Poppy Muddlepup's Daring Rescue Read online

  As she stomped past, the thick dust on the cauldrons filled the air, billowing up around the girls and Poppy. The puppy’s paw flew to her nose.

  “Oh, no!” whispered Lily. She guessed there was a sneeze coming and quickly wrapped the puppy in her arms, hoping to stifle the sound.

  “Aaah … aah … aah …” Poppy managed to hold back the sneeze for a moment, but then—“Fwooff!”

  Through the gaps in the door, Jess saw the wicked witch stop.

  “Who’s there?” Grizelda snapped.

  “Quick!” whispered Lily. “Hide in one of the big cauldrons.”

  They clambered inside the largest one, hardly daring to breathe.

  “Who’s there, I say?” snarled Grizelda.

  “Show yourself or I’ll … aha! The closet!”

  Lily, still hugging Poppy, could feel the pup’s heart racing as fast as her own.

  Grizelda yanked the door open. Shadows moved as the witch swung the lantern forward.

  On the wall, Jess saw the silhouette of witchy hair, swirling like snakes as Grizelda peered into the closet.

  Oh, no, Jess thought. Please, please don’t let her see us!

  Jess’s legs were like rubber, and Lily clapped her hand over her mouth to stop herself crying out. Both girls felt Poppy’s little body trembling between them.

  Grizelda’s lantern swung closer. If she came any nearer, she would see them! The girls held their breath for what felt like forever before Grizelda grunted.

  “Humph. It must have been a rat.”

  The girls breathed again as the door slammed shut and Grizelda’s voice faded away, muttering, “If I catch anyone …”

  They waited a few moments to be sure she had gone, then Jess climbed out of the cauldron and opened the door. “That was close!” she said. “Come on—let’s get those berries and get out of here!”

  The others followed, hurrying up the stairs after her.

  Both girls pulled sticky cobwebs from their faces as they climbed, and they had to watch where they stepped. Some of the worn stairs were slippery with puddles of green, slimy water.

  At last they reached a small wooden door. There was nowhere else to go, so Jess pushed it open, and they found themselves in a courtyard on the tower’s roof.

  It was a relief to be in the fresh, cold air, but a horrible smell wafted across to them, like rotten eggs soaked in stagnant pond water. It came from a fountain of dirty water that sent puffs of yellow-green sparks up into the air.

  Beyond the fountain was a black vine.

  “Look!” cried Jess in delight.

  All along the vine, brilliant orange berries sparkled in the rays of the setting sun.

  Lily clapped her hands with glee and Poppy let out a yap of delight. The three friends made their way past the fountain.

  “Be careful not to let any droplets touch you,” Lily warned. “Grizelda’s bad magic could be in that stinky water.”

  When they reached the vine, Jess reached out to grab a handful of the berries. Immediately, there was a flash of sparks, and jagged shards of ice appeared on the berries, covering them completely.

  “Oh, no!” cried Jess. “Grizelda knows we need the berries. She must have put a spell on them, in case we managed to escape from that terrible cage.”

  Lily picked up a stone from the ground and smashed it onto one of the frozen shards. But instead of shattering, more sparks fizzed from the ice. They all took a step back.

  Worry swirled inside Jess. “What are we going to do?” she asked.

  Poppy’s ears pricked up and she gave a yap. “The winter warmers!”

  “Yes!” cried Lily. “Oh, you clever puppy.”

  They each held their winter warmer flowers against the ice. As the heat from the blooms spread, drips began to splatter on the ground.

  “The ice is melting!” said Lily.

  Soon, the girls were able to grab handfuls of the velvety berries. Lily stuffed them into her pocket.

  Jess looked up at the sky. The light was growing dim. “It’s almost sunset,” she said, turning to Lily. “How will we get back to the Muddlepups’ den in time?”

  “Oh, no!” wailed Poppy. “We’ve got everything we need, but we’re too late to save poor Patch.” She put her paws over her eyes and sobbed.

  “Oh, Poppy, we’re so sorry!” said Jess, blinking back her own tears as she hugged the shaking puppy. “We did everything we could. Grizelda was just too clever for us.”

  “Wait! Listen!” said Lily. “What’s that? I heard a voice!”

  Jess and Poppy turned, expecting to see Grizelda. But it wasn’t the witch!

  “Look, Jess!” she cried.

  Captain Ace, the stork, was flying toward them with a rope in his long beak, pulling his hot air balloon along.

  And in the balloon’s basket was Goldie!

  “Goldie!” cried Jess. “How did you know where we were?”

  Ace lowered the basket to the tower roof, and Goldie sprang out. She hugged her friends and Poppy. Then she quickly told them how she’d found them.

  “When I got back to Friendship Forest after visiting Barney,” she explained, “I found Mrs. Taptree waiting for me. She told me about poor Patch and the potion and rushed me to Garden Grove. Then Woody Flufftail came by and said you had two ingredients already and were looking for Sunrise Berries.”

  “We found them,” said Lily. “Right here in Grizelda’s tower!”

  “I guessed you would,” said Goldie. “You’re brave and clever, and I knew you’d do your best to find all the things you needed.”

  “And you found us!” said Jess.

  “Yes, thanks to Captain Ace,” said Goldie. “I thought you might need help getting back to the Muddlepups’ den in time. Now quick—into the basket!”

  When they were all safely aboard, Ace flew them away and over the forest. As the balloon took them farther and farther from Grizelda’s chilly tower, they felt happier and happier. But then Goldie gasped. “Hurry!” she cried. “The sun has almost set!”

  Captain Ace’s wings beat harder and the balloon moved faster through the darkening sky.

  Poppy spotted her family’s den first. “There, Captain Ace!” she cried, pointing her paw.

  Ace lowered the balloon over the den and Lily climbed down a rope ladder, being careful not to land on the magical flowers below. Who knew what might happen if they were stepped on?

  Jess passed Poppy to Lily, then she and Goldie climbed down.

  Everyone yelled, “Thank you!” to Captain Ace as he flew off with the balloon. Then they rushed into the den, calling, “We’re back!”

  Mr. and Mrs. Muddlepup were sitting with Patch, who was still fast asleep in his nest of blankets. They looked very worried.

  “Poppy, fetch a bowl, please,” Lily said. Then she explained their plan to the Muddlepups. “We’re going to make the Rise and Shine potion, and then we’re going to wake Patch up.”

  Jess carefully emptied the jewel water out of the bottle blooms and into the bowl, then Lily dropped in the berries and added the hummingbird feather.

  There was a fizzle! and a pffft! as the ingredients dissolved into a swirling, foaming, orange mixture. It began to glow with magic.

  “It’s turning as bright as the sunrise,” Lily said. “That’s a good sign, isn’t it?” she asked anxiously.

  No one replied. Lily guessed that they were all wondering the same thing. Oh, please let the potion work, she thought desperately.

  Mrs. Muddlepup propped Patch up. Lily took a spoon and carefully dripped a little of the potion into his mouth. She’d done this sort of thing with medicine many times before at the wildlife hospital, but she’d never been quite this nervous.

  The potion fizzed as it touched Patch’s tongue. His mouth moved a little as he tasted it. Now Lily was able to give him a whole spoonful.

  Fizzle … fizzle, it went.

  Patch’s nose twitched. He yawned a great wide yawn. And finally—he opened his eyes!

>   Mrs. Muddlepup burst into happy tears. “You’ve saved him! Oh, thank you, girls, you’ve saved my little Patch! How can we ever repay you?”

  Jess and Lily felt as if they would explode with pleasure and relief. Through the windows, they could just see the last rays of the setting sun lighting the magical grove. They’d been just in time!

  But then Jess saw something else. An orb of eerie yellow-green light was floating down toward the Muddlepups’ cozy den.

  “Grizelda!” cried Jess. “She’s coming!”

  Goldie and the girls hurried out and saw the orb explode in a shower of evil-smelling sparks. There stood Grizelda, her dark eyes glittering coldly.

  “This is it!” the witch sneered. “Your last chance to save Patch. Hand over Garden Grove and the magical plants to me, and the puppy will wake. If you refuse, he will sleep forever! Haaa!” Her laugh boomed like thunder.

  Lily and Jess heard movement behind them and turned to see the Muddlepups emerging from their den. Last to come out was Patch—looking as wide-awake and bouncy as ever!

  Grizelda gasped when she saw the puppy. A look of fury spread across her face, and her wild green hair stood out like the bristles on a hairbrush.

  “How did this happen?” she shrieked. “You couldn’t have made the Rise and Shine potion, because you didn’t have all the ingredients!” She pointed at Patch. “He broke my spell! How did he break it? Answer me!”

  Jess went to speak, but Goldie hushed her. “Grizelda doesn’t know you got the Sunrise Berries from her tower,” she whispered. “She thinks Patch has special magic powers!”

  Jess’s face lit up. “Let’s tell her that all the Muddlepups are magical,” she whispered back, “and that she’d better leave them alone if she knows what’s good for her.”

  Lily nodded and turned to the Muddlepups so that her back was to Grizelda, putting a finger to her lips.

  Jess spoke in a loud voice. “Of course Patch broke your spell. Everyone knows that all the Muddlepups are magical and can break spells. Isn’t that right, Lily?”

  “Yes, that’s why they look after Garden Grove,” Lily said. “They have special powers, so you’d better stay away, Grizelda! There are four of them and there’s only one of you!”

  Jess glanced around. The Muddlepups were trying to hide their grins.

  “I’m magical, too, you horrible witch!” Poppy shouted bravely. She skittered past the girls, clutching a bunch of purple pom-pom puffballs. She held them up and chanted nonsense words. “Bikker cree duckfar!” Then she blew on them, releasing clouds of bright pink smoke, just as she had shown the girls earlier. They wafted toward the witch.

  “Run, Grizelda!” Lily called. “Poppy just did a spell that makes witches disappear!”

  Grizelda screamed and backed away from the pink cloud. “You might have won this time,” she shrieked, “but this isn’t the last you’ll see of me!”

  She snapped her fingers and vanished in a shower of yellow sparks.

  After a moment’s silence, everyone burst into loud cheers. “Hooray!”

  Mr. and Mrs. Muddlepup hugged the girls, and both their tails wagged.

  “We’re not really magical, are we?” asked Patch. “We’re not special?”

  Lily smiled. “We did make up most of what we said to fool Grizelda,” she explained, “but you Muddlepups definitely are special.”

  “And so are you girls!” yapped Poppy in delight.

  A little while later, they were all enjoying Mrs. Muddlepup’s delicious sweetroot soup and hazelnut crackers, and then it was time for Jess and Lily to say good-bye. There were lots of hugs for everyone, and kisses and cuddles for Poppy, then Goldie took Lily and Jess all the way back to the Friendship Tree. The girls put their warm clothes back on while Goldie touched a paw to the trunk.

  “Thank you for helping with the flower festival,” she said as the door appeared, “and thanks for helping the Muddlepups.”

  They both hugged her.

  “I’ll come and visit you again,” Goldie promised.

  “I hope it will be soon,” said Lily.

  “Me, too!” said Jess. “Bye, Goldie.” She opened the door and stepped into the shimmering golden light.

  Lily followed and both girls found themselves back in Brightley Meadow. Snow was falling softly, sparkling white. It was nothing like the dirty gray slush around Grizelda’s tower.

  “Let’s hurry back,” said Jess. “That hot chocolate will be waiting!” The girls knew that no time passed in the human world while they were in Friendship Forest.

  They raced across the meadow, over the stream, and up the garden until they reached the woodpeckers’ aviary. They crept inside the enclosure and quietly lifted the nest-box lid. The chicks were snuggled together, fast asleep.

  “Aww, they’re just like Dig and Tipper,” said Lily.

  “But quieter!” giggled Jess.

  In the kitchen, Mrs. Hart passed them steaming mugs of hot chocolate with pink marshmallows. “You’ll never guess what I just saw,” she said. “Ollie was walking his dog, and a beautiful golden cat walked right alongside it, almost like they were friends!”

  Lily and Jess shared a secret smile. That golden cat was their friend, too. Their magical friend! They couldn’t wait for their next adventure with Goldie in Friendship Forest!

  The End

  Text copyright © 2014 by Working Partners Limited

  Illustrations © 2014 Working Partners Limited

  Series author: Daisy Meadows

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012, Publishers since 1920, by arrangement with Working Partners Limited. Series created by Working Partners Limited, London.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First printing, October 2015

  Cover design by Carol Ly

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-90752-1

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