The Magic Unicorn
Once upon a time, in a small town in Spain, there lived a farmer who had three sons: Alberto, Dominic, and Pedro. The farmer had grown old and found it impossible to work anymore, so he decided to call his sons to him.
— My savings are almost gone. Hard times await us, for the mayor expects a drought. I ask you to go to the capital and find work. — Of course, Father. Dominic and I will leave early tomorrow. — What about your youngest brother, Pedro?
Hearing this, the two brothers began to laugh.
— Ha ha ha! Father, do you really think Pedro is capable of doing anything? — Why not? I want to help my family too. — Stop it! We don't need you to stay with us. — Pedro will go with you. That is my command. All three of you will find work and return in a month.
The Journey to the Capital
Saying this, the farmer went to his room. The next day, the three brothers arrived in the capital and began to look for work. A rich merchant, who was looking for strong workers, hired them on the spot.
— Here's how we'll do it. You will help me load and unload sacks from the factory day by day, and I will pay each of you 300 silver coins a month. In addition, each of you will receive a horse for transport.
The brothers rejoiced and immediately agreed. While Pedro worked hard, his two older brothers teased him and made him do their work too, while they sat and relaxed. In the evening, when they returned to their rooms, the older brothers would sit and eat together, joking and talking about the day, while Pedro was forced to eat alone in the kitchen.
Cornel the Unicorn
Things went on like this for a month, then one day, the merchant called the three brothers to him.
— I am very pleased with your work, chicos. Here is your payment. — Gracias, señor. — No, don't thank me yet. Let me show you something else.
The merchant led them to his stable, and the brothers were amazed.
— Wow! That means... — And, the promised means of transport. Choose a horse each.
Alberto and Dominic chose the fittest stallions from the herd. However, Pedro set his eyes on an animal that didn't quite look like a horse.
— That's the one! — And, a unicorn! — Will you give it to me?
Hearing this, the two older brothers began to laugh.
— Ha ha ha! — Are you sure, son? Usually a young man like you prefers to ride a horse, not a unicorn. And this one is weak and fragile. — I want a horse that looks like him. — I want a horse that looks like him! — Yes, I'm sure. — Very well then, you can take your horses. Don't forget to return to work in two weeks. Adios!
The Unicorn's Warning
On the way home, Alberto and Dominic laughed at Pedro and his unicorn for a while. Then they galloped off.
— You'll tell Dad about your stupid decision. See you in two days!
As Dominic and Alberto rode away, Pedro sighed, while his unicorn trotted along.
— Oh, alright. Wow, I don't even know your name. — Cornel, my name is Cornel.
When he heard the unicorn speak, Pedro almost fell out of the saddle.
— What? Did you just... — Don't worry, I'm harmless and magical. — Am I... am I dreaming? — Not at all, no, my friend, you are wide awake. Finally, I can talk to someone. Gosh, I've been waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for someone to hear me. — Wait a minute, you understand me? You can hear me? Amazing! Hooray! — What? Never mind. Let's talk about something fun. How old are you? Wait, what's your favorite fruit? No, what's your favorite season? Mine is... — Stop it! I'm starting to think animals don't talk without a serious reason. — Hey, chico, I'm not like other animals. I have the power of a sixth sense that I've developed over the years, and I can tell you right now that your brothers are in danger. Danger! Danger! — What? Danger! I know how to spell it. I wanted to know what kind of danger. — No-no-no, I won't tell you anything until you admit we're friends. — Friends. — Perfect! We're friends. Best friends. Best friends forever. — What? Will you tell me about my brothers? — They're mean. — I know that. Tell me what danger awaits them.
The Witches
Thus, Cornel said that the road Alberto and Dominic had taken to get home passed by a shack, where two sisters lived. They were witches disguised as beautiful women, to lure the two brothers, kill them, and take their horses and money.
— You know all this thanks to your sixth sense? — No, actually, I heard the merchant talking about this road many times. He calls it the deadly shortcut. — Oh dear, we must help my brothers. Let's go, please. — I don't understand why we have to help them. They're mean to you, just like the horses are to me. — Because, if it's an eye for an eye, everyone ends up blind. — Eye? Now we're talking about eyes. — Cornel, you have to help me, friend. Please. — Friend? Did you just call me friend? Friend? — Yes, friend. Can we move faster now? — Move? You mean fly? — What? Hold on tight! Buckle up, friend! We're off! — Wow!
Saving the Brothers
Meanwhile, as Cornel had predicted, Alberto and Dominic had been lured by the witches and were now in their shack by the lake. The two brothers were enchanted by their beauty.
— So, you're sisters? — Yes, my name is Lara, and she is my sister, Nina. — I'm Alberto, and he's Dominic. — You must be hungry. How about you cool off, and then we eat? — Of course!
Just as the brothers sat down at the table and were about to take their first bite, they heard a loud noise outside.
— Wow! Sorry! Pedro! — Is everything alright, huh? Who is he? — He's... never mind. He's a guy I met once. — Ha! I told you, these boys aren't worth it. Remember, an eye for an eye. — No, absolutely not. — Is he talking to the horse? What a strange guy! What a strange horse! — No problem. Come inside. — Hey, get out of here! Brother, wait! These aren't beautiful maidens, they're witches!
Pedro went towards his brothers, while the witches looked at each other for a long moment.
— What? What nonsense are you saying? Sir, that is a great insult! — Seriously? Then how about you look at my brother and say: "Abracadabra"? — Fool! You've made our job easier.
Nina looked at Lara and both grinned.
— Do you trust me? — I... I... I... — Good. Then look me in the eye. Abracadabra! Abracadabra!
Alberto's and Dominic's eyes suddenly widened, and in a flash, both turned into frogs.
— Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit, ribbit! — No! — Ha ha ha! Now it's your turn. Look me in the eye. Abracadabra! — What? What? Abra... cadabra! What? Abra... ca... — Wait, hold on, hold on, don't bother. There's no need to keep saying abracadabra, cadabra, cadabra. — He! He's talking! — Yes, unfortunately. — Why didn't our spells work on you? — Because I took care of it. Now I'll take care of... Dabracadabra, cadabra, dabracada... — And in a flash... — No, alright, dear storyteller. We've got this. We have two frogs and what are these? — Frog-witches. — Thank you. What? You too? You know magic too? — I've been talking to you for so long and you didn't expect that? Where do you think I knew your brothers took the shortcut? No, anyway. These are your brothers, little frogs. Take them with you and let's go. — What about the witches? Do we just leave them here like that? — I really don't understand you. Are you worried about them? — Cornel, an eye for an eye. — Alright, that's enough. Hey, frog-witches! I mean, witches. You will transform back into the beautiful maidens you were this morning and forget all about spells and evil deeds. Poof! Done! — May I continue? — Yes, you may continue.
Family Reunion
Thus, Pedro and Cornel took the frogs and flew to the farmer's house.
— Yeehaw!
When they arrived, Cornel transformed the frogs back into Pedro's brothers. Alberto and Dominic, once again human, realized how mean they had been to their brother and asked for his forgiveness, embracing him tightly.
— We're so sorry, little brother. Forgive us. We're so sorry, little brother, please forgive us. — We're brothers. We take care of each other. Let's forget everything that happened and not tell Dad everything about what occurred. — Alright, little brother. Alright, little brother.
The farmer was happy when he saw his sons again, but he was even happier when he saw that the three brothers lived together joyfully, while their father stayed home and took care of the garden.
As for Cornel?
Remember, if it's an eye for an eye, everyone ends up blind.
— What does that mean? I have no idea, I have no idea.
