Once upon a time, in a mystical forest filled with sparkling streams and towering trees that whispered secrets, lived a little unicorn named Luna. With her shiny white coat and a sparkling silver horn, she was loved by everyone who encountered her. However, Luna had a secret—she was rather scared of many things.
Every night, as stars twinkled in the sky above, Luna would glance up and wish she could be brave like her friends. Her best friend, Tilly the rabbit, always reassured her, saying, “Luna, it’s okay to be scared sometimes. Just believe in yourself.” But Luna was often unsure.
One sunny morning, the forest animals were in a flutter. Charlie the squirrel bounded to Luna and exclaimed, “Oh Luna, Tilly needs your help! She was outside playing and has got into trouble with a dragon!”
“A dragon?” Luna gasped, her bright green eyes wide with fear. “I don’t know if I can do it. What if he burns me with his awful breath? What if he chases me down the street and eats me for lunch?”
“Now, now, calm down!” Charlie said quickly. “You can do it, I promise! Remember how you helped me last winter? You can do this!”
“But…”
“You don’t have time to be scared right now, go!” Charlie urged and darted off.
Luna took a deep breath and blinked back her tears. “Okay,” she murmured to herself, “you can do it, just believe in yourself.”
So, off she went, galloping through the mystical forest. The trees and flowers cheered her on, and soon she arrived at Tilly’s house. More woodland animals were there, all huddled in a frightened group just outside her door. “The dragon wants to eat Tilly,” whispered a voice from the crowd. “We can’t just leave her!”
Luna felt her heart beating in her chest. She had to help her friend. She stepped up and proclaimed, “I’ll do it. I’ll go and rescue Tilly!” The crowd gasped.
Then, as if by magic, the dragon slowly appeared from the clouds above. He had a broad grin, and for a moment, he seemed quite friendly. But when he saw all the woodland animals standing together, his expression turned angry. “Oh, rats!” cried the dragon. “My snack has vanished! And what is this? More animals for me to gobble up? I’m feeling more and more hungry! A unicorn should taste delicious!”
“Run!” the animals shouted, and they all fled, leaving poor Luna all on her own.
Luna felt frozen with fear, but when she heard a tiny voice saying, “Run Luna, run!” she darted down the street as fast as her feet could carry her, with the roaring dragon in hot pursuit. She dashed through fields until she reached a river, but the dragon swooped down over her.
“Now which way will you go, my little unicorn?” asked the dragon, hovering just above her.
Suddenly, she had an idea! “How about a riddle contest? If you can’t answer my riddle, you let me go!”
The dragon frowned. “Are you speaking to me?”
“Yes! You flew over me when I was just a little way off, so you must have heard me,” she said.
“What’s a riddle?” asked the dragon, sounding confused.
Luna explained what a riddle was, and how it worked. “Ah, this sounds fun! I will play,” the dragon said. And Luna asked her first riddle, but alas, the dragon answered correctly.
“Now I will ask you a riddle,” he said. “Two in a corner, one in a room, none in a house, what am I?”
“Oh that is very simple!” cried Luna. “The letter R!”
Again, the dragon could not be tricked, and in a huff, heasked another riddle of Luna: “What is at the end of a rainbow?”
“Oh that riddle is as easy as winking!” she laughed. “The letter W, of course!” And the dragon scowled and looked angrier than ever.
“You are a mildly clever unicorn, but I think I shall just eat you up and be done with the riddles!” And he got his mouth ready to take a big snap at Luna, when she suddenly cried, “Oh wait, oh wait!”
“We shall try again,” said the dragon, when he understood it was a holiday, but to this day, the exact words of the riddle have never been learned. And guess what, the answer was right—undoubtedly right!
But the dragon was too proud to give in, and you may depend on it, he snapped up Luna for his dinner then and there!
But to this day, every night, when our eyes are turned towards the sky, we can see Luna shining down on us, her happiest companion Tilly staying with her always, and they are called “The Unicorn and the Rabbit” by everyone everywhere.
And there, dearest little children, there is the whole truth of the matter. Never once did the dragon give in, often he came to rove over the forest a second time, but the animals were too clever for him, for he never succeeded once in capturing Luna.
And now, once and for all, do believe what I have told you.