CHAPTER 2

DOORBELL

The doorbell rang again.

“Should I … ?” I asked.

“Hmm. Well, I think it’s over,” Mom said. “That was unexpected! We never get earthquakes around here. Are you all right?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

I stayed under the table while Mom stood up and looked around. A glass jar had fallen on the ground and broken.

The doorbell rang again.

“OK, you run out back and see who needs help. Take Sassafras—I don’t want him to step on the glass. I’ll get this glass cleaned up and finish getting our milk mixture into the cooler to stay warm so we can still have our yogurt tomorrow. I should be there in just a few minutes. And Zoey? If you feel another earthquake, cover up and stay away from anything that could fall on you.”

I nodded, and Sassafras and I ran out the door.

By the time we got into the barn, the doorbell had rung two more times. I threw open the back door, stepped out, and almost slammed into a rainbow wall.

Or … whoa. Not a wall. A giant, huge, ENORMOUS rainbow hoof that filled the entire doorway.

I let out a small squeak.

I looked up, up, up, up, up. And waaaaaay up was a giant horse head with a rainbow mane and … a shiny golden horn? NO WAY. A unicorn?!?!

I cleared my throat. “Ummm, hello?”

A large booming voice called out, “HELLO. I HAVE OW. GIRL HELP?”

It was hurt! I stepped back and saw that the ginormous unicorn was holding one of its hooves in the air. Wait. Was that what caused the earthquake? If the unicorn was hopping on three legs, then …

There was a rustling in the bushes and the smell of peppermint filled the air. I looked toward the bushes as our forest monster friend Gorp popped out.

This was shaping up to be the weirdest day ever.

Gorp calmly walked over to me. “Hey, Zoey. Did you feel that earthquake?”

“I … uhhh … unicorn?” I spluttered.

Gorp looked up at the giant unicorn. “Oh, hey, little one!” Gorp cooed as he pet the enormous unicorn leg.

“Little one?” I thought.

“HELLO MONSTER. HAVE OW.”

“Oh, poor thing!” Gorp peered around at the unicorn’s raised hoof and nodded. “Aha! That’s what caused all that shaking in the forest. Zoey? Are you OK? You’re not saying much.”

“So … big,” I whispered.

“Big?” Gorp chuckled. “But he’s so small! He must be a baby.”

Wait, what? “But Gorp, he’s enormous!”

Gorp looked confused. “How big did you expect him to be?”

I felt my face flush. “I thought unicorns were the same size as horses?”

Gorp laughed really hard. “The size of a horse! Humans are hilarious! Unicorns are always gigantic, obviously.” It took him a while to catch his breath. “That was a good one, Zoey.”

I realized that Sassafras hadn’t thrown himself into Gorp’s arms yet. Weird. I looked around for him and was about to call his name when a large, booming voice interrupted me.

“GIRL HELP OW?”

Sassafras would have to wait. “Oh, I’m so sorry!” I hollered up to the unicorn. “Yes, of course. Can you show me the ow?”