“I'm sorry, sweetie,” the girl's mother sighed, “but you know full well that unicorns don't exist. They're nothing but mythological creatures made to keep the imaginations of people, moreso children, alive and active.”

          That was not what little Lorane Spencer had hoped to hear from her mother when she confronted her about the horse with one horn. She was hoping for a better answer than that — or at least a recollection that her theory about unicorns was true.

         “Oh, I understand,” Lorane replied, forlorn. “Thank you for letting me know. I'm going to go read now.” She turned and headed back to her room down the slender hallway.

          After doing her research, Lorane had come to the conclusion that the entire world didn’t believe unicorns existed. Scotland, she found out, could be the exception in this case, but that would require further research.

          She wondered why people were so hesitant to believe in anything unusual. It isn’t like these creatures are harmful to people, are they?

          Lorane grabbed her favorite book, Horses Through the Ages, and flipped to the bookmarked page: Fact or Myth, are Unicorns real?

          “According to scientists,
          unicorns are creatures that
          have no physical connection to
          the world around us. They are
          thought to be figments of
          imagination towards children’s
          insight awareness.

          “Furthermore, by having such
          originality, we have discovered
          that children are more
          receptive to things that are
          usual or can't be explained.

          “It has been, in our experience
          in countless hours of conducting
          studies, that the more grown-up
          a child gets, the less they are to
          believe in things that they once
          might have — such as the
          unicorn.

          “However, they say that if
          unicorns did exist, there is
          bound to be a map of some sorts
          with an exact location to where
          they reside. Though, if one were
          to believe in unicorns, they
          would be able to find them
          without any need of a
          make-believe map.”

          Lorane read over these words more than ten times — taking them in with each breath she took. She needed to prove the words, and those that write them, wrong. They couldn't dismiss the most majestic creatures ever without a substantial amount of proof; it wasn't right.

          I need to leave this place and find the map that the book mentioned. Lorane thought to herself. It shouldn't be too hard, right?

          After reading what was in Horses Through the Ages, she packed up a few things she figured she'd need for her adventure; a couple changes of clothes, some snacks (her favorite of wheat crackers, carrot sticks, and hummus), a compass - you never know when you'll need one -, Horses Through the Ages, and a journal to write down all her findings along the way.

          “I should bring along some coins as well,” she mused aloud to herself. “You never know when you'll need to buy emergency supplies.”

          Satisfied with her packed items, she sat her bag to the side and crawled into bed — excited for the day ahead.