The Unicorn's Tale Read online

  The bed dipped as Aunt Phil sat next to him. He felt her hand, warm and solid, on his back. "Nate. Obediah always meant to trick us. He is not clever enough to be able to catch your parents. Or hold them prisoner for any length of time. But Nate, if they are still alive, we will find them. We are Fludds, explorers and discoverers of the first degree. If there is one thing we know how to do, it is search the globe until we find what we're looking for."

  Nate rolled over on the bed so that he could see Aunt Phil's face. "Do you mean it? We can go look for them?"

  "Absolutely."

  "So how do we find them?"

  "We begin with Miss Lumpton," Aunt Phil said. "I'm certain she knows something. Especially if she's been visiting with Obediah."

  "But we don't know how to get ahold of Miss Lumpton."

  "You said you'd gotten her suitcase by mistake, right? Perhaps she has an identification tag or has written her address on her luggage. People often do, in case it gets lost."

  Energized, Nate leaped up off his bed and went to the closet to fetch Miss Lumpton's suitcase. He grabbed the worn, shiny handle and dragged it back to the bed. Aunt Phil helped him hoist the case up. She carefully examined the outside, then shook her head. "There's nothing out here. Let's see if there's anything inside."

  She snapped open the clasps, then lifted the lid and began rifling through Miss Lumpton's things. At the sound of crinkling paper, she began to search more earnestly. When her hand reappeared, it was holding a fat stack of letters.

  Chapter Fifteen

  AUNT PHIL UNTIED THE STACK OF LETTERS and examined the envelopes. "Nate? Remember how I told you that Fludds always write letters?"

  A tiny flame of hope flared deep inside Nate. "Ye-es."

  "And we thought your parents hadn't written any, because you hadn't received any?"

  "Right."

  "Well, here they all are." She looked up at him, her face grim. "Miss Lumpton had been keeping them."

  "What?" He reached out and took the pile from her. There, in bold black ink, was his name. Mr. Nathaniel Fludd, Upton Downs, England. The postmark of the one on top was May 17, 1925. One month after he'd last seen them.

  With trembling hands, he pulled the letter from the envelope.

  Dear Nate,

  We miss you terribly and can't wait until you are ready to join us! But we'll write you every month and tell you all about our adventures. Once you hear how much fun we're having, we know you'll want to join us.

  They had written him. And they had wanted him to join them. He hadn't been forgotten! He quickly rifled through the stack until he found a letter dated near his eighth birthday. It had already been opened—they all had—so he pulled the letter out. The handwriting looked cheerful, with big fat loops and swirls.

  Dear Nate,

  We are so sorry to hear you don't want to join us quite yet, but we understand. Miss Lumpton says you are still a bit nervous about traveling. We wish we could make you see how wonderful it truly is. Perhaps we should start with a short trip, hm? We could come home and collect you, then take a quick trip to the Alps, just to get your feet wet. Write us back and let us know what you think of that idea.

  Dear Nate,

  Oh, how I wish you were here with us! Today we flew over the North Pole in a dirigible! Your father and I agree that airships are our favorite way to travel. And we think you would like it as well. What do you say, love? Are you ready to join us yet?

  He looked up at Aunt Phil. "They had sent for me!" he said, marveling at the wonder of it, the sheer relief. They hadn't rejected him, or thought him unworthy.

  Then the force of Miss Lumpton's deception hit him. "Why?" he asked Aunt Phil. "Why would Miss Lumpton hide these from me?"

  Aunt Phil's face hardened. "I don't know, Nate. But she has a lot of explaining to do. Perhaps she was afraid for you. Or perhaps she was afraid of losing her position. Whatever the reason, I intend to find out."

  "How?"

  "Her address is printed inside the suitcase. Here. See?"

  Nate leaned over and saw the address printed in small black letters. "What if she doesn't know anything?"

  "Well, if nothing else, she'll have to answer to me for having deceived you all these years. And if she can't tell us anything about your parents' whereabouts, well, we'll just have to retrace their steps."

  "You mean...?"

  "I mean, we'll start where they were last sighted, boarding the airship headed for Spitsbergen."

  Nate's chest was so full of hope, he was afraid he'd float right off the bed. His parents were still out there. Even Aunt Phil believed him now. Not only that, Nate was a Fludd. And Fludds were very, very good at searching the globe and finding things.

  On Unicorns

  EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK OF BEASTS

  Unicornis europus

  Also known as the Western unicorn, this creature is the size of a large stag or a horse, white in color, with a tufted tail, cloven hooves, and a horn two cubits long protruding from its brow. The Unicornis europus also includes the German eichorn, which has a shaggier mane and coarser coat and whose horn has slightly raised ridges.

  It is said that the unicorn is so ferocious it cannot be taken alive. This, however, is not true. Justina Fludd, beloved young daughter of Sir Mungo Fludd, was the first to capture a unicorn without injury. No one was more surprised than she when the wild creature walked up to her, gentle as a lamb, and laid its head in her lap. Unfortunately, many unscrupulous hunters quickly learned of this weakness, and many a poor maiden was tricked into luring unicorns to greedy hunters. Since unicorns excel at seeing the truth, this left them with an abiding hatred of men, whilst having no effect on their fondness for maidens.

  It is therefore extremely important that all male beastologists be introduced to known unicorns as early in their training as possible, preferably while still children. For once a unicorn knows a person's scent, it is much less likely to kill that individual. This is not absolute, however, as poor Figgis Fludd discovered in an unfortunate incident in the Black Forest where he was attacked by an eichorn with whom he had once exchanged breath.

  It is useful to note that unicorns have a weakness for quince, not unlike horses with apples.

  Unicornis monocerus

  (also known as the Arabian carcadan and the rhinoceros)

  The Unicornis monocerus is the one species of unicorn that thrives today. While it is still hunted for its horn, its numbers have not been decimated in the ways of the other species. It was described by Sir Mungo Fludd thusly:

  It is gray in color and shaped somewhat like a bull. Only slightly smaller than an elephant, it is a large, angry beast that loves to fight. It has a boar's tail and a black horn that is one cubit long, which sprouts from its forehead and tapers to a point. It shares some attributes with pigs, as it appears to be fond of wallowing in mud and muck.

  Its voice is loud and unharmonious, an assault upon the ears.

  Unicornis elasmotherium

  Said to dwell in the steppes of central Asia, this beast was first reported by Sir Mungo Fludd after his initial travels through that area. It has not been spotted since, and indeed, many believe that Sir Mungo did not see this beast for himself but instead reported stories told to him by the people of the steppes. It was said to have been hunted by the locals by being driven into the forests, where they would climb the trees, wait, then rain poisoned arrows down upon it.

  It is related to the monocerus as the elephant is to the woolly mammoth.

  A later beastologist, Gumbert Fludd, who visited the area in 1612, reported rumors of it still in existence but was unable to confirm this with an eyewitness account.

  Unicornis capricornis

  unicornis capricornis

  Closely related to the Unicornis europus, the capricornis is smaller in stature with a more goatlike appearance, including a tufted beard and smaller mane. It is also significantly less aggressive than any of the other species and easier to tame. Some capricornises have even,
upon occasion, been domesticated, most notably by Ninian and Palmerius Fludd. The capricornis is of hearty appetite and has been found to eat anything. Its horn, however, does not possess the powerful properties of other unicorn horns.

  Unicornis indicus

  This creature is found in the wilds of Asia and India and is marked differently than the other species. While it has a white body, its head is a dark red, the color of old blood, and its eyes a dark blue. Its horn, too, is different, being only one cubit in length. The horn is white at the base and black in the middle, and the pointed tip is crimson. The indicus is said to bray like a wild ass.

  The bones of this creature are also distinct, for they are the color of cinnabar.

  The Unicornis indicus was first discovered by Mauro Fludd in 1481 during his travels through Asia and India. No one has seen it since.

  Unicornis qilinus

  The Chinese qilin was first seen and reported by Crespi Fludd, as were many of the Chinese beasts. It has the body of a deer, the head of a lion, and the legs of a horse, and its body is covered in green scales. A long, curved horn is what marks this as a member of the unicorn family, although there have been disputes among beastologists as to whether it is truly a unicorn or rather, as some suspect, a horned chimera.

  In spite of its most fearsome appearance, the qilin is reputed to have a gentle nature. Indeed, it even goes so far as to avoid crushing so much as a blade of grass beneath its feet. Local myth maintains that the qilin was sacred to the local gods. Seeing a qilin is rumored to be a sign of great good fortune.

  Unicornis kirinus

  While still retaining many of the characteristics of the Chinese qilin, the Japanese kirin is somewhat more closely related to the Western unicorn. It was first identified by Flavius Fludd, then further studied by Albertus Fludd in 1563. It is not to be confused with the modern-day giraffe, which the Japanese also call kirin.

  japanese kirin

  Unicornis narwhalus

  (also known as the monodon monocerus)

  unicornis narwhalus

  The narwhal is the unicorn of the deep, preferring the frigid oceans of the north. It weighs about half as much as a small elephant and is a mottled black and white color. When first born, its skin is darker, and it lightens with age. The narwhal's horn is five to seven cubits in length, and it is not a true horn at all, but rather a tusk or tooth. The first Fludds to have spotted the narwhal were Francis Fludd in his exploration of Greenland and Norbert Fludd during his searching for the Northwest Passage.

  The narwhal is a wild creature, and to date, not a single one has been able to survive in captivity.