Karen's Unicorn Read online

  Still Andrew kept going! I could not believe it! He was almost halfway down the block, and he was still going! I was so proud of him. He had really done it: He was riding a two-wheeler. And he was only four going on five.

  I ran after him. And I realized something: Another wish had come true. One of the big ones. Thank you, Bob!

  I also realized something else: Andrew was not stopping.

  “Andrew!” I shouted, running hard. “Do not cross the street! Stop! Stop!” We are not allowed to cross the street without permission. Mommy needs to know where we are when we are outside playing.

  Andrew did not answer. He got to the corner of our block and swung the front wheel to turn. He made the turn! He wobbled a lot, but did not fall over. He rode on the grass for awhile, then got back on the sidewalk. I saw his face as he turned. He was white with fear, but he looked excited too.

  “Andrew! Where are you going?” I yelled. I was out of breath from running, but I followed him around the corner.

  “I cannot stop!” he yelled back. He did not turn to look at me. “I am scared to stop!”

  Oh, no, I thought. We had never practiced stopping. (We had never needed to.) What were we going to do? Andrew could not keep riding forever.

  “Just crash!” I shouted. “Crash onto someone’s lawn!” That would be bad, but it would not be as bad as hitting a tree or a bush.

  “I cannot!” he shouted back. “I am afraid!”

  I ran and ran after him. Soon Andrew came to the end of the next block. It looked as if he were not going to turn! Uh-oh.

  I glanced up and down the street. It was completely empty — no cars. Stay away, cars, I thought. I pounded down the sidewalk.

  This time Andrew bumped over the curb and rode into the street. I held my breath. Streets are very, very dangerous. I am not allowed to ride my bicycle in the street. On the other side, Andrew rode up a low curb onto the sidewalk. I looked both ways again, then ran across the street myself. I was not supposed to do that, but I had to stay with Andrew, no matter what.

  Now Andrew was riding down a very long, unbroken stretch of sidewalk. It was next to a huge lot that was covered with grass and weeds and some trash. There were no streets to cross for a long time.

  “Pedal backward!” I called. My voice was hoarse from yelling. “Pedal backward to stop!”

  “I am scared!” Andrew yelled.

  I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Do it anyway!” I screamed as loudly as I could. “You have to stop!”

  Suddenly Andrew stood up on his pedals and pushed backward. The bike instantly came to a hard stop, throwing Andrew over the handlebars. Then the bike wobbled and fell to its side.

  “Andrew!” I ran as fast I could. Andrew was lying on the sidewalk. “Andrew, are you okay?”

  When I reached him, I looked in his face. He blinked up at me, then grinned.

  “I did it!” he said happily. “I rode a two-wheeler. For a long way, too!”

  He sat up and we hugged each other.

  “I knew you could do it,” I said. “I knew it all along.”

  Where Are We?

  I felt Andrew all over to check for broken bones. He did not seem to have any. But the front tire of the bike was flat. We found a small nail sticking out of it.

  “Let’s wheel the bike home,” I said. “Mommy or Seth can fix the tire.”

  “Okay.” Andrew looked around. “But where is home?”

  I looked around too. This place did not look familiar. Mommy usually did not drive on this street. The abandoned lot was huge and empty. Across the street were some little houses and a mini-mall that I did not remember seeing before.

  “We have not gone far,” I said. “We turned one corner and crossed only one street. We just need to head back where we came from. When we get to our street, I will recognize it.” I hope, I added to myself.

  We decided to cross the street and walk next to the houses, instead of next to the empty lot. It seemed safer. We looked carefully both ways. No cars were coming. I wheeled the bike, and Andrew held one of my hands.

  The little mall looked new. Several businesses were there. SILVER SHOES BALLET STUDIO, said one sign. A. E. CONKLIN, LOCKSMITH AND HARDWARE. Two stores were empty. Their windows were covered with white paper. A large sign said, NOW RENTING. CALL 555-8954.

  “I wonder what will be there,” said Andrew. “Maybe a toy store or a candy store.”

  “That would be fun,” I said. “Or a bookstore. Or a video rental place. Or a pet store.”

  Empty store, empty store, I thought. It could be any kind of store. Or business.

  I stopped suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk. “Andrew, those stores could be anything,” I said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Anything at all.” I bounced on my heels. I had just gotten the most gigundoly fabulous, incredible, fantastic idea ever. I looked at the phone number again, and repeated it to myself over and over.

  “Come on!” I cried. “We have to get home!”

  We walked faster down the sidewalk. At the end of the block, our street was catty-corner to where we were standing. I looked down it, and we crossed the street turned diagonally. Now I knew exactly where we were. There was our house, where Mommy and Seth would be waiting.

  “We will have to tell Mommy about crossing the street,” Andrew said.

  “I know,” I replied. “But it was an accident. Maybe she will not be too mad. Maybe she will be so excited about your riding a two-wheeler that she will not mind too much.”

  “I hope so,” said Andrew. “I really did it, didn’t I?” He smiled happily.

  “You sure did.”

  “I need to work on stopping,” Andrew said with a frown.

  “You sure do. I will help you practice.”

  When we got home, we put the bike in the garage. Mommy came out when she heard us open the door.

  “There you two are,” she said. “We were getting worried. Seth is already home. It is almost time for dinner.”

  “I am sorry we are late,” I said. “But we have lots of wonderful news!”

  The Little Store

  After Andrew and I washed up for dinner, Andrew told Mommy and Seth about his bike ride.

  “That is wonderful, sweetie,” said Mommy. “But I am worried that you will really hurt yourself.”

  “I am a good bike rider,” Andrew said. “I will practice stopping. Then you will not have to worry.”

  “I am proud of you, Andrew. You worked very hard at learning to ride a bike,” said Seth. “I will fix your tire tomorrow. And it was very nice of Karen to spend so much time helping you learn.”

  I sat up straighter in my chair as everyone smiled at me. “It is my job as a big sister,” I said.

  “Now that you are riding a two-wheeler,” said Mommy, “I want you to promise me that you will not cross a street again unless I am there. Do you understand?”

  “Yes,” said Andrew.

  “And until you learn how to stop, you may not go around the block, okay?”

  “Okay,” said Andrew.

  We sat down to eat our dinner. We were having a pot roast with potatoes, carrots, and celery. It is one of my favorite meals.

  “I have more gigundoly wonderful news,” I said.

  “What is it?” asked Mommy.

  “I have found Seth’s new workshop!” I announced dramatically.

  “Oh?” said Mommy.

  “Yes.” I told Mommy and Seth about the little mall I had seen on Andrew’s bike ride. I told them about the two empty stores. Finally, I told them the phone number to call.

  “I am sure it will be perfect,” I said. “Because today the unicorn granted my last two wishes. Andrew learned to ride a two-wheeler, and Seth has his new workshop.”

  Mommy and Seth smiled, but they still looked worried.

  “It might not be as easy as that, Karen,” said Seth. “But thank you for trying to help. I will call the number and ask about the space. But I think I have seen most of th
e places to rent in Stoneybrook, and there is nothing suitable. I really do not know what we are going to do.”

  I waved my hand. “Do not worry anymore,” I said breezily. “The unicorn sent me to that store. I am sure of it. Our problems are over. You will see.”

  The Three Musketeers

  During recess on Monday, the Three Musketeers grabbed three swings in a row. I told Hannie and Nancy about Andrew’s learning to ride a two-wheeler.

  “Wow,” said Hannie. “And he is only four. I was almost seven when I learned.”

  “I was almost six,” said Nancy.

  “I taught him how myself,” I said. “Just like I taught him how to read.”

  “He is lucky to have a big sister like you,” said Hannie. She smiled at me. “Linny has taught me some things too.” Linny is Hannie’s big brother. He is nine.

  “I do not have a big brother or sister,” said Nancy. “I have to learn everything myself.”

  “But you will be able to teach Danny,” I said. Danny is Nancy’s baby brother.

  Nancy smiled. “That is true.”

  “One of my unicorn wishes was that Andrew would learn how to ride his bike,” I reminded my friends. “And it came true. And then that same day, I found Seth’s new workshop. That was my last wish. Bob granted all my wishes. Now do you believe in him?”

  Hannie lay on her stomach on the swing and twisted it around. Then she picked up her feet and let it spin her around.

  “Well, no,” she said finally. “I guess I still do not believe that Bob was a real unicorn. I am sorry, Karen. But I am very glad all your wishes came true.”

  “I think you made your wishes come true by yourself,” said Nancy. “You studied for your test. You wrote to Maxie. You told your mom that you wanted to see the circus again, so she said yes to your dad when he gave her the tickets. You practiced bike riding with Andrew a million times.”

  “What about Seth’s workshop?” I said.

  “That just happened,” said Nancy.

  “Sometimes things just happen,” agreed Hannie. “And you do not know for sure if Seth will take that store.”

  I snorted. “I think Bob granted all my wishes. I have decided to believe in him.”

  “Okay,” said Nancy. “It is all right if you believe in him.”

  “Yeah,” said Hannie. “Anyway, even if Bob is not a real unicorn, that does not mean unicorns do not exist. We just do not know. Not really.”

  Nancy began to swing higher and higher. I did too.

  I wished all of the Musketeers believed in unicorns. But I knew I could not make them believe. And they were very nice about my believing in unicorns. They would never tease me about it.

  That is because we are best friends.

  * * *

  That afternoon I ran home from the school bus. It had gotten cooler during the day. I waved good-bye to Nancy and raced up the sidewalk to the little house.

  Inside, the house was warm and cozy. I smelled cinnamon.

  “Here I am,” I yelled, dropping my books at the bottom of the stairs. “I am home! It is me, Karen!”

  “I hear you,” Mommy called. “We are in the kitchen.”

  Andrew was already drinking hot apple cider. He waved a cookie at me. “I told Miss Jewel that I could ride a two-wheeler. She could hardly believe it. I told her my big sister taught me.” (Miss Jewel is Andrew’s teacher. He adores her.)

  I gave Andrew a smile. “This afternoon you should practice stopping. You can stay in our driveway. I think you should stop at least five times.”

  “Okay,” said Andrew.

  We heard the front door open and then close. Mommy looked surprised.

  “Seth?” she called.

  Seth came into the kitchen. A big smile was on his face.

  “You are home very early,” said Mommy.

  “That is right,” said Seth. First he hugged Mommy. Then he hugged me. Then he hugged Andrew. I do not know why, but we all started laughing.

  “What is it?” asked Mommy.

  “I have gigundoly wonderful news,” said Seth.

  The Last Wish

  “What? What? What?” I said. I started jumping up and down.

  “Karen,” said Mommy.

  I quit jumping.

  Seth took a bite of cookie. “This morning I went to look at the stores Karen and Andrew found.”

  “Yes,” said Mommy. “You told me you were going to.”

  “I called the number and asked the real-estate agent to meet me there,” said Seth.

  “And? And?” I said.

  “And it is … perfect! The store is a very good size — a little bit bigger than the space I have now. And the rent is pretty low, because the owners are eager to rent the space. It will be an excellent workshop. Best of all, it is only three blocks from home. I will be able to walk to work. And it will be better for you too, Lisa,” he told Mommy. “You will be able to go back and forth between the shop and the house very easily.”

  “Oh, Seth, that sounds wonderful,” said Mommy.

  “Hooray!” said Andrew.

  “Hooray!” I said. I lifted my glass of apple cider in a toast. “Here’s to Bob,” I said.

  “Here’s to Bob,” said Mommy, Seth, and Andrew.

  * * *

  We decided to take a walk and see Seth’s new workshop.

  I was so happy about the workshop. Mommy and Seth were very happy about it too. I was glad we would not have to worry anymore. I was also glad I did not have to wonder about Bob. This proved it. He was real. All my wishes had come true.

  “Oh, I am so glad this shop will work out,” said Mommy.

  “Me too,” said Seth. “It will be terrific. And it is all thanks to Karen.”

  “And me,” said Andrew. “If I had known how to stop, Karen would not have found the shop.”

  “That is true,” said Seth.

  I held Mommy’s hand and kicked through little piles of red and gold and brown leaves on the ground.

  We reached the mall. Seth was going to take the shop at the very end, because it had the most windows. He showed us where his name would be painted on the door. We peered through cracks in the white paper covering the windows. Inside it looked big and empty. But I could imagine it filled with Seth’s wood and his tools. Then it would be very cheerful inside.

  “I have an idea,” said Seth. “Let’s go out to dinner to celebrate.”

  “That is a wonderful idea,” said Mommy. “Karen and Andrew can pick the place.”

  “Pizza!” Andrew and I said at the same time. We grinned at each other.

  It was starting to get dark, and we headed for home. Just then I heard a loud rumbling, and turned around to see what it was. On the street by Seth’s new workshop, a line of trucks was rolling slowly along.

  “It is the circus!” I said. “I guess it is over and they are leaving town.”

  We stopped to watch it go by. I saw several big trucks full of equipment. CIRCUS DEMARCO was painted on their sides. Next came the trailers and campers where the performers lived. Some of them were looking out of their windows. They waved to us, and we smiled and waved back.

  At the very end, was a pickup truck pulling … a horse van.

  “Bob!” I cried.

  A small window was open at the front of the van. I could see part of Bob’s white head and mane. He turned his head, and one brown eye looked out at me. I squinted my eyes, but I could not see whether he had a horn. I just could not tell for sure. I thought I saw it, but the window was small, and …

  Oh, Bob, I thought. Are you real? Are you?

  And then (you will not believe this, but I promise it happened), Bob winked at me! He winked! He looked right at me and winked!

  He had heard me wonder, and he had winked at me. I guess you know what that means.

  I will never have to wonder about Bob again.

  Hooray for unicorns!

  About the Author

  ANN M. MARTIN is the acclaimed and bestselling author of a n
umber of novels and series, including Belle Teal, A Corner of the Universe (a Newbery Honor book), A Dog’s Life, Here Today, P.S. Longer Letter Later (written with Paula Danziger), the Family Tree series, the Doll People series (written with Laura Godwin), the Main Street series, and the generation-defining series The Baby-sitters Club. She lives in New York.

  Copyright © 1997 by Ann M. Martin

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC, BABY-SITTERS LITTLE SISTER, and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First edition, 1997

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-06032-4