by Emily Bliss
Ernest raised his wand and chanted, “Bubbly Fubbly Freebly Flee! Send the Foam off to the Sea! Singedy Songedy Trappedy Trome! Now Make a Magical Microphone!”
Light and wind swirled around Cressida. The foam disappeared, and she felt something in her hand. She looked down, and there was a purple microphone.
“Thank you, Ernest,” Cressida said.
“No problem,” Ernest said. “I thought it might come in handy at the concert. And now I really must be going. I have tickets to give away.” He spun around in his bunny slippers and skipped down the hall, calling out, “Tickets! Tickets! Come get your tickets!”
Cressida and the unicorns all looked at each other and smiled.
“Now we really do need to go get ready,” Sunbeam said.
“And our first stop is the Night Forest,” Moon said. “I promised the owl family we’d listen to them practice their hooting one last time before the concert.”
“That sounds great!” Cressida said, and she pushed the microphone into her jeans pocket.
“I even have your magic glasses from your last visit to the Night Forest,” Moon said, nodding toward a large, purple armchair. Cressida looked, and sure enough, in the center of the velvet cushion sat a pair of pink glasses dotted with opals. Ernest had made them for Cressida on her last visit to the Night Forest so she would be able to see in the dark. Cressida skipped over to the armchair, picked up the glasses, and slid them into her pocket next to the microphone.
Moon knelt in front of Cressida. “Climb on up,” she said. “I can’t wait to introduce you to the owls.”
“I can’t wait, either,” Cressida said, swinging her leg over Moon’s back.
Moon galloped out the front door of the palace with Sunbeam right behind her.
Moon and Sunbeam trotted side by side along the clear stones that led from Spiral Palace into the surrounding forest. Cressida, sitting on Moon’s back and gripping the unicorn’s shiny black mane, turned to admire the unicorn princesses’ pearly, horn-shaped castle. And then she giggled: green foam was dripping out the window of the palace’s top turret.
Cressida faced forward again as Moon and Sunbeam veered onto a path that wound through a thick pine forest.
“I just can’t wait for the concert this afternoon,” Sunbeam said, her hooves crunching on the pinecones that littered the forest floor. “It’s going to be amazing. And we’re thrilled you’ll be joining us.”
“I’m really excited too,” Cressida said.
“The Moonbeams have been practicing day and night,” Moon said.
“I don’t think I’ve ever worked this hard at anything,” Sunbeam said, laughing. “I’ve hardly even taken a break from practicing to sunbathe or roll in the Glitter Canyon’s purple clover.”
“I’m even more excited for our concert than I was for the Starlight Ball,” Moon said. “And the Starlight Ball is my favorite day of the year.”
“You sounded like you were having so much fun singing together,” Cressida said.
“We were,” Sunbeam said. She paused for a moment. And then she added, “I think my favorite thing about the Moonbeams is we decided not to hold any auditions.”
“We agreed to ask all our sisters to join, regardless of how well any of them sing,” Moon said. “We didn’t want anyone to feel excluded. The point of the Moonbeams is to have fun together.”
Moon and Sunbeam turned onto a narrow path that passed through groves of cherry and maple trees before following a thick hedge with thorny vines and yellow, moon-shaped flowers. The unicorns stopped in front of an opening in the hedge.
“Why don’t you put on your glasses now?” Moon said.
Cressida fished the glasses from her pocket and put them on as Moon and Sunbeam leaped through the opening. Cressida closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was in the Night Forest. A pale yellow moon hung in the sky amid thousands of tiny silver stars. Right in front of her was the pond she remembered from her last visit, and for a few seconds she watched the giant blue frogs, perched on lily pads, as their throats ballooned out. A line of skunks—two grown-ups and eight babies—marched through the meadow on the far side of the pond. Cressida turned and looked at the edge of the forest. The last time she’d visited, white and silver owls, all with glowing yellow eyes, had winked at her in the tree branches. But now the owls were gone.
“I love the Night Forest,” Cressida whispered.
“Thank you,” Moon said, kneeling down. Cressida slid off her back onto a spongy carpet of green moss.
“This way to the owls’ birdhouse,” Moon said. Cressida grinned and felt her heart race with excitement. She couldn’t wait to meet the owls and see their home.
Sunbeam, Moon, and Cressida followed a path around the pond and into the woods. When the forest floor began to grow bumpy with roots, Moon stopped in front of a pine tree.
“The owls’ birdhouse is at the top of this tree,” Moon explained. Then, she smiled mysteriously at Sunbeam and Cressida. “At the count of the three, close your eyes and hoot like an owl four times.”
Sunbeam and Cressida looked at each other. Sunbeam shrugged. Cressida grinned and shrugged back.
“One,” Moon began. “Two. Three.”
Moon, Sunbeam, and Cressida shut their eyes and called out, “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”
Cressida heard a rustling noise, like leafy branches rubbing against each other in the wind. Then there was the gentle thud of something landing on the ground in front of them.
“Now you can look,” Moon said.
Cressida opened her eyes. There, in front of their feet and hooves, was a shallow bowl made of branches, twigs, leaves, string, yarn, and straw. It looked, Cressida thought, like a nest for a bird the size of two unicorns. “This,” Moon explained, “is the nestivator. It’s called that because it looks like a nest, but it’s an elevator.”
“I love the word ‘nestivator,’ ” Cressida said, giggling.
Moon jumped into the nestivator and Sunbeam and Cressida climbed in beside her.
Moon cleared her throat and said in a loud voice, “Nestivator, please take us to the owls’ birdhouse.”
The nestivator glided forward, and Cressida put one hand on Sunbeam and one hand on Moon to steady herself. When the nestivator was a few feet away from the tree, it began to slowly rise, floating in spirals first around the bare brown trunk and then around thick masses of branches covered in green pine needles and pinecones. After a few minutes, the nestivator slowed down and stopped at the top of the tree. Right there, in front of Cressida, Moon, and Sunbeam, was a giant ball made of twigs, pine needles, feathers, string, leaves, vines, moss, and straw. At the bottom was a doorway with pinecones, strung like beads, hanging over it.
Moon swished her tail and said, “Follow me!” before she bounded off the nestivator and into the birdhouse.
“You can go next,” Sunbeam said. “You look even more excited than I am. And believe me, I’m excited!”
Cressida walked carefully to the edge of the nestivator—they were high off the ground, and she didn’t want to fall—and took a giant step into the birdhouse. She felt Sunbeam following right behind her.
Inside, Cressida found a room unlike any other she’d ever seen. A sprawling chandelier made of acorns and pine needles hung from the ceiling. An owl-shaped rug, made of lily pads and ferns woven together, covered the floor. Perches made of gnarled wood jutted out from the walls. Across the room from the door was one large nest and two triple bunk nests—owl bunk beds that were each three nests high. Sitting in a circle on the rug were eight silver owls—two grown-ups and six tiny chicks. They all had enormous, glowing, yellow eyes that were staring right at Cressida.
“Cressida,” Moon said, “it is my pleasure to introduce you to the owl family. Meet Opal and Otto.” Moon nodded at the grown-up owls. “Opal and Otto, this is Cressida. She’s going to be a special guest singer at our performance today.”
“We’re thrilled to meet you,” Otto said.
“Yes. We’ve heard all about you,” Opal said, nodding.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, too,” Cressida said.
The owl chicks began to hoot and hop and flap their wings.
Opal laughed. “Cressida, meet our children: Oliver, Owen, Orion, Odetta, Olivia, and Orly.”
The six owl chicks hooted even louder and hopped up and down.
“Hello,” Cressida said, kneeling down next to the chicks. “I’m glad to meet you!”
“We’re glad to meet you, too,” Orion said, doing a somersault.
“Yes,” agreed Odetta, flapping her wings so she lifted a few inches off the floor.
“We’ve been hoping you’d come,” Orly said, jumping onto Cressida’s lap.
“We’ve never seen a human before,” Owen said, pushing his face up against Cressida’s, so his beak touched her nose.
Cressida laughed. “And I’ve never met owl chicks before,” she said.
The chicks began to hop and hoot, and soon they were running in circles around the birdhouse.
“Oh my,” Opal said, raising her eyebrows. Then, she called out, “Listening ears! Listening ears, little owls!”
Cressida smiled. Owl parents sounded a lot like human parents.
“Little owls,” Otto said, “now is the time to line up to show Princess Moon and Princess Sunbeam how much we’ve practiced our hooting for the concert.”
The owl chicks quieted down. They were lining up across the rug when Orion whispered something to his brothers and sisters. Soon the owl chicks were huddled in a tight circle, whispering and hopping with excitement. After a few seconds, Olivia ran over to Otto and whispered in his ear. He chuckled and said, “Oh sure, why not?”
“Hooray! Hooray!” the owl chicks hooted. Then they hopped in circles and flapped their wings before they rushed up to Cressida.
“We have a question for you,” Orly said, jumping on Cressida’s silver unicorn sneakers.
“Yes,” Owen said, before he did three somersaults.
“We’re wondering,” Odetta said, doing a back flip.
“If you might hoot with us,” Orion finished, twirling around on one talon.
“Hoot with us! Hoot with us!” the owl chicks all cried out at once.
“Please!” Odetta said.
Then, all the owl chicks called out, “Please! Please! Please! Please!”
Cressida giggled. “Right now?” she asked.
“Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!” the chicks called out, flapping their wings and somersaulting.
Cressida laughed even harder. Even though she wasn’t an owl and had very little practice hooting, she thought joining the owl chicks for their practice session sounded like a lot of fun.
Cressida looked at Oliver, Owen, Orion, Odetta, Olivia, and Orly and said, “I’d love to join you!”
The owls chicks began sprinting in circles around the birdhouse, hooting so loudly Cressida covered her ears with her hands.
“They’re just a little excited you’re here,” Opal said to Cressida, and she winked one of her enormous yellow eyes. Then she called out, “Oliver, Owen, Orion, Odetta, Olivia, and Orly! Who has their listening ears on?”
The owl chicks kept hooting and running.
Opal and Otto flapped their wings to make a loud clapping noise.
The owl chicks still kept hooting and running.
Opal and Otto looked at each other and shook their heads.
Then Moon belted out, in her beautiful soprano voice, “Listening ears, little owls!”
The owls chicks finally stopped.
“Please line up with Cressida now,” Otto said.
The owl chicks rushed over to Cressida. Oliver, Orly, and Orion lined up on her right side, and Odetta, Olivia, and Owen lined up on her left.
“All you have to do is hoot to the beat,” Olivia explained to Cressida.
“It’s pretty easy,” Orion said.
“And if you make a mistake, don’t worry about it. Just keep going,” Orly said.
“We don’t have our sheet music, so let’s just improvise for now. Don’t worry about hooting the right notes,” Olivia said.
“That sounds great,” Cressida said.
“We’ll begin at the count of three,” Otto said. “One. Two. Three.”
Opal began to clap her wings to a steady beat. For the first four claps, the owl chicks silently nodded their heads to the beat. And then they started to hoot.
Cressida listened, grinning with delight. And then she closed her eyes. She pretended she was an owl, with talons and tufted feathers that looked like ears. And then she joined in, calling out, “Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!”
After a few more seconds, when she had nearly convinced herself she had wings and a beak, she opened her eyes. Oliver, Owen, Orion, Odetta, Olivia, and Orly were all hooting with wide, excited eyes. Cressida hooted with even more enthusiasm.
Soon, Cressida heard a voice singing, “Sha la la la la la!” She looked across the birdhouse to see it was Sunbeam. Moon smiled and then joined in harmony. Cressida, the owl family, Moon, and Sunbeam all hooted and sang for several more minutes. And then, Opal loudly clapped her wings three times, and everyone was silent. After a few seconds, Cressida, Moon, Sunbeam, and all the owls clapped.
“That was absolutely amazing,” Moon said. “I can really tell you’ve been working hard.”
Sunbeam nodded. “All your practicing has paid off.”
“And,” Opal said, winking, “Cressida is a natural owl.”
Otto nodded. “She hoots just as well as we do.”
Orly turned to Cressida and asked, “Will you hoot with us in the concert this afternoon?”
The owl chicks began to hop and flap their wings. “Please! Please! Please!” they shouted.
Cressida smiled at the owl chicks. “Yes,” she said, “I would love to hoot with you in the concert this afternoon.”
The owl chicks began to hoot and jump. But before they could start running in circles, Opal called out, “Listening ears, little owls! It’s time to take a nap so you’re well rested for the concert. Please say goodbye to Princess Moon, Princess Sunbeam, and Cressida and hop over to your bunk nests.”
“Goodbye! Goodbye! See you soon!” Oliver, Owen, Orion, Odetta, Olivia, and Orly called out. They raced across the birdhouse toward the bunk nests, and each owl chick leaped into a nest. They tucked their faces under their wings. In a matter of seconds, they were asleep, and Cressida could hear a soft noise that sounded like a cross between snoring and hooting.
Opal and Otto looked at the sleeping owl chicks and smiled at each other.
Then, Otto whispered, “If you don’t mind, please try not to wake up the chicks as you leave.”
“Of course,” Moon whispered back.
And then, on the tips of their hooves, Sunbeam and Moon walked across the birdhouse and disappeared through the strings of pinecone beads.
Cressida smiled at the owl chicks. “Thank you so much for including me,” she whispered to Opal and Otto.
“Any time,” Otto whispered.
“See you at the concert,” Opal whispered.
Cressida turned and followed Sunbeam and Moon. Outside the birdhouse, she found the unicorns waiting on the nestivator. She stepped onto it and put one hand on each unicorn’s back.
“Please take us back down,” Moon said.
The nestivator spiraled down the tree and landed gently on the ground.
“Our next stop is the Glitter Canyon,” Sunbeam said, swishing her tail. She kneeled down, looked at Cressida, and said, “Climb on up.”
Cressida swung a leg over Sunbeam’s back and held on to the unicorn’s soft yellow mane.
Sunbeam reared up and sang out, “This way to the Glitter Canyon!” before she and Moon galloped back through the forest, around the pond, and out the opening in the hedge. Cressida took off her magic glasses and slid them back into her pocket. She couldn’t wait to visit the Glitter Canyon again.
Moon and Sunbeam ran side by side
until they took a sharp right turn onto a trail that led down a steep hill. As they descended, Cressida, riding on Sunbeam’s back, noticed it was getting warmer and warmer, and she was glad her jeans had a hole in the knee.
Moon and Sunbeam turned left onto a narrow, sandy path. And then, after a few minutes, they stopped right on the edge of a giant sparkling purple canyon.
“Welcome back to the Glitter Canyon,” Sunbeam said, and she kneeled so Cressida could slide off her back.
The Glitter Canyon was just as beautiful as Cressida remembered. Glittery purple sand sparkled everywhere. Plum-colored rocks, clumps of lavender grass, and clusters of violets covered the canyon walls. Scattered along the trails that led to the bottom of the canyon were pebbles that reminded Cressida of silvery grapes.
Moon smiled and closed her eyes. “I have to admit that even I love the feeling of the sun on my shoulders,” she said. “Especially after spending time in the Night Forest.”
Cressida nodded. She, too, loved the feeling of the sun on her face and shoulders.
“I wish we could spend a few hours rolling around in the purple clover,” Sunbeam said, “but we’d better hike down to the base of the canyon and get ready. The raccoons will be here soon to start warming up their instruments, and the cacti and the dunes had hoped to fit in one more practice session.”
“Plus, Otto and Opal wanted to bring the owl chicks early so they could have fun rolling down the dunes before the concert,” Moon said.
Cressida couldn’t help but giggle at the image of Oliver, Owen, Orion, Odetta, Olivia, and Orly tumbling down Danny, Denise, Darryl, Doris, Dave, and Devin—the six purple sand dunes she had met on her first visit to the Glitter Canyon.
Sunbeam, Moon, and Cressida hiked together to the bottom of the canyon. When they came to a stretch of glittery purple sand, Sunbeam said, “The cacti and the dunes are waiting for us right up here.”