The Magic Spell

posters or colourful displays like there were in most bookshops, but there were lots of plump, soft cushions on the floor and a big table piled high with all kinds of books.
    Lauren examined each pile and quickly picked out a collection of pony stories. She sat down on one of the cushions and started to read.
    Suddenly she heard the patter of paws coming towards her. It was Walter, the

    terrier. He sat down beside Lauren and looked at her, his head cocked on one side. Lauren tickled him under the chin.
    ‘He likes you,’ Mrs Fontana said.
    Lauren jumped. The old lady seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
    She smiled again at Lauren. ‘So what have you chosen, my dear?’
    Feeling slightly shy, Lauren showed Mrs Fontana the book of pony stories.
    ‘I thought you might like those,’ Mrs Fontana said, raising her bright eyes to Lauren’s face. ‘Did you find your pony today?’
    ‘I certainly did,’ Lauren said, nodding excitedly. ‘He’s coming tomorrow. He’s called Twilight and he’s wonderful!’
    Mrs Fontana stared at her for a moment and then she swung around. ‘You know what?’ she said. ‘I think I might have just the thing for you. It’s up here.’
    Lauren watched as Mrs Fontana fetched a folding stepladder and stood on it to reach the top shelf. ‘Here we are,’ the old lady said, pulling out a dusty purple book. She climbed down the ladder and handed the book to Lauren.
    Lauren looked down at the heavy leather volume. It had beautiful gold writing on the cover. Lauren looked at the words. ‘The Life of a Unicorn,’ she read out.
    She opened the book. The pages were smooth and yellow with age. There was lots of writing, but also some beautiful pictures. Unicorns cantered in the sky and grazed on soft grass. ‘They’re lovely,’ she said as she turned the pages.
    ‘Yes,’ Mrs Fontana agreed, sighing.
    Lauren stopped at the next picture. There was no unicorn to be seen, just a small grey pony.
    ‘That’s a young unicorn,’ Mrs Fontana said, looking over her shoulder.
    ‘But it hasn’t got a horn,’ Lauren said.
    ‘Ah, but, you see, young unicorns don’t have horns,’ Mrs Fontana told her. ‘They only grow their horns and receive their magical powers when they hear some magic words on their second birthday. Then they turn into the creatures that we know as unicorns.’
    Lauren looked at her in surprise. From the way Mrs Fontana was talking, she made it sound as if unicorns were real. ‘But unicorns don’t really exist, do they?’ Lauren said to the old lady. ‘They’re just made up, like fairies and dragons and trolls.’
    ‘You don’t think fairies, dragons and trolls exist either?’ Mrs Fontana said, raising her eyebrows.
    ‘No way,’ Lauren grinned.
    ‘Why not?’ Mrs Fontana said.
    Looking into Mrs Fontana’s blue eyes, Lauren suddenly felt less certain. ‘Well, no one has ever seen them,’ she faltered.
    ‘Maybe that’s because they don’t want to be seen,’ Mrs Fontana said. She looked around and then leaned forward. ‘Shall I tell you a secret? I’ve seen a unicorn.’
    Lauren stared at her in astonishment. Had Mrs Fontana gone crazy?
    Mrs Fontana seemed to read her mind. ‘Oh, I’m not mad, dear,’ she said with a smile. ‘All it needs are the magic words, spoken by the right person, a handful of the secret flowers – and a unicorn, of course.’
    Just then there was the sound of footsteps. ‘Are you ready, honey?’ Mrs Foster asked. ‘We should be going home.’
    Mrs Fontana stood up briskly. Lauren felt as if she had been jerked out of a dream.
    ‘What’s that?’ her mum said, seeing the book in Lauren’s hands.
    ‘A… a book on unicorns,’ Lauren said, standing up.
    Mrs Foster glanced at the book. She took in the soft leather binding and the pictures, glowing in jewel colours. ‘It looks very expensive, honey. I’m afraid we can’t afford it,’ she said.
    Lauren nodded. She hadn’t really expected her mum to buy it for her.
    ‘I’d like you to have it,’ Mrs Fontana said softly.
    Lauren looked at her in amazement.
    The old lady smiled. ‘Think of it as a gift to welcome you to the town.’
    ‘But, Mrs Fontana, that’s much too generous…’ Mrs Foster began.
    ‘Not at all,’ said Mrs Fontana. ‘It’s a very special book and it needs a good home. Something tells me that Lauren will look after it.’

    ‘Oh, I will!’ Lauren gasped. ‘Thank you, Mrs Fontana.’ She took the book in her hands and held it close to