Amelia Sparklepaw's Party Problem Read online

  Inside it was a tuft of fur. The strands were gleaming and golden …

  It was all Jess and Lily could do to stop themselves from gasping out loud.

  Inside the jar was some of Goldie’s fur!

  Grizelda made a mark on a piece of parchment that lay beside her. She tucked the jar into her pocket and patted Gobbler roughly on the head.

  Lily noticed that his blue fur stood on end as the witch touched him. Maybe he doesn’t like Grizelda, she thought. Maybe he just likes the food she gives him.

  “Ha ha, little Gobbler!” cackled Grizelda. “I just need to collect one more ingredient and I’ll be ready to make my new potion. Then Friendship Forest will be mine!”

  Jess, Lily, and Amelia crept out of the room. As they became visible again, they stared at one another in horror.

  “So that’s why Grizelda kidnapped Goldie,” said Jess. “She needed some of her fur to make a potion!”

  “I wonder what the potion’s for?” said Lily as she cuddled the trembling Amelia.

  “It can’t be anything good,” said Jess. “Whatever Grizelda has planned, we’ve got to stop her!”

  “We’ve got to find Goldie,” said Jess, “and we’ve got to stop Grizelda from finding that last ingredient. Then she won’t be able to make her potion.”

  “But how can we?” Lily said gloomily. “We don’t know what the ingredient is.”

  Amelia was stroking her whiskers thoughtfully. “I know!” she said. “If we turn invisible again, we can get close enough to read Grizelda’s list.”

  Lily shook her head. “It’s too risky,” she said. “We were lucky Grizelda didn’t hear us before—or bump into us. If only she would leave the room … ”

  Jess grinned. “Screechy peaches!” she said. “Lily, you hide near the door, while Amelia and I make one of the peaches screech. Grizelda’s sure to come and investigate the noise. Then you can run in and read the list!”

  Lily nodded nervously. Then she crouched behind a stack of broken broomsticks, while Jess and Amelia hurried along the hallway.

  “This is far enough,” said Jess. She held Amelia’s paw as the kitten jangled her hiding hollyhock. Once they were invisible, Jess tapped one of the screechy peaches growing on the wall.

  Screeeeeeeech!

  “I hope this works,” said Amelia.

  Back by the room, Lily jumped as the door flew open and Grizelda burst out, rushing off in the direction of the noise. Gobbler scampered after her.

  Lily’s heart raced as she dashed inside. She unrolled the parchment and desperately read Grizelda’s scratchy writing. The only ingredient that wasn’t crossed off was something called a shower flower.

  The noise of the screechy peach was dying away, so she darted back out, just in time. Grizelda and Gobbler were already coming back down the hallway.

  Lily hid until the witch was safely in the room, then ran to Jess and Amelia, who were becoming visible again.

  “Did you find out what the last ingredient was?” asked Jess.

  “Yes, it’s a shower flower, whatever that is,” Lily said. “Do you know where they grow, Amelia?”

  The kitten shook her fluffy head. “I’ve never heard of them. Maybe the Muddlepups have them in their garden?”

  They followed the hallway, away from Grizelda’s room.

  “We have to stop Grizelda from getting that ingredient,” said Jess.

  “And we have to find Goldie!” said Lily.

  Suddenly, Amelia stopped outside a door. She sniffed, her whiskers twitching.

  “I can smell something … Rose petals, violet dew, honeyberries, and mint … it’s the perfume I gave Goldie for her birthday!” she cried.

  Amelia pushed open the door and dashed inside. Lily and Jess darted after her. Inside, her paws tied up with thick green vines, was Goldie!

  “I knew you’d come,” Goldie cried. “You’re so brave. And Amelia, too!”

  “I’m so glad we’ve found you!” said Jess. “How did Grizelda catch you?”

  “I heard an animal crying in the forest,” Goldie explained. “It sounded hurt, so I went to find it. But it was just one of Grizelda’s tricks.”

  “We’ll get you out,” promised Jess.

  The girls tried to undo the vines, but the knots were too tough.

  “They won’t budge,” said Lily. “Grizelda must have used magic to make them extra strong.” She heard a pattering sound. “Someone’s coming!”

  “Grizelda!” whispered Amelia.

  “No, her footsteps go click clack,” Lily said. “It’s someone else.”

  Amelia hid behind her as the footsteps came closer. Then around the bend, padding on his fluffy blue paws, came Gobbler!

  The girls froze, waiting for Gobbler to rush off to Grizelda. But he scampered toward Jess instead.

  “Eeeeep!” he squeaked, and started nibbling her shoelaces.

  Jess smiled. “He’s more interested in eating than helping Grizelda.”

  Amelia crept out from behind Lily. “He’s sort of sweet,” she said, “but very greedy!”

  Gobbler saw the kitten, and his long tail waved and twirled.

  “I think he likes you, Amelia,” said Lily.

  The kitten padded closer to Gobbler. His tail twirled even more wildly.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Amelia said. She patted the thick vines wrapped around Goldie’s paws. “Look, Gobbler, these are tastier than shoelaces.”

  “Eep, eep, eeeeeeeeeeep!” Gobbler squeaked. His tail thumped the floor with excitement.

  “Perfect, Amelia!” said Lily. “Gobbler can chomp Goldie free!”

  Jess picked up the wriggly creature so he could eat the vines around Goldie’s front paws. “Oh,” she said. “Amelia, his fur is almost as soft as yours!”

  Bits of vine fell from Gobbler’s mouth as he munched through them. He was halfway through the last one when the girls heard click, clack, click, clack …

  Lily’s eyes widened. “Those are definitely Grizelda’s footsteps!”

  “Run! Hide!” whispered Goldie.

  “We’re not going without you,” Jess said fiercely.

  As Gobbler chomped through the last vine, it fell away and Goldie was free!

  Clickclackclickclack …

  “Grizelda’s running!” Jess gasped, putting Gobbler down.

  “Quick!” Amelia cried. “This way!”

  They scrambled through the door and ran down the thorny hallway, their hearts pounding.

  Clickclackclickclackclickclack …

  “She’s coming!” Lily squealed.

  Suddenly, Amelia disappeared.

  The friends stopped. “Where is she?” cried Jess. “Amelia, did you use your hiding hollyhock?”

  But then Amelia’s pink nose and white whiskers appeared in a gap in the wall. “Through here!” she cried.

  Everyone scrambled through to the outside. With a furious shriek, Grizelda reached them. But when she tried to squeeze through the gap, she was too big, and her bony shoulders jammed against the branches.

  “Your plan didn’t work, Grizelda!” Jess shouted. “We’ve got Goldie back!” But the witch just cackled.

  The girls and Goldie exchanged anxious glances.

  “Why is she laughing?” asked Lily. “Her plan has failed, hasn’t it?”

  “That cat might have escaped,” the witch yelled, “but I’ve got what I need—her fur! Friendship Forest will be mine! Ha ha haaa!”

  “Of course—she means the potion,” muttered Jess. “Come on, let’s go before she manages to come after us!”

  Lily scooped Amelia up and they all raced away from the horrible workshop.

  “You were so clever to get Gobbler to help,” said Goldie, as they made their way back through the trees to her grotto.

  “It was Amelia’s idea,” said Lily, cuddling the kitten close.

  Jess told Goldie about Grizelda’s potion. “We don’t know what it is for, but the last ingredient is a shower flower.”

 
; Goldie frowned. “I’ve never heard of a shower flower. Maybe one of the other animals knows what it is.”

  When they reached Goldie’s grotto, they found all their friends sitting gloomily among the decorations. Tommy Sparklepaw grinned when he spotted them, and jumped to his feet. “Look, they’re back! And they’ve saved Goldie!” he cried, and the other animals cheered.

  Amelia scampered over and hugged her mom. “I helped!” she told her.

  “But Grizelda is still up to something,” Jess said gravely. “Does anyone know where shower flowers grow? Grizelda wants one for a wicked potion.”

  Everyone shook their heads—even the Muddlepup dog family, who were excellent gardeners.

  “I’ve never seen one in our garden,” Mr. Muddlepup said. “I wish we could help.”

  Everyone sighed with disappointment. But then Mrs. Featherbill waved a wing. “I remember now! I saw one once!”

  “Where was it?” Lily asked excitedly.

  “You won’t find a shower flower today,” said Mrs. Featherbill. “It’s too sunny. Whenever it rains, the shower flower grows at the spot where the first raindrop falls. But it disappears when the sun shines again.”

  Goldie looked at the sky. “It’ll be dark soon,” she said, “but there are no clouds, so it won’t rain. Grizelda won’t find a shower flower today, either.”

  Lily nodded. “Since it’s almost nighttime, we should probably go home now.”

  Jess grinned. “Or we could have a sleepover with Goldie and look for the shower flower tomorrow! No time passes in our world while we’re away. We can stay and help for as long as we need to.”

  “We won’t let mean old Grizelda ruin our fun!” Lily cheered.

  “Can I go, Mom?” Amelia asked.

  “Of course!” Mrs. Sparklepaw agreed.

  “Me, too! Me, too!” lots of the other animals called out.

  “Everyone can stay,” laughed Goldie. “It’ll be a birthday sleepover!”

  Goldie handed out slices of her birthday cake, while the girls helped arrange soft piles of cushions and blankets for the animals to sleep on.

  Amelia curled up in the middle with her brothers, purring contentedly as her eyes drifted closed.

  Once everyone was comfy, the girls settled beside Goldie and gave her the card they’d made before her party started.

  “Oh, thank you! It’s the nicest card I’ve ever gotten,” Goldie told them. She smiled happily. “Grizelda tried to ruin my birthday, but it’s still been very special—because you’re here, Lily and Jess.”

  There was a sleepy mew. “And me,” purred Amelia.

  Everyone laughed!

  “Especially you!” said Goldie.

  She turned to Jess and Lily and whispered, “All I need now is to stop Grizelda from ruining our forest—then I’ll be the happiest cat ever!”

  CHAPTER ONE: Mr. Cleverfeather’s Inventing Shed

  CHAPTER TWO: The Dropper Spotter

  CHAPTER THREE: Shower Flower

  CHAPTER FOUR: Gobbler Grows

  CHAPTER FIVE: Not the Treasure Tree!

  CHAPTER SIX: One Last Surprise

  Lily and Jess woke up in a nest of blankets and cushions in Goldie’s grotto. Morning sunshine streamed through the G-shaped window in the door and shone on the sleeping animals curled up all around them.

  Jess stretched her arms and sat up. “I’m so glad we found Goldie,” she said, whispering so she wouldn’t wake the others.

  “But we still have to stop Grizelda,” Lily said seriously.

  The witch had kidnapped Goldie from her own birthday party. The girls and Amelia Sparklepaw, their kitten friend, had rescued her, but Grizelda was now planning to make a potion. Lily and Jess didn’t know what the potion was for, but they knew it would be something horrible!

  Goldie and Amelia stretched and yawned. Then they curled up again, so close that their whiskers were touching.

  “Wakey wakey!” said Jess, gently shaking them. “We have to stop Grizelda from finding a shower flower and completing her potion, remember?”

  Amelia’s blue eyes flew open. “Ooh, yes,” she said eagerly.

  Goldie got up. “Don’t worry. We’ve beaten Grizelda before. We’ll do it again.”

  As all of the animals started to wake up, Goldie opened the door and sunlight flooded in. The girls looked outside.

  “Oh, dear. It won’t rain today,” said Lily.

  “It might,” said Jess. She pointed up at some gray clouds floating high above the trees. “Hopefully a shower flower will grow somewhere!”

  Goldie made everyone a breakfast of toasted sunflower seed buns and whipped up banana and honey smoothies in the blender Mr. Cleverfeather had given her for her birthday. While they ate, Goldie said, “If a shower flower does grow today, how can we find it before Grizelda does?”

  “I know!” said Lily, looking at the blender. “Let’s ask Mr. Cleverfeather if he has an invention that can help.”

  Mr. Cleverfeather the owl hadn’t stayed for the sleepover, so after saying good-bye to everyone, the girls, Goldie, and Amelia set off to his tree. Lily and Jess watched the sky anxiously.

  Goldie pressed the trunk of Mr. Cleverfeather’s tree with her paw. The rough surface rippled and twisted, and a winding staircase appeared.

  Amelia’s eyes widened. “Wow!”

  Lily and Jess grinned. The girls had seen Mr. Cleverfeather’s home before, but they still found it amazing!

  Amelia scampered up the stairs and the girls and Goldie followed. At the top was a shed, with Mr. Cleverfeather standing in the open doorway. He was wearing his usual waistcoat and monocle and hooted happily when he saw them.

  “Come in!” he said. “How can I help you?”

  Once he’d heard what the problem was, he rummaged through his inventions. Soon he tossed out an object with a propeller and a basket hanging underneath.

  “Hovering Apple-Picker—that never worked,” he muttered. “What’s this?”

  A set of wheels with a board fixed on top rolled out. “Hmm, that surfboard was supposed to work on sand and lea,” he said. “I mean, land and sea. But it sinks.”

  Then, hooting with glee, he produced a contraption kind of like a watering can. He pressed a button and a red-and-blue-striped umbrella shot out of the top.

  “My Dropper Spotter!” said Mr. Cleverfeather. “It detects drainrops—I mean, raindrops. It’s useful when you’re planning a picnic.”

  Goldie, Amelia, and the girls cheered.

  “Hooray!” said Lily. “Now we can find the exact place where the shower flower will grow.”

  Jess picked up the Dropper Spotter. “I just hope we find it before Grizelda does. If she manages to make her potion, I’m sure something terrible will happen to Friendship Forest … ”

  “You just bess that prutton,” Mr. Cleverfeather explained to Jess. “I mean, press that button. Then off you go!”

  “Thanks, Mr. Cleverfeather!” said Jess.

  They waved good-bye to the owl and went back down the magical staircase. Jess put the Dropper Spotter on the ground and pressed the start button.

  The umbrella began to turn. Soon it was spinning so fast that the red and blue stripes became a blur of purple. The Dropper Spotter rose until it was level with Jess’s head, and took off through the forest, zooming around the trees.

  Lily picked Amelia up, and they all hurried after it.

  As they pushed through the bushes, the kitten’s ears twitched and she gave a sudden cry. “Stop! There’s someone calling nearby!”

  They waited a moment, watching the Dropper Spotter anxiously in case it flew out of sight.

  “Oh! I can’t hear anything now … ” said Amelia.

  “Maybe it was the wind blowing in the bushes,” Lily suggested.

  “Yes,” said Amelia. “Maybe.”

  They hurried on. When the Dropper Spotter whizzed around a group of nut trees, Amelia stopped and put a paw to her ear.

  “There it is again!” she said
. “I can definitely hear a voice—it came from behind those jellyberry bushes!”

  Jess and Goldie followed her to investigate. Lily jumped up and grabbed the Dropper Spotter so it wouldn’t get too far ahead, then joined them.

  But there was no one behind the bushes.

  “That’s funny.” Amelia scratched her head in surprise.

  “Help!” a voice cried. “Please help me!”

  “I heard it, too!” cried Jess. “It’s coming from that bush with orange flowers … ”

  As Lily, Jess, and Amelia ran over to the bush, Goldie shouted after them, her tail twitching with worry.

  “No, wait!” the cat yelled. “That’s how Grizelda kidnapped me, remember—she used a spell so I thought an animal was in trouble! It’s a trap!”

  But it was too late. There was a sudden explosion of stinky sparks in front of the girls and Amelia. Standing with Gobbler tucked under her arm was Grizelda!

  With a triumphant cry, Grizelda snatched the Dropper Spotter from Lily. “Ha haaa!” she cackled. “I knew you’d fall for it if I called for help. Serves you right! You just can’t keep your noses out, can you?”

  She pressed the Dropper Spotter’s start button and the umbrella started to turn.

  “Ha haa!” she crowed. “Now I’ll find the shower flower!”

  “Eeeep!” squeaked Gobbler as the witch dashed after the Dropper Spotter.

  The four friends set off at top speed behind her.

  “Hurry!” Goldie cried as she ran. “She’s getting away.”

  Grizelda looked around, laughing as sparks flashed from her high-heeled boots.

  “She’s using magic to go faster,” Lily groaned. “We’ll never catch up.”

  “Keep going,” yelled Jess. Amelia was panting for breath, so she scooped the kitten up. “Grizelda will stop if the Dropper Spotter does!”