Daisy Meadows - Rosie Gigglepip’s Lucky Escape

“We can’t climb up to the Gigglepip family,” said Goldie. “There aren’t any branches low enough.”

“Even if we could reach them,” said Lily, “I don’t know how we’d get them out of that tornado. It’s spinning so fast!”

“We have to do something,” said Jess. “Let’s go to the Toadstool Café and try to think of a plan. Maybe some of the animals there will know what we can do.”

“Good idea!” said Goldie.

Goldie put her paws to her mouth and shouted up to where the Gigglepip family were trapped inside the tornado. “It’s all right! Rosie’s safe and warm, and we’ll find a way to save you soon!”

“Thank you!” A squeaky voice called down through the wind and the rain.

“Don’t worry about us,” squeaked another Gigglepip, “we’re okay, we’re just a little dizzy!”

Lily tucked Rosie inside her cape and they hurried back to Toadstool Glade, dodging swaying branches and the swirls of leaves being tossed around. Just as the Toadstool Café’s spotty roof came into sight, there was a roar that bellowed over the sound of the wind.

Lily spun around and gave a cry. “Oh, no! Breezy’s here!”

The dragon flew overhead, right toward them. She was almost as big as the girls and her red scales glittered in the rain. She playfully swiped some leaves that were being blown around, then opened her mouth.

“Run!” cried Goldie.

They dodged behind a tree trunk just as Breezy blew.

Whooooooooooooooooooooooh!

“Hold on!” cried Goldie.

They hid behind the tree as Breezy’s powerful blast of wind shot past them. It was so strong that it lifted poor Rosie up into the air. She gave a terrified squeak. Lily reached and caught hold of her paw just in time, but then she felt her own feet being lifted off the ground, too!

“We’re being blown away!” Lily cried.

“I’ll catch you!” yelled Jess. “Goldie, hold on to me!”

Jess wrapped her arms around the tree trunk and Goldie grabbed on to her. Lily reached out her hand and held on to Goldie. Her other hand was still tightly holding on to Rosie’s tiny paw. The four friends held each other tight. If they let go, they would be swept away!

At last, the blast of wind died down. Lily’s feet touched back onto the ground and she cuddled Rosie.

“Thank you!” squeaked the little guinea pig in a shaky voice.

“Thank goodness we’re all okay,” panted Jess.

But Goldie’s eyes were wide with horror. Lily and Jess turned around and looked at the Toadstool Café in amazement. Breezy’s blast of air had blown the café’s roof right off!

Lily, Jess, and Goldie peered inside the café. Emily Prickleback was staring in shocked surprise as rain sloshed into her honey milk shake. Mrs. Longwhiskers tried to protect a tray of cakes from the storm with her apron. Puddles were already gathering on the wooden floor.

Mr. Longwhiskers looked sadly at his ruined café. “Those dragons are ruining everything in our forest,” he said. “What can we do?”

Jess groaned as Breezy swooped over Toadstool Glade again. She put her hands on her hips. “Look what you’ve done, Breezy!” she shouted up at her.

Breezy just giggled and aimed another blast of wind at a tree. All the leaves flew off and swirled around them.

Rosie gave a sob. “I... I... I want my mommy!”

The wind seemed to carry her words up to Breezy. The dragon suddenly looked upset and landed with a thump beside them. “I miss my mommy, too,” she said miserably.

Lily, Jess, and Goldie stared at her in surprise. “Breezy, are you a grown-up dragon?” Lily asked.

Breezy shook her head. “Of course not!” she said. “I’m only little, so my storms aren’t big enough for Grizelda. She wants me to make storms as big as my mommy’s.”

The girls and Goldie looked at each other in amazement. The dragons were only babies!

“There are dragons bigger than Breezy?” said Rosie, her eyes very wide.

“It sounds like it,” said Jess. “Breezy’s mom must be huge!”

An idea was starting to come to Lily. “What about Chilly, Dusty, and Smudge?” she asked. “Are they babies, too?”

“They’re my brothers and my sister,” explained Breezy. “We all miss Mommy.” She sighed, letting out a puff of air that made the girls’ hair blow back and ruffled Goldie’s and Rosie’s fur.

“Your mommy must miss you, too,” Jess told Breezy. “Why don’t you go home?”

The dragon shook her scaly head. “Can’t! Grizelda put a spell on us. We can’t fly away from the forest.”

Goldie turned to the others, her tail twitching crossly. “Grizelda said she kidnapped the dragons, didn’t she? They don’t want to be here at all!”

“I know they’ve caused lots of problems, but I feel sorry for them,” said Jess.

Lily nodded. “If we can break Grizelda’s spell, I bet they’d go home!”

When they told Breezy their idea, the dragon shook her scaly head. “No one can stop Grizelda’s magic,” she said sadly. “We’re stuck here forever.”

“Well, we’re going to try,” Jess told her, pushing her windswept curls out of her face. “But first, will you do something for us? Can you free the Gigglepips from the tornado?”

Rosie’s little face peeked out from inside Lily’s cape. “Oh, yes!” she squeaked, clasping her paws together. “Please, Breezy!”

But Breezy shook her head sadly. “I only know how to start tornados,” she said. “Mommy hasn’t shown me how to stop them yet.”

Rosie’s whiskers drooped with disappointment.

“It’s okay,” Lily said, cuddling her close. “We’ll free them soon, I promise. Now, where can we find out about dragons and dragon magic?”

They all thought hard as the wind swirled around them. Then Rosie gave an excited squeak.

“I know!” said the little guinea pig. “Mrs. Taptree’s library!”

“Of course!” cried Jess. “Let’s go!”

They hurried through the raging storm, struggling over broken branches and weaving through great billowing clouds of fallen leaves. Only Breezy seemed to find the journey easy, zipping along above them. At last, Goldie stopped at a broad chestnut tree. Its branches were swaying wildly in the storm and it had a door in its trunk. “Here we are!”

Mrs. Taptree’s chicks, Dig and Tipper, were peering through the window. They waved excitedly and their mother opened the door.

“Come in out of the wind!” Mrs. Taptree cried. “Quick! Quick!” Then she caught sight of Breezy, and squawked, “No, no! You’ll blow away my books!”

“Breezy will wait outside, Mrs. Taptree,” said Goldie. She hurriedly explained to the Taptrees why they’d come. “Do you have any books on dragons?”

“Ladders?” said Mrs. Taptree, clapping her wings together. “Dragon books, please! Quick!”