Дейзи Медоус: Ellie Featherbill All Alone

“Mr. Cleverfeather!” the girls cried. The owl flew into view. He was wearing a harness with whirring blades fixed to the back.

Jess stared in amazement. “He’s turned himself into a helicopter!”

Mr. Cleverfeather zoomed toward them and hovered just above their heads. “I was flying above the cheese—I mean, trees—when Dotty Redcoat flew up to me. She told me you might need help finding Ellie.” He glanced around the maze. “The hedges are too close together for me to land, but fevver near!”

Lily laughed. “He means, ‘Never fear!’ ”

“We’re so happy to see you!” Jess told the owl.

Mr. Cleverfeather lowered something down to them on a rope. It had a round disc on the end of a long handle. Goldie reached up to guide it to the ground.

“It looks like a metal detector,” said Lily. “Wait, it’s got something written on the handle.” She turned it around and read, “Feather Finder.”

They looked blankly at one another. Then Jess called up. “Mr. Cleverfeather, what’s it for?”

“Bush the putton—I mean push the button,” said Mr. Cleverfeather. “It will pull you toward Ellie!”

“Wow!” said Lily.

“It’s attracted to feathers,” called the owl. “Baby birds are always getting lost, so I use it to find the pittle lickles.”

Lily giggled. “I think you mean ‘little pickles,’ ” she said. “Thanks—”

Before she could finish, there was an especially loud crash behind them. Down came a whole chunk of hedge!

There, looking as surprised as Goldie and the girls, were the Boggits!

For a moment, nobody moved. Then Pongo grinned, showing big, dirty teeth.

“Boggits wondered what that owl was up to,” he said in his rough voice. “Fly away, owl!” he bellowed up at Mr. Cleverfeather. “Girls and cat won’t spoil Grizelda’s plan this time.” He turned to the other Boggits and jerked his grubby, hairy head toward Jess and Lily.

“Get them!”

As the Boggits lunged for the friends, Jess switched the Feather Finder on. It lurched away, pulling her through Mystery Maze. Goldie and Lily tore after her—left, right, then left again.

They left the Boggits quarreling behind them.

“Pongo tripped me up!” roared Reek.

“Whiffy pushed Pongo!” bellowed Sniff. “Oof!”

“Yow!”

“Aaargh!”

Lily glanced back at the pile of squabbling Boggits, but they were already struggling to their feet.

“Faster, Goldie!” she yelled.

The Feather Finder zipped right, left, then straight on between tall hedges. It zigzagged around fallen bushes, with Jess hanging on and Lily and Goldie close behind.

But the Boggits were close behind, too!

Suddenly, Lily felt a big furry hand touch her shoulder. Pongo! And he stank!

She screamed and pushed him away, racing after Goldie and Jess. Just as she was sure they would be caught, the Feather Finder lurched through a gap in the hedge. Jess skidded after it, then Lily and Goldie scrambled through after her.

“That hole’s too small for the Boggits,” Jess yelled over her shoulder as the Feather Finder pulled her along. “They’re too wide.”

She was right. Soon they heard Sniff wail. “I is stuck!”

“Get moving, Reek,” growled Pongo.

“Can’t!” snapped Reek. “Sniff’s big bottom’s in the way.”

Whiffy roared. “Boggits push!”

Lily heard a beeping sound. “That’s the Feather Finder!” she said. “We must be getting near Ellie.”

They followed Jess around a corner.

“Faster!” cried Lily. “I can hear the Boggits on the other side of the hedge!”

The Feather Finder beeped furiously. Beep! Beep!

“We’re getting closer,” said Goldie.

Just as the beep beep turned into beepbeepbeepbeepbeep , they burst through the hedge and found themselves in a sunlit grassy clearing! In the middle, a crystal-clear spring of water bubbled up like a fountain. As the water fell, it flowed into small channels that entered the ground in all directions, like the points on a clock.

“The source!” panted Jess, leaning on the Feather Finder to get her breath back.

“And look!” cried Lily. “There’s Ellie!”

The little duckling, her birthday crown now tattered, was paddling in the small pool formed by the gushing water, staring with wide, frightened eyes.

“Boggits!” she whimpered.

As Lily ran to comfort her, the Boggits ran into the clearing. Reek jumped around in excitement.

“Boggits found the source!” he shouted.

Whiffy, Sniff, and Pongo lumbered around in a clumsy dance. “Now Boggits can spoil the nasty river!” they chanted.

Jess winked at Goldie. “Do as I say,” she whispered. “Lily, look after Ellie.” Then she said loudly, “Quick, Goldie. Let’s get back to that pile of revolting garbage we found. We can’t let the Boggits get it. They could use it to ruin the river!”

She and Goldie raced away.

The Boggits chased them, whooping with delight.

“Silly girl told us about lovely garbage!” shrieked Whiffy.

“Haargh! Haargh!” Pongo laughed. “Boggits dump it in the river. Turn it nice sludgy brown!”

“Boggits make Grizelda happy!” puffed Reek, as they disappeared around a corner.

Lily picked Ellie up and smoothed the trembling duckling’s feathers. “You’re safe now,” she told her.

Ellie wriggled against her. “I was so scared,” she said in a shaky voice. “And the beautiful birthday crown my brother and sisters made for me is all ruined.”

Lily kissed the top of her downy head. “Don’t worry, Ellie. We’ll make you a new crown, just as pretty as the first.”

There was a hoot from above. “Hoo-yoo!”

Lily looked up, and grinned. Mr. Cleverfeather even got “yoo-hoo” wrong!

“Ellie, can you remember how to get out?” the owl called down.

Ellie nodded. “Yes!” She hopped to the ground in a flutter of feathers. “It’s this way, Lily. I’ll show you.”

Once Jess and Goldie were out of sight of the Boggits, they dove beneath a hedge and hid.

The Boggits stomped past.

Jess squeezed Goldie’s paw. “We’ve tricked them,” she whispered gleefully.

There was an angry bellow of “Girls gone!”

Then Reek growled. “Boggits found the source. Now Boggits lost it. Boggits can’t make it dirty.”

“Grizelda will be angry.” Whiffy snarled. “Her plan not work.”

Sniff’s voice screeched, “Pongo’s fault!” and an almighty squabble broke out.