The Unicorn and the Whore

People are always writing stories about unicorns and virgins. I thought it would be interesting to invert that relationship.

So in this story, the two characters of the title became a prostitute who wanted to leave that life behind by fleeing into Central Park, and the runaway merry-go-round horse she meets there who dreamed of being a unicorn. Don’t worry—it’s a playful tale with a happy ending:

“And she was a virgin. And he was a unicorn.”

I hope telling you that doesn’t spoil things for you too much should you happen to track this story down.

The story appeared in the Winter 1982 issue of Space and Time.