Approval to Keep a Unicorn

Every girl loves a unicorn.  Six-year-old Madeline also fancied she might keep one, if she managed to catch a unicorn.  Madeline's mother, by way of entertaining the little girl’s dreams, suggested keeping a pet unicorn might come down to getting government approval.

A fair statement, that.

Soon after Madeline’s mother proposed permission may be required to keep a unicorn, Madeline handed her mother a letter she had written to the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control.  “Will you help me mail this?" the girl asked her mother.

The letter read:

"Dear LA County, I would like your approval if I can have a unicorn in my backyard if I can find one. Please send me a letter in response."

Madeline’s mother posted the letter and the query swiftly made its way to the desk of director Marcia Mayeda.  Director Mayeda responded with a letter as requested.  The letter affirmed the department does, under certain conditions, issue a license for unicorns.  Those conditions include: polishing the unicorn's horn at least once a month with a soft cloth, feeding it watermelon (one of its favorite treats) at least once a week, covering it with only nontoxic and biodegradable sparkles, and giving it regular access to sunlight, moonbeams and rainbows.

Confident that Madeline would meet the department’s requirements, Mayeda also issued a "preapproved unicorn license" in the form of a certificate on pink paper with curlicue script, as well as a heart-shaped tag engraved with the words "permanent unicorn license."

And, because unicorns "are indeed very rare to find," the department also gifted Madeline a plush unicorn to keep her company during her search, as a token of its appreciation.

—Mitchell Hegman

Source: NPR