Daisy Meadows - Amelia Sparklepaw’s Party Problem

Sunshine sparkled on the water gushing from a tap as Lily Hart filled up a yellow drinking bowl.

“Your turn,” she said to Jess Forester, her best friend. “We’ve got lots to fill!”

Jess pushed her blond curls out of her eyes and knelt to fill a purple bowl. “I can’t decide what I like best about summer vacation.” She sighed happily. “There’s sunshine, being with you all day... and spending lots of time at Helping Paw!”

Helping Paw Wildlife Hospital was run by Lily’s parents in a converted barn at the bottom of their yard. Jess lived with her dad on the other side of the road and came over as often as she could. Both girls adored animals and loved helping to take care of them.

When Lily and Jess had filled up all the drinking bowls, they put them on trays and carried them to the outdoor pens and hutches, where the animals were all playing in the sunshine.

Jess put two of the bowls inside the guinea pig hutch and rabbit pen. In one pen, a pair of tiny brown baby bunnies were hopping around happily. “Aren’t their wrinkly noses cute?” she said.

In another hutch, a tortoise with a bandaged leg was nibbling on a dandelion. Lily sprinkled the leaves with water. “You need lots to drink on sunny days,” she said. Next, she placed a shallow bowl beside an elderly hedgehog, while Jess went to a pen where a fluffy fox cub lay dozing inside a little den.

“You look a little better today,” Jess said, as the fox’s ears pricked up. “Here’s a drink to keep you nice and cool.”

Lily smiled. “This weather reminds me of Friendship Forest,” she said. “It’s almost always summer there.”

Jess grinned back at her. Friendship Forest was a secret world where something amazing happened—all the animals talked! Some of them lived in little cottages nestled among tree roots, some lived on boats, and others lived in tiny tree houses. Lily and Jess were friends with them all!

“I wonder when we’ll see Goldie again,” Jess said.

Goldie was Lily and Jess’s special friend, a beautiful cat who magically took the girls into Friendship Forest.

As Jess spoke, a flash of gold caught her eye. It was a cat, running through a patch of sunlight. A golden cat...

“There she is now! It’s Goldie!” Lily said in delight.

The cat bounded over and purred as they stroked her. Then she darted to the bottom of Lily’s yard and over the stepping stones across Brightley Stream. Goldie looked back and mewed.

Jess grinned with excitement. “She wants to take us back to Friendship Forest!” she cried. “Come on!”

The girls ran after Goldie and into a meadow where an oak tree with bare branches stood. The Friendship Tree! As Goldie darted up to the tree, it burst into life. Leaves sprang from the branches and uncurled, as green as crisp lettuce. Golden blossoms bloomed and in the grass beneath, dozens of little yellow flowers appeared. Bumblebees buzzed and butterflies fluttered as goldfinches swooped down to sing among the branches.

“Wow,” breathed Lily as familiar letters appeared in the tree trunk.

Lily squeezed Jess’s hand as together they read the words out loud. “Friendship Forest!”

Instantly, a little door with a pretty leaf-shaped handle appeared in the trunk.

With a thrill of excitement, Jess opened the door. Golden light shone out. Goldie rubbed against the girls’ legs, then bounded inside.

Jess grinned at Lily, then they ducked their heads and followed Goldie through the door. Their skin tingled all over, like tiny bubbles were bursting around them, and they knew they were shrinking.

As the light faded, Lily and Jess found themselves standing in a sunlit forest glade, surrounded by tall trees and bushes covered with pink rosebuds. Giant sunflowers bowed over a tiny cottage nestling in the roots of a nearby tree, and bluebirds fluttered in the warm breeze.

“Friendship Forest,” said Lily with a sigh of happiness. “Isn’t it wonderful to be back at last?”

“I’m so glad you are,” said a soft voice.

They turned. Goldie was now standing upright, wearing her golden scarf. She ran to them and took their hands between her paws. As the girls were smaller, she reached almost to their shoulders—and now that they were in the forest, she could talk!

A worrying thought struck Jess. “Do you need our help again, Goldie? Is Grizelda causing more trouble?”

Grizelda was a horrible witch. She wanted to make all the animals leave Friendship Forest so she could have it all for herself. So far, the girls and Goldie had managed to stop her evil plans.

“Oh, no one has seen Grizelda for a while,” Goldie said, smiling. “There’s another reason why I’ve brought you here today—and it’s very important.”

“What is it?” asked Jess.

“Today is my birthday!” said Goldie. “And I want to celebrate with you, my special friends!”

“Happy birthday!” the girls cried, hugging the purring cat.

“We’d love to celebrate with you,” added Jess.

Goldie’s green eyes gleamed with happiness. “I’m so glad! You’re both invited to my party,” she said. “Lots of our animal friends will be coming.”

“That sounds great!” said Lily.

“I wish we’d known it was your birthday,” Lily said, as they set off through the forest. “We’d have brought a present.”

“Having you here is the perfect present!” Goldie said happily.

Soon they reached a cave with a red front door with a G-shaped window—Goldie’s grotto! Long strands of cherry blossom were looped in the trees, and cushions and chairs were set outside in the sunshine, ready for guests. A bunch of balloons hung above the door.

“It looks amazing!” said Jess.

Goldie grinned. “I’m glad you like it! But the best part is inside. Mr. Cleverfeather lent me one of his inventions for the party. Come and see!”

Inside, Goldie showed the girls a large machine with a funnel on top and a blue bowl beneath.