The Order of the Unicorn

by Suzanne Selfors

  Ben leaned over and dipped his fingers into the water. “It’s pretty warm. I wish I’d brought my snorkel.”

  A floating dock led from the platform down the middle of the pool, and there, with a bucket by her side, sat Dr. Woo. “Over here,” she called, her voice echoing off the stone walls.

  Pearl smiled. She had a ton of questions to ask, and the sooner she could get started, the more likely she’d get answers. But when she stepped onto the dock, it lurched beneath her weight. “Whoa,” she cried, almost falling over.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Dr. Woo said. “Just take slow steps.”

  Pearl and Ben struggled to keep their balance as the floating dock shifted and swayed. Pearl wanted to look in the water to see what might be swimming around, but she didn’t dare take her eyes off her feet. Luckily, her leprechaun shoes were thin enough that she was able to grip the dock with her toes.

  “We got your note,” Ben said when they finally reached the doctor.

  “Please, sit down,” she told them.

  Like her apprentices, Dr. Emerald Woo wore a white laboratory coat. She’d rolled up her pants and was sitting with her legs dangling in the pool. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders. A deep scar ran across her cheek, another down her neck. How she’d gotten them was still a mystery. Pearl intended to ask that question, but right now there were other questions bouncing in her brain like Ping-Pong balls.

  “What are we doing down here?” she asked. “What’s in the water? Should I go home and get my swimsuit? We sell flippers at the Dollar Store. Should I go get those, too?”

  “We just ate a big pancake breakfast,” Ben added. “Aren’t you supposed to wait an hour after eating so you don’t get cramps?”

  “I won’t get cramps,” Pearl said. She started to take off her leprechaun shoes.

  “Keep your shoes on, Pearl. You and Ben won’t be swimming today.” Torchlight flickered in her black eyes. “As a matter of fact, it would be extremely dangerous for either you or Ben to put any part of your body in the water.”

  “Extremely dangerous?” Ben asked, scooting away from the edge of the dock.

  “Only if you enter the water. If you stay here on the dock, you are perfectly safe.” She moved her feet in gentle circles.

  “But you’re in the water,” Pearl pointed out. “I mean, you’re half in the water. How come it’s not extremely dangerous for you?”

  “I will explain that shortly,” Dr. Woo said. “This cavern is where I treat the most deadly of the water-dwelling creatures.” Ben gulped so loud it sounded as if he’d swallowed a rock. “If we sit quietly, it will show itself.”

  Did they want it to show itself? This was another important question ricocheting in Pearl’s mind, but she didn’t let it escape. Overcome with curiosity, she sat absolutely still. The most deadly water-dwelling creature she could think of was a shark. Or an electric eel. What could this possibly be?

  They sat in silence, waiting and watching for something to change. Nothing could be seen below the surface of the dark green water, not even Dr. Woo’s legs. Ben gripped his kneecaps, his eyes darting around. Pearl tried her best to be quiet, but after a few minutes, she felt as if she might explode from boredom.

  Then a bubble appeared. And another. A string of bubbles formed, each one a little closer to the dock. “It’s coming this way,” Ben whispered.

  Pearl didn’t know what to expect. She wanted to squeal with excitement, but she clamped her jaw tight so she wouldn’t make any noise. This was worse than waiting for someone to jump out and say “boo!” Ben clenched his hands as he stared at the bubbles.

  A dark spot appeared. It was the top of something’s head, and it slowly rose from the water.

  Pearl gasped. She had no idea what she was looking at.

  Correction—she had no idea what was looking at her.

  7

  Is that a horse?” Ben whispered.

  “Of course it’s not a horse,” Pearl said. “Horses don’t swim underwater.” But then she realized that the two wet eyes looking right at her were horse eyes, on a horse face, at the end of a horse neck. “Wait a minute.…”

  “You are correct, Pearl. The creature before you is not a horse, though it is a distant relative.” Dr. Woo brought her legs out of the water and knelt on the dock. “This is a kelpie.”

  While the kelpie had a face and a mane like a regular horse, its color was greenish black, perfectly matching the water. Its skin looked smooth, like a seal’s.

  The creature swam closer. “It’s so cute,” Pearl said. She reached out, but Dr. Woo grabbed her hand in midair. “I was just going to pet it,” Pearl explained.

  “Never try to pet a kelpie,” Dr. Woo said gently.

  “How come?”

  “Because kelpies eat children.”

  “What?” The dock rocked as Ben shot to his feet. “Are you kidding?” His voice cracked.

  Eat children? Pearl took a longer look and realized that the creature’s stare was cold and calculating—the way a tiger might watch a bunny just before the pounce. Was the kelpie imagining what Pearl would look like inside a hamburger bun? Or between two pancakes? Pearl scooted away from the edge.

  “Kelpies live in lakes and rivers,” Dr. Woo explained. “Their front legs end in fins, and their hindquarters are serpent-like. They have the ability to shape-shift in order to catch their prey.”

  “Shape-shift?” Ben asked.

  “When a kelpie walks onto land in the Imaginary World, it makes itself look like an ordinary horse. Then it offers a ride to a passing child. Once the child climbs onto its back, it carries him into the depths of the lake and drowns him. And then it feasts.”

  “That’s horrible,” Pearl said, glaring at the kelpie. It glared right back. She wanted to scold it. There were lots of other things to eat—why pick on children? Do we taste good? she wondered.

  “Wait a minute,” Ben said. “How can there be children in the Imaginary World? I thought humans didn’t live there.”

  “That is a good point,” Dr. Woo said. “However, there are many beings that have children. Elves, for instance. And trolls.” She tucked her hair behind her ears. “The only way to tell a real horse from a kelpie—on land—is that the kelpie’s mane will never stop dripping water.”

  The kelpie moved past Pearl and focused on Ben. It cocked its head, watching him with a stare that could turn a dragon flame to ice. “Uh, what level is it on the danger scale?” Ben asked. He looked ready to run to the exit. “Mr. Tabby said we’d need more training before we could be around a level four.” The danger scale was how Mr. Tabby measured the creatures—one being tame, five being the most dangerous. Pearl guessed that anything that eats kids would rank a level five.

  “The kelpie is a five-plus,” Dr. Woo said.

  “A five-plus?” Ben’s voice cracked again. Pearl’s stomach tightened. She and Ben hadn’t yet met anything that was a level five. She wondered if the kelpie could leap from the water like a fish and grab her with its teeth. She balled her hands into fists, ready to defend herself if needed. No one was going to make a breakfast sandwich out of her!

  “Ben, please sit down. You’re rocking the dock.” Dr. Woo patted the planks. “The kelpie will not eat you—at least not today. It is here to get treatment for an infected fin, and it has promised to behave.” She patted the dock again. Ben looked totally unconvinced, but he sat anyway, his back as stiff as wood. The kelpie flared its nostrils and sniffed. Then it bobbed its head.

  “What’s it doing?” Pearl asked.

  “It likes the way Ben smells,” Dr. Woo explained. The kelpie sniffed again, then paddled closer.

  “You’d better stop smelling me,” Ben told the creature. He pointed his finger. “Because I am not on the menu.”

  “Actually, you are,” Dr. Woo said with a sly smile.

  Ben’s mouth fell open. Pearl gasped. “You’re joking, right?” she asked. “You just said it wouldn’t eat us today.”

&nb
sp; “In order to recover from its infection, the kelpie needs nourishment. The problem is, it has completely lost its appetite.” Dr. Woo reached into the bucket and pulled out a small fish. “Because children are a rare treat, the kelpie mostly eats fish, but I haven’t been able to coax it into having any. I thought that by bringing you here, your scent might stimulate its appetite.”

  Pearl had to think about this for a moment. “You mean like when I smell a ripe nectarine and my mouth starts to water?”

  “Exactly,” Dr. Woo said.

  “You want me to make its mouth water?” Ben cringed. Dr. Woo nodded.

  “That kinda makes sense,” Pearl said. “But I don’t understand why you’re helping something that’s so dangerous.”

  “It is not my job to judge what deserves to live and what deserves to die,” Dr. Woo said, her brow furrowed. “All creatures have the right to medical care.”

  Pearl felt bad for asking the question. But she wasn’t sure she agreed with Dr. Woo’s answer. Did a flea deserve to live after it had sucked her blood?

  The kelpie gazed coldly at Ben. “It definitely prefers Ben’s scent,” Dr. Woo said. “So if you wouldn’t mind?” She held out the fish.

  “You want me to… to…” He looked desperately at the doctor. “You can’t be serious?”

  “Of course I’m serious. I don’t have a bottle labeled SCENT OF CHILDREN, so this is the best solution I can think of. I’m lucky to have you here.”

  “Look,” Pearl said. “Its mouth is already watering.” A little string of drool hung from the kelpie’s lip.

  “But what if it bites more than the fish?” Ben asked.

  “I don’t think it will.”

  “You don’t think?” Ben frowned. “Is this how you lost your finger?”

  Dr. Woo glanced at her right hand, which was missing an index finger. “No, I did not lose my finger to a kelpie.” Then she wiggled the fish. “Please, Ben, I need your help.”

  Ben took the little fish. “What do I do?”

  “Hold it out.”

  His hand shaking, he stretched his arm out and offered the fish to the kelpie. Pearl put both of her hands over her face, watching from between her fingers. If Ben got eaten, his grandfather would be furious with Dr. Woo.

  The kelpie sniffed again. Then it pulled back its upper lip and opened its mouth. Ben squeezed his eyes shut. Pearl expected the creature to chomp down on the fish, but ever so delicately, the kelpie sucked it between its teeth. Then it swallowed the fish whole. Ben opened his eyes and lowered his hand.

  “It didn’t even chew,” Pearl said. “I get into trouble if I don’t chew. My mom says that I’ll swallow too much air and get gassy.” The kelpie burped. “See.”

  Ben fed the kelpie another fish, then another. His hand shook every time, but he kept his eyes open. “Let me try,” Pearl said, but the kelpie turned its head away, ignoring Pearl as if she were a piece of burned toast. “Hey,” Pearl said, “how come it doesn’t like the way I smell?”

  “Kelpies tend to be fonder of boys.”

  “Well, that’s not fair,” Pearl grumbled.

  “You’re upset because she wants to eat me and not you?” Ben asked. “That’s crazy.”

  Maybe so, Pearl thought. But she didn’t like being left out.

  After eating a dozen fish, the kelpie disappeared beneath the water. Dr. Woo reached into her lab coat pocket and removed her creature calculator—a device both she and Mr. Tabby used to keep track of their patients. She typed on the keypad, then read the screen. “Its energy level has improved already. I think it’s going to be fine. Good job, Ben.”

  With a proud smile, Ben carried the empty bucket as Dr. Woo led the way back up the dock. By the time they reached the stairwell, Pearl had conjured a bunch of new questions. “Dr. Woo, why do kelpies want to eat kids? Do kids taste different from grown-ups? How come they are fonder of boys? Are kelpies related to sea horses? How long do they live? If a kelpie grabs you, how do you escape?”

  Dr. Woo turned around and smiled patiently. “Pearl, your questions are important, but they are as plentiful as scales on a dragon’s back. Have you ever heard the saying ‘Quality, not quantity’?”

  “No,” Pearl said.

  “I have,” said Ben. “It means that it’s better to ask one great question instead of a hundred ordinary questions.”

  “Exactly.” The doctor folded her arms, waiting for Pearl to decide.

  “Fine.” Pearl screwed up her face. One question. “Why should I care about something that wants to eat me?”

  Dr. Woo raised her eyebrows. “Now that is an exceptional question, but one you must answer yourself.”

  Before Pearl could point out that because there’d been no answer, she should get the chance to ask a second question, a nasal voice shot out of a wall speaker.

  “Dr. Woo to the tenth floor immediately.”

  8

  A call has come in from the Imaginary World,” Dr. Woo said. “I must go.”

  Great news! Pearl thought. She darted in front of the doctor and blocked the stairs. “Can we come with you?” Torchlight flickered in the distance. The pool was calm, the kelpie still submerged. “Please?”

  “Come with me?” Dr. Woo pursed her lips. “You still haven’t been properly trained to travel to the Imaginary World.”

  “We don’t need training,” Pearl insisted. “We helped with the rain dragon. And Ben did an excellent job feeding the kelpie.”

  “I think training is a good idea,” Ben said, the empty fish bucket swinging from his hand.

  Pearl waited, watching Dr. Woo’s face. Would she say yes?

  “I’m not in the habit of taking apprentices into the Imaginary World unless it’s absolutely necessary,” the doctor said. Pearl was about to groan with disappointment when Dr. Woo added, “But you may accompany me to the tenth floor, and we shall see what is going on.”

  That sounded far better than no. Pearl scampered up the stairs, her skinny legs carrying her two steps at a time. There was still a chance to change the doctor’s mind about going to the Imaginary World. Pearl and Ben might not have to poke around in the sasquatch’s nose after all!

  It was a long trek up the stairs. Pearl had pointed out that they could use the elevator, but Dr. Woo had said that exercise was important. Ben was huffing and puffing at the halfway point. When they finally reached the tenth floor, they were greeted by the following sign:

  Because they had the doctor’s permission, Pearl ignored the sign and pushed open the door.

  A vast, empty room stretched before them. Yellow fairy dust covered the floor, remnants from the Portal, which was powered by the glittery stuff. Dr. Woo and the kids quickly crossed the room, passing a row of windows that offered a panoramic view of Buttonville. Town Hall towered above the rest of the buildings.

  An old-fashioned telephone switchboard was set up along the far wall, its operator perched on a stool. “Howdy, y’aaaaall,” Violet bleated with a wave. She wore a headset over her blond beehive hairdo. Her red dress was covered in white polka dots, and her hooves were painted to match. She was a satyress, which is a creature who is half human and half goat. She grabbed a handful of oats from a sack and stuffed them into her mouth. When she chewed, her little beard moved up and down. “How y’all doin’?”

  “Fine,” Pearl and Ben said.

  “Well, I’m just plum tuckered ooooout.” Oats flew from her mouth. “I’ve been sitting here all morning, worrying myself into a tizzy. I am fluuuuustered.”

  “What are you worried about?” Ben asked.

  “Did Mr. Tabby explain our current situation?” Dr. Woo asked her apprentices.

  “He said that a human had been spotted in the Imaginary World,” Pearl said.

  “That is correct.” Dr. Woo’s voice remained calm. “Violet is worried that the man will try to leave the Imaginary World. And if he does, there’s a chance he’ll use our Portal.” She leaned against the switchboard. “Is that why you summoned me? H
as he been seen again?”

  Violet swallowed. “Oh nooooo. It’s something else entirely. But it’s gosh darn difficult for me to make head or tail of it. You know how those unicorns are. They don’t make one bit of seeeeense.”

  “Unicorns?” Pearl cried. “Really? I love unicorns!” Even Ben smiled because everyone knows that unicorns don’t eat children.

  “Is there a message?” Dr. Woo asked. But Violet had stuck her head right into the sack. The only answer was muffled chewing sounds. Dr. Woo had to pull the oats away to get her attention. “Violet, what did the king say?”

  “King?” Pearl could barely contain herself. She started to bounce around like a jumping bean. “Unicorns have a king? Does that mean they have a queen? Can I meet them?” Ben stepped away so Pearl wouldn’t land on one of his feet.

  “I wrote down exactly what he saaaaaid.” Violet handed Dr. Woo a piece of paper. Pearl and Ben peeked around the doctor’s arms to read the note.

  “What does that mean?” Pearl asked.

  “A blessing is a group of unicorns,” Dr. Woo explained. “Only one blessing exists in the Imaginary World. If it is broken, one of its members must be missing.”

  “Hey, stop that,” Ben complained. Violet had slid off her stool and was nibbling on his sleeve. He pulled it free. She bleated, then stuck her head back into the oats bag.

  “Unicorns don’t usually wander away from their own kind,” Dr. Woo said. “The forest is full of dangers. If it’s a very young unicorn, then it might have gotten lost. Which means…” Her arm fell to her side.