Ellie Featherbill All Alone Read online

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map of Friendship Forest

  Epigraph

  CHAPTER ONE: Friends in the Forest

  CHAPTER TWO: Flippershells to the Rescue

  CHAPTER THREE: Boggits on the Barge

  CHAPTER FOUR: Silvia and Her Sisters

  CHAPTER FIVE: Journey to the Island

  CHAPTER SIX: “Bash them! Smash them!”

  CHAPTER SEVEN: A Wild Chase

  CHAPTER EIGHT: Roses and Cupcakes!

  Sneak Peek

  Puzzle Fun!

  Lily and Jess’s Animal Care Tips

  Copyright

  “Peep! Peep!”

  “Dad,” Lily Hart called, “the ducklings are hungry!”

  “Give them some seeds to keep them happy,” her dad said, clearing the work table where he treated sick animals. “I’ll check on them in a moment.”

  Lily’s best friend, Jess, grabbed some seeds from a bag. “I love helping your parents,” she told Lily. “I’m so glad we’re best friends.”

  Lily grinned at Jess. Her parents ran the Helping Paw Wildlife Hospital in a converted barn behind their house in Brightley. Both girls loved working in the hospital and feeding different creatures in their pens outside.

  Soon the ducklings had gobbled up the all the seeds.

  “Come on, greedy,” said Mr. Hart, lifting one of them onto his table.

  “What will happen to them now?” asked Jess.

  “If Dad says they’re strong enough, we’ll release them back where we found them in Brightley Stream,” Lily explained. “The poor things were abandoned by their mother. They were all alone and very hungry.”

  “Feathers—fine. Feet and bill—excellent. Weight—perfect,” said Mr. Hart, popping the duckling into a box. “Next?”

  Lily carefully passed him another duckling, while Jess picked up a third.

  “Its feathers are so soft,” Jess said, cuddling the little bird against her sweater. “Will they be able to find food for themselves?”

  “Easily!” said Lily. “They’ve lived on our pond for the last few days, eating duckweed, grass, worms, slugs …”

  “Yuck!” said Jess. She pretended to shudder, making her blond hair swing.

  Mr. Hart laughed. “It might be yucky to you,” he said, “but it’s not yucky to a duck!” He placed the last duckling into the box. “Ready to go!”

  “Can we release them?” Lily asked.

  “Please?” begged Jess.

  “Of course,” said Mr. Hart. He lifted the box into Jess’s arms. “You carry them, and Lily will show you exactly where we found the little things. Have fun!”

  They set off for Brightley Stream. Jess walked very carefully, keeping the box level. They could hear the ducklings scrabbling around inside it.

  “Dad doesn’t need to worry about us having fun,” said Lily with a smile. “Especially with Goldie around!”

  Goldie the cat came from Friendship Forest, a magical world filled with talking animals. She had already taken Lily and Jess on two adventures there. Each time, Lily and Jess had helped stop Grizelda, an evil witch, from driving the animals away.

  “I hope we see Goldie soon,” said Jess.

  Lily nodded. “She said she’d find us if Grizelda was up to no good again.”

  The girls gently set the ducklings on the water near the stepping-stones.

  “They look happy!” Jess said.

  The ducklings bobbed around, dipping their beaks in the stream, but always staying close together. Gradually, they grew braver, and one climbed the bank to peck at the grass.

  When Lily stood to brush off her sweater, she felt something soft touch her leg. She looked down, expecting to see a duckling, but instead saw a beautiful cat with golden fur and eyes as green as fresh lettuce.

  “Goldie!” she cried in delight. “She’s back!”

  The girls stroked the purring cat. Goldie rubbed around their ankles, then meowed up at them and darted toward the stepping-stones that crossed Brightley Stream. She looked back at the girls and they knew exactly why she wanted them to follow her.

  “She’s taking us to Friendship Forest!” said Jess with a grin. “Come on!”

  They followed Goldie across the stream and through Brightley Meadow to the Friendship Tree. It looked like a huge, dead-looking oak tree, but as the golden cat ran up to it it burst into life. Fresh green leaves and scented blossoms sprouted from the branches. The girls had seen this before, but they still couldn’t help gasping at the sight.

  Goldie reached up a paw to where letters were carved into the tree trunk. The girls knew that they must read the words aloud.

  Holding hands, Lily and Jess said, “Friendship Forest!”

  A little door, just as tall as their shoulders, appeared in the trunk. Jess reached for the leaf-shaped handle and opened it. A shimmering, golden light poured out of the tree.

  The cat slipped through the door and Jess and Lily ducked their heads, following her into the golden glow. Their skin tingled all over, and they knew that they were becoming a little smaller.

  As the light faded, they were thrilled to find themselves once more in a sun-dappled forest clearing, surrounded by trees and flowers.

  “Toadstool Glade!” said Lily. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “And magical,” Jess whispered.

  Nestled among the nearby trees were pretty little cottages, where the animals of Friendship Forest lived.

  “Welcome,” said a soft voice. They turned to see Goldie. She was now standing upright, as tall as the girls’ shoulders, and wearing a golden scarf.

  Jess and Lily hugged her and, as they did so, other creatures appeared, rushing to greet them.

  “Hello! I’m Bertie,” a young badger as high as the girls’ knees told them. “I heard that you saved the Treasure Tree from the Boggits!”

  The Boggits were Grizelda’s horrible, filthy, smelly helpers, who did everything she told them to do. They had already tried to destroy the beautiful Blossom Briar and the Treasure Tree that gave the animals their food.

  “Nice to meet you, Bertie!” said Jess, shaking the paw he stretched up to her. She whispered to Lily, “I know we’ve been here before, but isn’t it still amazing to talk to the animals?”

  Before Lily could reply, the girls heard a squeak and looked down to see a pretty little mouse.

  “Molly Twinkletail!” Lily said, kneeling down.

  Molly was holding a carefully wrapped present that was twice as big as she was.

  “Is someone having a birthday?” asked Jess.

  “Yes, Ellie Featherbill, the duckling,” said Molly. “We’re all going to her party later. Come on, Bertie, let’s go and wrap your present for Ellie.”

  They rushed off, calling, “See you soon!”

  Lily turned to Goldie. “Have you brought us here to help again?” she asked. “Jess and I wondered if Grizelda was up to something.”

  Their cat friend looked serious. “She might be,” Goldie said. “The butterflies say that something strange is happening by Willowtree River. They’re not sure what.”

  Jess grinned. “Then let’s find out. Come on!”

  Jess and Lily hurried through the forest after Goldie. Soon they caught a glimpse of sunlight glinting on silvery water.

  “That’s Willowtree River,” Goldie said.

  “It seems so calm,” said Lily. “I wonder why the butterflies thought something strange was happening.”

  She tried to look more closely at the river, but her view was blocked by one of the beautiful willow trees. Some stepping-stones led out to the center of the river and Lily ran across them, stopping on a large one in the middle. Jess and Goldie followed an
d stood beside her.

  “Can you see anything?” asked Jess.

  Lily shook her head. The sparkling water looked clean and peaceful.

  Just then, an orb of yellow-green light appeared over the water. Lily’s tummy fluttered. They’d seen that light before!

  It zoomed toward them, then with a flash and a cra-ack, the orb exploded into green sparks. In its place on one of the stepping-stones stood a tall, thin woman, wearing a shiny purple tunic and pants, and high-heeled boots with sharply pointed toes.

  “Grizelda!” cried Lily.

  The witch glared. Her long green hair twisted about her head like a nest of snakes. The air around the girls seemed to turn cold.

  “Silly girls!” She sneered. “And the foolish cat! You won’t spoil my plans this time. When my Boggits have finished, the forest will be ruined. No more trees and flowers!” She laughed, her eyes flashing. “Green is for hair, not leaves!”

  Jess clenched her fists. “We won’t let you ruin Friendship Forest,” she said, trying not to let her voice tremble.

  Grizelda cackled. Then her hair sparked and she began muttering.

  “What’s she doing?” Lily asked nervously.

  Goldie swallowed. “I think she’s casting a spell.”

  “Oh, no! Look at the river!” cried Jess.

  The water swirled, turning sludgy brown as it churned up mud from the bottom. It rose higher and higher until it lapped at their toes. In no time, the river had covered all of the stepping-stones except the one they were standing on!

  “Now what do we do?” cried Lily.

  “Stop interfering, that’s what!” Grizelda screeched. “You can’t stop me. When my Boggits are finished, all the animals will have to leave—and I can have Friendship Forest for myself! Ha!”

  Snapping her fingers, she disappeared in a yellow flash.

  “Thank goodness she’s gone,” said Lily. “But now we’re trapped!”

  Goldie gave a groan. “And while we’re stuck here, we can’t stop the Boggits from carrying out her plan. I wonder what she’s told them to do this time?”

  Jess was peering into the water. “Do you think we could wade to the bank?”

  Lily picked up a stone. “I’ll throw this in. If we can see it land, it’ll be shallow enough to paddle across.”

  She tossed the stone.

  Plop!

  It sank out of sight.

  “The water’s still swirling,” said Jess, “but maybe we could swim …”

  “I can’t swim at all,” said Goldie. “Oh, what are we going to do?”

  As they stood thinking, Jess spotted something moving in the water. It looked like a large, round, flat stone. “What’s that?” she cried. “A swimming stone?”

  “Look! There are six more following behind,” said Lily.

  As they watched, something bright red bobbed up in front of the first swimming stone, then bobbed down again.

  Goldie clapped her paws. “That’s not a stone, it’s a turtle!” she said. “It’s the Flippershell family.” She splashed the water with her paw. “They’ll hear that,” she explained.

  The red blob bobbed up again.

  Jess and Lily grinned when they realized it was indeed a turtle’s head—wearing a swimming cap!

  “Ahoy there, Goldie!” the turtle called.

  Six more heads popped up, each wearing a brightly colored cap.

  Goldie explained what had happened. “Can you help us get to shore?” she asked.

  “Aye, aye,” said the biggest turtle. “Flippershells! Stepping-stones from the island to the bank,” he ordered. “Rainbow formation! Go!”

  The turtles swam into line. Each called out their hat color as they reached their position.

  “Red!” That was the big turtle.

  “Orange!”

  “Yellow!”

  “Green!”

  “Blue!”

  “Indi—indi—go!” puffed a little one.

  The last turtle was swimming in circles, singing quietly to herself. The others sighed. “Come on, Violet!”

  Once they were in line, Mr. Flippershell called, “Rainbow formation, ready and waiting?”

  “Aye, aye, sir,” they replied.

  “Hold fast!” Mr. Flippershell ordered. They clasped flippers. “Go, Goldie!”

  Jess and Lily followed the cat, hopping across the turtles’ backs to the riverbank. They all shouted their thanks to the Flippershells.

  “One last thing,” said the big turtle. “If you go upriver, watch out. Those horrible Boggits were heading that way. Making trouble, I’ll bet.”

  “I bet he’s right,” said Goldie as they hurried along the water’s edge. “They must be carrying out Grizelda’s orders.”

  Soon they came in sight of a pretty blue barge moored against the riverbank. It had a yellow cabin on the deck, and round, yellow portholes just above the waterline.

  “That belongs to the Featherbill family,” said Goldie. “They take care of Willowtree River. They’re probably inside, getting ready for Ellie’s birthday party.”

  Suddenly, the barge rocked violently from side to side.

  “That’s weird,” said Jess. “Little ducks couldn’t make it rock like that.”

  “I know who could,” Goldie said grimly. “Boggits! They must be on board!”

  The barge rocked harder, churning the water into frothing waves.

  “It’s going to tip over!” Lily cried.

  But just as the barge looked like it really was about to capsize, they saw the Boggits clambering onto the roof of the cabin. They were snorting and yelling.

  “Hide!” hissed Goldie, pulling the girls down behind a cluster of cattails. “Oh, I hope the Featherbills are okay!”

  Jess parted the cattails to take a look. “The Boggits are reaching into the cabin through the portholes,” she whispered. “They’re pulling things out and throwing stuff in the river. It’s sandwiches!” she said in surprise. “And cakes and—whoa! There goes a bowl of Jell-O!”

  “That must be for Ellie’s party,” said Lily. “They’re ruining it!”

  Four scruffy Boggits laughed as they hurled food over the side of the barge. Their fur, made up of patches of dingy green, washed-out blue, and sickly yellow, was matted with mud, and their rotting-cauliflower smell wafted downriver to Goldie and the girls.

  “Chuck it in the water!” yelled Pongo, tossing a pie overboard.

  “Hegga hegga!” Whiffy chuckled. “Mucking up the river!”

  “Boggits make Grizelda happy,” shouted Reek.

  Lily and Goldie gasped as Sniff heaved the birthday cake into the water, shouting, “Eat up, fishes! Boggits hope you be sick!”

  Jess had seen enough. She stood up, shouting, “Stop! Stop now!”

  The Boggits spun around and caught sight of her and the others.

  “Girls!” roared Pongo. “Boggits don’t like you!” He grabbed a loaf of cherry bread and flung it at Jess.

  She dodged it and yelled, “What have you done with the Featherbills?”

  As soon as she spoke, there were loud squawks and flaps as the whole Featherbill family came flying out from another clump of cattails farther downstream.

  They landed in a flurry of feathers on the riverbank next to Lily and Jess. Lily counted seven ducklings, besides their mom and dad.

  “We were too scared to come out until we saw you,” said Mr. Featherbill as the ducklings huddled around their mother’s legs.

  Mrs. Featherbill was close to tears. “What a flapdoodle! Those Boggits have ruined Ellie’s party, and just look what they’re doing to our river.” She wiped her eyes with a wingtip. “If they carry on like this, they’ll pollute it so badly that our fish friends will have nowhere to live. Neither will any of the river creatures.”

  The girls and Goldie shared a worried glance. “So that must be Grizelda’s plan,” Jess said. “She wants to ruin the river to drive away the animals!”

  Lily kneeled to comfort Mrs. Featherbill.
“We’ve come to help,” she said. “We won’t let the Boggits win.”

  “One, two, three …” said Mr. Featherbill, counting his ducklings. “No … One, two … Keep still, children. One, two, three, four …”

  “Don’t worry,” said Lily. “I counted them as they landed. There are seven.”

  “Seven?” cried Mrs. Featherbill. “There should be eight! Who’s missing?” She waddled around the ducklings. “There’s Lulu and Dilly, Stanley and Rodney,” she said. “Keep still, children. There’s Betty, Bobo, and Sunny. Oh, no! Where’s Ellie?”

  Lily gasped. “She must still be on the barge!”

  “Ellie hates noise,” Mrs. Featherbill said tearfully. “The Boggits must have frightened her so much she was afraid to come out.”

  Little Betty said, “She was hiding in the bucket on deck.”

  Everyone peered through the cattails.

  “There!” said Betty. “See the bucket?”

  Lily was puzzled. “Yes, but I can only see pink flowers peeping over the top.”

  “That’s her birthday crown,” sobbed Lulu.

  Jess stroked the duckling’s soft head. “Don’t cry,” she said gently. “Lily, Goldie, and I will save Ellie. Come on, you two!”

  Crouching, the three friends ran to the barge and pressed themselves against the side. But before they could decide what to do, Reek untied the mooring rope and the barge began to move!

  Lily, Jess, and Goldie watched in dismay as Pongo steered it away from the bank.

  “Boggits find where the river begins.” He grunted.

  Reek and Sniff did a stomping dance, making the barge rock wildly again.

  Whiffy chuckled. “Hegga hegga. Boggits clever to steal ducks’ boat. Now we can make river bad forever!”

  Lily gasped. “Where are they going?”

  Goldie put her paws to her mouth. “They must be going to the source of the river. If they pollute the water there, it will all flow downstream.”

  “But that means the whole river will be polluted!” cried Jess. “We’ve got to stop them.”

  Lily caught a last glimpse of little pink flowers poking out of the bucket.