Language Barrier
The unicorn speaks a single word. It sounds half like a neigh but the sound pattern is somewhat different.
The other unicorn looks at you for a few seconds before it speaks another, different word. After a few cycles you realize the words all have different sounds and patterns. Sounds like your new friend (?) is going through a list of languages or something. Better pay attention so you...
"Speak!"
Oops, almost missed it! You neigh softly.
"Speak?" the unicorn repeats. You nod, and he reaches behind his back to open a bag you just noticed hanging over his shoulder. He puts his left hand in and says "Engelsk."
There is a soft whoosh and a thump, and when the unicorn pulls his hand out he's holding a round gray rock in it. You somehow get a feeling the rock wasn't in the bag before he spoke...
He holds up the rock and looks at it.
For lack of better ideas you look at it too, and after a while you become aware of a soft humming that seems to come from the stone. It grows stronger and starts forming words.
"You... are... uni... corn..."
Well duh! you think, biting your tongue to keep back a snide comment in case the humming rock says something important next. It does, sort of.
"Fol... low... this... mare. She... will... show... you... magic... to... learn... our... speak."
Mare? She? You look curiously at the unicorn, who blushes slightly. Looks like a male to you, but what do you know? Maybe it's a recorded message and he got his hands on the wrong one. Yeah, that sounds like a theory. Thinking back you recall how he raised his eyebrows and rolled his eyes at the sound of the two words.
You start smiling back at your would-be guide, but find that he has already bagged the talking rock and walked off without looking back, as if taking it for granted that you'll follow.
Learning the language sounds like a good idea but surely there must be other ways to do that? Of course not being able to speak your own mother tongue may make it a bit harder...
Written by Won-Tolla on 13 June 2007
