The Maiden and the Unicorn

So she walked up to the maiden with the unicorn nuzzling her lap. She was a very pretty young woman a few years younger than Nendi--or a few years younger than Nendi seemed to be. She reminded herself that she'd been created only a few hours ago. She wondered how she knew what she looked like if she'd never looked in a mirror.

The maiden took notice of Nendi and waved enthusiastically. Seeing her made Nendi feel a bit more peaceful. She liked her bright smile and the way the sunlight reflected off her long light brown hair, even though she realized that there didn't seem to be any sun. "Hi," said Nendi.

"Hello!" said the maiden. Her voice was light and musical. "Welcome to our forest. It's such a lovely place, isn't it? What is thy name?"

"Nendi. What's yours?"

THe maiden frowned slightly. "I don't have one. I never needed one. There's never been anyone else here except the unicorn. It's such a beautiful place, but it gets dreadfully lonely sometimes." Her voice perked up. "Will you be my friend? I think we have a lot in common. You're magic, just like I am." The maiden reached up and stroked Nendi's hair, giggling.

"Sure," said Nendi a little uneasily. "Will you help me get out of here?"

"I don't know if you can. Sometimes I see another world out there, a big long hallway with lots of tapestries and people walking by sometimes. I call out to them, but they never hear me. Sometimes people see me, briefly, but they're all wizards, and most wizards are men, and men only want one thing." She grimaced. "If I did that, the unicorn wouldn't protect me anymore. There are all sorts of dreadful things out there in the forest, and if the unicorn ever left me I don't know what I'd do." The unicorn yawned, revealing a mouth full of small pointy teeth, and wriggled its wormlike tongue. "Maybe there's a way out somewhere out there. I don't know. Do you really want to try?"

"Yes, I do." She felt sad for the maiden, but didn't think she wanted to spend much longer in this strange too-peaceful forest.

The maiden frowned sulkily. "Are you sure? I've never had a friend before. I'll be so lonely if you leave." Her eyes suddenly seemed to darken a shade, and clouds began to gather in the sky. Then she clapped her hands and smiled and the clouds disappeared. "I know! Let's play a game! If you win, I can try to help you find a way out. If I win, you can stay here with me and be my friend forever!" The maiden fell into a fit of giggling.

1. Nendi agrees to play the maiden's game.
2. Nendi tries to run away.

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