At seven the next morning, Erik was sitting on the sofa in the TV studio with an expert from the zoo.
“Hi guys, it’s me, ErikTheViking, you haven’t seen me on TV before, but here’s your chance!” He grinned into the camera, but the reporter waved him off.
“Tell us a bit about when you first saw the unicorn! In the meantime, we’ll show you a clip from the broadcast in which your followers got their first glimpse of the creature two days ago”.
“Yes, well, I was the first person to record it, and it was watched by more than fifteen thousand people, and I thank all my followers for that. I was just going on a picnic and I thought I’d do some prank with Mentos and Coke, but it ended up being a much bigger event,” he laughed. The reporter turned to the zoo spokesperson.
“How is the animal now? Have you managed to find out exactly what species it is, whether it really is a unicorn?”
“It really looks like we are dealing with a genuine unicorn. As you can see from the X-ray, the horn fits perfectly to the head, growing out of the frontal bone. We also tested his coat, and its DNA was completely unknown to us until now, it is not found in any database. Yes, it is a real unicorn”.” ““I just can’t believe that Mum wouldn’t let us go on TV. That dumbass was so full of himself!” Danny was absolutely furious. The whole school was talking about Erik’s TV appearance, and of course the unicorn.
“Let it go, Danny. What matters is that the unicorn is safe. How is he doing now? They said on TV that he will have a special space at the zoo. Who knows where he came from, he’s been injured, and now it’s being locked up!” The two boys looked at each other. They knew exactly what the other was thinking.
“We have to rescue him. Then we’ll let him go in the forest” Danny said.
“But his leg… He probably can’t even walk yet!” Aaron was worried, but his brother brushed him off.
“By the time we figure out what to do with him, he will have healed. And once he is healed, he will run free. It’s the only possible solution”.” ““We are pleased to report that the injury to the unicorn’s leg was significantly less severe than we first thought. He has recovered and his pen is finally open to visitors! Due to the huge interest, we can only accommodate a limited number of visitors on any given day, please bear this in mind. You can register for tickets on our website, and as a special offer, the seal show is also available at a discount for those who want to see the unicorn”.
The zoo was advertising everywhere, the city was flooded with posters and of course tourists, with everyone wanting to see the unicorn. On the day of the pen’s opening, Erik was already streaming live outside the zoo in the morning.
“A huge crowd is waiting behind me to finally see the unicorn! I’m here now because the zoo management was so nice, since I was the first one to catch it on video, and they are letting me in without queuing, and they are even allowing me go into the pen! Follow me, because you’ve never seen a unicorn this close up before! I’m going to pull a strand of hair out of his mane and give it away to my followers, so if you haven’t done so already, subscribe to my channel now! Oh, and don’t forget who’s king! ErikTheViking is the king!”” ““Turn it on, Aaron! Starting now!” Aaron tapped on the app icon and Erik’s face immediately appeared before the two brothers.
“That pompous idiot!” Hissed Danny. “But he doesn’t know that it’s only until midnight tonight.”.
“That’s for sure. Then the rescue operation starts. Poor unicorn, look how sad he is… I think he’s depressed”.
“It must be terrible for him, all the camera flashes and all the people. But he won’t have to put up with it much longer!” Erik was pictured posing with the unicorn. “At least he doesn’t want to ride him now! Who does he think he is?” Danny said irritably.
“And… as I promised, I’m going to tug a strand of hair out of the horse’s mane! After all, who can say they have a strand of unicorn hair in their room? Soon, one of you will be able to, because after the broadcast, I will draw lots for this unique treasure among those who make comments! So, post those comments!” Erik held the phone with one hand, grabbed the unicorn’s mane with the other and tugged out a strand with lightning speed.” ““Ouch! Why did you do that? You stupid horse.” The unicorn didn’t like Erik’s action because he took a big bite out of his hand.
“Doctor! Now!” The crowd went wild, and the TV crews tried to get their cameras closer to get a better angle on the sensation.
“You see, dear followers, I’m sacrificing my blood for you!” Erik said into his phone as he was put on a stretcher by two paramedics. “The doctor next to me is preparing the tetanus shot, but I still have a strand of the unicorn’s mane in my hand, so feel free to comment, because…”
“Turn off that phone right now, boy, we’re not playing around here,” the doctor shouted at Erik, taking the phone away from him. Followers could only see the inside of the pocket of the medical gown, but the stream did not stop.
“You are unbelievable, such young kids already addicted to your phones! You can’t put them down even for a minute. And make sure you take a good look at yourself for harassing that poor animal! What were you thinking? Put down that bundle of hair and turn your butt over here, or I won’t be able to give you the injection! Preposterous”.