Wait, did you hear that? It sounded like tiny hooves clicking on the backyard fence! Olivia, with her bright smile, stopped brushing her teeth for just a second to listen. She loved her backyard in Los Angeles. It was full of surprises, especially at night when the moon made everything look magical.
"Jacob, did you hear that?" she whispered to her furry, 54-year-old pet goldfish, who was happily swimming in his bowl.
Jacob, always hungry, flicked his tail and blew a bubble. "Maybe it's someone bringing me snacks?"
Olivia giggled. "It could be anything! Maybe it's a fairy," she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She loved fairies just as much as she loved animals, and sometimes she even pretended she could talk to them, just like she talked to Jacob!
Remembering her mom always said to brush every corner of her mouth, Olivia went back to brushing her teeth, making her toothbrush zoom back and forth like a train. "One, two, three… ten!" she counted for each corner, making sure her smile was sparkly clean.
Suddenly, the clicking sound came again, closer this time! Olivia peeked out the window. The moonlight glinted off something… was that a horn? She gasped. Standing in the middle of her backyard was a beautiful unicorn! It was pure white, with a long, spiraling horn that shimmered like a rainbow.
Olivia threw on her slippers and raced outside. The unicorn dipped its head, its horn casting dancing lights on the grass. Olivia had never seen anything so beautiful!
"Hello?" Olivia whispered, taking a tiny step closer.
The unicorn lifted its head and whinnied softly. It sounded almost… sad?
Olivia, remembering how she could talk to animals, took a deep breath. "Hi," she said, a little louder this time. "Are you okay?"
The unicorn blinked its big, dark eyes and whinnied again, this time even sadder.
"What's wrong?" Olivia asked, her brow furrowing with concern. She wanted to help!
The unicorn lowered its head and pointed its horn at its mouth. Then, it made a face, a sad, horsey face.
Olivia tilted her head. "Does your… tooth hurt?" she asked.
The unicorn nodded sadly.
"But… unicorns don't have teeth," Olivia said, confused.
The unicorn shook its head vigorously and pointed its horn at its mouth again. This time, it opened its mouth wide, and Olivia gasped. Instead of teeth, the unicorn had…sparkly gemstones lining its mouth! And one of them, right in the front, was dull and gray.
Olivia's eyes widened. "Your sparkling tooth!" she exclaimed.
The unicorn nodded sadly.
Olivia knew just what to do. She raced back inside and grabbed her toothbrush and toothpaste. She even grabbed a little cup of water for the unicorn to rinse!
Back in the backyard, Olivia carefully climbed onto a small stool she used to reach the sink. She dipped the brush in the water, then the toothpaste, and gently brushed the unicorn's sparkling tooth.
As she brushed, the dull gray gemstone started to sparkle again! The unicorn closed its eyes, a happy sigh escaping its nostrils.
When Olivia was finished, the unicorn's smile – or rather, sparkle – was brighter than ever! It nuzzled Olivia's cheek with its soft nose and let out a happy whinny. Then, with a flick of its tail, it galloped away, disappearing into the night.
Olivia smiled. Brushing teeth was important, even for unicorns with sparkly smiles! She went back inside, excited to tell Jacob all about her magical encounter. She knew this was a secret they would share forever!
