The Perfect Story

CHAPTER THREE: Arthur's Explanations

"This is weird. This is so weird," Nicole chanted as the group made their way out of the condominium.

Kelly stared around the empty lobby in wonder. She had never seen anything but her room and the view from the balcony.

"Where is everyone?" Asked Evan, peering around a corner. "In my world, there were people everywhere."

"I've only ever met Nicole," Kelly said. "And now you, I guess."

The sunlight glared down on them as they opened the doors and marched out into the deserted parking lot. The sky above was a perfect cornflower blue, the same color as the sparkling ocean in the distance.

"America is strange," Evan decided, staring down the stretch of deserted pavement.

"Where are we going?" Nicole groaned, dragging her feet.

Evan rolled his eyes. "I told you, I'm going back to England. You ladies chose to tag along."

"I just wish I knew why I was here," he added under his breath. "One moment I'm following an elephant, the next-poof! Here in America. It was like I fell through a hole or something."

"You haven't figured it out yet?" A new, deep voice rang out from behind a palm tree.

"You humans are rather stupid," the voice continued.

Evan let out a high-pitched squeak, rather like a chipmunk, and jumped behind Nicole, who rolled her eyes.

"Who's that?" Demanded Kelly, her voice wavering slightly.

"The names Arthur," said the voice, and with a click of hooves upon the pavement, the same pink maned unicorn that Kelly had seen from her balcony swaggered out from behind the tree.

"You're that unicorn I saw!" Kelly exclaimed, paying no attention to Evan and Nicole, whose mouths had just dropped open.

"Yes," Arthur sighed, "but you," he pointed his horn at her accusingly, "are not a princess."

"U-unicorn." Nicole muttered, pulling her hand through her hair in a trance.

"What princess?" Kelly prodded.

"Oh, no one of your concern," Arthur said loftily. "The idiotic girl always gets in trouble, and I always have to be there to save her. But do I get a special recognition in the final chapter? I think not!" Arthur whinnied and stamped his golden hoof.

"That sucks," Kelly agreed sympathetically.

"Wait wait wait," Evan found his voice at last, peering out from behind Nicole. "What do you mean we haven't figured it out yet?"

Arthur shook his pink mane, sending cascades of colorful sparkles flying through the air.

"Well this may be hard to explain-" Arthur began, only to be interrupted by another voice.

"YER A WIZARD, HARRY!" Screamed a huge man in a moleskin coat as he ran through the streets and towards the beach.

"You humans really are weird," Arthur muttered to himself.

"YOU'RE A UNICORN!" Screamed Nicole unexpectedly.

Everyone stared at her.

"I think we've covered this already, blondie," sighed Arthur in exasperation. "Try and keep up, will you?"

The wind blew threw the palm trees, colder than usual. Something was going on in this perfect little world, and Kelly didn't understand it.

"The thing is, kids," Arthur began, "you're not real."