Daisy Meadows - Molly Twinkletail Runs Away

Jess Forester and her best friend, Lily Hart, were in the kitchen of the little house where Jess lived with her dad, finishing their lunch.

“I’m so full!” said Lily, patting the front of her T-shirt. “Your dad’s pizzas are amazing.”

Jess grinned. “It’s lucky you live just across the road so you can come over whenever he makes them.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed your lunch,” said Mr. Forester as he came into the kitchen. “Now, what are you up to this afternoon?”

“We’re going to see the animals, of course!” said Jess.

Lily’s parents ran the Helping Paw Wildlife Hospital in the converted barn behind their house. Both the girls loved to help look after the animals.

“An injured fox cub came in this morning,” added Lily. “We should check on him first.”

Jess nodded, making her blond curls bounce. “Good idea,” she said. “That’s the best thing about summer vacation—spending lots of time with the animals!”

“Wait!” said Mr. Forester. “Where do dirty plates go?”

“In the sink,” chanted Lily and Jess.

As they stacked the dishes, Jess heard a soft scratching noise. “Listen,” she said.

Skkks skkks skkks ...

“It sounds like it’s coming from under your sink,” said Lily.

The girls crouched down to take a look. Lily pushed her bobbed dark hair behind her ears as she eased the cupboard door open. “Oh!” she whispered.

Inside was the most adorable tiny brown mouse, with ears so pink and pale the girls could almost see through them. It blinked its bright little eyes, then scurried behind the dustpan.

“It’s so cute!” whispered Lily.

Mr. Forester laughed. “It certainly is,” he said, “but it can’t stay there. We’ll need to catch it!”

He rooted around in a cupboard and produced a long plastic box with a little door at one end. “See?” he said. “Once the mouse is inside, the door will close behind it. Then we can release it somewhere safe. But first,” he went on, “we need something to tempt it into the box.”

“Mice like chocolate,” suggested Jess.

“And peanut butter!” said Lily. “Let’s try some of each.”

After they’d set the trap and put it back in the cupboard, the girls said good-bye to Mr. Forester and walked across Brightley Lane to the wildlife hospital.

They passed through Lily’s yard, pausing at the rabbit run. A bunny with a bandaged foot hopped slowly to the fence and gazed at them.

“Look at that snuffly little nose,” Jess cooed.

Lily smiled. “He reminds me of another rabbit—little Lucy Longwhiskers! I still can hardly believe that we had an adventure in a magical forest!”

Jess nodded. “It was amazing, wasn’t it?” She sighed. “All those adorable animals talking—and their cute little houses. And Goldie, too!”

Goldie was a magical cat who had once been a patient at Helping Paw. She had taken Lily and Jess into the secret world of Friendship Forest to help defeat Grizelda, a nasty witch. Grizelda wanted to drive out all the animals so she could have the forest for herself.

The girls passed the burrow Mr. and Mrs. Hart had built for the injured badgers. Next to it was a grove of trees where two fawns lay in the shade, each with a plaster cast on one leg. They stirred, blinking up at something with their long-lashed eyes.

Jess followed their gaze. There was a flash of gold in one of the trees.

“Look!” she cried. “It’s Goldie!”

A cat with golden fur darted through the branches. She leaped down beside the girls and they kneeled to stroke her silky head.

“It’s lovely to see you,” said Lily. She turned to Jess. “Goldie said she’d find us if Grizelda was up to no good again. Is that why you’re here, Goldie?”

The cat mewed, then darted toward Brightley Stream, which flowed at the bottom of the Harts’ garden. She paused and looked back at the girls.

“She wants us to follow her,” cried Jess. “She must be taking us back to Friendship Forest!”

Goldie jumped across the stepping-stones that crossed the stream and the girls skipped after her. They followed Goldie to the middle of Brightley Meadow, where a bare oak tree stood. As the cat reached it, leaves and blossoms sprang from its branches, bringing the tree to life. Bees buzzed among the flowers and birds sang from the branches.

Goldie touched a paw to the letters carved around the trunk.

“We both have to read it, remember?” said Lily, excitement fluttering inside her.

Jess nodded and counted, “One, two, three...”

“Friendship Forest!” the girls sang out together.

Instantly, a small door appeared in the tree trunk, as high as the girls’ shoulders. Jess reached for the leaf-shaped handle and opened it. A shimmering golden light shone from inside.

With a meow, Goldie leaped through the door.

Jess grinned at Lily. “Ready?”

“You bet!” said Lily. They held hands and ducked inside, following Goldie into Friendship Forest.

Dazzling golden light surrounded the girls, and their skin tingled all over. “We’re getting smaller!” said Jess.

When the light faded, the girls were in a sun-dappled forest clearing, surrounded by tall trees. Bright flowers nodded in the breeze, their scents filling the air. They gasped with delight as they saw, once more, the little cottages that edged Toadstool Glade.

“Welcome back,” said a soft voice. Lily and Jess turned to see Goldie smiling at them. She was standing upright now, and a glittery scarf was looped around her neck. Because the girls had shrunk slightly, their friend was almost as tall as their shoulders.

“Goldie!” cried Lily, hugging her.

“It’s even more magical than I remember,” said Jess. “Look, Lily! There’s the Toadstool Café!” She pointed to a little red-painted wooden building with white spots on its roof. It belonged to the Longwhiskers—a family of rabbits the girls had met when they first came to the forest.

The café door opened and a tiny rabbit came running out, her white tail bobbing behind her. “Hello, Lily, hello, Jess!” Lucy Longwhiskers hugged their ankles. “It’s so nice to see you again.”

“Hello, Lucy,” Lily said, kneeling to stroke the little bunny. “You’ve got flour on your ears!”

Lucy giggled and shook her ears so the flour came off in a cloud. “I’m helping my mom and dad make seed cakes,” she explained. “We’ve got lots more baking to do. See you soon!” With an excited squeak, she hurried back indoors.