Liam sniffed the air. It smelled like popcorn and sunshine! "We're here?" he asked, his eyes big and round.
"Almost, Liam," said his mom, "This is the street market! Remember how we talked about moving? Well, our new house is just around the corner."
Liam loved his toys, especially his dinosaur Roar-y. Moving to a new house with Roar-y sounded like an adventure! He hopped out of the car, eager to see everything. The market was a kaleidoscope of colors. Red strawberries, green melons, and purple grapes lined the tables. Liam saw a fruit he'd never seen before – it was big and spiky and orange.
"What's that?" Liam asked, pointing with his little finger.
"That, my boy," boomed a friendly voice, "is a dragon fruit! Sweeter than candy!"
Liam giggled. He loved candy! He skipped ahead, his eyes darting everywhere. And that's when he saw it – a flash of white and a shimmer of rainbow colors.
"Look, Mom, a unicorn!" Liam shouted, pointing towards a stall draped with colorful fabrics.
Mom chuckled. "Those are just sparkly decorations, sweetie."
But Liam knew what he saw. It was a unicorn, just like in his storybooks, with a white coat and a magnificent spiral horn on its head. It winked at him, and Liam knew it was real.
Later that day, settled into his new room, Liam couldn't stop thinking about the unicorn. He told Sophia, his furry cat, all about it. Sophia, who was 54 years old in cat years and had seen a lot, purred and rubbed against him. She loved listening to Liam's stories.
That night, Liam dreamt of flying on the back of the unicorn, soaring over the city lights. When he woke up, he knew he had to see the unicorn again.
Back at the market the next day, Liam searched everywhere for the unicorn stall, but it was gone. Just as he was about to give up, he saw a flash of rainbow colors disappearing down a narrow alley.
He followed the trail of shimmering light until he came to a small clearing. There, in the middle of the clearing, was the unicorn! It was even more beautiful up close. It dipped its head low and nuzzled Liam's hand.
"Wow," Liam whispered, awestruck.
The unicorn touched its horn to Liam's forehead, and suddenly, Liam felt a warm, tingling sensation. He looked around and gasped. Everything was sparkling and shimmering, even Sophia, who had secretly followed him, had a faint rainbow glow around her fur!
"The unicorns are magic," a voice whispered. Liam turned to see an old woman with twinkling eyes. "They leave a little bit of their magic wherever they go, to help people feel at home."
Liam smiled. He understood. Moving to a new place could be scary, but with a little bit of magic, even a new home could feel like an adventure. And Liam, with his new unicorn friend and his trusty cat Sophia by his side, was ready to explore every inch of it.
