Unicorns II Read online

  With a sigh of content, the unicorn laid its huge head in Glinda's lap. Glinda's hand wavered over its nose, then lighted gently. "My unicorn," she said again and it raised its head to tickle her face with a whiskery muzzle.

  Glinda wrapped her arms around the unicorn's neck. For a long moment, her forehead rested against the upswept horn. Then the unicorn shook himself loose to look into her eyes. "Yes," said Glinda, "oh, yes! Take me with you!"

  The unicorn sat back on its haunches. Glinda came to straddle the striped back. "Warm," she said, delighting in the discovery. She caught a handful of mane and hugged again.

  The unicorn rose carefully to its feet. Glinda teetered, then found her balance with a laugh that sang of sheer giddy pleasure. It swaggered once around the kitchen table to let Glinda get the hang of the gait (and to show off for an appreciative ER) . . . then it trotted toward the wall.

  "No!" cried Barbara, her hand outstretched. "No, don't go!"

  The unicorn wheeled, bowed once in her direction. From its back, Glinda—no, Janie—grinned broadly at her. "Oh, Barbara, thank you! We'll never forget you—I promise! 'Bye, Harry! You take care of Barbara, you hear?" And then the unicorn wheeled again and with a kick of its heels—even better to show off its balls—it bounded through the wall, carrying Janie with it.

  Barbara ran to the window overlooking the lawn just in time to see Janie and the unicorn vanish into the willow garlands, Janie's laugh of joy still echoing in her ears. "Don't go," Barbara said again, her eyes stinging, but she knew they could no longer hear her.

  Harry's arms closed warm around her, and Barbara, turning to bury her face against his chest, let the tears come. "I'm damned if I know what you're crying about," he said quietly. "It's not just anybody who can conjure up a unicorn for a porn star."

  "I'm crying—" she sniffled and wiped her face on her sleeve—"because I couldn't conjure one up for me."

  "Maybe," Harry began—but ER launched himself from the kitchen table to land on his shoulder—"Oh, cat!" From his new vantage point, ER comforted Barbara with a loud purr and a prodding paw. "Maybe," Harry said over the purr, "it just takes practice."

  Barbara's hat hit the floor. "D'you really think so, Harry?" She peeled ER carefully off Harry's shoulder and hugged the purr to her.

  "Well, and some native talent. Which you've certainly got." Laughing, he gathered them both into his embrace and laid his cheek against her temple. "You showed me a unicorn, for god's sake . . . !"

  "I did, didn't I?'' Barbara drew back, just far enough to look up into his eyes. "That's something . . . That's something!''

  ER bumped her hard in the chin, firmly approving her change of tone. "That's better," said Harry, equally approving.

  "Now, what are we going to tell them about Glinda?"

  He bent, picking up her fallen hat. Having assured himself the ticket was still in the hatband, he set it on her head and said, "You're the wizard. You think of something."

  "We'll tell them exactly what happened . . ."

  He looked at her aghast. "Barbara—!"

  She grinned up at him. "We'll tell them I called a ride for her."

  For Michael Swanwick—of course

  Selected Bibliography

  Novels

  The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle

  Unicorn Mountain, Michael Bishop

  The Siege of Wonder, Mark Geston

  Black Unicorn, Tanith Lee

  A Swiftly Tilting Planet, Madeleine L'Engle

  Young Unicorns, Madeleine L'Engle

  The Last Battle, C.S. Lewis

  Stalking the Unicorn, Mike Resnick

  Sign of the Unicorn, Roger Zelazny

  Anthologies

  Unicorns! edited by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois

  The Unicorn Treasury, edited by Bruce Coville

  Horse Fantastic, edited by Martin H. Greenberg & Rosalind M. Greenberg

  Reference Books

  The Lore of the Unicorn, Odell Shepard

  Unicorn, Nancy Hathaway

  The Lungfish, the Dodo, and the Unicorn, Willy Ley

  The Bestiary: A Book of Beasts, T.H. White

  Psychology and Alchemy , C.J. Jung

  Art Books

  In Pursuit of the Unicorn, Josephine Bradley

  A Book of Unicorns, Welleran Poltarnees

  The Unicorn Tapestries, Margaret B. Freeman

  Table of Contents

  Preface

  The Calling of Paisley Coldpony by Michael Bishop

  Unicornucopia by Lawrence Watt-Evans

  The Black Horn by Jack Dann

  The Hole in Edgar's Hillside by Gregory Frost

  The Hunting of Death: The Unicorn by Tanith Lee

  Stalking the Unicorn With Gun and Camera by Mike Resnick

  The Boy Who Drew Unicorns by Jane Yolen

  Ghost Town by Jack C. Haldeman II

  The Stray by Susan Casper and Gardner Dozois

  The Shade of Lo Man Gong by William F. Wu

  The Princess, the Cat, and the Unicorn by Patricia C. Wrede

  Naked Wish-Fulfillment by Janet Kagan