My Cardboard Balcony

by Belinda Roddie "A rail spike and a horse does not a unicorn make." "I know, Aaron, but that's the closest we're ever going to get to one!" "I cannot see why it is so necessary for your friends to have a unicorn at their wedding." "Sure you can! Unicorns are fabulous. They're fabulous. End of story." "Pass me the Jack, John." "Wouldn't you want a unicorn at our wedding?" "John! Knock it off!" "God, after all the stuff we've done together, you still get queasy about a couple of jokes." "Okay, okay, sorry." "..." "..." "..." "...Okay, yes, I'd like to have a unicorn at my wedding." "See?" " If unicorns were real." "Don't ruin the magic, Aaron. All you have to do is belieeeeeve." "John." "Belieeeeeeeeve." "...

"They called you the Chosen One?" "Yeah." Arvey watched as Quinoni rolled her eyes, lighting up another stogie. "Why? Not exactly a label to be taken seriously?" "The Creeback people," Quinoni explained, "have selected seven Chosen Ones in the past forty years. At this rate, you're the platinum edition." "And the way they coo over you is just adorable," Barkelee added gleefully, raising a glass from where he was seated on a throne beside Mistress Kor.