As it’s Valentine’s Day I thought it fitting to share a short excerpt of the awkward friendship/teenage romance of two characters in The Unicorn Girl. It’s a short conversation between Leah and Ian after Leah has a frightful encounter with a malevolent raven the night before. This is over their early morning breakfast:
“There was a raven in your room?” Ian asked stunned.
“Yes. You can’t call that normal.”
“No. I suppose not.” He frowned at his fork. “Gettin’ a bit more dar’n, isn’t it?”
“So, now you believe me?” I said waspishly.
He smiled weakly and looked down at his ham.
“Do you think it was Mora’s?” he asked.
“I think so. I think she’s having it follow me.” And I told him how I suspected the raven had been following me ever since I recovered from the sleeping sickness. He didn’t argue with me.
“So, do you think I’m right?” I pressed.
He didn’t reply immediately. “Yeah. I think the raven’s following you.”
We sat in silence before he suddenly said without looking at me, “You could have come to me, you know.”
“I didn’t want to bother you,” I replied, slightly taken aback, but pleased all the same. “Anyway, the raven flew off … I would have felt … silly …” I was suddenly aware that my cheeks were turning red and, horrified, I quickly looked down, busying myself with buttering a biscuit.
Chapter 27, The Brendor Mountains
Pages 302-303
