CHAPTER NINE
The plane spun as it plummeted toward the earth.
Elliot gripped Jersey with all his might and cursed himself for getting into an airplane with a grown man who believes in unicorns. Without even getting a permission slip from his mom. Of course he was going to die now.
Uchenna was studying the dials and controls, frantically trying to figure out how to pull the plane out of its tailspin.
Professor Fauna was covering his eyes with his arms.
The forest on the side of the mountain was getting very close, very fast. Uchenna yanked on the yoke with all her might. Nothing happened. She smashed some red buttons with her palm. Nothing. She kicked the control panel.
The plane shuddered and stopped spinning. She grabbed the yoke again and pulled back. The plane’s nose rose into the air again.
“Hey!” shouted the professor. “What happened?”
“I’m flying the plane!” Uchenna crowed.
Just then, their wings clipped the tops of a clutch of trees, and the whole plane went careening, nose over tail, downward.
Everyone screamed.
“We’redyingwe’redyingwe’redying!” Elliot shouted.
And then, with a horrifying shudder, everything went still.
Elliot, Uchenna, and the professor fell silent. Jersey let out a whine. Smoke rose from the engine. The airplane’s propeller was bent like a boomerang.
“Everybody out!” Professor Fauna commanded.
They slid out of their seat belts, opened the plane door, crawled over the white painted metal, and lowered themselves, one by one, to the ground. All three of them were sweating and breathing hard. But they were uninjured. Jersey chirruped in relief.
“I can’t believe we’re alive,” said Elliot.
Uchenna inhaled. The clean mountain air was mixed with the smell of burned engine oil. They were in a grove of tall evergreen trees near the edge of a pasture. Professor Fauna removed a handkerchief from his tweed suit jacket pocket and wiped his brow. “Well,” he said, “welcome to the Basque Country!”
POP!
His eyes went wide.
“What was that?” said Elliot.
POP! POP!
“If I am not mistaken—” Professor Fauna said, his head cocked to one side, his eyes wide.
POP! POP! POP!
“Those are gunshots.”
POP!
“Hit the deck!” Uchenna cried.
They threw themselves to the ground.
“We’redyingwe’redyingwe’redying!” Elliot whimpered.
“Keep calm!” Professor Fauna said. “I’m sure it’s all a misunderstanding!”
POP! POP! POP!
“I understand gunshots pretty well,” Elliot replied. “I think they’re intended to kill us.”
“Or maybe just scare us,” Uchenna said. “They don’t seem to be hitting anything nearby.”
“Can we just tell whoever it is,” said Elliot, “that if their intention is to scare us, the gunshots are working, and I am sufficiently terrified?”
“Good idea!” the professor exclaimed. He started to get to his feet.
“What? I was kidding! Don’t stand up!” Elliot cried.
But it was too late. The professor was standing. Another shot rang out.
“Hello!” the professor called. “You have succeeded, whoever you are! We are afraid!”
The gunshots stopped.
The children waited, unable to breathe.
There was no sound in the forest but the creaking of the trees.
Elliot braced for another round of gunfire.
Then, a voice called out.
“Defende Fabulosa?”
“Protege Mythica!” Professor Fauna cried. “Mitxel? Is that you?”
A man stepped from the nearby woods. He had a long straight nose, a wispy black mustache, big ears, and he wore a black beret. “Mito!” he cried, throwing up his arms. In one hand, he held a very old-looking rifle. “Kaixo! Thank the heavens, it is you!”
“Kaixo, Mitxel! It has been too long.” (The Basque greeting sounded like KYE-shoh.)
The two men embraced.
Uchenna and Elliot stared. Jersey, who was cradled between Elliot’s body and the ground, growled menacingly.
But Professor Fauna turned around and said, “Children, may I introduce my dear friend, Mitxel Mendizabal, representative of the Unicorn Rescue Society in the Basque Country!”
Elliot said, “And the man who, just thirty seconds ago, was trying to kill us? How nice to meet you.”
“It is nice to meet you, too,” replied Mr. Mendizabal. And he sounded like he meant it.