Phunfernikle

“W-w-wait! Wait a minute!” Raeshel managed to choke out between fits of laughter and gasps of air. She tried to sober up, but found it difficult with the two mythical creatures squabbling in front of her. She was supposed to be the series one.

“I said stop!”

For the second time, Raeshel’s anger seemed to put the world at a standstill. Everyone looked at her as she erased her smile. Emaline’s eyes grew wide as they always did when she was confused or worried. In this case, she was both.

“Listen, you self-absorbed, pretty-boy pony,” Raeshel continued hotly. “I’ll be damned if I let your little color worries get in our way of going to this wherever-the-hell-it-is this unexplained, irrational phenomenon of a rainbow takes us.”

The unicorn scoffed at her words. “I will not have such a disgu-“

His words were cut off by a sudden pinch from the leprechaun. The unicorn looked down and his miniscule friend gave him a pointed look.

“Please, lass, I’m sure ye can understand my friend’s worries,” the leprechaun said, trying to ease the girl’s tension.

“Yeah, Rae,” Emaline agreed. “I’m sure we can find some way on. Like...” She trailed off, looking around.

“Like that tree!” she shouted suddenly, pointing to an old tree with its branches reaching out and hanging close to the rainbow.

Raeshel’s eyes grew wide. “Oh no. Oh no no no. No.” she protested, following her friend’s train of thought. “Very. Bad. Idea.”

“Oh, come on, Rae!” Emaline insisted. “We used to climb trees all the time when we were little!”

”But never to get on the back of a freakin’ unicorn!”

The unicorn followed the girls’ argument and looked to the tree. Yes, if he just climbed a few feet higher, they could easily get onto his back via branch. But the branch they would have to climb looked a little-

“-unstable, happy-go-lucky ideas! Seriously! I’m getting tired of them!” Raeshel continued to rant.

Emaline remained quiet, trying not to grin. Sometimes her best friend took on a role more like a mother than a friend. She waited patiently for Raeshel to burn off her steam. A silence descended in which the creatures from the rainbow looked on with amazed interest at the girls’ strange dynamic.

Raeshel gave a heavy, defeated sigh before walking towards the tree. “I swear if you don’t catch me-“ she threatened, pointing at the unicorn before beginning her climb.

“Do not worry, my dear. Your jump is short and my strength is immense,” he replied. “In fact, it’s downright astounding. Praise-worthy. Amazing. Breath-taking.”

Raeshel rolled her eyes, already on the branch. She heard a menacing snapping sound and decided to take a final breath. She exhaled and then jumped.

“Oomph!”

The unicorn coughed as she landed, her bottom making solid contact with his back. Emaline was right behind her and he trembled a little. It wasn’t as difficult or scary as the girls had thought it’d be and Emaline was delighted that her plan had been a successful one.

She gently kicked the sides of the unicorn in excitement. “Upward and onward, Mr. Unicorn!”

Raeshel and the leprechaun chuckled as the unicorn huffed in annoyance. Raeshel patted the side of his neck.

“You heard her, boy. Take us to this new adventure.”

The unicorn threw back his head and made a high-pitched neighing sound.

“You may want to teach them some Phunfernikle etiquette. King Durfum will not stand for such behavior in his court,” he said to the leprechaun.

“King? I bet he’s rich!” Emaline exclaimed, erupting into girlish giggles.

“Phunfernikle? Is this where you’re taking us?” Raeshel asked, happy to be told
something about where they were being carried off to.

“Aye, that he does lass,” the leprechaun began. “He has many fine jewels and treasuries bursting with gold. Which is why I believe he’ll be delighted with you, Emaline. He just loves color and you’re full of it.”

Emaline blushed. Raeshel blinked. Was she not colorful as well?

“But he’s got a little problem with his evil brother, the wizard known throughout the land as Iphum.” The unicorn picked up the story.

Raeshel looked around as they reached higher and higher into the gray sky. They were already in the clouds and she noticed faint pink hues highlighting them. Strange. She had never seen color before today. Why did she suddenly feel that she knew their names?

“Legend is that he’s never had a hug.” At this, both the leprechaun and unicorn seemed to grow embarrassed at the mention of an embrace. “This has caused him to be terribly cranky and so he raised an army of evil flying monkeys. Our rainbow unicorn army has been at war for weeks.”

“All because of a hug?” Emaline asked in disbelief.

The leprechaun averted his gaze. “Aye, lass, tis’ a sad thing, eh?”

“If there’s a war going on because of a little hug, I’ll give him twenty!” Raeshel exclaimed.

The unicorn snorted and the leprechaun coughed uncontrollably. Once both had gained their composure, their faces had colored in discomfort.

“I believe it best to leave out such... delicate matters and vulgar talk in front of His Majesty,” the unicorn finally said. “We wouldn’t want his mother, rest her noble soul, to roll over in her grave, would we?”

“Aye, that we wouldn’t,” the leprechaun agreed. “That we wouldn’t...”

Raeshel twisted around to Emaline and raised her eyebrows in silent question. Emaline shrugged in response. These creatures were unbelievably strange.