The Unicorn Guide, Chapter 13

This is a first draft of Chapter 13 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 13

A Break in the Border

Tumi was trapped. Taking José to Esmeralda seemed like a terrible idea, but the thought of the Governor and Luiz finding out somehow seemed even worse. Tumi was not the sort of person who could easily talk his way out of a situation.

“I can take you to her, but the other men cannot see you,” Tumi said. “They must not know anything about her.”

José nodded. “If my eyes were not tricking me before, I can understand why. Tell me, how is it that a young boy from the jungle speaks Portuguese?”

“I don’t speak Portuguese. It just sounds like that to you. You will see when you meet her.”

“Today is a short work day before a holiday. The men will be leaving soon. You will stay with me until they do.”

Tumi didn’t like that idea one bit, but he could think of nothing better, so he simply nodded in answer and watched as the Governor and Luiz climbed back into their big car and drove off.

“What’s he doing?” Andrea asked for the third time. “I just don’t get it. He’s staying there as if he’s a prisoner, but he’s not tied up or anything. In fact, those men aren’t paying any attention to him at all.”

Tumi was sitting to the side of the area in which the men were working. He appeared to be watching the movements of the backhoe with rapt attention.

“He is just watching,” Esmeralda said. “He must be waiting for something, but I do not know what it might be.”

Esmeralda and Andrea took turns with one keeping an eye on Tumi as the other went to find some food. Esmeralda watched as the man she thought of as the horse rider gave Tumi some food while the boy was watching the men continuing their business of clearing away trees and smoothing the land.

Tumi had no idea what would happen next, but even so he was relieved when the workers finally packed up, climbed back into the van and left. At least he wouldn’t have to continue watching the people damaging this jungle that was his home.

“What is your name, boy?” José asked Tumi.

“I am called Tumi,” he replied.

“Tumi. I am José. Thank you for waiting here. Now, I would very much like to see the animal.”

“I don’t think she would like being called an animal.”

“Okay. What do you call her?”

“I call her by her name, of course. She is Esmeralda.”

“Esmeralda it is. Please take me to see her. Now.”

Tumi nodded and started walking in the direction of the jungle where he guessed Esmeralda and Andrea would be waiting.

José stumbled suddenly and landed on his hands and knees in the grass. He stood up, dusted himself off and looked at the ground. The ground was level and smooth beneath the grass, but José found that his shoes were untied.

Tumi stopped and waited while the man tied his shoes, before proceeding toward the jungle.

José’s horse suddenly neighed and reared up on its hind legs. Its rope came loose and the horse turned and started galloping away from the jungle and into the clearing.

“Ai!” José yelled. He took off running as fast as he could after his horse, but the horse was way too fast for him. He watched as the horse ran half a mile across the clearing, came to a stop and started drinking and then grazing. José was torn. He had to retrieve his horse, otherwise he’d be spending the night by himself out here in the clearing, just waiting for the men to return in the morning. Plus, a horse is very expensive. But, he simply had to see the creature that he saw with Tumi that one day.

José turned around again and jogged back to Tumi.

“I don’t think my horse will go far,” he said. “Let’s keep going.”

As José followed Tumi’s lead toward the jungle, he had to stop to swat away a small cloud of flies that buzzed around his head. No sooner had that cleared then…

“Ouch!” José exclaimed. “Bee sting.”

A few more steps, and a bird made a mess on José’s shoulder.

“That’s _it!_” he yelled and ran forward. He felt a brief resistance in the air, followed by a feeling almost of tearing cloth. He ran for a few more steps before he could stop himself and then took a look around. He was standing in the middle of a path with thick jungle foliage straight ahead and light from the clearing filtering in from behind him. He could clearly see that most of the plants were subtly different from any he had seen before.

“What is this place?” José asked, to no one in particular.

“This is the Lost Jungle,” answered Tumi, walking more slowly to the path.

Andrea came running up the path. “Tumi! Are you okay–hey! What’s he doing here?”

José looked at Andrea in surprise. “You look like an American, and yet you speak like a Brazilian?”

“And you look like a Brazilian, but speak like an American. That’s how things work around here.”

“What kind of place makes Brazilians, Americans and tribespeople speak the same language?”

Esmeralda came trotting down the path. “A magical place.” She lowered her horn in José’s direction. “A magical place that is trying to stay lost!”


Continue reading with Chapter 14