Starry Eyes was lost in rapture, gazing as she was at her own reflection in the bowl of mountain spring water that Alice had fetched for her. Oh, those eyes! Those beautiful brown doe eyes, speckled with silver and fringed by thick dark lashes. She fluttered them prettily. Surely there never had been one so beautiful as she!

A rumbling sound rose from below as once more Golden Hooves thumped his golden hooves. Starry Eyes giggled to herself. Let him wait! He was always so eager. It was far more important that she gazed her fill upon the most beautiful, neigh, the most astounding visage in all of creation. That white horse from the next valley with red ribbons woven through her mane? Pah! Nothing, next to Starry Eyes.

Golden Hooves thumped his golden hooves once more. He neighed and called to her.

‘Hurry, my precious. For we shall be late.’

Excitement coursed through Starry Eyes. Of course. The trip! She giggled nervously – she had never been on a boat before. Would she see fish?. She let out a tiny botty burp and paused to breathe deep of the glorious aroma of rose petals and golden sunflowers. She tossed her mane, called to her mate, ‘Coming, my darling,’ and tossed back her head.

Bang.

‘Darling,’ called Starry Eyes. ‘It’s happened again…’

Such had been the excitement of Starry Eyes that it took them a long time to free her head horn from the stupid beam her stupid humans had put in far too low over her reflection gazing station. Starry Eyes knew they would have done it quicker only Golden Hooves had kept on stopping to neigh and complain that they were sure to be late. The invitation had been quite clear about the date and time, and it had said – twice – in block letters – THE BOAT WILL NOT WAIT.

But Starry Eyes was unconcerned. Not wait for unicorns? Ridiculous.

Despite her achy knee, Golden Hooves made them gallop painfully fast down the hill to the bottom of the valley where the old man was creating his big ship. Starry Eyes paused to gawp at a pair of woolly mammoths that had managed to both get their silly tusks tangled in the dense forest vegetation. Golden Hooves nudged her with his own horn to spur her on, and it worked, for a moment, before Starry Eyes stopped to stare once more. A pair of sabre tooth tigers had attempted an easy kill, and now both of them were trapped as well, their stupid long teeth tangled in the mammoth’s disgustingly matted fur.

Starry eyes went suddenly wide with surprise as Golden Hooves nudged Starry Eyes with his horn once more. ‘THE BOAT WILL NOT WAIT!’

They galloped, and moments later they crested the brow of the hill and gazed down into the valley below. It was strange to see it so full of water. But where was the boat? Nothing remained except a deep brown scar leading to the water below. A few drops of rain dared to patter across her glorious coat. Starry Eyes let out another nervous botty burp and grew calm again at the aroma of rose petals. It was fine. The boat would return. Noah would not leave the unicorns behind.