Daisy Meadows - Amelia Sparklepaw’s Party Problem

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!”

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.