Princess Megan

PRINCESS MEGAN

sudden movement might startle him and send him
running into the woods-and into the path of the hunters.

When the unicorn seemed calmer, Megan gently
stroked his muzzle, then moved closer and ran her hand
along his neck. He felt like a million Gingers, all downy
and warm.When she first picked Ginger up she had loved
him instantly. That is exactly the way she felt now with
the unicorn. At the same time, she could hardly believe
she was standing right beside such a marvelous creature,
actually touching him.

In her mind's eye, Megan saw the tapestry. Michelle
had said the scene was real.Am I the maiden in the
tapestry? she wondered.

As Megan unfolded the invisible blanket, the unicorn
stood quietly, as if he knew he was trusting her with his
life. She quickly placed the blanket over his back and tied
the braided drapery cord around his neck.

Megan gasped because in her hand she held a cord
that was attached to ...nothing. The unicorn and the
blanket had both disappeared.

50



watched as a band of armed men passed by. Megan held
her breath as two men stopped in front of the trees
where she hid.

"We'll not find him tonight!" cried one of them.
The other man dismounted to let his horse drink from
the stream. "It's the woman's fault!" he shouted to the
others. "She does not admit it, but some have seen. And
there are ways to make them tell what they saw."
At that, Megan pulled the unicorn closer to her side.
They were talking about Jacqueline She was sure of it.

52

The Challenge

As soon as the men moved on, Megan knew she had
to pick up her pace. The sun was dropping quickly. Soon
it was dark, and she decided she could make better time
if she rode the unicorn.

As she slipped onto his back, the unicorn seemed to
understand the need to hurry. He picked up speed, and
he and Megan practically flew across the meadow. It was
as if his hoofs never touched the ground. The ride was
smooth and quick and amazing.

As they neared the village, Megan slipped off the
unicorn's back and once again covered him with the
invisible blanket. The people in the village were so busy
arguing over the unicorn and taking sides that Megan and
the unicorn slipped through the crowd easily. She felt
brave until she passed the pillory in the center of the
village and saw the crude wooden stocks where criminals
were forced to stand for hours,
even days, with their arms and legs
locked in openings. A
shiver ran up and down her
spine as she thought about
Jacqueline.

Luckily the drawbridge
was still open in anticipation
of the King's arrival. With all

53

PRINCESS MEGAN

the preparation and activity surrounding his visit, no one
saw Megan enter the castle grounds

"Psst, Megan." She turned around but saw only the
salt merchant bringing his supply to the kitchen shed. His
poor donkey was heaving heavily from the two enormous
sacks that hung over his back. When the donkey passed
by, Megan could see his back was wet with sweat. She
turned away and held her nose till they had passed.

Another "Psst!" pierced the evening air again, this
time more urgently. When Megan turned around for the
second time, she could barely make out Michelle and
Jacqueline huddled together by the flower garden.

Quickly, Michelle pulled the unicorn closer to them.
"You found him, Your Highness!" cried Michelle.
"How did you know?" exclaimed Megan. "He's
invisible."
"The cord," said Michelle. "It's a bit of a giveaway."
"We're back where we started," Jacqueline said sadly.
"Now you've made it easy for them to sacrifice the
unicorn. I'm not sure what this has accomplished."
Just then a rousing cheer could be clearly heard, a
signal that the King and his party had arrived in the
village and were headed their way. Megan knew the
procession would be filled with many people, a string of
extra horses, and wagons. Visiting was not simply a

54

The Challenge

matter of packing up a suitcase for the night. It meant
packing up most of the household for the long journey. It
was more like a major move than a visit.

"It's time for part two of my plan," Megan said
reassuringly as she led them quickly toward the main door.

"Step away from me," Megan told Michelle and
Jacqueline. When they were a safe distance apart, Megan
tied the unicorn to a post in the yard and reached into
her pocket for her diary.

Instead of writing Dear Diary Megan printed boldly:
THE UNICORN IS NOTHING WITHOUT HIS HORN.
AND THE HORN IS NOTHING WITHOUT THE UNICORN.
HIS POWER COMES FROM HIS HEART AND FROM
HIS INNER VIRTUE. THE HORN WILL ONLY BRING
UNHAPPINESS AND DESPAIR TO ANYONE WHO
DARES SEPARATE THE TWO. Then Megan signed the
page: THE UNICORN'S MAIDEN.

Wasting not a moment, Megan ripped the page from
her diary. Then she stood in the shadows, waiting for the
exact moment that the King's party reached her hiding
plaCE;. Megan then whipped the invisible blanket from the
unicorn. "Bend low," she told him as she pulled his head
toward her.

Quickly, Megan fastened the page from her diary to
his horn with the length of gold ribbon that had been

55



The Challenge

her bookmark. Looking around to make sure no one
had noticed, Megan stepped back into an open doorway
and waited.

"Halt!" commanded the kind-looking King when he
came to the unicorn. "What have we here?" Pulling
his enormous white steed out of the entourage, the King
rode straight for the unicorn. It was only a matter of time
before he was reading the note.

Megan held her breath.
"What a fine creature! My trip is blessed," the King
announced. Then he reached for the note. After he had read
it once, the King read the note aloud to the waiting crowd.
"So gentle and peace-loving. This is a good omen for
my visit. We will file his horn tomorrow for the excellent
protection it will provide."
Megan could see Michelle slip her arm around her
mother's waist. She saw Jacqueline smile for the first time
since they'd met. When their eyes met hers, she could
read ever so clearly, "Thank you."
The King spoke again to the crowd: "This unicorn,
indeed all unicorns, should be free to reach the souls of
everyone, rich and poor. From this day onward, the
greatest gift anyone could give to me is the safety of this
creature." Watching the King stroke the downy soft neck
of the unicorn, Megan thought about Ginger and horn

57



Chapter

Eight

THE LOOKING
GLASS

■ e must hurry," Michelle told Megan. "The
banquet is already laid out and the King will
be worried about you. Besides, you must be starving."
Megan was wondering what she'd do if the King
didn't claim her as his daughter. She followed Michelle
toward the Great Hall. Jacqueline had left them to work
in the kitchen.
The first thing they saw was the high table, reserved
for the royal visitors. It was also known as the "top tabl ,"

59

raised above the rest to show its importance. And there
were washbasins set up around the room for washing
because people ate with their hands.

Megan laughed to herself as she thought about
all the times her mother had asked her if she'd washed
her hands before meals. She certainly never meant in
preparation for eating with them. The people seated
at long board tables were sharing plates, and
sometimes cups. The menu for the banquet consisted
of salted fish, sugared nuts and fruit, brown pudding,

60

The Looking Glass

and a variety of meats that Megan did not recognize.
"Be sure to sample the stewed squirrel," Michelle told

her. "Or the stuffed quarter of bear."
"Thanks," said Megan. "I can't wait."
Michelle helped Megan slide the heavy cloak from her

shoulders. Now Megan was really in a fix. If the King saw
her, it would only be a matter of time before everybody
knew she did not belong.

Megan sighed. She couldn't risk getting Michelle and
her mother in trouble. After all, she had just done her
best to get them out of it!

"Oh, Michelle, you have been so good to me;'' said
Megan, thinking fast. "But it's time we parted and I joined
my father."

Michelle had tears in her eyes. "How can I ever
repay you?"

"You can remember me," Megan said, and she meant
every word.

"Always," replied Michelle, as Megan slipped into
the hallway.

It seemed that half the kingdom was rushing to the
Great Hall for the banquet. Megan was rushing the other
way, frantically looking for the right passageway, the one
that held the long mirror she had seen with Michelle.

As Megan rounded the next bend, feeling like a rat

61

PRINCESS MEGAN

in a maze, she saw a tall and stately figure coming toward
her. It was the King! Quickly, Megan turned, knocking right
into a long looking glass on the wall.

"Excuse me," said Megan, before realizing it was her own
image in the mirror. "Oh, it's you!" she exclaimed to herself.
Then she began to laugh and cry at the same time.

A dog barked. Megan looked around and realized that
she was back in Ellie's attic. The dog was only Monty
outside the attic door.

Quickly, Megan returned the wonderful princess outfit
to the trunk and took her diary from the pocket of the
purple dress. "Okay, okay!" she called to Monty.

Ellie came out of the kitchen as Megan flew down the
stairs and walked to the front door. "Come again. Any
time," Ellie told Megan.

"Will every adventure be different?" asked Megan,
wondering if she'd ever see Michelle and the unicorn again.

"Yes, it will always be different," replied Ellie. Then she
smiled and pushed the door shut behind her.

Megan's mother was in the kitchen, going through
the mail.

She looked more tired than usual, and she probably
was. In real life, mothers worked long hours and
sometimes got cranky.

It was the same in the Middle Ages, thought Megan.

62

The Looking Glass

"Dinner was really good," Megan told her mother. "Did
you eat?"

"I had some yogurt at my desk for lunch," her mother
replied.

Megan dished out the rest of Aunt Frances's deluxe
tuna with the fresh mushrooms and little bits of sharp
cheddar cheese. Then she popped the plate into the
microwave. Maybe when her mother had a full stomach,
she'd be willing to listen to Megan's side of the story.

"This looks delicious," her mother said gratefully
when Megan put a hot dinner in front of her, complete
with salad and a big glass of cranberry juice, her mother's
favorite drink.

Megan got herself a glass of milk and sat down at
the table.

"Look, I'm really sorry I came down on you so hard
over the phone," Megan's mother began. "I don't want to
seem like some kind of dictator. It's just that I'm in such a
bind. And I know how capable you are in a pinch."

"I know that now," replied Megan. "And I guess I
didn't do a very good job of explaining about the nursing
home."

"What nursing home?" asked Megan's mother, surprised.
Megan told her mother all about the play and about
how important the performance was to the senior citizens.

63

PRINCESS MEGAN

"I guess I could have done a better job of listening
and asking questions," replied Megan's mother. "After all,
that's what my job is all about. Lawyers are supposed to
be good at cross�examining."

They laughed together.
"I guess we're both in a bind now, aren't we?" said
Megan's mother. "There's got to be a solution. We're two
smart people. Let's put our heads together and do what
lawyers often do to satisfy both sides. Let's compromise."
"That sounds fair," said Megan.
Then Megan thought about Michelle's mother,
Jacqueline, and how few choices she had in her life. She
thought about all the hardships Michelle and Jacqueline
had to endure. She thought about her own room with her
comfortable bed and her favorite colors, and just sweet
clean Ginger curled up on the other pillow
In her own way, Megan had saved the day for the
unicorn and, more jmportantly, for two people. Now she
was back in modern times, and her own mother had a
problem. Maybe the problem didn't have to do
with the death of a unicorn or some terrible punishment,
but it was important to her mother all the same.
Over vanilla ice cream, Megan and her mother worked
out a plan
Her mother would arrange to get to the office no later

64



PRINCESS MEGAN

than ten�thirty. Megan would ask her friends to come
extra early to the nursing home to rehearse and work out
the staging and makeup.

Luckily, from the nursing home it was only a few
minutes' walk to the high school.That meant that Megan
could be at the food drive from ten till eleven. Then she'd
ask Keisha to take over till lunchtime, when the next
official committee member took over. Captain Hook didn't
come on stage till noon, when the performance began.

"Whew!" cried Megan's mother when they had worked
out the schedule for the next morning."I think we did it."

Megan felt relieved as they switched off the kitchen
light and headed upstairs. She turned to her mother. "Did
you know that in medieval times, people slept with
fleabags to keep warm?"

"Fleabags?" her mother asked, taken aback by this
sudden comment.

"You know, dogs with a lot of fleas," said Megan, still
thinking about castle life.

"Well," Megan's mother said cheerfully. "I think one
clean cat is more to my liking "

Megan put her arm around her mother's waist as they
climbed the stairs together.She was tired, but she
couldn't wait to call Heather, Alison, and Keisha to tell
them all about it....

66



Dear Diary, \

It's me, Megan , again Nobody calls me

Princess Megan or Your Highness now And

nobody bows.

Heather, Alison, and Keisha were so

excited when I told them about my incredible

adventure in the Magic Attic I didn't sk ip

anything either, because that's the promise we

made to each other And you k now, Diary,

that I keep my promises. I learned a lot about

promises, especially when it comes to the
-- ,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
,,
people I love the most.

Sometimes I wonder how Michelle is. If

they kept the unicorn on the castle grounds for

awhile before freeing him, I bet he and

Michelle became friends

The neat part about Ellie's attic is that you

never know how it will chan e oul I feel much

�.E?�tE?r ..??C)Ut. E? VE?rx!hin9..sinCE?•· I'y e.. 9? �! 8.n..ba.�.k

?[�or11..the···�·i??Ie.. � 9?� . ?. this .."! i11..?E?.. a...�.?PPY

qi?ry[)ay!
Mom' s food drive went even better than she
ected She said her friends had all kinds of

com liments about how Keisha and I handled

! ?.�. .t�ing s..in..hE?r.Pl?cE? . h?t..r11? �.s ..�.�.�1..9???:.....

ood director and that the four of us
reat team. That was the best

When Megan tries on a princess gown in her neighbor's attic she suddenly
finds herself at a medieval French castle. The peasant girl who befriends her
treats her like royalty and begs her to rescue the unicorn. How does Megan

·==� �c �<�tell her that she's not a princess? Will her plan to save the unicorn work?
2., � L.

The Magic Attic Club was born when Megan and her three best friends
Alison, Heather, and Keisha found a golden key that unlocked a neighbor's
attic. They discovered a trunk full of wonderful costumes and a mirror that
transported them into the past, to a party where they were the guests of honor.

Once back home, they formed the Magic Attic Club, and promised to share
all of their adventures with each other. Join them, and you'11 discover
the magic of the attic, too!

MagicAtt c

ISBN 1-57513-005-X (!bJ

0000 5

7 19730 00595 6 Category: Fiction
Ages: 7 and up
Price: $5.95
ISBN: 1-57513-005-X