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“Lead a Unicorn to Water” by Frances Pauli
A lone unicorn on a dark roadway meets a kelpie who is far too tempting to resist. When Miracle follows him to his swamp, will she meet her fate, or rise above her own failings?
Today’s story is “Lead a Unicorn to Water” by Frances Pauli , author of the Serpentia Series and Hybrid Nation books from Goal Publications. You can find more of her stories on her website at: francespauli.com.
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Transcript
You’re listening to The Voice of Dog. I’m Khaki, your faithful fireside companion,
Speaker:and Today’s story is
Speaker:“Lead a Unicorn to Water”
Speaker:by Frances Pauli http://francespauli.com ,
Speaker:author of the Serpentia Series
Speaker:and Hybrid Nation books From Goal Publications https://goalpublications.com/search.php?search_query=frances%20pauli.
Speaker:You can find more of her stories
Speaker:on her website at: http://francespauli.com. Please enjoy “Lead a Unicorn to Water”
Speaker:by Frances Pauli
Speaker:She didn’t believe in kelpies.
Speaker:Miracle placed her hooves gently against the loose gravel, felt
Speaker:her way along the rapidly darkening path,
Speaker:and reminded herself that bloodthirsty,
Speaker:undying equines didn’t exist.
Speaker:The sky flirted with nighttime,
Speaker:spotted by a few early stars and tufts of charcoal clouds
Speaker:lit by a thin crescent moon.
Speaker:She’d stayed too long at Tiara’s party.
Speaker:She’d enjoyed too much honey punch
Speaker:and thin apple crisp biscuits.
Speaker:Now the wind whistled
Speaker:like a wild stallion,
Speaker:the clouds tumbled across the moon,
Speaker:and the path which would lead her home
Speaker:turned to slate and shadow.
Speaker:The terrain Miracle knew by heart
Speaker:became a stranger.
Speaker:An owl screeched.
Speaker:Miracle tossed her head and snorted back at it.
Speaker:Her silky forelock fell across her eyes,
Speaker:effectively blinding her.
Speaker:Inside her broad chest,
Speaker:her heart jolted.
Speaker:She slashed her long tail across the path,
Speaker:stiffened all four legs,
Speaker:and blew a long, panicked whinny.
Speaker:It lasted only a second,
Speaker:a breath of darkness
Speaker:before she tossed the silver hairs aside again,
Speaker:but as her vision cleared,
Speaker:Miracle caught a shadow moving across the path ahead.
Speaker:She swallowed another whinny unvoiced.
Speaker:Trembling, she reminded herself that kelpies did not exist,
Speaker:that she never should have agreed to Tiara’s suggestion to tell each other ghost stories.
Speaker:They only come out at night,
Speaker:and they can smell your fear.
Speaker:She glared at the place where the shape had been.
Speaker:Only foals trembled before shadows,
Speaker:and she was not a filly any longer.
Speaker:Even if she still lived with her dam and sire.
Speaker:Even if she still stuffed her belly with apple biscuits until her sides ached.
Speaker:Even if ghost stories
Speaker:still gave her nightmares.
Speaker:“I don’t believe in kelpies.”
Speaker:She said it proudly
Speaker:and took a confident step forward.
Speaker:“How sensible of you.”
Speaker:A voice like deep water
Speaker:spoke from the roadside.
Speaker:The words landed like hoofbeats, sharp and echoing,
Speaker:and each note made Miracle’s thin skin twitch.
Speaker:“Who’s there?” She meant to sound proud and confident,
Speaker:but the question trembled. “What do you want?” “It’s a fine night.”
Speaker:The voice turned silky, cloying.
Speaker:“For a trot in the moonlight.
Speaker:As for who I am, I think you’ve already guessed that.”
Speaker:Miracle flared her nostrils and flattened her ears against her neck.
Speaker:From the side of the road,
Speaker:an inky form separated itself
Speaker:from the brush and shadows.
Speaker:Hoofs rang out against the gravel,
Speaker:as if each step were pressed as sharply as possible.
Speaker:The wind carried a scent to her,
Speaker:the rich smell of reeds and algae,
Speaker:of still water and the green things that choked its banks.
Speaker:Kelpies live in lakes and ponds.
Speaker:They spend all day lurking beneath the surface.
Speaker:Miracle tensed her haunches,
Speaker:flexed, and prepared to spin and gallop.
Speaker:When night falls, they roam the forests and roadways,
Speaker:looking for unsuspecting victims.
Speaker:She stared at the black horse
Speaker:and heard Tiara’s words,
Speaker:the spooky, overly dramatic tone
Speaker:as the tale of kelpies unfolded
Speaker:and the partygoers huddled closer and closer.
Speaker:He was blacker than the night sky,
Speaker:so dark the moonlight seemed to touch his smooth hide
Speaker:and shrink away. His neck arched sharply above his withers.
Speaker:He had a short, muscular back
Speaker:and haunches built for speed
Speaker:and sharp movement.
Speaker:Each of his long legs ended in a glossy black hoof,
Speaker:and his mane and tail were made of fine black hairs that were the only part of him
Speaker:that seemed to catch the light.
Speaker:When his head turned in her direction,
Speaker:Miracle found herself staring into eyes that glowed as red as blood.
Speaker:Kelpies are beautiful.
Speaker:So lovely it hurts to look at them.
Speaker:“He’s not that pretty,”
Speaker:Miracle told herself,
Speaker:unaware she spoke aloud until the kelpie’s head jerked up
Speaker:and his ears fell flat to the sides.
Speaker:“Look who’s talking,”
Speaker:he said, snorting and stamping with one foreleg.
Speaker:Something about the gesture made him less threatening.
Speaker:His vanity or else his vulnerability
Speaker:gave her the courage to stand her ground.
Speaker:Miracle relaxed her hind end
Speaker:and lifted her nose to the air,
Speaker:matching him pose for pose.
Speaker:“I only meant that you don’t seem very terrifying,” she lied.
Speaker:Inside her wide chest,
Speaker:her heart beat a frantic rhythm.
Speaker:“Don’t I?” There was too much amusement in that,
Speaker:a hint that her fear was more obvious than she’d hoped.
Speaker:“You are a kelpie.”
Speaker:Miracle said. “And you’re a unicorn.”
Speaker:His long face tilted,
Speaker:and those red eyes drank her in,
Speaker:dragging his gaze from the tip of her spiral horn
Speaker:to the place where her tail dragged the ground.
Speaker:“Yes, I am,” she said.
Speaker:“I don’t believe in unicorns.”
Speaker:Miracle snorted. She shook herself,
Speaker:letting the gesture travel in a wave from her neck to her rump.
Speaker:“Everyone believes in unicorns,” she said.
Speaker:“Unicorns are everywhere.”
Speaker:“Not everywhere.” The kelpie shook his head,
Speaker:making his long forelock dance.
Speaker:“I’ve never met one.”
Speaker:“That’s not possible,”
Speaker:Miracle said. “There are lots of us in…
Speaker:Well, I guess we don’t go out a lot at night.”
Speaker:“Very good.” The kelpie’s ears lifted,
Speaker:aimed toward her in a gesture that would have been friendly on another unicorn.
Speaker:“Yet here you are,
Speaker:at night, alone on a very poorly traveled path.”
Speaker:“I. I was going home.”
Speaker:Miracle’s confidence ebbed.
Speaker:There was nothing threatening in this strange equine’s
Speaker:posture or behavior,
Speaker:aside from his appearing unexpectedly from the side of the road,
Speaker:but his voice had shifted again,
Speaker:and the new tone made her fur prickle and stand on end.
Speaker:“There was a party.”
Speaker:“Was there?” Again, he sounded amused,
Speaker:as if she’d told a joke that she wasn’t aware of.
Speaker:“I wasn’t invited.”
Speaker:Miracle cringed, lowering her head and shifting from hoof to hoof.
Speaker:“I’m sure they… I mean if…
Speaker:But nobody really knows about…”
Speaker:“Relax,” the kelpie said.
Speaker:“It was a joke.” “Oh.”
Speaker:Miracle felt the insides of her ears warming.
Speaker:She’d overreacted.
Speaker:Yet there was something in his voice that only rang partly true.
Speaker:“I wouldn’t have come anyway,”
Speaker:he said. “What’s your name?”
Speaker:Miracle asked. The kelpie tilted its head sharply
Speaker:and stared at her with red eyes.
Speaker:“I’m Miracle.” She held still,
Speaker:pretended her hooves had roots
Speaker:to keep from spinning and running from him.
Speaker:“Courage,” he said. It took her a moment.
Speaker:“Is that your name?”
Speaker:He nodded, and his mane danced.
Speaker:“You’re pretty brave for a unicorn, staying here this long.”
Speaker:“What do you mean?”
Speaker:Miracle tightened her grip upon the earth.
Speaker:Courage stepped toward her.
Speaker:His ears were forward,
Speaker:but his eyes glowed, reminding her
Speaker:he was not an ordinary equine,
Speaker:not a friendly stranger out for a moonlit stroll.
Speaker:His voice lowered,
Speaker:and he walked a half circle around her,
Speaker:brought his inky body so close that she could feel his proximity.
Speaker:When he snorted, warm air swirled against her shoulder.
Speaker:“How much braver can you be?”
Speaker:he whispered it. “W-What do you mean?”
Speaker:Miracle focused on not running,
Speaker:on looking just as brave
Speaker:as he believed her to be.
Speaker:“Care to go for a trot?”
Speaker:He put a dare in it,
Speaker:a challenge that shoved her fear to one side.
Speaker:“Or do all unicorns shy away from shadows?”
Speaker:It would be foolish, unbelievably stupid to accept that dare.
Speaker:Miracle lifted her muzzle and stared into his glowing red eyes. …looking
Speaker:for unsuspecting victims.
Speaker:Even if he’d been an ordinary stallion, she knew better than to follow him into the woods.
Speaker:She knew better, but he really was that pretty.
Speaker:Miracle nodded, tossed her head,
Speaker:and lifted her tail in a defiant banner.
Speaker:She stared back at the kelpie,
Speaker:and she put as much bravery as she could muster into her words.
Speaker:“I’m not afraid of shadows.” ***
Speaker:They trotted between the trees.
Speaker:The forest opened up
Speaker:once they’d left the path behind,
Speaker:and there was plenty of room for two equine
Speaker:bodies to pass beneath the branches.
Speaker:The trunks grew wide enough apart to make the going easy,
Speaker:and moonlight filtered through the leaves in a splashy pattern
Speaker:that turned them both into dapples.
Speaker:Miracle let the chill air sooth her fears.
Speaker:She let Courage lead the way,
Speaker:and she kept her head high,
Speaker:her ears forward,
Speaker:and her eyes sharp.
Speaker:He flashed ahead of her,
Speaker:inky darkness peppered with pale splotches.
Speaker:Only her fears had turned him devilish in the road.
Speaker:Now, in his terrain beneath the trees,
Speaker:Miracle saw how agile he was,
Speaker:how much grace lay in that dark form,
Speaker:and how each hoof
Speaker:was placed precisely,
Speaker:avoiding stone and twig
Speaker:so that he became a soundless movement in the night.
Speaker:She did her best to mimic him,
Speaker:but every couple of paces
Speaker:she would crack a twig or skitter over a loose stone.
Speaker:Each sound announced her clumsiness,
Speaker:yet Courage never flinched,
Speaker:never so much as twitched an ear to embarrass her.
Speaker:He leaped a fallen log,
Speaker:landing soundlessly,
Speaker:and when Miracle crashed after him,
Speaker:flicked his tail merrily
Speaker:and broke into a silent canter.
Speaker:The trees streaked by.
Speaker:Branches reached for them,
Speaker:but so long as she kept to the kelpie’s hoofprints, she went easily,
Speaker:without snare or bramble.
Speaker:Birds spooked as the equines passed below them.
Speaker:The night filled with startled hooting.
Speaker:A wild sense gripped Miracle’s heart,
Speaker:and she kicked up her feet and whinnied in answer.
Speaker:The forest belonged to them,
Speaker:and all creeping and flying things skittered aside to let them pass.
Speaker:She was almost disappointed when Courage slowed to a trot,
Speaker:when he stilled his hooves
Speaker:and drew up in a wide clearing.
Speaker:If he’d made a less beautiful picture,
Speaker:standing proudly,
Speaker:body drinking in the moonlight,
Speaker:she might have cantered past, taken the lead for herself.
Speaker:Instead, she slid to a halt,
Speaker:tearing trenches in the mossy ground.
Speaker:“Are you tired?” She tossed her head
Speaker:and blew a long exhale through her nostrils.
Speaker:“No.” He stamped and blew an answering snort.
Speaker:“I just thought it would be easier to talk if we walked.”
Speaker:“Oh.” Miracle felt her ears warming again,
Speaker:but this time she was not embarrassed.
Speaker:“Sure. What should we talk about?”
Speaker:“I don’t know.” Courage swished his tail
Speaker:and began to walk again.
Speaker:This time, she moved alongside him.
Speaker:“I don’t talk to other equines
Speaker:very often,” he said.
Speaker:“What about your family?”
Speaker:Miracle focused on placing her hooves softly,
Speaker:on matching him step for step.
Speaker:They traveled into the wood again,
Speaker:only now the ground was soft and damp.
Speaker:There were ferns beneath the trees,
Speaker:and they left a trail of perfect hoofprints in their wake.
Speaker:“Don’t you talk with your parents or… siblings?”
Speaker:“Most kelpies live by themselves,”
Speaker:he said. “You live alone?”
Speaker:Miracle tilted her head
Speaker:so that she could look at him and the ground at the same time.
Speaker:He was older than her, surely,
Speaker:but not that much older.
Speaker:“Isn’t that…” She’d been going to say “scary” but remembered that she was supposed to be a brave unicorn.
Speaker:She didn’t want to sound like a filly.
Speaker:She wanted Courage to think highly of her.
Speaker:“It would be harder to hunt,”
Speaker:Courage continued,
Speaker:as if she hadn’t just stopped mid-sentence.
Speaker:“If there were a lot of kelpies in one place.”
Speaker:“Hunt.” Miracle let that word settle over her.
Speaker:Unicorns definitely didn’t hunt,
Speaker:and though she’d decided to be brave,
Speaker:though she wanted very much to believe Courage was not a threat,
Speaker:her heart still fluttered in her chest at the thought of it.
Speaker:“We’re safer that way, too,”
Speaker:he added, either not noticing her reaction or choosing to ignore it.
Speaker:“You can imagine how your friends would react, if there was a whole herd of kelpies in these woods.”
Speaker:Miracle nodded and tried to picture it.
Speaker:Had Tiara’s story been purely fancy,
Speaker:or had the other unicorn seen Courage too?
Speaker:If even one of their parents knew about the kelpie,
Speaker:the whole herd would panic.
Speaker:Even if he wasn’t a mean kelpie.
Speaker:Even if he was… “Where are we?”
Speaker:Miracle flared her nostrils and drank in the scent of swampy water.
Speaker:They’d broken from the trees while they walked,
Speaker:and a curving bank lay before them.
Speaker:Tall reeds bent in the night breeze.
Speaker:The ferns lapped against the edge of the water,
Speaker:and the pond lay deep,
Speaker:still, and jet black beneath the moon.
Speaker:That orb was reflected perfectly in its surface,
Speaker:making the world seem suddenly
Speaker:upside down. Kelpies lead their victims to water.
Speaker:“I live here,” Courage said.
Speaker:They lull them into a trance.
Speaker:“It is kind of lonely,”
Speaker:he said. And then they drown and devour them.
Speaker:Courage moved at her side,
Speaker:very near her side.
Speaker:His neck arched, and his red eyes stared into hers.
Speaker:His voice crooned softly, but Miracle didn’t hear the words any longer.
Speaker:She saw only the pointed teeth,
Speaker:just visible between his velvet lips.
Speaker:She saw the pond, and the moon, and the dark forest in all directions.
Speaker:He leaned closer,
Speaker:breathed out, and sent a blast of hot breath along her neck.
Speaker:Miracle flinched.
Speaker:She shied away, smashing the ferns beneath her hooves,
Speaker:and let loose a terrified whinny.
Speaker:“Don’t eat me!” Trembling, stiff,
Speaker:and certain she was about to die, Miracle closed her eyes
Speaker:and wished she’d never stepped foot into the forest.
Speaker:She wished she’d never taken the gravel path,
Speaker:wished she’d never gone to Tiara’s party.
Speaker:A heavy sigh reached her ears.
Speaker:She opened one eye,
Speaker:peeked, and found Courage standing farther off.
Speaker:At least three paces away from her.
Speaker:His head hung low,
Speaker:and his red eyes glared at her.
Speaker:“Maybe not so brave after all,”
Speaker:he said. “You’re not going to eat me?”
Speaker:Miracle asked, warm again,
Speaker:sure she should be the one sulking.
Speaker:“I was thinking about biting you,” he said.
Speaker:“But no. No eating. No drowning.”
Speaker:“Oh.” A creeping feeling itched along her spine.
Speaker:She wanted to apologize,
Speaker:but the smell of the swamp,
Speaker:the echo of Tiara’s story stalled her.
Speaker:“Do you know how dangerous it is for one of us,”
Speaker:Courage said. His voice was flat and low, not accusing
Speaker:but not nearly as enticing as before,
Speaker:not nearly as friendly.
Speaker:“To show someone like you
Speaker:where we live?” “Someone like me.”
Speaker:She stood taller,
Speaker:turned to face him
Speaker:but couldn’t summon an ounce of indignation.
Speaker:He just looked too sad, too disappointed, and not remotely surprised by her behavior.
Speaker:“Maye you’re not like the stories say.”
Speaker:“Maybe?” He snorted,
Speaker:but at least his head lifted.
Speaker:His tail swished,
Speaker:and he looked directly at her again.
Speaker:“But you do hunt, don’t you?”
Speaker:Miracle eased one step in his direction.
Speaker:“Do you eat?” he asked.
Speaker:“Yes, but…” She stopped short,
Speaker:sure she was about to say something else offensive.
Speaker:It wasn’t the same though, really.
Speaker:She was a unicorn.
Speaker:She ate fresh, sweet clover.
Speaker:He was a kelpie, and he ate…
Speaker:She didn’t know what he ate because she hadn’t bothered to ask. Had she?
Speaker:“But?” He dragged that out until it hovered in the air between them.
Speaker:“I’m sorry,” Miracle said.
Speaker:Courage jerked his head up.
Speaker:He tilted his head again,
Speaker:almost back to normal.
Speaker:“Are you?” “Yes.” She took another step toward him,
Speaker:tried not to hesitate,
Speaker:not to show any sign of fear.
Speaker:“I’m so—” A stallion’s shriek split the night air.
Speaker:They both threw their heads high,
Speaker:scenting with nostrils wide, but Miracle knew that voice.
Speaker:She knew the sound and knew she’d made a terrible error when the next scream was her own name
Speaker:in her father’s most demanding tone.
Speaker:“Miracle!” She was in so much trouble.
Speaker:A huge splash tore her attention away again.
Speaker:She spun to where Courage had been,
Speaker:but the bank was empty.
Speaker:The ferns and the reeds stood guard over a vacant shore,
Speaker:and only the soft rippling of the water suggested where her kelpie friend had gone.
Speaker:It was dangerous, he’d said.
Speaker:And he’d trusted her far more than she’d trusted him.
Speaker:Miracle spun on her haunches
Speaker:and leapt away from the pond.
Speaker:She remembered the hoofprints in the wet earth,
Speaker:and she knew, if her parents followed her that far,
Speaker:Courage would be in even more trouble than she was.
Speaker:With her head high
Speaker:and her tail flagging,
Speaker:Miracle sprang back into the woods,
Speaker:cantering as fast as her hooves would churn,
Speaker:away from the kelpie’s secret. ***
Speaker:“No more parties.” Her father stamped his hoof against the path
Speaker:and glowered at her.
Speaker:At seventeen hands, he towered over her,
Speaker:and even though she knew his rage was half bluster
Speaker:and half fear, Miracle cringed and nodded.
Speaker:“Do you have any idea how worried we were?”
Speaker:“I’m sorry,” she whined.
Speaker:“I just got turned around a little.”
Speaker:“You should have been home hours ago,”
Speaker:said her mother, a delicate mare with a far gentler approach to foal-rearing.
Speaker:“The woods are dangerous after dark.”
Speaker:Dangerous. Miracle thought of Courage.
Speaker:She thought of the kelpie,
Speaker:the moonlit forest,
Speaker:and the music of their hooves against the ground.
Speaker:She thought of a dark pond,
Speaker:and she knew that one of them
Speaker:had been in far more danger than the other tonight.
Speaker:“I’m sorry,” she repeated,
Speaker:but in her heart, she smiled.
Speaker:They hadn’t found their way deep enough into the trees to see the prints.
Speaker:She’d caught up with them only a few strides from the gravel path.
Speaker:“Come home,” her father said. “We can discuss your behavior in the morning.”
Speaker:“It’s very late,” her mother repeated.
Speaker:“She should be in bed.”
Speaker:They headed down the pathway,
Speaker:silver hooves stepping lightly on moonlit gravel.
Speaker:Miracle followed behind them.
Speaker:She hung her head in mock shame,
Speaker:and she dragged her steps as any filly would after a sound talking to.
Speaker:In her mind, however,
Speaker:she saw a pelt that swallowed moonlight.
Speaker:She wondered if her apology had meant anything.
Speaker:If she’d ever be brave enough to go back to the pond
Speaker:and find out. She marched dutifully toward home,
Speaker:but as the pathway lifted to a crest,
Speaker:her neck twisted.
Speaker:Miracle gazed backwards at the woods,
Speaker:looking for the distant glint of water.
Speaker:Most kelpies live by themselves.
Speaker:It was late, and she should be in bed.
Speaker:But as she trotted after her parents,
Speaker:Miracle knew she would have kelpie dreams that night,
Speaker:and for many nights after.
Speaker:But they would never be nightmares.
Speaker:This was “Lead a Unicorn to Water”
Speaker:by Frances Pauli, read for you by Khaki,
Speaker:your faithful fireside companion.
Speaker:You can find more stories on the web at thevoice.dog,
Speaker:or find the show wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker:Thank you for listening
Speaker:to The Voice of Dog.
