Maggie and the Unicorn by E.D. Baker

Author:E.D. Baker
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781408891117
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2017-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

They had just reached the well-trodden path that led to her family’s cottage when Maggie saw her stepbrother Peter poking a stick at something on the ground. By the time she reached him, Bob was already there, looking angry. Peter had come across a large bird that seemed to be in bad shape. Maggie wasn’t sure, but she thought it might be a phoenix at the end of its unusual life. She was just walking up when the bird cried out and suddenly burst into flames. With a shout, Peter grabbed a bucket from the ground beside him and tossed the water on the burning bird.

‘No! Don’t!’ yelled Bob as the fire fizzled and went out. The bird squawked and fell over to lie in the ash-filled puddle.

The shouts and the splashing water had startled the unicorn. He reared, striking the air with his front hooves. Maggie backed away, still holding the lead line. ‘You’re all right,’ she said in a calming voice. ‘No one is going to hurt you.’

The unicorn screamed once before settling back on all four legs. His nostrils flared as he snorted and pawed the ground. As soon as she had calmed the unicorn, Maggie turned back to Bob and Peter.

‘Why did you do that?’ Bob asked Maggie’s stepbrother.

‘What, save its life?’ said Peter. ‘The stupid bird was on fire!’

‘It’s a phoenix,’ said Bob. ‘It bursts into flame when it’s old and about to die and is reborn in its own ashes! Throwing water on it will put out the fire and leave the bird alive, but in terrible pain.’

‘How was I supposed to know that?’ demanded Peter.

‘I didn’t think you would,’ said Bob. ‘What I want to know is why you were poking it with a stick.’

‘It came after me,’ said Peter. ‘I was taking a bucket of water to my mother when that bird attacked me out of nowhere.’

‘I doubt that very much,’ said Bob. ‘Phoenixes are actually very shy birds and never attack anyone. You’ll have to come up with a better story than that!’

‘I don’t have to explain myself to you!’ shouted Peter. He turned as if he’d just noticed Maggie and the unicorn. ‘What do you have there, Mags?’

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