Chapter 6

The road led straight to the castle’s drawbridge. Maggie didn’t want to go into the castle, so she turned onto a dirt path. Somewhere nearby there had to be a stable for magical animals. She was sure that her grandmother wouldn’t have made up a story like that if there wasn’t one.

Maggie passed a garden filled with blooming roses. Then, she passed a blacksmith shoeing a horse. She walked by a kennel where dogs barked at her. Neither the horse nor the dogs looked magical, though.

Finally, Maggie spotted an oddly shaped building. It looked like a cottage in the middle with two long buildings stuck on either end. Smoke came out of a chimney in the middle. Strange noises came from either end. Something growled. Something squawked. Something whinnied. Something bellowed. Something roared.

“Hold still so I can pick this stone out!” grumbled a man. “And stop leaning on me. I’m not your leaning post!”

Maggie crept to the door of the stable and peeked inside. An old man was holding a white unicorn’s hoof with one hand and using a tool to dig out a stone with the other. The unicorn snuffled the man’s head. When the stone popped out of the hoof, the man let go and stepped back.

The unicorn saw Maggie and nickered. The old man turned around.

“Who are you?” asked the man.

“I’m Maggie,” she told him. “Are you Bob the Stableman?”

“I am,” said the man. “Have you come to see me or my animals?” Taking the unicorn by its halter, he led it to a stall and shut the door.

“You,” said Maggie. “I need your help. This little horse is hurt. See!” She held out her cupped hands and opened her fingers.

The man came closer to see what she held. “You caught a horsefly! That’s very difficult. How did it get hurt?” he asked.

“I didn’t mean to hurt it,” said Maggie. “It was tickling my ear and I brushed it off too hard, I guess. I walked a long way to bring it here. Can you help it?”

“Yes, but you’ll have to leave the little horse with me,” said the man. “I’ll take good care of it for you.”

“I feel awful about it,” said Maggie.

“Don’t be upset,” replied Bob. “It’s not your fault. The wings on tiny horses are very delicate and can break easily. It was good of you to bring it to me.”

Maggie was relieved. After walking all that way, it would have been awful if Bob hadn’t been able to help. She didn’t feel quite so bad about the little horse now either, knowing that Bob would help it.