This morning I set a winged unicorn off on her return migratory journey. If this sounds like the opening sentence of a fantasy novel, that is a coincidence, it was my lived experience this morning.

Last weekend my Hong Kong located granddaughter asked for a cuddly unicorn for her 6th birthday. An easy gift, I thought. I could easily have transferred money to her parents and they could have bought one locally. But that never seems quite right to me. A birthday gift should not, in my opinion, just be a transaction. She should receive a unicorn that I have chosen for her and it should be accompanied by a card with  messages written by her Nana and Nona. Which is exactly what she will unpack in 6 days time.

It was impossible to find a British-made unicorn. Which begins the migratory story. The unicorn I settled on was made of soft plush fabric with a rose gold horn. Oh, the choice of unicorns is extensive but her request was for a cuddly one so I ruled out glitter, sparkle and sequins. Those materials make for a very itchy and ultimately unsuccessful cuddle. My unicorn of choice was made in China just a few miles North of the border with Hong Kong. She was then shipped to a prestige toymaker in Britain who posted her to me after an electronic exchange of money.

Just one brief day in Devon and she was boxed up, with a card and posted off to Hong Kong. Her first journey from China would almost certainly have been by sea in a container and that would have taken roughly 30 days. Today she will travel by lorry and aircraft and that journey is predicted to be about 6 days.  If she becomes a favourite cuddly friend she may travel back to visit us with VV in less than 24 hours, which is why I consider her to be migratory Unicorn. I was told that a horn was essential but wings not so much. This is the exact point of me choosing our unicorn because she has wings. It makes the whole migratory fantasy more believable and in turn more magical. Grandparents who live at a distance from their grandchildren already live in a fantasy magical realm. We are not a daily reality or any practical use to our grandchildren. We inhabit a sort of untouchable imagined world for the majority of time. A similar place to the fantasy of  Unicorns. So why wouldn’t I max up the capabilities of a gifted Unicorn and make sure she has wings to travel.  Sometimes I wish I had wings of my own to visit more easily, or a winged Unicorn to carry me.

P.S 6 years ago most of the thinking adults in our family poo-pooed the very idea of unicorns. Our small people who are 6 and under have taken no notice. It seems we must follow suit.