When the rains passed, and evening was well on its way (though the sun still burned white-hot in the firmament), Little Blue lifted her head from under the scrap of newsprint and sighed.
First there’d been wildfires that’d taken out most of the forestland. Then wicked mudslides had obliterated all the mushroom rings, the white-spotted red mushrooms that always stood bravely sentinel around her peoples’ precious portals. Next, strong winds had hurled her wheeling toward the elves’ dark portal, a hollow-mouthed tree in the middle of a charming urban neighborhood.
She’d thought she was safe, but a bearded howling man followed her through, crushing her under his heavy paws. In the following tussle, elves against wolf, Blue was spit back out of the tree’s mouth, splatting on concrete, just at the heels of a red-cloaked girl that smelled of bakery. Grabbing the edge of the girl’s cape, she rode along to Granny’s.
The older woman was aware, the young girl not so much because she talked non-stop.
After the storms, after the poptarts, after the tea, after the little girl had been sent back home, Granny wrapped Little Blue in the newsprint. She called to her crow and whispered in his ear. He took off, Blue in claws, to this place of decidedly unmagical horses in a glass box, dropping her on the ground.
She’d had a bad day and slept long, but when twilight arrives, the real magic begins. Fluttering her tiny wings, she decided to explore the carousel.
© Liz Husebye Hartmann (2025)
Many thanks to Jenne Gray and C.E. Ayr for their photo prompt, THE UNICORN CHALLENGE. 02/12/2025). No more than 250 words in length.
Valley of the Trolls 
Wow! Now that what I call a tall tale! Amazing, Liz!
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True life is like that, sometimes. 😉
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I couldn’t see where to tap below….
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Oh. On the bottom of the page, there’s a “1” higlighted, and a “2” next to it. Tap the 2. Underneath the “Likes”.
Wordpress improvements, makin’ things difficult. All block editing, now…grrrr!
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thanks! I’ll try that. And yeah, God save us from any more of WordPress’ improvements! In my latest post, I couldn’t put the photo where I wanted it….
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I wish We still had Classic Editor available. Hmph!
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Aww, Little Blue… she’s running now… and up!!
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More dancing, flickering magic, Liz – delightful.
(I was taken straight to page 2 too, so appreciated the pointer.)
And sometimes, at the end of a day like that, all that’s needed is that transformational sigh…
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Thank you, Jenne!
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I think this went way over my head, Liz
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Just a fairy tale…a windblown, tumbling story that crashed into another, before settling to its perfect home base. 🧚♀️
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Oh! And with WordPress’ continuing improvements, my link may’ve taken you automatically to page 2. Sorry!
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There’s a Page 1 ?
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Yep. You can go to the main page, or click on the tiny page numbers at the bottom of the post itself. Eheu!😱
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As a favour to a chap with advancing senility, will you please make it easier next week!
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Have tried to insert a note at the end of my post page, but OY! The Gods of WordPress are periodically cranky and uncommunicative. Let’s hope they wrap and repair.
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Little Blue sighed. It always helps me to sigh after a bad day. I wish I had your imagination. I like the way you connected back to the previous Unicorn story.
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Aw thanks! And Little Blue is waving to you from the step-up to the carousel. See her shining there?
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Make sure she has a ticket.
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😉😊
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What an enchanted enhancement to this Red Riding Hood-esque story. Bravo!
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Thank you kindly, Violet!
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