The Pug Who Wanted to Be a Unicorn

by Bella Swift

  “Peggy’s singing, too!” said Chloe, grinning.

  Peggy gazed up at her new friend adoringly.This has been the best walk ever!

  Chapter Five

  “A bit to the left!” called Mum, as Dad and Finn adjusted the Christmas tree in its base. The fresh, clean scent of pine filled the living room.

  Peggy cocked her head to the side. She wasn’t sure why they’d brought the tree inside, but humans were always doing strange things, like wearing clothes and using funny metal things to eat with.

  “Over to the right a smidge,” said Mum. Dad and Finn straightened the tree up, then stepped back to admire their work.

  “Lovely!” declared Mum.

  “Now for the best bit,” said Chloe, opening a big cardboard box. “Decorating it!”

  Peggy peered into the box. It was full of shiny things—sparkly silver garlands, glittery baubles, and a twinkly gold star.

  As Mum and Dad wrapped fairy lights around the tree, the children hung decorations on the branches. There were wooden toy soldiers, little knitted stockings, and lacy snowflakes.

  “I can’t believe I was so tiny once!” said Chloe, holding up a clay ornament with a baby handprint pressed into it.

  “It seems like just yesterday,” said Dad, ruffling her hair affectionately.

  “Here’s the one Baxter made,” said Finn, taking out an ornament with an enormous pawprint on it. “He was such a cool dog.”

  Chloe nodded as she hung her baby handprint decoration on the tree.

  “Noonicorn!” said Ruby, hanging a glass ornament shaped like a unicorn on a low branch.

  “That’s so pretty,” said Chloe, stroking the unicorn’s horn with her finger.

  Peggy shook her head sadly. She’d never have her own ornament because she wasn’t here for good. Finn didn’t like her. And Chloe didn’t want a boring little dog—she wanted a unicorn.

  The children began to hang sparkly tinsel on the tree.

  “Look at me!” Chloe said, laughing. She wrapped a length of silver tinsel garland around her neck like a boa and strutted around. “I’m a movie star!”

  Peggy suddenly perked up. Chloe had just given her a great idea. Sparkalina had a glittery mane. Maybe she could have one, too!

  Peggy poked a garland of tinsel with her nose, nudging it over her head so that it hung down her back. She hoped it looked like a unicorn’s flowing mane.

  “Look at Peggy!” said Chloe. “She wants to be a movie star, too.”

  No, thought Peggy. Not a movie star—a unicorn! She sighed sadly. Her tinsel mane hadn’t fooled anyone.

  “You’re already a star, Peggy,” said Chloe, plucking the tinsel off her head and hanging it on the tree. “You found Ruby.”

  “Speaking of stars…,” said Mum. She stood on her tiptoes and put a gold star on the top of the tree. Then Dad flicked a switch and the fairy lights twinkled, changing color from red, to yellow, to blue, to green.

  Peggy stared at the Christmas tree, astonished. The beautiful colored lights were glowing—just like Sparkalina’s magic rainbow horn. Could the magic lights turn her into a unicorn? She had to find out!

  Peggy bit the end of the lights and tugged. The Christmas tree teetered to the right. Come on, thought Peggy, giving the string of lights another sharp yank. The tree wobbled to the left.

  “Whoa!” cried Finn.

  Peggy gave one more pull and—

  CRASH! The Christmas tree fell on top of her.

  Am I a unicorn now? wondered Peggy, crawling out from under the branches.

  A shiny gold bauble rolled across the living room floor and landed by her front paws. Peggy peered down at it eagerly and saw… a pug tangled up in fairy lights.

  “Oh, Peggy,” said Mum, shaking her head in dismay. “What have you done?”

  “How can such a tiny dog make such a big mess?” said Dad, looking cross.

  Peggy closed her eyes and cowered, remembering how angry her last owner had been when she’d made a mess. Then she heard a noise. But it didn’t sound like shouting. It sounded like… laughter.

  Peggy opened her eyes.

  “That was hilarious,” hooted Finn. He took a picture of Peggy with his phone. “I’m going to send it to Jasmine.” He blushed. “Only because she thinks pugs are cute.”

  “What were you trying to do?” Chloe asked Peggy, untangling the puppy’s paws from the fairy lights.

  I was just trying to become a unicorn, thought Peggy. For you.

  The magic lights hadn’t worked, but at least the family wasn’t taking her back to the dog shelter. Yet.…

  “I’d forgotten how much work puppies are,” sighed Dad, helping Mum re-right the Christmas tree.

  “I know,” said Mum. “It’s like having two toddlers in the house.”

  Oh dear, thought Peggy. The grown-ups sounded really annoyed.

  Everyone helped hang the ornaments back on the tree, and soon everything was back in order.

  “Can I make some unicorn slime?” asked Chloe.

  “Unicorn slime?” asked Mum, confused. “What on earth is that?”

  “It’s glittery slime,” said Chloe. “Someone at school gave me a recipe.”

  “Fine, as long as you tidy up when you’re finished,” said Mum.

  “Me help too!” called Ruby.

  In the kitchen, Peggy watched curiously as Chloe got out glue, baking soda, soap, and rainbow glitter. Chloe carefully measured out the ingredients and mixed them all together.

  “Squishy,” said Ruby, sticking her fingers into the gooey mixture.

  “That’s how it’s supposed to be,” said Chloe, shaking in some more glitter.

  The girls played with the sparkly slime, stretching it out, rolling it into a ball, and molding it into different shapes.

  “Look, Peggy!” said Chloe. “I made a unicorn.” She picked Peggy up to show her the unicorn she’d shaped out of slime.

  That gave Peggy a new idea! Maybe the unicorn slime could turn her into a unicorn.…

  Wriggling out of Chloe’s grasp, she dived headfirst into the slime, and rolled around and around in it. When her fur was entirely coated in glittery slime, Peggy stood up. She still had paws, not hooves. And they were completely covered in sparkly slime!

  “You need a bath, Peggy,” said Chloe, laughing.

  Peggy waited for Chloe to lick her clean with her tongue, but instead Chloe carried her into the bathroom and ran a bath. Chloe added two capfuls of strawberry-scented bath foam and gently set Peggy down in the warm, sudsy water.

  “Good girl,” said Chloe, scrubbing the slime off Peggy’s fur.

  Ooh, this is nice, thought Peggy.

  When Peggy’s fur was clean, Chloe lifted her out of the bath and wrapped her in a fluffy towel.

  “All clean,” she said, setting Peggy down in front of the mirror.

  A wet dog with big brown eyes, a wrinkly face, and bubbles on her head stared back at Peggy. In spite of everything she had tried today, she was still just a pug.

  “Look!” said Chloe, shaping the bubbles on Peggy’s head into a horn. “You’re a pugicorn!”

  Peggy’s eyes widened in surprise. There was a beautiful white horn on her head! Clever Chloe had turned her into a unicorn! But then—

  POP! POP! POP!

  The bubbles burst. Along with Peggy’s hopes of becoming a unicorn.

  Chapter Six

  The next day Chloe took Peggy to the park. She didn’t get cross when Peggy spent ages snuffling in the crunchy dried leaves or barking at squirrels. She didn’t mind throwing a tennis ball again and again for Peggy to retrieve. And when they met other children in the playground, Chloe waited patiently while they patted Peggy.

  As they walked back home, they passed by the village hall. The doors were propped open and inside, people were busy painting a backdrop.

  “It’s the village nativity play tonight, Peggy,” said Chloe.

  Peggy looked up at her questioningly.

  “I wanted to b
e an angel like Ruby, but I’m playing a stupid shepherd instead,” grumbled Chloe.

  Loud music could be heard coming from upstairs when they got back home. “We wish you a merry Christmas!” Finn sang, off-key.

  Yikes, thought Peggy, her floppy black ears hurting as Finn screeched a high note.

  Mum was in the kitchen, sewing a piece of brown fabric.

  “What’s that horrible sound?” asked Chloe, unclipping Peggy’s lead.

  “Finn’s practicing for the nativity,” said Mum. “His band is playing.”

  DING! A timer sounded and Dad took a tray of mince pies out of the oven.

  “Those smell good,” said Chloe, helping herself to one and breaking off a bit for Peggy.

  “Don’t eat them all,” Dad said, smiling. “I’m bringing them to the show tonight.”

  Thirsty after her long walk, Peggy slurped up lots of water from her new red water bowl.

  Mum handed Chloe the brown robe she’d been sewing. “Here’s your shepherd costume. I hope it fits.”

  “I’ll try it on later,” Chloe said unenthusiastically.

  Peggy followed Chloe into the living room. Tossing her costume onto the sofa, Chloe switched on the television. “Ruby!” she called. “Sparkalina is starting!”

  As the theme tune began to play, Ruby ran into the living room wearing a white dress, a gold tinsel halo on her head, and gauzy wings on her back. She danced around the room, showing off her costume. “I be an angel.”

  Chloe and Peggy eyed Ruby’s wings enviously. Can Ruby’s wings really make her fly? wondered Peggy.

  The girls settled on the sofa, and Peggy clambered up too, then curled up on the soft fabric of Chloe’s shepherd costume.

  Chloe stroked Peggy’s fur as they watched television. In this episode, Sparkalina was teaching a fairy how to fly. The unicorn sang:

  Just flap your wings if you want to fly,

  Think happy thoughts and you’ll reach the sky.

  That sounds easy, thought Peggy. All it took was happy thoughts. And wings, of course.

  “I’d better try on my costume,” said Chloe when the show finished. Gently pushing Peggy off the brown robe, she picked it up. There was a big wet patch where Peggy had been sitting.

  “Oh no!” wailed Chloe. “Peggy peed on my shepherd costume!”

  Oopsie!

  Peggy hadn’t even realized she had piddled! If dogs could blush, Peggy’s tan-colored fur would have turned bright red. She’d been house-trained for weeks and hadn’t had an accident for ages!

  “Gross,” said Finn, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

  “This is the last thing I need right now,” said Mum, looking exasperated.

  They’ll never let me stay now, Peggy thought, her head bowed in shame.

  “Puppies are only little,” said Dad, squirting the sofa with cleaning spray. “They can’t hold their wee in very long.”

  “Adopting a puppy is a big responsibility,” said Mum. “You need to take them out more often than adult dogs.”

  “What are we going to do about my costume?” said Chloe.

  “I can wash it,” offered Dad.

  “But it won’t dry in time,” said Chloe.

  “I don’t have time to sew a new one, so we’ll just need to improvise,” said Mum. Everyone hunted around the house for things to make a new costume.

  “Here, Chloe,” said Finn, handing her his dressing gown. “You can wear this.”

  “And this can go on your head,” said Mum, draping a tea towel over Chloe’s curly hair.

  Dad tied garden twine around Chloe’s waist like a belt, then put another bit around her head. “Ta-da! Now you’re a shepherd.”

  But Chloe still looked glum. “Who’s going to look after Peggy while we’re at the show?”

  Mum frowned. “Hmmm,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

  Peggy whined softly, hoping that they wouldn’t leave her on her own.

  “I know!” exclaimed Chloe. “If I’m a shepherd, Peggy can be my sheep! She just needs a costume.”

  Mum found a fleecy white cardigan that Ruby had outgrown. She cut off the sleeves and put Peggy’s front legs through the armholes. It fit perfectly! Chloe made ears out of black card and cotton balls and glued them to a soft headband. Then she tied a little bell onto Peggy’s collar.

  Tucking Peggy into the crook of her arm, Chloe grinned. “This is even better than being an angel!”

  They drove to the village hall. Dad helped Finn set up his drum kit at the side of the stage, where Jasmine and the band were tuning up their instruments. Chloe and Ruby joined the rest of the cast backstage. Everyone crowded around to stroke Peggy.

  “I wish I was a shepherd,” said an innkeeper holding a lantern.

  “I should have made a camel costume for my dog,” said a king in a fancy gold-and-purple costume.

  “Your dog is sooooo cute,” said the little girl playing Mary, who was holding a baby doll wrapped in a blanket.

  “I know,” Chloe said proudly, adjusting Peggy’s sheep ears.

  When the play was about to begin, Ruby tugged on Chloe’s sleeve. “I scared,” she whispered.

  “I thought you wanted to be an angel?” Chloe whispered back.

  Ruby shook her head, her eyes wide with fright. She wriggled out of her angel wings and dropped them by the side of the stage.

  “Go and sit with Mum and Dad,” whispered Chloe. She pulled back the stage curtains, and Ruby ran to join her parents in the audience.

  The play began with Mary and Joseph wheeling a cardboard donkey mounted on a skateboard onto the stage. Peggy’s fur prickled with excitement as she and Chloe waited in the wings. Finally it was time for the shepherds to make their entrance.

  “Aww!” cooed the audience as Peggy waddled onto the stage behind Chloe.

  AAARROOO! AAAROOO! Peggy howled along as the shepherds sang “Away in a Manger.”

  As the three kings came onstage, Peggy suddenly spotted Ruby’s angel wings by the side of the stage. Maybe those can help me fly like Sparkalina! She darted over to the wings and bit them. Now it was time to fly!

  As she held the wings in her mouth, she remembered what Sparkalina had told the fairy, and filled her head with happy thoughts.

  Falling asleep next to Chloe…

  Playing fetch with Ruby…

  Getting a pat from Dad…

  Here goes…, she thought. She raced to the edge of the stage as the cast launched into their final carol.

  “Peggy, no!” cried Chloe, reaching out with her shepherd’s crook to try to catch her. But Chloe wasn’t fast enough.

  Squeezing her eyes shut, Peggy jumped off the stage.

  WHEE! For one wonderful moment she was flying, but then—

  CRASH! CLANG! BANG!

  She landed on Finn’s drum kit.

  Cymbals clattered to the ground. A bass drum rolled away. Music stands toppled over.

  Oh no, thought Peggy. Finn’s really going to hate me now. Her bottom was sore, but that wasn’t what hurt most of all. She’d ruined the show.

  As someone picked her up gently, Peggy raised her eyes in dread, expecting to see an angry face. But Finn was smiling!

  “Woo-hoo!” he cheered. “Now THAT’S what I call a drum solo!”

  Now the whole audience was clapping! Finn passed Peggy up to Chloe, so the dog could take a bow with the rest of the cast. Afterward, they all celebrated with hot chocolate and Dad’s mince pies.

  “Best. Nativity. Play. Ever,” said Finn.

  “And all because of Peggy,” said Mum. “Ruby didn’t want to be an angel—but Peggy did.”

  “I told you she was a star,” said Chloe, beaming.

  But I don’t want to be an angel OR a star, thought Peggy. I want to be a unicorn. And with Christmas Eve only a day away, time was running out to convince Chloe’s family to let her stay. She HAD to stop messing things up!

  Chapter Seven

  “Wake up, sleepyhead!” Chloe said, shaking Pe
ggy awake the morning before Christmas. Peggy burrowed deeper into the duvet, too warm and comfy to move.

  “Seriously, you’ve got to see this,” said Chloe. She picked Peggy up and carried her to the window.

  Peggy pressed her nose against the chilly windowpane. She blinked in confusion. The grass was covered in a blanket of white that sparkled like diamonds in the early-morning sunshine.

  “It snowed!” said Chloe.

  Now wide awake, Peggy let out a yip. She wasn’t sure what snow was, but Chloe’s excitement was contagious.

  Chloe charged downstairs and grabbed her coat, hat, and boots.

  “Not so fast,” said Dad, who was waxing an old wooden sled with curved runners. “You need to eat some breakfast first.”

  Sighing impatiently, Chloe sat down at the table. Finn was tucking into a plate of scrambled eggs, while Ruby was eating porridge in her high chair. Peggy licked up a blob of porridge that had fallen onto the floor.

  “Where did you get that sled, Dad?” asked Chloe.

  “It was in the loft,” said Dad. “My granddad made it for me when I was a little boy.”

  “It’s so exciting!” said Mum, sipping her coffee. “We haven’t had a white Christmas in years.”

  Peggy had a few bites of food, and then she danced around at the back door.

  “Peggy needs a wee,” said Chloe, scooping up her last bite of porridge. “Can I go out now?”

  “As long as you bundle up,” said Mum.

  Chloe got dressed, then helped Ruby zip up her coat and put on her boots. Then they pulled on woolly hats and mittens. Finn got ready too, and seemed almost as excited about the snow as his younger sisters.

  “What about Peggy?” worried Chloe. “Won’t she be cold?”

  “She’ll be fine,” said Dad. “Her fur will keep her warm.”

  Chloe opened the back door. A blast of cold air rushed in, hitting Peggy in the face. Chloe, Ruby, and Finn ran outside, their boots leaving holes in the snow. But Peggy hesitated in the doorway.