Chapter 4

Maggie got up early the next morning to pick more raspberries for the tiny horses. Yesterday she’d seen a berry patch on the way to the waterfall, and she thought she’d go there for a change. The berries were ripe and juicy, and in minutes her basket was almost full.

She had just popped a berry into her mouth when she saw a green-skinned girl with water lilies tucked in her long green hair stepping out of the woods. Maggie knew right away that the girl was a water nymph.

‘You’re the girl who visited my waterfall yesterday, aren’t you?’ said the nymph. ‘You’re the one who chased off the goblins with something you held in your hand.’

‘Yes,’ Maggie said slowly.

‘What was that? I ask only because I need something to chase the goblins off, too,’ the nymph continued.

‘It was the tip of a unicorn’s horn,’ Maggie told her. ‘Goblins are afraid of unicorns because they can get rid of poison. There’s a lot of poison in goblins.’

‘I didn’t know that,’ said the nymph. ‘I have to ask, do you have an extra piece of unicorn horn that I could use? I’d be happy to give you something in exchange.’

‘I don’t have any extras,’ Maggie confessed. ‘But even if I did, you wouldn’t have to pay me for it.’

‘Oh,’ the nymph said, looking distressed. ‘I was so hoping you had something you could give me. Those goblins come by every day, and I have to hide underwater until they leave. I really wish I had a way to scare them off like you did.’

Maggie dropped one last berry in her basket before saying, ‘I’ll see what I can do. The tips of unicorn horns grow back after they break off. There’s always a chance I’ll find another.’

Hurrying back to the stable, Maggie began looking for Bob. She found him in the kitchen with Nora, finishing a last cup of tea before starting his morning chores.

‘I saw a water nymph in the woods today,’ Maggie said as she set the basket filled with berries on the kitchen table. ‘She wanted to know if we had any more pieces of unicorn horns. She’s afraid of the goblins and they keep going back to her pool under the waterfall.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Bob said, shaking his head. ‘I don’t have any to spare.’

‘Would you mind if I looked in the unicorn’s stall? Maybe there’s one in the straw on the floor.’

‘Go right ahead,’ said Bob. ‘You might want to tie Randal in the aisle of the stable while you look, though. He can be very grumpy.’

‘Thanks!’ Maggie said and gave him a kiss on the cheek. As she turned to go back to the stable, she caught a glimpse of the look Bob gave Nora. It was a pleased smile that made Maggie smile too.

Randal was the only unicorn living in the stable at the moment. Years before, Bob had found him caught in a hunter’s trap, with his leg too badly injured to save. Bob had made him a peg leg, which helped the unicorn get around but gave him a very odd gait. When Maggie led Randal out of his stall, the clop, clop, thump!, clop made Leonard stick his head over his own stall door.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked. ‘You should be feeding me, not fooling around with old Twinkle Toes.’

‘I’ll get your food in a minute,’ Maggie told him as she tied the unicorn’s lead line to a hook on the wall. ‘I’m just looking for something.’

Leonard watched as Maggie returned to the stall with a pitchfork to sift through the straw. ‘Hey, if you’re looking for something, I’ve got plenty for you to find in my stall!’

Maggie laughed. ‘I’ll clean your stall later. I’m trying to see if there are any broken-off tips of Randal’s horn in the straw. I met a water nymph who could really use one. What’s this?’ she asked, picking up something hard and curved. ‘Do you think the trimmings from unicorn hooves might work to scare off goblins?’

Leonard’s head disappeared from above the stall as he returned to check his still-empty feed pan. ‘If I say “yes”, will you feed me now?’

‘Never mind,’ she said, tucking it in her pocket. ‘I’ll ask Bob.’

‘I have no idea,’ Bob said when he came to the stall a few minutes later. ‘I suppose it’s worth a try.’

‘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!’