“Kelsie, you’ve got another talent,” he said. “You can lead people. By taking their hands.”
She was surprised. “I did not know. But I’m glad. You would not come on your own.” She hauled him on to the statue, and off the path.
The moment they were off it, the pull stopped. The magic was gone. But she was already flinging herself into her mother’s arms.
The man faced Mark, and made a little formal bow. “Thank you,” he said in English. It was very formal, but Mark had no trouble understanding it.
Mark returned the bow, somewhat awkwardly. “You’re welcome.” He hadn’t realized that Kelsie’s father could speak his language.
“Your father sent email. We did not believe. But then we believed. And it is true. But we will not tell others.”
“I understand,” Mark said. “We won’t either.”
That was it. He knew that Kelsie would explain as much as she could to her folks, and that they would let her visit the park again. They were understanding people, she had told him. As were his own parents. It probably wasn’t just chance that they both had parents like that.
Mark bowed again, and went to the statue. Kelsie did not make any impulsive gestures; she was being a proper Chinese girl, so as not to make her parents lose face. But she smiled at him.
He touched the box and stepped on the path. He looked back, and saw the three of them looking somewhat blankly past the statue. They could no longer see him.
Now he was alone in the park. How could that be, if he and Kelsie were always in it together? Oh, yes; it was the same way it had been when Kelsie entered the park before him: no time had passed for her. Now it was probably passing for her but not for him. Or for him and not for her. Somehow. It was confusing, so he let it be.
He returned to his own entrance, and stepped off the path. Dad and mom were still waiting. Only a few minutes had passed for them—the time he had spent outside the park in Beijing.
“Is she safe?” his mother asked, concerned.
“Sure, mom. I met her folks; they were there to meet her. Her dad speaks English.”
“Yes. He answered my email.”
“She likes you,” he said. “Especially mom.”
“She likes you too,” his mother said.
“She’s a likable girl,” his father said.
That about covered it. Mark returned to the home summer routine, but his thoughts were constantly on Pandora Park. And on Kelsie. He realized that it was true for him too: the park fascinated him, but he also wanted to see her again.
There was another thing: he found a wooden sword and practiced moves with it. He wanted to be able to fend off a magic sword if he had to. Just in case.
Next Saturday his mother took him to the mall again. “If something happens and you can’t get back, have Kelsie tell her parents to contact us,” she said.
He realized that she was more worried than she had let on. “I will, mom.”
“I will return in an hour. If you are not here—”
“I’ll be here, mom!” he said quickly.
She nodded, not entirely satisfied. He knew she had discussed it with his father, and they were letting him go, but that there was some real fear in the background. He could not be sure it wasn’t justified. That scaly pig monster, the roller coaster that wouldn’t stop, the general mystery of it—fascinating, but also maybe dangerous.
He touched the box and stepped on the path. He looked back. His mother was already turning away, having seen him vanish. He felt a sudden surge of love for her. She was letting him have his experience, so he could learn and grow, but she was hurting. That made him feel proud and guilty.
He crossed the park, and found Kelsie waiting for him. He didn’t ask when she had entered the park, in her time; that no longer really mattered.
She stepped up, took his hand, and hugged and kissed him before he could protest. Actually he couldn’t protest once she had his hand; his willpower faded. He became very strong, and floated. She laughed.
“You did that on purpose!” he said.
“It’s my nature.” But she looked a bit smug as he grabbed on to a tree branch to stop himself from floating entirely away. Meanwhile she was unbraiding her hair and fixing it the way Mark’s mother had fixed it. She had even brought along the special combs. She was not in China anymore.
“I need a rope or something, to hold me to the ground,” he said.
“Find one.”
He looked around, and spotted a ten foot long electric cord. That would have to do.
She fetched it, and reached up to tie it to his left ankle. Then she walked along the path, hauling him along like a balloon. “You wouldn’t like it if you were the one in the air,” he said, annoyed. He caught at a stout upper branch, and broke it in half bare-handed.
She hauled him down to the ground. “We need to find out about this park,” she said. “So we know whether it’s safe.”
“How can we do that?”
“Maybe by seeking its limits. Like wishing for something really outrageous.”
“It doesn’t grant wishes.”
“Doesn’t it? When you look for something, isn’t that a wish?”
He realized it was true. “What should I look for?”
She considered. “Two years ago I saw a Western movie. They come to China, with subtitles; we can see most of them, even if they are bootleg.”
“Bootleg! You mean pirated?”
She nodded. “Stolen, really. I do not say it is right. But there are copies of many things, not merely your computer software. There are stores in Beijing that look almost like Western chain stores your mother showed me, but little of what they sell is legal. They even copy the brand names, to make them look authentic.”
“Isn’t there some law enforcement?”
She shrugged. “There should be. But it happens.”
Mark was amazed. A whole industry in fakes! “You were telling me about a movie you saw.”
“Yes. It was fantasy, and it had a unicorn. It was like a horse with a horn, and it was the most beautiful thing I ever saw. I loved it instantly.”
“But unicorns don’t exist! They’re myths.”
“That is true. That is their advantage. A horse must be housed, fed, exercised; it is expensive to maintain. But a unicorn costs nothing; it will take care of itself, and just be there when you want it. I want it.”
“How could I ever find an imaginary creature?”
“That is the challenge. Perhaps it will be beyond the power of this park to provide. Then we will know a limit.”
Mark wasn’t sure of her reasoning, but he was ready to try. “Hold me down, and I’ll look for a unicorn. A big bold stallion with a mighty horn.”
“Thank you.”
They set out along a new path. There were many shrubs and trees, most bearing candies of different types, but they weren’t interested in those. In fact, the landscape was rather dull. “Why all the paths, if there’s nothing special there?” he asked.
“Perhaps it is nothing, until we look for something.”
He didn’t quite understand that either. “Unicorn,” he said. “I want a unicorn.”
Then they came to a glade. There stood a horse with a horn. “Oh!” Kelsie cried, delighted. She ran toward it, hauling Mark along behind her.
Then things went wrong. First, it wasn’t a magnificent stallion; it was a small mare with a stubby horn. Second, it shied away from Kelsie.
“She’s not tame,” Mark said, catching on.
“Surely so,” Kelsie agreed hopefully.
The unicorn circled around Kelsie and came to Mark, who was settling to earth. She lowered her head and touched the ground at his feet with her horn.
She was approaching him? This was weird. He remained quite light, and was sure that enough super strength remained to fend off the unicorn if he needed to. So he slowly put out his right hand and touched her mane. “Nice unicorn,” he said.
She lifted her head and
looked him in the eye. “Thank you, master.”
Mark almost somersaulted backward. “Did that animal talk?” he asked.
“Yes,” Kelsie said. “She called you master. That mean’s she’s your unicorn. You stole her from me!”
“Not so,” the unicorn said. “I chose him.”
“But you were my dream,” Kelsie protested.
“Too bad for you. I am Mark’s familiar.”
“My what?” he asked.
“Familiar. A magic spirit in the form of an animal, staying with a person, to help him or her do magic.”
“I don’t know anything about unicorns,” Mark protested. “Please, go with Kelsie.”
“I will not touch her,” the unicorn said stoutly.
Kelsie recovered from her annoyance. “So what am I supposed to do? Take his familiar?”
“Yes,” the unicorn said. “Because you can’t have me.”
Kelsie looked at Mark. “What’s your dream animal?”
“That’s easy. A dragon. Big, with wings, and breathing fire.”
“Find it,” she said tightly.
“So you can take it?”
“So we can trade.”
“You can’t trade,” the unicorn said.
Mark shrugged. “Okay, I’ll find my dragon.” He untied the cord, because enough weight had returned so he could stay on the ground. He walked on along the path.
“Why don’t you ride me?” the unicorn asked.
“You’re not supposed to be mine. Besides, I don’t know how to ride a horse.”
“I’m magic. You’ll stay on. I’ll take you anywhere, fast.”
“What about Kelsie? How can she keep up?”
“Who cares about her? Leave her behind.”
“I care about her,” Mark said hotly. “I won’t leave her behind.”
“What a pain in the ankles. So I’ll walk.”
“I don’t even know your name.”
“I thought you’d never ask. Just call me Witch.”
“Witch? What kind of a name is that?”
She swished her tail impatiently. “What’s wrong with it?”
“It means an ugly old woman who lives in a house made of candy and tries to lure children inside so she can bake them in her oven.” Then Mark made a connection. “Kelsie! We’d better get out of here!”
But Kelsie was perplexed. “It’s just a name.”
“Don’t you know the story of the two children in the woods? The witch uses the candy to get them. Pandora Park is like a candy house. And here’s the witch, making herself look like a unicorn. We don’t dare enter her house!”
“Ridiculous,” Witch said. “I don’t want to eat you. I’m a herbivore.”
“A what?”
“She eats grass,” Kelsie said. “Not meat.”
“What side are you on?”
“I just know that my unicorn couldn’t hurt anyone.”
“I’m not your unicorn!” Witch said. “And I’ll spear anyone who threatens my master.”
“I still don’t trust this,” Mark said.
“Why don’t I hug you again? Then you’ll be strong enough to handle anything.”
“Good idea.”
Kelsie hugged him, and he felt the strength spread through his body.
“I’d hug you too, if I had arms,” Witch said jealously.
Then Mark saw the dragon slithering toward them. It wasn’t exactly what he had been looking for, but then, what he found never was. It was like a big snake with many coils, and a huge feathery head. “Look.”
“That’s a Chinese dragon!” Kelsie said.
“I wanted an American dragon.”
“Don’t be fussy,” Witch said. “You can’t have him anyway. Give him to her.”
“Take him,” Mark said with resignation.
“If I’d wanted a regular Chinese dragon, I’d have asked for one,” Kelsie said.
“What kind of a welcome is that?” the dragon asked. “Of course you want a Chinese dragon. The western ones are fakes.”
“Another talking animal,” Mark muttered.
The dragon ignored him and went to Kelsie. “What a lovely girl. I’ll be glad to be your familiar. What’s your name? My name is Wizard.”
“But a wizard is a sorcerer,” Kelsie protested.
“So? I can do some magic. But first you have to tell me your name, and accept me as your familiar.”
“I’m Kelsie,” she said. “But I don’t want a familiar.”
“Now be reasonable, Kelsie. I can’t help you if you don’t accept me. That’s the way it is.”
“I haven’t accepted the unicorn either,” Mark said. “I just want to get the hooha out of here.”
Witch turned to him. “What was that word?”
“My father said it. It’s a, a—”
“Euphemism,” Kelsie said. “For the western bad place.”
“This isn’t a bad place,” Witch said. “It’s a good place. An ideal place. You’ll really like it.”
“I just want to get out of here,” Mark said. “Are you coming, Kelsie?”
“Yes. I agree with your father. There’s something wrong here.”
They linked hands and started walking back along the path.
Suddenly both the unicorn and the dragon were before them, blocking the way. “Don’t go,” Witch said. “We do want you to stay, but it’s not what you think.”
“We think it’s a trap,” Mark said. “For children.”
The unicorn and dragon exchanged a glance. “It’s not working,” Wizard said. “They’re not buying it.”
“I told you it wouldn’t work, you toasted snake. It’s your fault.”
“Listen, you horned nag—”
“Don’t argue,” Kelsie said quickly. “We just don’t need familiars. We want to go home.”
“We can’t stop you,” Wizard said. “But we wish you would listen to our side.”
“Why should we trust you?” Mark asked.
“Because you will recognize the truth when you hear it,” Witch said.
Mark had an idea. “Maybe we should shake hands and agree to listen,” he told Kelsie.
Her eyes widened with understanding. “We will listen,” she told Wizard. “Deal?” She extended her hand.
“Deal,” the dragon agreed, bringing out a front foot. They shook hands, in their fashion.
Which meant Wizard would have to tell the truth. Now for Witch. “Deal?” he asked.
“Deal,” she agreed, lifting her right front hoof.
Mark took it and shook it. His magic wouldn’t make her tell the truth, but that was all right, because the dragon would, and that was the one they would believe. They were about to find out what all this was about. Maybe.
Chapter 6:
Wizard
“We will tell you the truth,” Wizard said. “But we can’t do it ourselves. We can only tell you yes or no, for now. You have encountered some of the special ways that exist; this is one that is imposed on us.”
This was a curious challenge! It was as though this were a game, with set rules. But Kelsie had always been good at games. In fact she had won a prize for her age playing the great game of enclosure, Go. She could handle word games too. “Then we’ll ask you questions,” she agreed. She glanced at Mark. “Do you want to start?”
“I just want to know what’s going on,” Mark said. “I don’t know what questions to ask except that, and I don’t think yes or no will work.”
“Then I will try,” Kelsie said. She looked at Witch. “Are you really a unicorn?”
“No, she is not,” Wizard answered.
“Why didn’t Witch answer?” Mark asked.
There was no answer. He had not phrased it correctly.
Kelsie tried. “Can you answer me, Witch?”
“No,” Wizard said.
Kelsie was surprised. “She can’t answer me at all!”
“Yes,” the dragon agreed.
“But she talked to you before,
” Mark said.
“Only to tell me to stay away from her,” Kelsie said. “That’s not the same as answering a question about her. Is it?”
“Yes, it is not the same,” Wizard answered.
“You can answer me, Wizard?”
“Yes.”
“And you can’t answer Mark?”
“Yes.”
Then she got an idea. “Does this relate to why I couldn’t have the unicorn?”
“Yes.”
“And Mark couldn’t have the dragon?”
“Yes.”
“So you are not really animals,” Kelsie concluded. “Then you must be human people.”
“Yes.”
She got another idea. “You are children, like us!”
“Yes.”
“A boy and a girl?”
“Yes.”
“And the boy can’t answer the boy, or the girl the girl.”
“Yes.”
“You’re good,” Mark said admiringly. “I never thought of that.”
“I do have a certain feel for it,” Kelsie said, pleased. “But we haven’t come to the tough answers yet.”
“Like what’s going on with the park,” he agreed.
“So you’re children, like us,” Kelsie said to Wizard. “Only with unusual powers. You chose these forms so you could get close to us.”
“Yes.”
“Really good,” Mark said.
“Because we asked for them,” Kelsie said. “I wanted a unicorn, and Mark wanted a dragon.”
“Yes. This gave us a way to be directly with you.”
“Why didn’t they just come to us in their natural forms?” Mark asked. “We thought we were the only children in the park.”
There was no answer. He still wasn’t phrasing it correctly.
“You couldn’t,” Kelsie said.
“Yes,” Wizard agreed.
“Why?” Mark asked. “Are you locked in a cell or something?”
“No,” Witch answered. “We are forbidden.”
So they could add some to it, once the right question had been asked and answered. Still, this was odd. Kelsie knew the dragon had to tell the truth, because of her handshake, but the unicorn didn’t. So she asked Wizard. “Is this true?”
“Yes.”
“So someone has forbidden you?”