In the Land of the Unicorn

IN THE LAND OF THE UNICORN

By P. J. Flynn

Published by Peter J Flynn at Smashwords

Copyright © Peter J Flynn 2012

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

www.animal-magic-tales.com

Email: pete.flynn@live.co.uk

Facebook: Peter Flynn (Northampton)

Illustrations by Peter Panayis

Originated Artwork and Printing Mark Neale

ISBN No. 978-09547587-3-8

All Rights Reserved

Dedicated to Lewis Sean Vaughan-Payne

24.08.1990 - 24.06.2010

Our little bit of faith

Forever in our hearts

About the author

Until ten years ago the author worked as a plasterer but two serious operations gave him the opportunity to pursue a challenge he never thought possible.

With the help of numerous friends and family the dream of writing a book became a reality; this is the third book in the series about Vicky and her magic horse.

The author takes you first on another three adventures and then into the most exciting yet where Red the magic horse learnt his magical ways.

Since going on Facebook he has gained many good friends and this book came about through these friends asking for different adventures, that is why there is an American part to the new book all about the wonderful American Racehorse Sea Biscuit, which is by far the heroine Vicky’s favourite adventure, because of her love of horses.

His last book was again about animals this time about cats, called Tales of a Wildcat.

His books are now in over 20 different countries and if you go to www.animal-magic-tales.com and also on Facebook under Peter Flynn and P.J.Flynn his story will be told in more depth.

Acknowledgements

My sincere thanks to Illustrator Peter Panayis who again told the story with his extreme talent in his own unique style

My thanks to my proof reader Mary H Smith with her help the book has flowed beautifully

To my good friend Kevin Hitchcock whose knowledge of horse racing enabled him to give a perfect account in writing of the race of the century, involving Sea Biscuit and War Admiral

To Mark Neale for his expertise in creating this book, and for always being there when I was in need of his help

To my secretary Pauline Iwanczuk

And most of all, to my friends from all over the world who have asked for another Magic Horse book

Over the last two years through Face book I have been very proud to gain so many friends and followers, and I like to think this is a present to all of you.

Contents

THE BONDING OF RED AND BISCUIT

SHERWOOD FOREST

WE MEET THE SHERIFF OF NOTTINGHAM

WILL RED’S PLAN WORK?

HOME SWEET HOME

IN THE LAND OF THE VALIANT

GETTING TO KNOW CAMELOT

DANGEROUS DAYS

KEE FINDS A NEW HOME

THE LEGENDARY SEA BISCUIT

RANCH LIFE CALIFORNIA STYLE

PIMLICO IN ALL ITS GLORY THE BIG RACE

CELEBRATIONS AND HOME

THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE

UNICORN KING

INTO THE UNKNOWN

VALENCIA AND HER WOLVES AND THE MIGHTY ZU

SAPPHIRE’S WORLD

DINOSAURS

BIG TROUBLE IN DINOSAUR VALLEY

MAGICAL SURPRISES

TO RELAX I HOPE

ALEXANDRA AND MELISSA STAY WITH US

RED’S DILEMMA

RED’S RECOVERY

THE JOURNEY’S END

SEEMS LIKE ANOTHER LIFE

THE BONDING OF RED AND BISCUIT

After a good rest we are all refreshed and raring to go on our exciting travels once again. The rest has coincided with Red’s bonding with Biscuit and of course not forgetting Scarlet, who has been a brilliant Mother to the young colt. But now it’s mostly out of her hands, as it looks as though Red is going to take care of his upbringing, although I am sure there are going to be times when he will go to his mother for a bit of love like all children do.

We are all getting excited, because hopefully Biscuit is going to be such a special horse. Red had already started to spend a lot of time with him and we think he has started to teach Biscuit the special ways of a magic horse.

Riding Biscuit is a long way off still, although he is growing at an astounding rate. It looks like he will be at least as big as Red, Scarlet is big for a mare so I suppose that has something to do with it as well.

It’s holiday time and because of that Chanel practically lives on the farm. It was a smallholding once, but Dad keeps adding more land to it so I suppose you could class it as a small farm now.

The latest addition was a pair of goats, the Nanny-goat is a sweet thing, but the Billy-goat has got a terrible temper, especially when Blue our cat winds him up, then gets out of the way up a convenient tree, looks down on him and gives him a nice little meow for good measure, it’s all very funny to watch. Poor old Billy nearly explodes with anger. I think Blue had better watch himself and have eyes in the back of his head, or else he will find himself on the end of Billy’s ample horns.

Homework for the holidays is always a tedious affair, but with Chanel’s help we managed to put our studies firmly behind us. Like Courtney, Chanel is another brain box I don’t get it, I have to work really hard to do well in exams, but they just seem to sail through them and end up near the top of the class.

Naturally I am getting a lot better at history, but our teacher Mrs. Osborne, thinks I make my compositions on different times in history a bit farfetched, little does she know my facts are completely true.

I chuckle to myself because I know I am right, after all I have been there. I would love to tell her, but naturally I can’t.

Now down to business, where shall we go? I have thought and thought but still have not come up with an obvious choice, I have tampered with the idea of going into the future, but I can’t get my head round that.

What do I do if something terrible has happened, such as a world war and nobody has survived, or just the opposite and it could be so wonderful that I would not want to return home?

No, I am not grown up enough to withstand the consequences that this adventure might bring; I love my family too much to risk anything happening so that I could not see them again. We shall stick to going back in time for the immediate future. Who knows maybe one day I shall be brave enough to take that gigantic step into the unknown.

I walked over to where Red and Biscuit were grazing, and politely asked Red if we could have a chat about our next adventure. He looked up from the luscious clump of grass he was munching, Lovely, it’s been a long time since our last adventure and I could do with a break from teaching Biscuit. Scarlet can take over for a while, she’s feeling a little left out at the moment, bless her. I still could not make up my mind where to go, so I craftily said to Red, Would you like to choose this time? He replied sarcastically, I can read you like a book young Vicky, you haven’t a clue where to go have you! I laughed, I can’t pull the wool over your eyes can I?! He chuckled, Never mind, I do have a good idea, let’s go and find out how true the legend of Robin Hood is that should be exciting, how are your archery skills?

I must admit Red’s idea of going to find Robin Hood did excite me.

The tales of Robin and his merry men have altered so much over the years, but the chances are there must have been men hiding from the law in these dark ages, I suppose the forest areas of England were as good a place as any to start a commune as there is always safety in numbers, but whether they were merry men as the tales tell us is another matter.

After a lengthy discussion we eventually decided Robin Hood would be our next adventure, so we were to travel back to the end of the twelfth century, that’s if the tales were correct, I have my doubts. First we were to visit Sherwood Forest on our quest to find the legend that robbed from the rich and gave to the poor; I will also reserve judgement on that statement, as some books say he was a right villain.

So it was back to the internet to find out about the times we were to visit, we searched and again it looked as though the poor were really poor and the idle rich lived a life of lavish banquets and were having a wonderful time, while the poor old serfs were the oppressed and had to earn the rich their wealth. It seems nothing has changed much over the years.

SHERWOOD FOREST

Sunday soon rolled around; Chanel rode with us until we reached our usual take off point near our favourite spot in the woods. Chanel’s face was not a pretty sight, she was getting frustrated that she was not getting involved in our travels. This saddened me but my hands were tied, Biscuit was nowhere near ready to go on our adventures so she has got to be patient.

I smiled at her and said, See you soon, I will bring you a present, it could even be Robin Hood, that would shock you wouldn’t it! A large grin told me everything was all right, so I waved and blew her a kiss just to let her know we cared and then we were on our way.

We arrived next to the biggest oak tree you could imagine, it was situated right in the middle of six tracks leading into different areas of the very dense Sherwood Forest and it looked like a perfect meeting place for anybody hiding out in this forest.

Red changed into Jack, I burst out laughing at his appearance and said, Who do you think you are, Robin himself?! He was dressed in a dark green outfit, a perfect camouflage for the forest, with a sword and dagger in his belt and a long bow over his shoulder, a quiver of arrows made up his arsenal of weapons. I shouldn’t have laughed so much, after all I looked similar, except I had no bow and arrows; we certainly looked ready for any trouble, except we both needed lessons on how to use our weapons.

I looked at Jack and shrugged my shoulders and said, Which trail shall we take? Jack took a good look at all six trails and in the end picked the one that was probably used the most. There were both deer and horse tracks beside footprints; most of the footprints were very pointed and in fact looked just like the boots we were wearing. We were certainly not alone, I wondered what sort of reception we would get when we met our first person and the thought of it brought me out in a sweat.

I was beginning to think we would never meet anybody after tramping along the trail for at least an hour and I began to get thirsty. As if by magic, we came upon a beautiful waterfall leading into a deep pool of inviting water. We sat down and Jack made us a cup out of large leaves from a nearby tree and we proceeded to take our fill of the wonderful cool refreshing water.

We laid on our backs and looked up into the beautiful deep blue sky through an opening in the trees, I shut my eyes and said, This is so peaceful, they say the best things in life are free, I am beginning to think the saying is right, what do you think Jack? Before Jack could answer, a pheasant took off from the undergrowth just to the right of us, we both sat up with a start, I could not see properly as I had masses of stars passing in front of my eyes, this always happens when I move too quickly, but it soon passes. This time when they cleared I half hoped they would come back again, as standing in front of us was a giant of a man, before we could say anything he stuck the end of his staff under Jack’s chin and asked him if he would be paying for the water we had just drunk. Jack was not amused and told him to mind his own business and that he did not own the water, as Sherwood Forest belonged to the King and he certainly did not look like the King to us.

I thought oh no here we go again, another one needs a lesson, but before Jack could change into Red another man came from the undergrowth and said, What have we here John? John replied, We’ve got a cheeky one here Will, he says we don’t own the forest and he’s not paying for water.

Will laughed and said, I like people who show a bit of courage. Where do you two come from and how did you find us here? I felt rather brave and took a chance and said, "We are looking for the band of outlaws led by a man called Robin, we would like to join him, as we are on the run and got lost, our family could not pay our taxes and