{"id":5143,"date":"2026-04-28T00:05:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T04:05:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/?p=5143"},"modified":"2026-04-25T11:46:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T15:46:05","slug":"x-expectations-and-regrets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/?p=5143","title":{"rendered":"X – eXpectations and Regrets"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you are just starting to read this, you might first want to go back to the beginning of this story –\u00a0 <\/span><\/i>https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/?p=5045<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

When last we met<\/span><\/i><\/a>, I had sketched out my thoughts as a storyteller, what had happened to the eight unicorn rescuers that had disappeared, and where they were being held. Now, the unicorn, Jill, Gretel, the Teeny-tiny woman, and I need to use that information and what we found to help everyone end this story.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(Part 3 of 4 of The Unicorn and Me)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

X – eXpectations and Regrets<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Inside the cave, lots of things were taking place. Tom and Will sat crying in the corner, feeling hopeless and angry at themselves for what they had done and fearful that if they didn\u2019t die from suffocation, they would be eaten by the lion or gored by the billy goats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jack asked them why they had done what they had done. Hearing their answer, they were quite surprised when Pinocchio told them the real story behind their father\u2019s condition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat fools we are,\u201d said Tom, \u201cwe should have known better.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Will added, \u201cWe\u2019re all going to die on account of our father\u2019s greed. \u201cWe should not be like him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not dead yet,\u201d\u00a0 said the lion, which surprised both Will and Tom as they did not know that animals could talk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Author\u2019s note: Remember, one of the conditions for hearing animals talk required being kind. Could Will and Tom\u2019s regret for what they had done be an indication of an attitude change?\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The lion looked at Pinocchio and was curious why Pinocchio\u2019s nose hadn\u2019t grown.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The three Billy Goats Gruff were using their horns and trying to move some of the blockage from the cave opening.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jack convinced Will and Tom to help by working on the blockage of the bolthole. Watching all the others work so well together, they willingly agreed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Gretel and the Teeny-tiny woman continued moving through the forest following the trail when they heard motion up ahead. They hid behind some trees. A young girl meandered in their direction. Gretel stepped out and asked the girl who she was and where she was going. Jill introduced herself and said that she was looking for her brothers in a cave to prevent them from doing harm to eight others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s when the Teeny-tiny woman stepped out and explained who they were.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

All three of them were in agreement. Knowing where they were going, Gretel led the way to the cave, only to discover it was completely blocked.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Blaze and I had decided to go to the cave to look for everyone, figuring that is the most likely place they would be. I leapt on Blaze\u2019s back, held on to her mane, and the next thing I knew, we were standing in front of the cave next to Jill, Gretel, and the Teeny-tiny woman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The unicorn could sense who was in the cave, and that they didn\u2019t have much air left,\u00a0 but did not have the power to remove the blockage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we only had a way to dig a hole that they could climb through and escape,\u201d said the Teeny-tiny woman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Suddenly, Gretel felt a tapping on her foot. It was the mole. \u201cI can dig a hole underneath the cave, and into it. But it would only be big enough for the Teeny-tiny woman and me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThen do it,\u201d I said. \u201cAt least that will provide them with some air from the outside, while we find a way to get in. Dig as many air holes as you can.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what they did. The Teeny-tiny woman was able to fit through the holes and found the occupants struggling to breathe. She had the mole dig another hole going around the bolthole to get more airflow, which he did, after which he continued to make air holes. Slowly, they all began to breathe a little better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

The unicorn found it difficult to stand still. She wanted to do something, but felt helpless. I turned to the others and said, \u201cWe need a way to remove the blockage faster. Do we have anything that will do that?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI could try pushing some of it away with my horn, but that will take too long. We all looked at each other, but try as we might, we could not think of another way to do it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It was then that we heard a voice. \u201cI can help.\u201d Looking up, we saw a gigantic snake slithering down from a tree. All of us backed up, except for the unicorn, who lowered her head in a defensive position, and Jill.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jill called out, \u201cWho are you, and why would you be willing to help us?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201dYou saved my child from dying,\u201d the snake said to Jill. \u201cHe promised to help you when needed. I am that help. The venom in my bite can dissolve some of what is blocking that opening.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another voice chimed in from the ground, \u201cThose in the cave are working together to remove and push some of the blockage out of the way. Working together from both sides should work,\u201d said the Teeny-tiny woman.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSo be it,\u201d said the snake.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With the Teeny-tiny woman and the mole as the communication link, all went as planned. The blockage was removed, and those in the cave were freed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I had one more card to play in this affair before I would return to my own home. Generally, folktales end with happy ever afters. You\u2019ll have to decide for yourself if this constitutes one.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After getting freed from the cave, everyone shared their stories. Clearly, Tom and Will had changed. The help and support they gave everyone in the cave was admirable, and it wasn\u2019t because they were only interested in their own survival. It was easy to forgive them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next came Druin. He was still alive when they returned. I talked with Jill, Tom, and Will and suggested that they go in first and share the story of their rescue, and what they learned, so that they could never hurt any of those involved, including the unicorn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Whether it was the fact that his children were still alive, the story that they told him, or the magic that generally comes when you learn the meaning of empathy and compassion, there was a change in Druin\u2019s heart.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When the unicorn and I entered the room, there were tears on Druin\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He said to the unicorn in a low, wavering voice, \u201cI\u2019m sorry; my greed and pride got in the way of seeing how important you are, and that you should be loved and protected, not exploited. Please forgive me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you and the others have done for my family.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The unicorn said nothing. She just walked over to Druin, touched all of his wounds with her horn, bowed to him and his family, and left.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I was taken home.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you are just starting to read this, you might first want to go back to the beginning of this story –\u00a0 https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/?p=5045. When last we met, I had sketched out my thoughts as a storyteller, what had happened to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[509,4,7],"tags":[70,510],"class_list":["post-5143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-to-z-blog-challenge-2026","category-original-stories","category-story-writing","tag-a-to-z-blog-challenge","tag-a-to-z-blog-challenge-2026"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5143"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5147,"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5143\/revisions\/5147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hdhstory.net\/Storyblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}