The unicorn raised his head, and looked directly into Atuls eyes. Atul stared at him open-mouthed, unbelieving. He had been warned not to wander down into the valley below his uncle�s villa; but like any self-respecting boy, had immediately taken steps towards the forbidden forest. Last time, he had found that little imp like creature�s skeleton in the cupboard behind the bookcase, but this!
The unicorn snorted. �It behaves like a normal horse� thought Atul disconnectedly. His mouth closed, and then his feet involuntarily inched forward, towards the unicorn. The unicorn shied, fear displayed in its young eyes; it�s single magical horn carving through the air like a wizards' wand. �Not a horse, more like a pony� thought Atul as he approached the creature, his confidence growing. It did look young, and like a young animal, suddenly flashed into flight. Atul ran after it, trying to catch it - in vain; for it had disappeared into the forest, it�s white flanks melting into the sea of colour around him. It was spring, and the flowers were in full bloom, myriad smells and sights enticing the senses from every direction.
But Atul�s mind was on the unicorn, as his eyes searched frantically for some sign of where it might have headed. He looked up at the sun, gauging that there was maybe an hour or so left of sunlight. Atul�s uncle frowned on watches, insisting that everyone who came to visit learned to tell time and direction by the watch and compass naturally present in the sky. Atul loved the idea, and devoured the stories of hunting and tracking his uncle told them every evening by the fireside. �Tracking - ah! Of course� exclaimed Atul as his mind connected to the next logical step, and bent down to look for unicorn hoof prints. That�s funny, it looks like a normal horse�s prints, thought Atul, a little disappointed, for he had hoped the magical creature would not be distinguishable by just his horn.
He followed the tracks for a while, going deeper into the forest, until it became increasingly difficult to see signs of the unicorns' passage. Darkness descended almost all at once, the sun sinking behind the trees so rapidly that brightness turned to grey, then to black in less time than it takes a fire to die, and Atul felt the first pang of fear stab at his heart. He looked around him. Now the once-beautiful forest looked strangely eerie, as if it was watching him closely. Panic built up inside his young mind, as he realised he was quite probably lost, and he remembered his uncle telling him stories of how most predatory animals emerged at night to find unsuspecting prey under the cover of darkness. Atul swallowed his fear, and began to walk quickly back in what he hoped was the direction he had come from. But the tension in the forest slowly built, until it seemed that the branches were clutching at his clothes as he passed. Was it just his imagination, or..... �Aaaah� he screamed as he fell, as a large overgrown root seemed to strike out and trip him. Atul fell, fear blanketing his mind, and he then picked himself up and ran, remembering his uncle once calling this place the �Enchanted Forest.� All thoughts of adventure and magic vanished from his young mind as he ran, and he wished only to find himself at home. �Please, please, please...� He mumbled and prayed as he ran, the forest clinging more, the sound of his echoing footsteps pursuing him, and fuelling the fear he felt wash over him.
As if by magic again, the trees suddenly let go, and Atul crashed into a clearing. It was dark, and the crescent moon stood a quarter of the way into the sky, as if it surprised in its movement. The moon shone reflected off the water in a small pond at the edge of the clearing, and at the edge of the water stood a shadow. It was the unicorn! It looked at him strangely. The night seemed filled with magic, as Atul realised the unicorn might now be his only passage to safety, out of the clutches of the Enchanted Forest. Atul remembered the story his uncle had told them only last week - of how a unicorn�s magic powers are concentrated in its horn, and touching the horn at the same time as you make a wish can make the wish come true. Atul moved towards the unicorn slowly, carefully, trying not to alarm the frisky creature. Some instinct warned him that the unicorn was about to run a split-second before it happened, and Atul lunged. Magically, his fingers closed sound the horn, his feet jerked off the ground, and - he realised he had forgotten to make a wish!!!
As if in a nightmare, he felt the horn tear loose in his hands, as it ripped clear from the unicorns' head. His eyes bulged in horror and there was a bright white flash that seared his vision, blinding him!!
Atul shook his head, his eyes shut tight, still trying to come to grips with what had happened, his heart beating like a sledgehammer upon soft rock, and he heard laughing and clapping. As he slowly, tentatively opened his eyes, the white flash came again. Atul�s eyes widened, unbelieving, and saw his uncle grinning - with a camera in his hand. His parents and cousins stood around, laughing and clapping. The little pony - it was a pony - stood in the corner tossing its head and neighing and snorting. Atul felt something on the underside of the horn he held. He looked down and saw a fragment of cloth sticking out of the broken end, which was strangely sticky, almost like it was coated with glue. He pulled it out, as if in a dream, and it unfolded into a banner with the words �Happy Birthday� colourfully displayed on it against a background of magical symbols and pictures. Comprehension slowly dawning, Atul looked up, a slow, wide, sheepish, grin beginning to spread itself across his face.