The Cowboy and the Unicorn

by Kristyn Gansen

  “What if we just take the unicorn to the cave and see what happens when we come back out?” Sarah thought aloud. “She was a horse when you took her into the cave the first time, so maybe she will be a horse when you take her back out of the cave.”

  “Won’t work,” a strange voice said.

  Micah and Sarah whipped their heads around in all directions, trying to find the source of the voice.

  “Who said that?” Sarah asked, when she found no one nearby.

  “Me. Down here.”

  Sarah looked toward the ground and realized that she was standing next to another talking flower.

  “As if this place couldn’t get any weirder,” she muttered under her breath.

  “Hey, I heard that!” the flower said. “Do you want my help or not?”

  “I don’t suppose we have any other options,” the cowboy whimpered.

  Sarah agreed and motioned toward the flower with her hands. “OK, tell us what you know.”

  “What do you know about the goblins who rule this land?” the flower asked.

  Micah, Sarah, and the cowboy all looked at one another and shrugged. “Not much, I guess,” Micah said.

  “They came here to get away from the likes of you people. They don’t like children much, and they don’t like it when humans interfere in their lives,” the flower said. “That’s why they created Hogar Haven—so that they could live their lives freely without children around always chasing after them.”

  The orange flower seemed to grow as it spoke. When it started telling its story, it had reached up to Sarah’s knee, but now it was nearly as tall as her belly button.

  “We didn’t mean to intrude,” Sarah said. “We didn’t even know this place was real. We kind of found it by accident.”

  “Doesn’t matter. What matters is how you’re going to turn that horse back and get out of here,” the flower said. “Here’s what you need to do. Goblins can’t see well in the dark, so wait until nightfall. Then find one of the tall purple flowers with thin petals.”

  “Tall purple flower with thin petals,” Micah repeated to himself.

  “Yes,” the flower confirmed. “Pluck the petal from the purple flower, and say the words ‘Talaha boog’ three times like this: ‘Talaha boog, talaha boog, talaha boog.’ In goblin, it means ‘Turn me back.’ Then blow the plucked flowers toward the unicorn, and she will turn back into a horse.”

  “Talaha boog,” Micah said. “Tall purple flower with thin petals, ‘talaha boog’ three times, and blow petals. OK. I think we can do that.”

  “Wait! How do we know we can trust you?” Sarah said.

  “I guess you don’t,” the flower said. “But right now you don’t really have another choice, do you?”

  Sarah stood in silence, trying to decide if the flower was trustworthy or not.

  The flower continued talking.

  “Once you’ve turned the horse back, quietly sneak through the forest toward the cave. Remember, goblins can’t see well in the dark, so if you stay quiet, they won’t be able to find you. Make too much noise though, and they’ll be all over you. Once you reach the cave, you should be able to return home just as easily as you came.”

  “But we don’t have the goblin gold! I left it outside the cave at home!” Sarah exclaimed.

  “That’s OK,” the flower said. “Just sneak into the cave, and say this spell: ‘Casami aroha.’ Three times, just like the other one. It will take you back to the exact time you left.”

  “I wish I had a pencil to write down all these weird chants,” Micah muttered.

  Sarah ignored her brother and pointed to her new friend. “So he will go back to the time he left too? We won’t see Mark again once we’re through the tunnel?” Sarah asked.

  “No, he will go back to the time he left, and you will go back to the time you left,” the flower said.

  “Why are you telling us this?” Micah asked.

  “I know what it’s like to be lost and scared in this odd world,” the flower said. “If you get stuck here for too long, you’ll turn into a flower like me. I used to be a boy, just like you.”

  Chapter 8

  After the big revelation, the flower shrank back to its normal size.

  Micah, Sarah, and the cowboy all stood staring at the now-inanimate plant, dumbfounded and unsure what to say.

  Then they all began speaking at once.

  “What? What in the world did that mean?” Micah asked.

  “That flower used to be a boy?” Sarah shrieked.

  “Well, I never…” Mark said, planting his hands on his hips.

  The three stood and looked at one another for a minute before Micah began talking again.

  “That’s a strange thing to find out. I don’t know what to think of that,” Micah said. He began to chew his lip, deep in thought. “Do you think that means we should get out of here right away? Should we even wait for nightfall?”

  “I don’t want to turn into a flower!” Sarah wailed.

  “I don’t want y’all to turn into flowers either,” the cowboy said, “but I need my horse back!”

  Micah looked up at the sky. They’d entered this world through the cave just before dinnertime, so he reasoned that nightfall couldn’t be that far away. If they could just make it a few more hours, the cowboy could get his horse back, and he and Sarah could hightail it for Grandma’s house.

  “OK, we will still help you get your horse back,” Micah said. “But we need to do it as soon as the sun falls. Sarah and I need to get out of here!”

  Mark nodded in agreement and looked up at the sky, shielding his eyes with his hands. “It looks like we have about an hour until sundown. What do you all want to do until then?”

  Sarah flopped down on her bottom, but not before she scanned the area around her for a tall purple flower with thin petals. With none in sight, she decided to try to calm down and relax until it was time to start the hunt.

  Micah wasn’t quite so calm. First, he tied the unicorn to a nearby tree so that she couldn’t escape. Then he remained on his feet, frantically searching the area around him for anything that could be helpful should they need to defend themselves against the goblins.

  Unfortunately for Micah, he really didn’t know too much about the creatures. That made it difficult to determine what kinds of things would be useful in defense. He decided to shift his focus to something else.

  Turning to the cowboy, he said “You are a little bit taller than us. Can you see any purple flowers in the distance?”

  Mark lifted his hand to his eyes once again. After a quick glance around, he shook his head.

  “What if you lift me up on your shoulders?” Micah said. “I might be able to see a bit farther then.”

  Mark nodded and bent down so that Micah could climb up on his back. Once Micah was up there, Mark slowly stood up, giving Micah a chance to look around.

  “OK, slowly turn around in a circle,” Micah whispered. The cowboy began to turn.

  “Slower! Go slower!” Micah said.

  As the cowboy slowly twisted in a circle, Micah noticed a huge number of flowers in the distance. The field held flowers of every color—red, blue, orange, white, pink, and yes, even purple.

  “I see some purple flowers in the distance that way,” Micah said, pointing to the south. “That takes us away from the cave though, and what if when we get there they aren’t the right flowers? What if the petals are fat?”

  “Doesn’t really sound like we have much of a choice,” Mark said as he continued to spin slowly. “Do you see any other purple out there?”

  “I don’t,” Micah said. “I guess that’s where we need to go next. I think we should get started before nightfall.”

  Sarah agreed. “The sooner we get out of here, the better!” She hopped to her feet. “Which way, Captain Micah?”

  “Don’t call me that,” he said. “Follow me this way.”

  Micah untied the unicorn and handed the rope to the cowboy. Then Micah led the
way through a forest that was getting darker by the minute. While they headed toward the flowers, the trio had to watch for branches, tree roots, and bramble. Before long, they reached the field of flowers without incident.

  “That wasn’t as far as I thought it would be,” Micah said, heading straight for a patch of purple flowers. He knelt down and picked the flower at the ground, bringing a long stem with him to show to Sarah and Mark.

  “That looks like it’s the right one!” Sarah said excitedly. She grabbed the flower from Micah’s hand and began plucking the petals from the pistil. “Hold out your hand, Micah.”

  He did, and Sarah began to put the pulled petals in her brother’s palm. Once she’d plucked all the petals, Micah smiled.

  “I guess this is it. Are you ready?” Micah asked the cowboy as he walked toward the unicorn.

  “Yes. Let’s do it!” the cowboy said with a smile.

  Micah opened his hand and blew the petals straight in the unicorn’s face. “Halata goob, halata goob, halata goob,” he said three times.

  Nothing happened.

  “Micah! That wasn’t the right chant!” Sarah wailed. “And now we’re out of petals!”

  “It wasn’t? What was I supposed to say? Oh, I knew I should have written it down!” Micah wailed.

  “Talaha boog, you dummy! You were supposed to say that! Talaha boog, talaha boog, talaha boog!” Sarah yelled in frustration.

  As soon as she said it the third time, the white unicorn fell to its front legs. A wash of light came over the animal, and when it cleared, the horse stood up. Instead of a sparkly white, she was now brown, and her horn was gone.

  The horse was wearing a saddle and a bridle once again.

  The cowboy cried out in relief. “There’s my girl! Hey, Sally!”

  Mark reached out to pat Sally’s neck and gave her a big hug. Sarah and Micah looked at one another, smiled, and high-fived. Then Sarah remembered the real danger she and Micah faced.

  “We have to get out of here,” Sarah said. “What if the goblins saw that flash of light?”

  Mark swung up onto the saddle and reached his hand out for Sarah and Micah. One by one, he pulled both children up onto the horse and slowly began to make his way through the forest.

  “The cave is this way,” Micah said, pointing in the direction they’d come from.

  With the help of Micah’s careful navigation and Sally’s surefootedness, they slowly made their way back to the cave under the cover of dark.

  Chapter 9

  It took about a half hour, but eventually Sally helped the three find their way back to the cave. When they arrived, however, they found that escape might not be quite as easy as they’d hoped.

  Standing around the entrance of the cave, the trio saw a group of six goblins. The goblins were huddled together, whispering to one another.

  “Oh no! How are we going to get out of here?” Sarah whimpered.

  “They must be waiting for us. What are we going to do?” Micah thought aloud.

  Everyone was quiet for a moment as they tried to think of an escape plan. Finally, Mark spoke.

  “I’ve got an idea,” he whispered. He turned to the side and reached into his saddlebag.

  Micah and Sarah couldn’t see what he pulled out, but a second later they watched as he hurled the object through the forest, as far away from Sally as he could.

  The goblins all scattered, running in the direction of the sound. The cowboy gave Sally a good kick and rushed toward the cave.

  “Good idea!” Micah said, once they’d reached the cave safely. “I forgot that goblins can’t see very well in the dark, so they probably thought that loud sound was us. Thanks for the quick thinking!”

  Mark smiled, but behind his smile the kids could see sadness.

  “I’m glad that we made it back to the cave safely, but once we leave here, I won’t see you two again,” he said.

  Marked swiped his hand down his face, attempting to wipe away his sadness.

  “I wanted to make sure I said thank you for your help. I never would have been able to do this without the two of you,” Mark said.

  He climbed down from the horse and then lifted Sarah and Micah down, one by one. Once they’d reached the ground, Mark leaned over and gave each of the siblings a big hug.

  “Sally thanks you too,” Mark said, with a wry smile. “I don’t think she would have liked living life as a unicorn.”

  Sarah wiped tears from her eyes. “We always like to help others in need,” she said. “That’s what Grandma always tells us to do. I’m glad we could help you this time, because next time it might be us who need help. At least, that’s what she always says.”

  “Your grandma sounds like a smart woman,” the cowboy said. “I’m proud of you two. Hopefully we cross paths again someday. Perhaps next time I’ll accidentally wander onto your grandmother’s property.”

  “I guess this is good-bye for now then,” Micah said. He shook Mark’s hand and patted Sally’s neck. “It sure was nice to get to meet you two.”

  “I guess we say the chant now to get back home,” Sarah said.

  Together, the three joined hands and said “Casami aroha” three times.

  With that, they all walked out of the cave and straight into the late-afternoon sunshine—and a willow branch.

  Chapter 10

  “I guess we’re back to Grandma’s now,” Sarah said. She looked around. Mark and Sally were gone.

  “It’s too bad we couldn’t stay friends with him,” Micah said. “He sure seemed nice, and I bet he would have let us ride Sally sometimes.”

  “Yeah, I liked him,” Sarah said sadly.

  She turned to her right and kneeled down on the ground. Her goblin gold was still there, right where she’d left it. Sarah picked it up with both hands and cradled it to her chest. Together, she and Micah started walking back toward Grandma’s house.

  “I guess next time I will have to bring a backpack for the goblin gold,” Sarah said. “Then we won’t have to leave it here when we go into the cave.”

  “Next time?” Micah asked, turning to his sister with his eyes open wide. “Why would we go back there? The goblins don’t want us there!”

  “I don’t want to go back for a while,” Sarah said. “But we need to eventually. If those flowers used to be kids, they need help! How are they ever going to get home without us?”

  “Get home? Who said they need to get home?” Micah said. “Maybe they like being flowers.”

  Sarah cocked her head and stared at her brother. “Would you like being a flower?”

  “Well, no…”

  “They don’t either,” Sarah said. “Besides, you heard what I just told Mark. If you can help someone else, you should. Grandma says that all the time, and we can help those flowers. I’m not sure how yet, but we will figure out a way.”

  “I suppose you’re right. Let’s do some research and think of a plan before we head back into the goblin land though, OK? If we are going to help, we need to know how and why those kids turned into flowers before we go back in there. I don’t want to be caught surprised next time!” Micah said.

  “OK, deal,” Sarah agreed.

  The siblings finished their conversation just as Grandma’s house came into view.

  “Micah, what about Grandma? Do you think she would like to know that the legend is real?”

  Micah stopped walking for a moment and looked up at the sky, obviously lost in thought. “No, I don’t think we should tell her,” Micah said. “She would never believe us, anyway.”

  Sarah nodded her agreement. Just then Grandma stepped out on the deck and waved to the children. “It’s time for dinner!” Grandma called. “Come on in, kids!”

  “Last one there is a flower kid!” Sarah called to her brother. Then she took off in a sprint toward the house.

  Can’t wait for more of the adventures of Micah and Sarah?

  Turn the page for a special sneak peek at the final book in the Hogar Haven series.
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  The Magician and the Pocket Watch

  Now available on Amazon

  “Micah, where are you?” Sarah called, stomping out of Grandma’s front door. She raised her hand to her eyebrow, blocking out the sun as she searched the lakeshore for her older brother.

  “I’m over here!” Micah answered.

  Sarah could hear his voice, but she still couldn’t see where he was hiding. She ran toward the beach, hoping she would find her brother there.

  She found Micah sitting under the shade of a colorful umbrella, curled up on an adirondack chair. The umbrella was stuck into the sand, and Micah had a towel across his bent knees with a binder on his lap.

  “What are you doing?” Sarah asked. “Is that Grandma’s goblin-gold book?”

  Micah nodded. “I’m trying to see what I can find out about the magical goblin world.”

  Earlier in the week, Micah and Sarah had discovered a large green stone hidden in the sand. They’d polished the stone in the lake and taken it to their grandma, who had told them that the goblin gold was a key to a place called Hogar Haven. When they’d asked Grandma about the stone, she had revealed that it had been given the name goblin gold because the first stone ever discovered had been amber colored. Grandma had even said that the first stone she found had been golden.

  Micah and Sarah had been doubtful of the stone’s magical abilities, but that day they had set out on an adventure anyway, searching for the entrance to the magic land.

  They’d found the entrance in Grandma’s woods, hidden in a cave behind a huge willow tree. Once they’d slipped through the cave, they met a cowboy who was struggling to bring his horse back through the tunnel.

  They had also met a few talking flowers who had claimed that they were once children. It was because of those flowers that Micah was now sitting on the beach, reading through all of the newspaper articles Grandma had clipped on goblin folklore.