Daisy Meadows - Poppy Muddlepup’s Daring Rescue

Jess’s mouth watered when she saw fat purple plums. She was just about to pick one, when she heard a voice above her.

“Ssh!” she whispered to the others. “Someone’s singing up there.”

Lily felt her tummy tighten. “Not Gretchen, I hope,” she whispered. She stretched upward to look, and jumped as a furry tail swished by.

The voice sang, “Nuts, nuts, I’m nuts about nuts...”

“It’s Woody Flufftail!” cried Poppy. “Hey, Woody!”

Lily and Jess gave their vines another tug to make them stop, and stepped onto one of the branches. The squirrel’s cute little face peeped between two golden pineapples.

“Hello, Poppy! Hello, Jess and Lily!” he chattered. “Wasn’t the Flower Festival fun? I’m collecting apricots for a pie. What are you looking for?”

“Sunrise Berries,” said Poppy. She explained about Patch and the potion. “We think the berries might grow at the top of the Treasure Tree, and we really need them.”

“They could be up there,” agreed Woody, “but I’ve heard they’re very rare.” He leaped onto the trunk. “Follow me,” he cried. “If there are any Sunrise Berries up there, I’ll find them!”

He bounded up through the branches, his fluffy tail rippling. The others followed on their vines. When they reached the top, Lily, Jess, and Poppy stared in wonder at the great forest spread out beneath them.

“What an amazing sight,” said Lily.

“Forget the view,” said Jess. “Let’s look for Sunrise Berries.”

They scanned the topmost branches. Tucked among the tree’s thick green leaves were peanuts and peaches, lemons and limes, gooseberries and grapefruits, but no Sunrise Berries.

“Sorry, everyone,” Woody said sadly. “I wish I could have helped you.”

Lily sat down on a branch, hugging the tearful Poppy. “We must have got it wrong,” the puppy wailed, “thinking the berries would grow at the top of the tallest tree.”

“No, it was a good idea,” said Woody. “They do grow high up. It’s just unlucky that the Treasure Tree doesn’t have any growing right now.”

“But there’s no taller tree in the forest than this one,” said Lily. “So where else could they be?”

Jess felt a chill as she glanced around again, this time looking even farther than the forest’s edge.

Far off, across dark water, stood a cold, forbidding tower. Gray clouds hung above it, and Jess jumped as a bolt of lightning lit up the building’s roof. She squinted and could just about make out the shape of a woman at the window—a woman with tendrils of long, green hair.

“Grizelda!” Jess gasped. “That scary tower must be her home.” She shivered. “Remember what she said—that we’d never dare try to reach the berries?”

Lily felt her heart sink as she nodded. “Maybe the berries are high up. But instead of being up a tree...”

“... they’re at the top of Grizelda’s tower,” finished Jess grimly. “I’m afraid it makes sense.”

Lily felt close to tears as she stroked Poppy. “Let’s go back down,” she said.

They said good-bye to Woody and the vines gently lowered them back through the branches. Poppy clung onto Lily’s back, paws around her neck.

On the ground, poor Poppy’s ears drooped miserably. Her eyes were wet with tears. “We’ll never save Patch,” she sobbed. “Not if the Sunrise Berries are at the top of the witch’s tower. No one would dare to go there.”

Lily and Jess looked at each other.

“We dare,” said Jess in the bravest voice she could muster.

“That’s right,” said Lily. “It’ll be okay, Poppy. Think about what we’ve done already! We found out about the potion, we escaped from that awful cage, and we’ve found the first two ingredients. And we couldn’t have done all that without you!”

“Exactly,” said Jess. “Now we’re going to the witch’s tower and we’re going to get those berries.”

Poppy’s tail started to wag. “And then we’ll save Patch!” she said.

“We will,” said Jess firmly.

The girls shared a smile. They didn’t know if they’d manage to beat Grizelda, but they were sure of one thing—they would never stop trying!

The sun was already low in the sky by the time Lily Hart, Jess Forester, and Poppy Muddlepup the puppy made it to the other side of Friendship Forest. The three friends stood by a stretch of still, dark water at the forest’s edge, staring at the witch Grizelda’s stone tower on the far side. It stood on ground that was strangely rocky and gray, and studded with bare, black bushes. The tower loomed over the water, tall and creepy-looking. Yellow-green sparks shot out of the top.

They had already collected two of the ingredients they needed for the Rise and Shine potion—a tiny feather and some jewel water. The final ingredient was Sunrise Berries. They had until sunset to find them and then mix up the potion to wake Poppy’s brother Patch from his enchanted sleep. If they failed, Grizelda would wake him, but only in return for keeping all the magical flowers in the Muddlepups’ Garden Grove for herself. These plants were needed to heal all the sick animals in Friendship Forest, and the Muddlepup family were their special guardians.

“The berries must be at the top of the tower somewhere,” said Jess, summoning all her courage. I hope those sparks don’t mean Grizelda is practicing her witchy magic , she thought nervously to herself.

“So let’s go and get them!” said Lily, setting off. But then she groaned. “Oh, no! How are we going to get across the water?”

“Maybe there’s a bridge or stepping stones,” Poppy suggested. “Or even a boat. Let’s look!”

They began searching along the bank. Poppy raced ahead, but after a minute or two there was a sharp “Yap!” and she bounded back. Her tail wagged so fast it was a blur, just like Honey Needlenose’s hummingbird wings.

“There are some frogs just up ahead,” said Poppy. “They say they’ll help us. Come on!”

Jess and Lily followed, wondering how on earth frogs could help them cross the water. But when they reached them, they could see at once! The frogs were sitting on huge, round lily pads, the biggest and flattest the girls had ever seen. They floated on the water like giant tea trays. In the middle of each lily pad was a little hut, and outside each hut were frogs of all shapes and sizes.

The biggest frog, who carried a fishing net on a stick, called, “Hello, we’re the Greenhop family. Poppy says you need help, so hop, hop, hop aboard!” He turned to his family. “Grab your oars, everyone. To the horrible witch’s tower!”

Lily, Jess, and Poppy each chose a lily pad and carefully stepped onto it. It felt very wobbly. Water trickled over the edges, so the girls sat right in the middle, hugging their knees. Poppy climbed onto Mr. Greenhop’s lily pad, then put her head down with her paws over her eyes and her tail pointing straight up in the air.