This is a first draft of Chapter 11 of The Unicorn Guide, the fourth book in the 11 Quests series. Books 4, 5 and 6 tell a new story, so you can read The Unicorn Guide even if you haven’t yet read the first three books. Since this is a first draft, if you spot any errors please let me know! I’d be happy to find out in email and fix it. Feel free to send along any other comments you may have. Make sure you read Chapter 1 first!
Chapter 11
Convincing Andrea’s Mom
The shadows got longer and the sounds of the nighttime creatures of the rainforest got louder. The path through the forest was beginning to get treacherous, and Andrea tripped more than once. She was used to walking on well-lit sidewalks, not vine- and root-covered ground.
“Just a few more minutes and the moon will rise,” said Esmeralda.
“How will that help?” asked Andrea, a little testily. Even following a unicorn loses its luster when you’re tired and stumbling around in the dark. “The trees and bushes are so thick that I don’t think any moonlight will get through.”
“Don’t worry, Andrea,” Esmeralda said with a light tone to her voice. “It will get through.”
After ten more minutes of stumbling through the dark, the moonlight did get through, but not how either Andrea or Tumi had expected. A dazzling white light dotted with small flakes of color shone on the jungle around them. Esmeralda’s horn blazed like a lantern and Andrea found that the novelty of following a unicorn had suddenly returned with full effect.
“Wow!” Andrea exclaimed. “How do you do that?”
“Unicorns are not just horses with horns, you know,” Esmeralda said. “We’re magical creatures. One power that is common among unicorns is that we can concentrate moonlight and sunlight through our horns. We call it “hornglow”. It feels a bit like breathing in the moonlight and blowing it back out through the horn.”
Tumi’s face scrunched up and he started breathing very forcefully. Esmeralda laughed.
“Hornglow does not involve the lungs, silly,” Esmeralda said. “And I would be very surprised if your nose suddenly started glowing!”
Tumi just laughed, gave a loud “whoop!” and ran off ahead, enjoying the ability to see well at night.
Just outside the trees, the “horse riding man” was sitting on a log beside a campfire. His horse was tied to a nearby tree and he had a canvas-sided tent pitched a few feet from the fire. The man was staring into the jungle, listening and watching. He saw a few flashes of white light shining from within the trees, but then his fire suddenly flared up and he had to jump up and away quickly to avoid getting burned. When he looked back among the trees, everything was still and dark.
The children made it back safely to the Unicorn’s Glade. As dangerous as the jungle can be at night, few creatures would venture into the light of the hornglow. The non-magical creatures stay away because they don’t understand it. The magical ones keep their distance because they do understand it and know better than to mess with a unicorn.
Even so, Esmeralda still had to face her parents when she returned to the Glade.
“Young unicorn,” said her father. “Do you realize how late it is? This is your First Protection, and we had no idea where you were or even if the herd would be safe tonight.”
“Quite right, Eduardo,” said her mother. “And I know you were using your hornglow and all, but there are still things out there in the jungle that aren’t afraid of a little unicorn.”
Andrea didn’t like the idea of some unnamed things that aren’t afraid of unicorns. She constantly found herself torn between amazement at the things she saw in the Lost Jungle and a strong desire to be back in the city. She knew what to avoid in New York, but had no idea what to look out for in the jungle.
Miriam looked at Andrea, but spoke to Esmeralda. “Your collection of humans seems to be growing. Was it a good idea to bring her to the Unicorn’s Glade, Ms. First Protection?”
“You were fine with Tumi entering the Glade,” Esmeralda replied, angry at having her First Protection questioned. “You even insisted that I show him around. What has changed in the past day?”
“Tumi is of the jungle. He smells of the Amazon. This girl smells of the city. She dresses as though she belongs somewhere else.”
“Yes, Andrea is from a city. But, she fell into the river and was endangered by a caiman. Tumi and I saved her. Are you saying that we shouldn’t have done that?”
Miriam’s tone softened. “No, saving her was the right thing to do. But, why bring her here?”
“We needed to get her away from the caiman, and we were trying to make sure that I wasn’t seen by the other humans there. Once we started walking, it became clear that Andrea belongs here. She has a Quest.”
“An 11 Quest,” Andrea said. “Just like my cousin Carla. I don’t think it was an accident that brought me into the Lost Jungle. I’m here to help!”
“Andrea, is it?” asked Eduardo.
“Yes.”
“Andrea, your parents are not going to sit idly by while their daughter is somewhere in the jungle. They’re going to come looking for you. And, if enough people start poking around the edges of the border, they’ll eventually get through. We have no desire for the Lost Jungle to be found.”
“Then we just need to convince my parents that I’m fine and I’ll meet up with them later,” Andrea said cheerfully. “OK. Now that that’s settled, where do I sleep?”
Eduardo looked at Miriam and let out a snort. “This one seems like a handful.” He turned back to Andrea. “And how do you propose to do that?”
“Leave it to me.” Andrea yawned. “Now, where was it I’m supposed to sleep?” She looked around and frowned. “No beds, huh?”
Tumi laughed. “Here, you get to sleep on the soft grass of the Glade. Just be happy you’re not sleeping in the trees!”
With that, they all settled in for the night. Andrea dreamed that she was back in New York, but Fifth Avenue had turned into a swiftly moving river. She was standing on the sidewalk on one side of the river, and a caiman was pacing back and forth on the other side. She woke up in the dark and looked around at the grass, the trees and the sleeping unicorns and felt only a little relieved.
Though it had been late when they got to sleep, the three youngsters were roused by Esmeralda’s parents at dawn.
“Esmeralda, it’s time to wake up,” said Eduardo.
Esmeralda shook her head. “But Father, it’s so early!”
“Yes,” he replied, “but you need to get moving. The herd will remain in danger until Andrea speaks with her parents.”
“Oh, right,” she said, a little sulkily. She didn’t say it, but she hoped that Andrea would be forced to continue on down the Amazon. Whether the girl was on a Quest or not, she was still more trouble than the unicorn wanted on her First Protection.
The three children groggily foraged for some breakfast around the Glade and then took to the path that led them back around the big clearing and onward to the river. They made swifter progress than they had in the dark, but it was still a tiring hour of brisk walking.
It was a relief to hear the flowing waters of the river. Once they could see the boat, Andrea continued walking on her own. Though Esmeralda hadn’t told her about the border, Andrea could feel a ripple in the air as she stepped out of the Lost Jungle. She stepped carefully through the brush and her eyes darted this way and that looking for the caiman. She reached the spot where the gangplank from the boat had flattened the foliage at the edge of the river.
“Mom!” she called. “Hey, Mom!”
It was early still and the boat was quiet. Andrea’s calls were the only sound over the rush of the river. In less than a minute, Andrea’s mother was standing at the railing, dressed in bright pink sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt.
“Andrea! You’re safe!” Andrea’s mother exclaimed. “Boatman! Lower the gangplank!”
That instruction had been completely unnecessary. The boatman was already extending the gangplank and Andrea stepped a couple of feet back into the forest to give it space. Once the bridge between the boat and the shore was in place, Andrea’s mother rushed out with her father close behind.
“Oh, we were _so _worried, Andrea! We searched and searched! Where did you go? Did that boy keep you safe? Where is he?”
Andrea looked around to make sure that no one else could hear. The other people on the cruise stayed on the boat to give the family a more private reunion. Andrea could see Carla looking on curiously.
“Everything was fine, Mom,” Andrea whispered. “The boy’s name is Tumi and he did make sure I was safe.” She looked around once more and lowered her voice even further. “He and the unicorn.”
“Uni–,” Andrea’s mother exclaimed and then caught herself. She looked around, too, and lowered her voice. “Unicorn?”
After seeing all of the looking around and whispering, the people on the boat became a lot more curious. Several of them were now crowded around the entrance to the gangplank, looking this way and that but straining to hear.
“Unicorn?” Andrea’s mother asked again in a whisper.
“Yes, Mom. I spent the night with a herd of unicorns in the Unicorns’ Glade.”
“Honey,” said her father. “Unicorns are creatures from storybooks.”
“I’ll handle this, Richard,” said her mother. “Andrea, unicorns are creatures from storybooks.”
“I know that, Mom. But, what would you call an animal that looks like a horse, but has a sharp, spiraled, white horn and can talk?”
“He can talk?”
“She certainly can. Her name is Esmeralda.”
“So, the stories were true? All of that stuff Tabitha said about going on a Quest and what she told me last night about Carla’s Quest? She specifically said that Carla saw a unicorn chase away that alligator thing yesterday.”
“That’s right! Esmeralda chased the caiman away, and Tumi helped me out of the water.”
“Well, I guess we have to be thankful for their help,” said her father, though he didn’t sound convinced. “Why don’t we just return to the boat and you can tell us all about the night over breakfast?”
“I’m not going back onto the boat now. Not yet. I’ve got a Quest to solve!” Andrea’s tone was firm.
“Not going back onto the boat?” Andrea’s mother asked. “You can’t go back into that jungle alone!”
“I’m not alone, Mom. Tumi and Esmeralda have lived here their whole lives. They know how to take care of things. Esmeralda is even in charge of the protection of her herd!”
“What are you saying, Andrea? Are you trying to tell us that you’re just going to stay here for the rest of your life? No way, young miss.”
“No, I’m not saying that, Mom. I want to go back to New York. Really! This place is neat, but I miss the city. But, before we go back, I need to solve my Quest. It’s my 11 Quest. My big chance. You and the others keep going on the cruise, and I will meet you in one week in Novo Airão.”
“How on Earth will you get to Novo Airão?”
Andrea rolled her eyes. “Mom. I’ve got unicorns!”
Her mother could think of nothing to counter that. She just stood, mouth agape for a few moments.
“Well, it’s settled then,” Andrea said. “I’ll just go pick up a few things, and you can get on with your cruise and I’ll get on with my Quest!”
“Don’t forget your toothbrush,” her mother said, after realizing that she had definitely lost the argument.
“I won’t,” Andrea called out gaily as she ran up the gangplank. She and Carla ran off giggling to Andrea’s cabin.
Andrea’s parents slowly walked back to the boat, still a bit stunned at the turn of events.
“You know,” Andrea’s father said. “We could forbid her from going.”
“Richard,” Andrea’s mother replied. “She has unicorns.”
Continue reading with Chapter 12!