned of her existence. So for her sake, he keeps her at home with all the blinds on the windows closed.

While Anon was occupied flipping pans, Starlight sat in the living room, her eyes focused on the television. None of the channels were of any interest to her as she kept changing each one. She was gonna persist until she saw something that stopped her in her tracks, then a woman appeared on the screen. Her hair was tied down to a ponytail and her eyes were hazel with a bit of green to their beauty. She wore a nice red suit with long sleeves, her skirt reaching down to her knees, and black heels. The reporter raises the microphone, clears her throat and begins her monologue.

“Breaking news! We got strange reports of an unknown creature roaming around town; people believe it’s just a hoax, someone pulling a prank, while others think it’s something else.”

The lavender unicorn started to get worried. She thought she was playing safe and hidden. How could this happen? Who could’ve seen her?!

Anon heard this from earshot but kept his eyes on the pan as he cooked. “Try not to worry too much Starlight; the whole world doesn’t know whether you’re real or not. It’s better to keep it that way and that you don’t go out during the day.”

Starlight slowly nodded, agreeing to what he told her.

“So let’s not dwell on this too much. Here come get your breakfast.” Said Anon. Starlight got up on all fours and headed to the kitchen. When she entered her face was slapped by an up-most delightful smell. Her snout sniffed the air turning from side to side; and when it landed on the kitchen-counter she found the source. In her sight was a plate filled with triangular-cut shaped pancakes with syrup dripping all so slowly on top. With a bonus three pencil-size sausages sat together besides the pancakes. ‘Am I in heaven?’ She thought to herself.

“Okay here you go, hope you like it.” The anonymous man knelt before the lavender when he said this; and when she turned to her left to look down at the plate, her satisfaction went downhill. Unlike the delicious possession this one however was not to her liking.

“Well go on take it,” he insisted. “Come on dig in. It's a peanut-butter sandwich. I promise you’ll love it.”

Starlight looked up at Anon. Her expression transforming from calm to a stern look.

“Oh! You’re wondering why you’re having this for today? Well I didn’t have enough to make another batch of pancakes because we’re all out; I could’ve gone out to the supermarket to buy more but it's Sunday, the stores are closed during sunday.” Anon explained while gesturing his hand in a circular motion. Starlight out of anger turned her head away from the food before her. Out of all the food she has to eat this?!

”Come on, just eat the sandwich Starlight.” Said Anon persistently.

Starlight shook her head calmly.

“Yes.” Said Anon.

She disapprovingly shook her head.

“Yes!” Shouted Anon.

She violently shook her head.

When he saw this a vein could be seen on the left of his forehead; he could feel it arising however he kept his cool and pointed.

“Okay look here, Unicorn. First; this sandwich is not that bad. Second of all; I’ll have you know my mom taught me how to make this when I was seven!” To prove his point he took the sandwich to both his hands before placing the plate on the counter and keeping eye-level with the lavender.

“Here, I’ll take a bite of it and I’ll show you it’s not that bad, trust me.” His jaw opened wide bringing the sandwich close, taking a chunk of it into his mouth. As his mouth circled in motion crunching the bits and pieces he was expecting to taste the peanut butter he had put in hummed in satisfaction then smirked at his pet mouthing out.

“See I told you. Not that bad.” However that thought soon died as his jaw began to slow down, his eyes widening, his skin radiated in a shade of purple berries. Starlight sees this and a smug grin adorns her lips.

What Anon learned that day. He didn’t follow his mother’s ingredients… properly.