Olivia Nibblesqueak's Messy Mischief

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map of Friendship Forest

  Epigraph

  CHAPTER ONE: A Special Day

  CHAPTER TWO: Splat!

  CHAPTER THREE: Creatures from the Witchy Waste

  CHAPTER FOUR: Peep in the Night

  CHAPTER FIVE: Mrs. Taptree’s Library

  CHAPTER SIX: Olivia’s Favorites

  CHAPTER SEVEN: Bluebell Brook

  CHAPTER EIGHT: Cakes for All!

  Sneak Peek

  Puzzle Fun!

  Lily and Jess’s Animal Facts

  Copyright

  “I think these are ready,” said Jess Forester, sniffing the freshly baked animal treats that were cooling on the table.

  “Great!” said her best friend, Lily Hart. “Now we can go and help with the feeding time!”

  The girls packed up the treats and left Lily’s house, heading for the barn at the bottom of her yard. But this was no ordinary barn, it was the Helping Paw Wildlife Hospital, which was run by Lily’s parents! Lily and Jess both adored animals and loved helping to care for them whenever they could. Luckily Jess only lived across the street from her best friend.

  It was a bright autumn day and warm sunshine was glinting on the red and orange leaves in the trees. Lily’s mom was putting fresh hay into the rabbit and guinea pig runs.

  Lily held the treats. “Look, Mom! Dad helped us make these treats from oats, grated carrots, and ripe bananas.”

  Mrs. Hart peered at them. “Mmm, they look delicious!” she said, grinning.

  “They’re not for people, they’re for the animals!” Jess laughed. She knew Lily’s mom was teasing.

  While Mrs. Hart went back into the hospital for more food, the girls put a handful of treats in the rabbit run. The bunnies’ noses went woffle woffle as they sniffed the air, their whiskers quivering, then nibbled the treats.

  “Aren’t they sweet?” said Lily. “They remind me of the animals enjoying yummy food at the Toadstool Café.”

  The girls grinned at each other. The Toadstool Café was in Friendship Forest, a magical world where animals lived in beautiful little cottages and dens. But the most amazing thing about Friendship Forest was that all the creatures there could talk!

  “I wonder when we’ll see Goldie again,” said Jess, thinking about the beautiful cat that took them to the forest. “It’s so much fun talking to the animals.”

  “And sharing adventures with them!” added Lily.

  They heard a soft mew. From behind a hutch a sweet golden face appeared, with eyes as green as new grass.

  “Goldie!” the girls cried in delight. The cat bounded over and rubbed against their legs, purring. Then she turned toward Brightley Stream, which ran at the end of the Harts’ yard, and mewed again.

  “She wants us to follow her,” cried Jess, her eyes shining. “We’re going back to Friendship Forest!”

  Filled with excitement, the girls raced after Goldie, their feet rustling the leaves that lay all around. They went over the stepping stones that crossed the stream and into Brightley Meadow. Ahead of them was a huge, dead oak tree.

  Right before their eyes, the branches burst into new life. Scarlet berries hung from every bough and bluebirds swooped between the branches, singing a joyful song.

  Goldie mewed and put a paw up to touch the tree, and some letters appeared, carved into the tree’s bark.

  The girls clasped hands and read the words aloud. “Friendship Forest!”

  A door with a leaf-shaped handle appeared in the trunk. When Jess opened it, shimmering golden light shone from inside. Goldie ran through the doorway.

  Jess grinned at Lily. “I wonder what adventure we’ll have this time?”

  The girls’ hearts raced as they followed Goldie into the light, and their bodies tingled all over as they shrank, just a little.

  As the glow faded, Jess and Lily found themselves in a clearing in Friendship Forest. The air was warm and filled with the scent of cotton-candy flowers.

  “Welcome back,” said Goldie’s soft voice.

  The girls turned. The cat, now wearing a golden scarf, stood upright, as tall as their shoulders. She ran to hug them. “I’ve got a surprise for you!” she said.

  Wondering what it could be, the girls followed Goldie. Their friend’s tail was twitching with excitement as they passed little cottages nestled between tree roots and perched on branches. But none of their animal friends were waving from the windows like they usually did.

  “Friendship Forest seems really quiet today, Goldie,” said Jess. “Is there something happening?”

  The cat smiled. “You’ll see,” she said.

  As they reached a small clearing, a delicious aroma wafted toward them. Lots of different animals were crowded outside a pretty little pink cottage. Now the girls knew why they hadn’t seen any of their friends—everybody was here!

  “Look at all the cakes and buns!” said Jess. “That’s what the yummy smell is—baking!”

  Goldie smiled again. “See the sign above the door?”

  “The Nibblesqueak Bakery,” Lily read.

  “It’s the grand opening today,” said Goldie, “and the Nibblesqueak family are having a cake-decorating contest. Everyone’s invited.” Her green eyes shone. “Come on—let’s help them celebrate!”

  A family of golden-brown hamsters was handing out cakes to the other animals, who were sitting at the tables outside the bakery. They waved and came over to greet the girls.

  “Lily and Jess, meet Mr. and Mrs. Nibblesqueak,” Goldie said, “and their children, Penny, Jenny, and Olivia.” Each little hamster wore a garland of flowers on her head. Olivia’s was made of roses, and, as the girls bent down to say hello, she slipped her tiny paw into Jess’s hand.

  “It’s really nice to meet you,” the little hamster said in a sweet voice.

  More of the girls’ friends crowded around. “Hello!” cried Molly Twinkletail, the tiny mouse.

  “Hello, Jess and Lily!” Bella Tabbypaw, a striped silver cat with a pink backpack, called out.

  “Hooray, you’re back!” said Emily Prickleback the hedgehog.

  “It’s lovely to see you all!” Lily replied, hugging them. The girls had helped Molly, Bella, and Emily when they’d been in trouble, and they had been good friends ever since.

  Emily took Jess and Lily to watch the young animals decorating cakes at a long table. They were squeezing colored icing from little bags with nozzles on them.

  “I love those swirly patterns you’re making,” said Lily.

  “And the tiny flowers,” added Jess.

  “Thank you, thank you!” all the little animals squeaked.

  Lily looked at the cottage. “Isn’t it pretty, Jess?” she said.

  The bakery roof was thatched with reeds. The ground floor was a shop, and the girls kneeled down to peer through the tiny windows. Dozens of tiny cakes were laid out on a counter, all decorated with pretty icing. “It’s so sweet,” said Jess. “And everything looks yummy!”

  As Lily was looking through the upstairs windows, where there were little beds with frilly covers, she felt someone tapping her foot. She looked down and saw Olivia carrying a large bowl and smiling happily.

  “Do you want to try some icing?” asked the hamster, showing them the creamy white mixture. “Only we Nibblesqueaks know the secret of making our famous Nectar Icing. It’s delicious! Come and see!”

  She took the girls to a table and picked up a bag with a nozzle. “Mr. Cleverfeather the owl invented this,” she said. “It’s an Eezy-Skweezy Icing Bag.”

  Olivia twiddled a dial beside the nozzle. “You turn this for different colors,” she explained, an
d squeezed rose-pink icing onto a cake.

  A little vole wearing blue sneakers came over. “Olivia, I ran out again,” he said, sheepishly.

  The hamster smiled. “Percy Littlepaw!” she said. “That was your third bag! Never mind, you can share mine.” She turned to the girls and whispered, “Percy’s my best friend. He loves icing so much, I think he must be eating it all!”

  Percy started scampering off with the icing, then gave a shout. “Look out!”

  Splat!

  The new sign above the door was smeared with splattered cake!

  “Who did that?” wondered Olivia, turning around.

  “Heeheehee!”

  Jess looked around, but couldn’t see where the giggling came from, then …

  Splat!

  “Hey!” cried Percy as a cake hit him right in the face.

  Percy wiped pink icing from his cheek and giggled as he licked his paw clean. But then the animals shrieked and scattered as more cakes zoomed over. Splat, splat, splat!

  The flying cakes covered everything with bits of sponge and icing.

  Jess and Lily glanced at each other in amazement. Someone was throwing cakes! But who?

  Olivia and Lily helped Percy tidy up, while Jess searched nearby bushes, looking for whoever was throwing the cakes. But she couldn’t see anyone.

  “Who spoiled our competition?” wailed Penny Nibblesqueak.

  “And ruined our cakes!” said her sister Jenny, sadly.

  Jess turned anxiously to Goldie and Lily. “Do you think Grizelda is behind this?” she whispered.

  Grizelda was a witch who wanted Friendship Forest for herself. She kept looking for ways to force all the animals to leave. First, she’d used her smelly helpers, the Boggits, to try to drive the animals out. When that had failed, she’d kidnapped four baby dragons and made them help her instead. But so far, Lily, Jess, and Goldie had always managed to defeat her.

  “It could be Grizelda,” Goldie said, looking anxious. “Maybe she has a nasty new plan?”

  Lily hugged her. “If she does, we’ll stop her somehow,” she said. “Won’t we, Jess?”

  Jess nodded. “We’ll do anything to protect Friendship Forest!” Then she gave a cry. “There, under that table! I saw a paw! Look, there it is again!”

  A dirty paw appeared and threw a bowl of yellow icing.

  Crash!

  The bowl broke, splattering blobs of icing all over the grass.

  “It could be another dragon!” cried Mrs. Nibblesqueak. “Quick, little ones, get into the bakery!”

  The animals ran for cover, but Lily, Jess, and Goldie darted over to the table and peered underneath. Four grubby looking creatures with bold expressions stared back at them. There was a black bat with stained wings and a scruffy tie around his neck, and a warty green toad, covered in slime. Next to them were a crow with messy, smelly feathers and a rat with dirty, clumped fur. And their paws were all covered in cake!

  “Stop that!” cried Lily. “You’re making an awful mess.”

  The filthy creatures giggled with glee.

  “But we love making a mess!” said the bat. “It’s so much fun!” He turned the table over, tipping cakes everywhere.

  The toad jumped into the splatters of icing with a chuckle, while the rat scuttled over all the pretty tablecloths, leaving sticky pawprints everywhere. The crow hopped around excitedly as it helped the bat gather up more cakes to throw.

  “Where did they come from?” asked Jess, ducking under a flying jam sponge cake.

  “Probably the Witchy Waste,” Goldie said grimly. “It’s a gloomy place, near Grizelda’s tower. It was once a beautiful water garden, with ponds, waterlilies, and willow trees. Then the naughty Witchy Waste creatures turned it into a big mess. It looks like a landfill now.”

  “That was horrible of them,” said Lily.

  “They’re not really horrible,” Goldie explained. “They like it that way—they just love messes!”

  “Look!” Jess pointed to something floating through the trees toward them. It was a yellow-green orb. She knew exactly what that meant. “Grizelda’s coming!”

  They backed away as the orb exploded into smelly sparks.

  The sparks cleared, revealing a tall, bony witch. Her green hair whipped around her head like squabbling snakes. She was wearing a purple tunic over tight black pants that were tucked into boots with skinny high heels.

  “So you interfering girls are back,” she sneered. “But you won’t win this time! I have a new plan to take over Friendship Forest! Ha!”

  She beckoned to the messy creatures from the Witchy Waste.

  “These are my new helpers,” she said. “Don’t meddle with them if you know what’s good for you.”

  The bat flapped onto her shoulder.

  “This is Peep,” said Grizelda, “and here comes Masha.”

  Masha the rat was wearing a crumpled straw hat with a droopy flower stuck into the band. She coiled her tail around the witch’s leg, grinning.

  “Snippit!” Grizelda called.

  The scruffy crow, whose waistcoat had a button missing, flew to her other shoulder.

  Grizelda nodded at the slimy toad, who straightened her necklace and waddled over. “I’m Hopper,” she croaked.

  Grizelda laughed. “You girls won’t be able to stop my new helpers. They’re going to make the forest so messy that all the animals will have to leave. Then Friendship Forest will be mine!”

  She raised her hands. Purple sparks shot from her fingers and crackled around each Witchy Waste creature.

  Then, with a final cackle, Grizelda snapped her fingers and disappeared in a burst of smelly yellow sparks.

  “Thank goodness she’s gone,” said Jess.

  “What were those purple sparks?” wondered Lily. “Do you think they’re one of Grizelda’s nasty spells?”

  Goldie nodded. Her tail was twitching anxiously.

  “Sparks made by Grizelda are sure to do something horrible,” Jess sighed. “We’d better watch out!”

  Now that Grizelda was gone, the animals began to come out from the bakery. Olivia was shaking icing from her rose crown.

  “Squeeeaak!” Peep the bat flew straight toward her. He flapped his wings over the little hamster, and the girls gasped as the purple sparks reappeared and crackled all around her.

  “Heeheehee,” giggled Peep the bat. “This will be fun!”

  Jess looked at Lily in alarm. “Oh no! That bat did something to Olivia!” she said. “But what?”

  Peep gave a high, squeaky giggle and turned to the Witchy Waste creatures. “Heeheehee, let’s start messing up the forest, just like Grizelda said we should!”

  The four messy animals disappeared into the trees.

  Everyone gathered around Olivia. Her little ears were shaking and her eyes were wide and scared.

  “What were those sparks?” she asked in a trembling voice.

  Goldie hugged her. “We don’t know,” she said gently. “But everything will be okay, we promise.”

  “I’m afraid the competition is canceled,” Mrs. Nibblesqueak announced.

  All the little animals looked sad, but everyone joined together to clean up the mess of cakes and splattered icing. Jess and Lily were so busy that they didn’t realize how late it was until Goldie said, “It’ll be dark soon. You should go home.”

  The girls glanced at each other.

  How can we leave when Grizelda is threatening to ruin the forest again? Jess thought worriedly.

  “We’d like to stay,” said Lily, “so we can help if anything bad happens.”

  Jess nodded. “Back home, time stands still while we’re in Friendship Forest,” she said, “so our parents won’t be worried.”

  Goldie hugged them. “You’re such good friends,” she said. “We’ll have a sleepover in my grotto—and then we’ll all be ready to help Olivia, no matter what!”

  “Squeeeeaaaak! Squeeeeaaaak!”

  Lily woke with a start. “What’s that noise?” she
muttered, rubbing her eyes. She was snuggled in a nest of quilts and cushions on the floor of Goldie’s grotto. It was lit by the soft glow of a night-light, but she could see through the window in the door that it was dark outside.

  Jess and Goldie had woken up, too, and were blinking sleepily.

  “Squeeeeaaaak! Squeeeeaaaak!”

  The noise came from just outside Goldie’s grotto.

  “What’s happening?” Jess asked sleepily.

  They went outside and found lots of animals in their pajamas, looking worried. The whole Twinkletail mouse family was huddled together, wearing tiny pajamas. Lying all over the ground were torn leaves and petals.

  Mr. Muddlepup the dog came over. His nightcap drooped over one eye. “What’s going on?” he yawned.

  “It started outside our cottage,” said Molly Twinkletail. “We followed the noise and it led us here to all these leaves. It’s scary!”

  Lily scooped her up. Molly was so small that Lily could hold her with just one hand. “Don’t be afraid,” she said. “We’ll find out what’s happening.”

  “Look!” said Jess. “There! Beneath that pine tree—two shadows!”

  They crept closer.

  “Squeeeeeeak!”

  Just then, the shadows moved out into the moonlight.

  “It’s Peep … and Olivia!” cried Jess.

  The bat ripped some leaves from a dandyrose bush and tossed them over his shoulder, while Olivia ripped the petals from a patch of buttercups. She threw them up into the air.

  Goldie gasped. “So they’re the ones who made this mess!”

  “Squeeeeeeak!” went Peep.

  “Squeeeeeeak!” went Olivia. Then Peep flew to another bush and little Olivia followed on the ground, flapping her paws.

  “She’s trying to fly like Peep!” cried Lily in dismay. “And she sounds like him, too!”

  Peep reached out with his claws, picked up the little hamster, and flew onto a branch. Olivia flapped her paws, still trying to fly.

  Molly covered her tiny ears as the horrible squeaking grew louder.