Maggie and the Unicorn Page 2

  ‘Then I’ll visit the nymph right after I finish feeding everyone and cleaning their stalls. She seemed pretty desperate.’

  ‘Aren’t we all?’ said Leonard. ‘Where is my breakfast?’

  Maggie hurried through her chores. She was cleaning her last stall when Bob stuck his head in and said, ‘Here, you can give the nymph this, too. I trimmed Randal’s mane. Now the water nymph can test a few things.’

  ‘Thanks!’ Maggie told him, taking the hair clippings from his hand. ‘If one thing doesn’t work, maybe another one will.’

  The nymph wasn’t near the berry patch when Maggie went back. She wasn’t sitting by the waterfall, either. However, when Maggie called, ‘Miss Water Nymph, I have something for you to try!’ a head appeared in the middle of the pool.

  ‘My name is Lily,’ the nymph said as she waded out of the water. ‘Did you find an extra piece of horn?’

  ‘No, but I did bring some other things you can try. Here’s a piece of a unicorn’s hoof and some clippings from his mane. I have no idea if either one will work. Don’t depend on them to scare off the goblins for good until you’ve had a chance to test them.’

  Lily smiled as she took the items from Maggie. ‘Thank you so much! I’ll put these out where the goblins can’t miss them and see what happens. What can I give you in exchange?’

  ‘Like I already said, you don’t owe me anything,’ said Maggie.

  ‘Nonsense!’ the nymph replied. ‘I always pay my debts. Just let me know if I can ever help you. This means a lot to me!’

  Chapter 5

  A few days later, Maggie and Nora were sitting in the kitchen mending clothes when Bob came back from a trip to the village looking worried. ‘What’s wrong?’ Nora asked as she helped him out of his jacket.

  ‘I heard a rumour that there’s an injured unicorn in the forest,’ Bob said. ‘I need a maiden to help me catch it. I asked around in the village, but the last one got married a few months ago. I don’t know what I’m going to do now.’

  ‘I can help!’ said Maggie.

  Bob shook his head. ‘You’re much too young, Maggie. We’re talking about a wild animal that can be very dangerous whether or not it’s in pain. I don’t want you to get hurt.’

  ‘But I helped you with the flying horse the other day,’ said Maggie. ‘She was good for me, and you said she was a wild animal.’

  ‘That’s true,’ said Bob, ‘but this is different. Flying horses aren’t nearly as spirited as unicorns. My mind is made up. I don’t want you anywhere near that unicorn until I’m convinced it isn’t going to hurt you.’

  ‘I’ve already touched a wild unicorn, remember? The silver unicorn put his head in my lap the first day I saw him. And he helped me in the rainstorm after Zelia kicked me out. The only time I’ve seen him act spirited was when the goblins came after me and he chased them off. He’s helped me twice now, and I don’t think he would ever hurt me.’

  ‘You’re probably right about that,’ said Bob.

  ‘If you let me help you, I’ll do exactly what you say. You can teach me everything I’ll need to know before we go anywhere near the unicorn.’

  ‘I’m not sure about this,’ Bob said, rubbing his chin.

  ‘Please?’ Maggie asked, crossing her fingers behind her.

  Although she’d known that Peter had been lying earlier, the things he’d said still bothered her. If she could truly help Bob in some significant way, she’d know that she was earning her keep.

  Bob sighed and glanced at Nora. His wife nodded and flicked her gaze at Maggie. ‘Oh, all right,’ said Bob. ‘The animals seem to really like you, including the wild ones. But you have to do precisely what I tell you!’

  Maggie’s eyes lit up. ‘Oh, I will! I promise!’

  ‘Then the first thing you have to remember is to stay calm. No sudden movements and no loud noises,’ said Bob.

  ‘I can do that,’ Maggie told him.

  ‘You’ll sit where I tell you to and stay perfectly still. You may have to wait a while before the unicorn shows up,’ said Bob.

  ‘All right,’ Maggie replied.

  ‘When it does, don’t move while it settles down beside you. Stroke its head until it closes its eyes. You can put the lead line on it then. Just a minute. I’ll show you how it works.’

  Bob got to his feet and strode into his bedroom. When he came back out, he held a blue and silver plaited rope. ‘Slip it around the unicorn’s neck like this, then make a knot like this. Here, practise and show me that you can do it.’

  Maggie took the line and practised until she didn’t have to think about how to make the knot and could do it without looking.

  ‘It’s a special line that I had made just for catching unicorns,’ said Bob. ‘They are very vain animals, and this lead is extra pretty. The unicorn shouldn’t mind once it sees what you put on it. When the lead line is on, you’ll stand up and walk the unicorn all the way to the stable. No one else can touch the unicorn until you put it in its stall.’

  ‘I understand,’ said Maggie. ‘When are we going to do this?’

  ‘As soon as we’ve fed all the animals,’ said Bob. ‘Leonard will never forgive us if we don’t feed him before we leave!’

  Chapter 6

  Maggie and Bob walked through the forest, making as little noise as possible. The man who had told Bob about spotting an injured unicorn had given him good directions, but Maggie hadn’t realised they were going near her old home until they were almost there. When they reached a familiar meadow near the pond where Peter liked to fish, Bob stopped and pointed at a spot on the ground.

  ‘Sit right here,’ he said. ‘Here’s the lead line. Remember, don’t make a sound.’

  Maggie nodded as she took the rope and sat down. After hiding the lead line under her, she made herself comfortable and settled back to wait. She watched the swallows, soaring and swooping as they snagged insects from the air. She watched the grasshoppers leaping from one blade of coarse grass to another. After she’d been sitting still for a while, she spotted fairies flitting between the wild-flowers. She looked up when a hawk flew overhead, screeching. When she looked down again, a palomino unicorn was watching her from the edge of the meadow. Even from that far, she could see the gash in his side and the gouges on his leg. The unicorn must have fought with something big and nasty to have injuries like those.

  Maggie scarcely breathed as the unicorn limped towards her. She didn’t move as he snuffled her hair with his lips, or as he lay down beside her and rested his head in her lap. He gazed up at her as she raised her hand ever so slowly. Moments after Maggie began to stroke his head, the unicorn closed his eyes.

  Maggie smoothed the unicorn’s forelock and caressed his head until the animal’s heartbeat slowed and she thought he might be asleep. Carefully, she drew the lead line out from under her and fastened it around the unicorn’s neck.

  Maggie knew that some people tried to catch unicorns so they could steal their magical horns. She would never help someone like that, but it made her feel good to help Bob, who only wanted to take care of the animals. After petting the unicorn one last time, she gently lifted his heavy head off her lap. ‘It’s time to go,’ she whispered and got to her feet.

  The unicorn jumped up and shook himself. Stopping suddenly, he turned his head to look at his side, as if he had just remembered that he was injured.

  Maggie held tightly to the lead line as she began to walk out of the meadow. Bob had stayed to watch over her, and she noticed him now, leading the way through the trees. The unicorn followed her as docilely as an old plough horse, his head bumping into her arm as they walked.

  They had just reached the well-trodden path that led to her family’s cottage when Maggie saw her stepbrother Peter poking a stick at something on the ground. By the time she reached him, Bob was already there, looking angry. Peter had come across a large bird that seemed to be in bad shape. Maggie wasn’t sure, but she thought it might be a phoenix at the end of its unusual life. She
was just walking up when the bird cried out and suddenly burst into flames. With a shout, Peter grabbed a bucket from the ground beside him and tossed the water on the burning bird.

  ‘No! Don’t!’ yelled Bob as the fire fizzled and went out. The bird squawked and fell over to lie in the ash-filled puddle.

  The shouts and the splashing water had startled the unicorn. He reared, striking the air with his front hooves. Maggie backed away, still holding the lead line. ‘You’re all right,’ she said in a calming voice. ‘No one is going to hurt you.’

  The unicorn screamed once before settling back on all four legs. His nostrils flared as he snorted and pawed the ground. As soon as she had calmed the unicorn, Maggie turned back to Bob and Peter.

  ‘Why did you do that?’ Bob asked Maggie’s stepbrother.

  ‘What, save its life?’ said Peter. ‘The stupid bird was on fire!’

  ‘It’s a phoenix,’ said Bob. ‘It bursts into flame when it’s old and about to die and is reborn in its own ashes! Throwing water on it will put out the fire and leave the bird alive, but in terrible pain.’

  ‘How was I supposed to know that?’ demanded Peter.

  ‘I didn’t think you would,’ said Bob. ‘What I want to know is why you were poking it with a stick.’

  ‘It came after me,’ said Peter. ‘I was taking a bucket of water to my mother when that bird attacked me out of nowhere.’

  ‘I doubt that very much,’ said Bob. ‘Phoenixes are actually very shy birds and never attack anyone. You’ll have to come up with a better story than that!’

  ‘I don’t have to explain myself to you!’ shouted Peter. He turned as if he’d just noticed Maggie and the unicorn. ‘What do you have there, Mags?’

  Maggie stepped in front of the unicorn as Peter walked up, swinging the empty bucket. She glanced at Bob, who was studying the phoenix as he took off his jacket. Carefully wrapping the jacket around the bird, he scooped it into his arms.

  Maggie stumbled to the side when the unicorn bumped her. Sticking his head into Peter’s face, the unicorn opened his mouth and screamed so loudly that it made Maggie’s ears hurt. She clapped her hands over her ears and waited to see what Peter would do. The bucket clattered as it fell to the ground. A moment later, Peter disappeared among the trees.

  ‘Thank you for that,’ Maggie told the unicorn and reached up to pat his neck. The animal bumped her with his head and nickered. It looked as if Maggie had made another friend.

  Chapter 7

  After getting the unicorn and the phoenix back to the stable, Maggie and Bob spent the rest of the day caring for them. Bob washed the gashes in the unicorn’s side and legs while Maggie stood by the animal’s head, whispering calming words. ‘Bob is trying to help you, beautiful boy. We’ll have you all better in no time!’

  ‘Here, hold these,’ Bob said, handing her bandages. Smearing a salve on the wounds, he took the bandages back and used them to wrap the unicorn’s leg.

  ‘Do you have any idea what could have hurt him like that?’ Maggie asked Bob.

  ‘It was probably a troll,’ said Bob. ‘They can do a lot of damage with their claws, which are sharp and filthy enough to cause a bad infection. I just hope we got to him in time. The salve should help, but it may not be enough.’

  After making sure that the unicorn had everything he needed, Maggie and Bob turned their attention to the phoenix. The bird lay shivering on the floor of the stall where Bob had placed it. Most of its feathers had burned away. Maggie thought it looked like a singed, plucked chicken. When she knelt down beside the phoenix, it didn’t even raise its head to look at her.

  ‘The phoenix will be fine, won’t it?’ asked Maggie.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Bob. ‘I’ve never seen something like this before. All I know is, that bird has to get stronger than it is now before it can transform in the fire.’

  Maggie frowned and turned back to the bird. ‘What do we need to do to help it?’

  ‘Make it as comfortable as we can and hope for the best,’ Bob replied. ‘I have another salve that will ease the pain, but I don’t know if it will be enough to save a phoenix in this condition.’

  The phoenix made weak little sounds as Bob coated it in the salve and poured a thick liquid down the bird’s throat. ‘I’d like to stay here for a while, if you don’t mind,’ said Maggie.

  ‘That’s a good idea,’ Bob replied. ‘Let me know if either of our patients takes a turn for the worse.’

  Bob was on his way out of the door when Maggie sat down beside the phoenix. Taking her journal out of her pocket, she opened it at one of the pages she’d already started.

  Chapter 8

  Maggie stayed with the injured animals until Bob came out for the evening feeding. When they had finished, he turned to Maggie. ‘You need to come in now,’ he said. ‘Nora is making a special supper for us. She knows how hard you’ve been working.’

  ‘I’d like to stay out here to watch over the phoenix and the unicorn a little while longer, if you don’t mind,’ said Maggie. ‘They’re both hurting and –’

  Bob shook his head. ‘Neither one will notice if you leave now. Come inside, Maggie. Your supper will get cold.’

  ‘Did you tell Nora about the phoenix?’ Maggie asked as she followed him from the stable.

  ‘I did,’ said Bob. ‘I also told her how worried you are. I know you care for the animals, but you can’t let yourself get too attached to them. If they don’t get better, well, they won’t be around much longer. And if they do get better, we’ll release them into the forest. Either way, they won’t be here for long.’

  ‘I know,’ said Maggie. ‘I suppose it’s just that I wanted to make them feel better. I hate knowing that they’re suffering.’

  ‘You’ve already made a difference,’ Bob told her. ‘Neither one would be here if it wasn’t for you. And since they arrived, you’ve taken excellent care of them both.’

  Maggie sighed. ‘If only I could do more.’

  They went inside for a delicious supper of baked trout, fresh peas and salad. Nora had made three-berry pie for dessert. Maggie was eating her second big piece of pie when there was a sharp knock on the door. She started to get up to answer it, but Bob gestured for her to sit down again.

  ‘Unexpected visitors after dark are never a good thing,’ he told her. ‘It could mean that an animal is hurt … or worse.’

  ‘What could be worse than an injured animal?’ Maggie asked Nora as Bob went to the door.

  When the door swung open, Zelia and Peter were standing outside.

  ‘That!’ Nora whispered.

  Zelia shoved Peter inside before Bob could close the door. She stepped in after him and scowled at Bob. ‘We’ve come for our share,’ she announced.

  ‘Your share of what?’ asked Bob. ‘If you mean the three-berry pie, I’m afraid we’ve eaten most of it.’

  ‘I’m talking about the money you’ll get for selling the unicorn!’ said Zelia. ‘Peter tells me that Maggie helped you catch one today. Everyone knows that people get a lot of money for a unicorn.’

  Maggie jumped to her feet. ‘We didn’t catch that unicorn to sell it! We caught it to tend its wounds and help it get better!’

  Zelia’s face turned red as she took another step into the room. ‘You’re lying again! You want to sell that unicorn and keep all that money for yourselves. We’re your family and we deserve that money!’

  ‘Maggie doesn’t lie,’ Bob said, his voice cold. ‘We brought that unicorn here because it was hurt. It isn’t for sale! Besides, you stopped deserving anything from her the day you kicked her out of your cottage during a bad storm. Now get out and don’t come back!’

  ‘This isn’t right,’ shouted Zelia. ‘You owe me that money!’

  ‘Out!’ Bob roared.

  ‘You haven’t heard the last of this!’ Zelia cried even as she backed away.

  ‘Oh, yes I have!’ Bob said, slamming the door behind Zelia and Peter. He came to sit at the table again, and tur
ned to Maggie. ‘I am going to pay you for what you did today, but I wasn’t going to tell Zelia that.’

  ‘You don’t have to pay me for anything!’ said Maggie. ‘I would do any work you ask of me without being paid. You’ve given me a home and a family, which is more than enough. I’m just sorry that Zelia showed up again like that. She has no right to bother you.’

  ‘The only thing that bothers me is that she won’t leave you alone,’ said Bob. ‘That woman shouldn’t even be talking to you!’

  Chapter 9

  Maggie didn’t sleep well that night. The things Zelia said had upset her, and it wasn’t because she felt as if she owed her stepmother anything. It was because Zelia had once again barged into Bob and Nora’s peaceful home and demanded something that wasn’t hers. Was Zelia ever going to leave them alone?

  Zelia’s visit wasn’t the only thing that kept Maggie awake, however. She was worried about the injured unicorn and the phoenix. Their pain-filled eyes haunted Maggie every time she tried to go to sleep.

  She woke early the next morning and was dressed and on her way to the stable before anyone else was out of bed. While the unicorn looked just like it had the night before, the phoenix looked worse. It didn’t react when she sat down beside it and barely made a sound when she brushed a piece of straw off its wing. She was trying to get it to take a sip of water when Bob stepped into the stall.

  ‘Is this a boy or a girl?’ she asked him. ‘I don’t want to keep calling this bird “it”.’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Bob said. ‘The males and females look the same. We wouldn’t know unless it laid an egg. That’s something you might want to put in your journal.’