Shameover - страница 5

–Um…I… it's some kind of misunderstanding," I stammered.

"You don't have to lie, mister. We know the truth. And we offer you a choice: either you help us find the missing unicorn… or we'll tell everyone what you were doing in the sewers.

I felt my hands start to shake. The missing unicorn? What kind of nonsense is this?

"What unicorn?" I asked, barely able to keep the tremor out of my voice.

– A unicorn named Rainbow. He disappeared a few days ago. And we suspect that he was abducted by trolls," the voice on the phone replied.

"Trolls?" Why do they need a unicorn? – I asked.

"We don't know. But trolls are treacherous creatures. And they can use the unicorn for their own dark purposes," the voice replied.

–And what do you want from me?" – I asked.

– We want you to help us find the Iris. You are the only one who knows how to get to the underworld. And we are sure that you will be able to help us," the voice replied.

I thought about it. On the one hand, I didn't want to get involved in this crazy story again. On the other hand, I had no choice. The Unicorn Protection Society knew too much.

"Okay,– I said. "I'll help you find the Iris." But with one condition. You will never bother me again. And you'll forget about everything I did in the sewer.

–We agree,– a squeaky voice replied. "I'll meet you at the park tomorrow." At midday.

And the voice went dead.

I looked at Ignat. "I think we're in trouble again,– I said.

"What is it this time?" Ignat asked. "Did the trolls steal the unicorn?"

–Yes,– I replied. "And they're asking me to find him."

Ignat laughed. – That's a twist! The unicorn! The trolls! It seems that the world has finally gone crazy!

"Don't laugh,– I said. – This is serious. If we don't find the Iris, the Unicorn Protection Society will tell everyone about my adventures in the sewers.

Ignat stopped laughing. —Okay, I get it. So tomorrow we're going to look for a unicorn. Well," he sighed, —at least it's

something new. Let's go save the Iris from the clutches of evil trolls. It sounds like a good script for a movie.

And so Ignat and I found ourselves embroiled in another crazy adventure. This time we had to save the unicorn from the

clutches of evil trolls. And I knew it wasn't going to be easy.

After all, since I've been in the sewers, my life has turned into an endless nightmare. And I was afraid that this nightmare would never end.

The morning turned out to be gloomy and rainy, matching my mood. Like a character in a cheap detective story, I was walking to the park where I was supposed to meet with representatives

of the Unicorn Protection Society. I walked under the umbrella, nervously adjusting my collar and feeling both an idiot and doomed.

At the appointed time, a woman was waiting for me at an old oak bench. She was short, dressed in a formal suit, with short hair and thin-rimmed glasses. She was holding a unicorn umbrella in her hand.