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.