Kitty and the unicorn (short story)

kiwideb (67)in #fiction • 6 years ago (edited)

A few people have commented that I should write fiction more often, and I always say that I have no imagination from inside. Though I sometimes get inspired by a picture, topic or phrase supplied by someone else, I don’t have stories bursting to get out. Well, I proved myself wrong the other day. @sarahewaring asked for potential topics for a short story challenge she had set herself, and an opening paragraph came flying out of my head. So then I thought “why not see if I have the whole story there myself”, and here it is…

Kitty had never believed in anything mystical. So when she saw the unicorn at the bottom of her garden, she thought one of the neighbourhood boys was playing a prank on her. Or maybe she was finally going mad.

It had been a tough year, working on the Carter case. The fact that their daughter’s body had never been found took its toll on everyone. Kitty’s twenty years experience at the bar had taught her that, for her own wellbeing, and to do her job well, she could never indulge her personal feelings about her cases. But this one had got under her skin. Despite having won a conviction, she felt drained, and knew that her clients would never recover. The police were convinced the child was dead and had stopped looking.

The firm’s partners had insisted she take a six week sabbatical, and for the first week, all she had been able to do was sit in the garden and listen to the birds. Occasionally she found tears running down her face, and Kitty hadn’t cried since she was twelve.

Today she was feeling a bit more energetic, and planned to do two things. First, take a walk and get her body and mind moving again. And then go online and book a trip away for a month. She hadn’t decided where. The south of France sounded very relaxing. Australia sounded exotic. And it was years since she’d been to New York, and she’d loved her year there. Or maybe she would just stick a pin in a map and let providence decide.

Not that Kitty believed in providence. Kitty believed in hard work and dedication, and both of those had worked very well for her. She loved the cottage she had bought for herself on the tenth anniversary of her admittance to the bar, and its peaceful garden always soothed her. She was expecting to make partner this year, and her canny investments in gold and property would enable her to retire comfortably any time after turning fifty. She had even starting investing small amounts in the fledgling crypto currency market, and rather enjoyed the uncertainty that brought.

True, she didn’t have a partner or children. But she’d never had any maternal instinct, and the fact was, she liked her own company. She had a few close friends, and a couple of casual sexual partners, and they fulfilled her needs.

So she was surprised that the disappearance of Katherine Carter had affected her so deeply. Maybe it was the coincidence of them having the same name. Maybe it was because the child was so young. Or maybe Kitty was just too tired to maintain the professional walls that usually came automatically.

When the tears came, she knew she was exhausted, and just accepted them. But when she saw the unicorn, that alarmed her. Was she closer to the brink than she thought? She blinked a couple of times, and shook her head, and next time she looked it was gone.

She quickly dismissed the idea that it could be someone playing a prank as unlikely, and Kitty was not a bonkers kind of person. A much more reasonable idea was that a white horse had got loose, and the horn was just a reflection in the bright sun.

Kitty went indoors and changed into her walking shoes, then on impulse rang the local SPCA.

“Good morning. This is Kitty Thornton speaking. Has anyone reported a missing horse, a white one? I’ve just seen it in my garden.”

“Sorry, Ms Thornton. No reports of missing horses at all. In fact, I know all of the horses in this area, and there aren’t any white ones. Can I take your address and phone number, in case we have any enquiries?”

Kitty gave him her details, and then set purposefully off in the direction of the beach. After her own garden, there was nowhere Kitty liked better than the nearby beach, especially during a week day, when nobody else was there except a couple of retired people walking their dogs. Kitty liked dogs, and although she had no desire for the responsibility of owning one, she loved watching them playing on the beach.

Later that day, after finally deciding on a three week cruise round the Pacific Islands, Kitty was once again relaxing in her favourite garden chair. When she saw the unicorn again, she quietly got to her feet, and went into the kitchen. She took an apple from the chiller, and cut it into pieces, then went back outside. She slowly approached what she knew must be just a lost horse. Just then, an extra loud burst of bird song distracted her for a second, and when she looked back, it was gone. She hurried down to the fence and peered over, but no sign of it anywhere.

She spent another hour in the garden with her book, but it never reappeared and eventually she ate the apple herself.

The next morning, when Kitty walked down to the beach, it was deserted. The weather was perfect, and Kitty decided to walk around the coast to the next bay. It was a long walk, which could only be taken at low tide, and today her timing was just right for it. As she walked, she felt the residual tension slowly leaving her body. Although the walk was quite a strenuous one, she felt her energy starting to return.

When she reached the next bay, she sat on the beach for a while, breathing in the salt air, and enjoying the slight feeling of fatigue in her muscles. As she got to her feet, and turned to go back home, she thought she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. It was the horse again, and this time it was so close that she couldn’t deny the evidence of her own eyes. It definitely had a horn, and it was staring at her. How did it get onto the beach? The only access was the way she had come a few minutes earlier, and somehow it had got past her.

It turned and started walking away from her. She called to it “There’s nothing in that direction. This is the way out. Come with me.” It glanced over its shoulder at her and kept walking. She knew the tide was about to turn and if it didn’t follow her out soon, it would be trapped there till the next low tide.

She sighed and followed it. To her surprise, when it got to the far end of the bay, it disappeared into a crevice in the rocks. When she reached the spot, she saw there was a narrow opening into a small cave. An opening too narrow for a horse, or unicorn, or whatever it was. How did it get through? She squeezed through and found herself in a cave about twice the size of her living room. She couldn’t see the animal. It must be in the shadows at the far end.

She called to it again. “Where are you? Come out of here.”

A small voice answered her “I can’t come out. He tied me up.”

Kitty stood stock still with shock. A child was in here. “What’s your name, dear?”

“Katherine. Katherine Carter.”

Kitty’s voice shook as she replied “Are you ok, Katherine? My name is Kitty, and I’m a friend of your parents. You’re safe now. I can’t see you in the dark, but I’ll feel my way towards you.”

The child started sobbing, and Kitty carefully felt her way round the walls towards the heart breaking sounds.

Katherine was on a tether, so she could move about, but it was tied to a staple high up on the wall out of reach, and attached to her with a chain and padlock. Kitty untied the rope and lifted the child into her arms. As she turned to leave, she suddenly stopped. “Where’s the horse?” “What horse? I’ve never seen one.”

As Kitty carried the child back to safety, her skeletal arms clinging tightly round Kitty’s neck, tears ran down both of their faces. As soon as they were back within cell range, Kitty pulled out her phone and texted Rosemary Carter. “Please bring Len and meet me at my cottage as soon as you can. There are some new developments.” She didn’t want to give them any shocks till they were safely at her cottage.

When they arrived, Katherine had been bathed and was sitting at Kitty’s kitchen table in an oversized T-shirt, slowly sipping some milk.

This time the tears that Kitty shed, watching their reunion, were healing and peaceful.

Kitty cancelled her cruise. She visited the Carters every day, and sat with Katherine before bed. This was the only way the child felt safe enough to sleep.

It would be a long time before Katherine’s terrible story unfolded. She was unable to speak of it for some weeks, and even then, would only tell Kitty.

Tom Fallow, the janitor at her school, had stopped her on her way home one day and asked for her help finding his lost cat. Next thing she knew, she was locked in a basement. She was there for a long time. He would bring her food, and there was a toilet she could use. He brought her books, but there was no sunlight or fresh air. She didn’t know what he wanted and why she was there. Sometimes he would talk to her, but if she cried or asked to go home, he would look angry and leave her alone for a few days.

Sometimes she looked again for ways out, even though she knew there wasn’t one. One day, she cut her leg on a nail and bled copiously onto the floor. He was angry that he had to clean it up. This was the blood stain that the police later found when they raided his house, and which led them to believe he had killed her. It was the main evidence that led to his conviction.

One day, he came in looking rushed. He blindfolded and gagged her, then took her outside. It seemed like it was dark. He put her in a car and drove for a while. She fell asleep and when she awoke, she found herself shackled in the cave. She felt about and found a bucket with a lid, some toilet paper and some muesli bars. For a while, he came every day, brought her food, and emptied the bucket. Then one day he told her that he might not be able to come for a while. He left her with two packs of toilet paper, a grocery bag full of chocolate and muesli bars, and several large bottles of water.

She never saw him again, and by the time Kitty found her, the food had long gone and all she had left was half a bottle of water.

She also told Kitty that she imagined a magical unicorn came to visit every day. It told her that people were looking for her, and she would be rescued. Every time she felt afraid, she closed her eyes and imaging riding it to safety.

Kitty thought of something Sherlock Holmes was quoted as saying, and smiled. When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Kitty’s ideas about what might be possible were now changed forever.