A to Z 2026 - U - Contessina’s Collection of Human Treasures

“If I had to choose one thing about humans that fascinates me the most, it’s their persistence on insistence in believing in unicorns.

“Unicorns are not real. Everyone knows this. They were conjured into existence when explorers from one part of the planet visited another, saw their first rhinoceros, and reported back what they saw, and those who heard these reports, misinterpreted them, thought they were a horse with a horn.

“Now, all of this is pretty deep into Earth lore. Humans actually love rhinoceroses, too. They have a nickname for them. They’re better known as rhinos. They obviously know horses pretty well, too. For a long time horses were their main source of transportation. Much of their terminology is still based around them. These are all things you need to know in order to understand any of it.

“And they know unicorns aren’t real. But they remain obsessed with them. Unicorns and many other imaginary creatures. They call it fantasy. It’s funny, too, because, certainly, the Vanadi had a hand in perpetuating the idea of Bigfoot. Have I mentioned that already?”

Michelangelo stared at Contessina, cocked his head.

“The Bith’Mari, maybe, they’re prone to such behavior, too. They’ve got their smerches, with their ten lucky heads, if you ever see one, which of course no one ever has. 

“I suppose it’s a good thing, to encourage belief in certain benevolent lies. Though sometimes it can be harmful.”