“Of course we will!” Olivia said. “But we’ll need lots more honeysuckle. It takes twenty blossoms to make one single blossom drop.”
Mr. Scruffypup’s ears pricked up. “Follow me,” he said. “I know where we can find some!”
Goldie, the girls, and all the other animals followed him around Petal Hill to a tall tree. It was covered in curling stems of honeysuckle, but all the flowers on the lower branches had been picked. The rest were too high to reach, even for the girls.
“Oh, no! How can we get those flowers?” asked Jess.
“I know!” cried Lily. “Mr. Cleverfeather, can you use your Petal Puffer to blow them off?”
“Of course!” the owl said. “Anything to help little Evie Puffyscrup!”
He aimed the Puffer upward and pressed the button.
Shoo-woosh!
Honeysuckle flowers blew into the air and showered down.
All the animals hurried around gathering the flowers, and the girls soon had arms full of blossoms. It was like holding a soft, scented cloud.
Hattie bounded over, clutching a little basket. Lily and Jess filled it up to the brim with flowers.
“Olivia’s too little to carry the basket,” Hattie said, “so I’ll take it back to the bakery for her.”
She and Olivia ran off into the trees.
“That’s Evie’s favorite food figured out,” said Goldie. “Now, what’s her favorite hobby?”
“Collecting things!” said Mrs. Scruffypup. “Evie’s bedroom’s full of her collections. Come and see.”
They went back to the Scruffypups’ den, and Mr. and Mrs. Scruffypup led them upstairs to a pretty pink bedroom. The shelves and a little desk were crammed with pretty things. On the windowsill was a pressed leaf collection, and beside the bed was a pile of acorns. Hanging from the ceiling was a collection of nuts, which were strung together on grass stalks.
Goldie gazed around the room. “These are wonderful,” she said. “But which is Evie’s favorite?”
Mrs. Scruffypup’s face lit up. “That’s easy!” she exclaimed.
She crouched down, lifted the edge of Evie’s frilled quilt cover and felt around beneath the bed. After a few moments, she stood up again.
“That’s funny,” Mrs. Scruffypup said. She looked around with a puzzled expression. “Evie’s favorite is her jewel collection. She keeps it in a little woven basket under her bed, but it’s gone. Maybe she left it behind the last time she went to get more jewels?”
Mr. Scruffypup gave a yap of worry. “If we can’t find Evie’s favorite collection, Goldie and the girls can’t help her.”
“We won’t give up,” Lily said determinedly. “Where does Evie go to find the jewels?”
“The cavern beneath Toadstool Glade, I think,” Mrs. Scruffypup said.
“Of course!” said Jess. “It’s got jewels on the ceiling! We saw them during our adventure with Bella Tabbypaw. Don’t worry, we’ll save Evie!”
Lily, Jess, and Goldie hurried from Petal Hill, making their way through the forest toward Toadstool Glade.
On the way, they passed the Treasure Tree, where the forest animals got all the food they needed. A tiny pair of red boots stood at the bottom.
“Quack, quack, quack!” said an unhappy voice above them. Ellie Featherbill the duckling swung down on one of the ropes that dangled from the tree.
“Hello, Ellie!” said Lily. “What’s the matter?”
The duckling hugged the girls. “I came to get blackberries for Mom to make a pie,” she explained, “but they’re all gone!”
Jess held Ellie’s wingtip to help her balance while she put her boots on.
Ellie put one foot in.
Squelch!
“Yuck!’ she said, and her feathers quivered. She pulled her foot out. It was covered in squished blackberry. “Yucky!” she quacked, and jumped up and down, trying to shake the mess off.
The girls peered inside Ellie’s boots. They were full of blackberries!
“That was a nasty surprise!” said Jess. “You poor thing!”
Ellie looked upset. “Who would be horrible enough to do that?”
The girls and Goldie shared a glance.
“Evie loves surprises, doesn’t she?” said Lily. “It must be her and Masha!”
Lily gently wiped the duckling’s foot with velvety moss while Jess explained what had happened to Evie.
“So Evie didn’t mean to be unkind,” Jess said. “She just can’t help it at the moment. Masha’s spell is making her love messes—and messy surprises!”
Goldie came over with her paws full of raspberries. She popped them in Ellie’s basket. “There aren’t any blackberries left, but these will make a nice pie,” she said.
Ellie’s eyes sparkled. “Thanks, Goldie!” she quacked.
The girls and Goldie hugged the duckling good-bye, then hurried through the forest.
After a while, Goldie stopped and held up a paw. “Something’s moving up ahead,” she said. “Maybe it’s Evie and Masha.”
They heard a sharp giggle. “Hee-hee!”
Goldie whirled around, her ears pricked. “I can’t tell where it’s coming from,” she said.
“Perhaps that sneaky pair are following us,” suggested Lily.
“Let’s not worry about them for now,” said Jess. “We need that jewel collection. Come on!”
They hurried on and finally emerged from the trees near the entrance to one of the tunnels leading to the cavern.
Lily jumped as a twig snapped, right above her head. She looked up.
“Evie and Masha!” she cried. “So they were following us!”
The little black-and-white puppy shouted, “Surprise!” and threw a big pawful of blackberries at Lily.
“Stop!” Jess cried, but the only reply she got was a splatter of juicy ripe berries in her curly blond hair.
Evie laughed as Masha threw more blackberries. They splattered against the trees, covering the bark in sticky juice.
“Hee! What a lovely mess!” said Masha. She hurried off, Evie following after her—but instead of bounding as she usually did, Evie scuttled with her body close to the ground.
“She’s behaving just like a rat!” said Lily with a groan.
Jess nodded. “We have to lift Masha’s spell before she turns into a rat for good. Come on, let’s hurry!”
They quickly cleaned off the purple blackberry mush as best they could, then went into the tunnel. It wasn’t as dark as it was the last time they were there, when they went to rescue Bella Tabbypaw.
“Mr. Fuzzybrush the fox dug holes in the tunnel roof so the sun can shine in and light the way,” said Goldie. “Now all the animals can come and see the jewels.”
“Look, Jess!” said Lily, as they approached the huge cavern. “I’d forgotten how big it was.”
Jess gazed in awe at the cavern roof, which was studded with brilliantly glittering jewels of every color.
“How does little Evie manage to reach them?” Jess wondered.
“She doesn’t need to,” Goldie smiled. “Look down.”
The girls gasped. Now the cavern was lighter, they saw something they’d never noticed before. The floor of the cave was dotted with beautiful jewels, too!
“Wow!” said Jess.
“There are so many!” Lily said, gazing at the glittering stones.
“We have to find Evie’s collection,” said Jess. “Remember, she kept it in a woven basket. Let’s look.”
Lily searched a pile of fallen rocks, while Jess looked in all the nooks and crevices along the far wall. Goldie searched behind the great columns that supported the roof.
They’d only been looking for a few minutes when Jess heard Lily cry, “I found it! And something else, too.”
Goldie and Jess ran to see.
The little basket had fallen on its side, spilling out colorful jewels.
“Look at Evie’s wonderful collection!” said Goldie. “They’re all different shapes—round ones, square ones �
��”
“Even a heart-shaped one,” said Jess, as she piled the jewels back into the basket.
“Look,” said Lily. She picked up some string lying close by. “Evie must have been making something.”
A few paces away, they found a neat pile of golden leaves and golden twigs.
“What was Evie making?” Jess wondered. “We’d better hang on to them—we might need them for our spell.”
Several tunnels led out of the cavern. They couldn’t decide which one to take until Lily noticed something on the floor at one of the entrances. A golden leaf. Just a little farther on was another one.
“Evie must have dropped them,” said Jess. “You know what this means? We can follow her trail! We know what her favorite food is and her favorite hobby—it might help us find out her secret.”
Goldie set off. “Let’s hurry,” she called back. “Evie was already acting so much like Masha, there can’t be much time left. If we don’t break the spell, she’ll turn into a messy rat for good!”
The trail of golden leaves led the friends through the tunnel. They came out near Willowtree River.
A tree with delicate trailing branches and golden leaves stood on the riverbank. “So that’s where Evie got the leaves from,” said Jess, pointing.
Perched up in the tree, where the trunk divided into five branches, was a tiny little cottage.
“It’s so pretty,” said Lily, looking closer at the willow twig walls and the braided reed roof.
The door opened, and out popped a kingfisher! Her beak opened in surprise.
“Jess and Lily!” she said. “And Goldie, too!”
It was Mrs. Blueflash! She and her family had helped the girls in their adventures before.
“Chicks!” the kingfisher called, and the whole family flew out to flutter around the girls’ heads, blowing kisses with their wingtips.
“Mrs. Blueflash, we need help,” said Jess. She explained about Evie and her pile of golden leaves.
“Evie has a special secret,” said Lily. “We have to discover what it is, otherwise she’ll turn into a rat like Masha from the Witchy Waste. Do you know anything about it?”
“All I know is that Evie wanted some of our golden leaves for a surprise present she’s making,” Mrs. Blueflash said.
“What is it?” Goldie asked.
“Who’s it for?” asked Jess.
Mrs. Blueflash shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”
Splat!
“Ow!” cried Lily. A big, sloppy ball of mud had hit her on the arm. “Oh, yuck. Who threw—”
Splat!
More mud hit the Blueflashes’ cottage and ran gloopily down the front window.
Splat!
Another spattered all over Jess’s hair. “Ugh!” she cried. “Evie and Masha must have followed us here!”
“There they are!” said Mrs. Blueflash, pointing her wing across the river. “Chee-kee! Chee-kee!” she cried.
Jess and Lily looked toward the opposite bank. There, giggling away, was Evie with Masha, Peep, Snippit, and Hopper. They were bending back a springy tree branch and loading it with mud. When they let go of the branch, the mud catapulted across the river.
Evie scurried to the water’s edge. “SURPRISE!” she yelled, then turned to Masha. “We should throw mud all around the rest of the forest, too!”
“Ooh, yes,” said the rat, “then it’ll be lovely and messy.” She launched another mud missile.
“Oh, no,” Mrs. Blueflash squawked. “Mud is very bad for feathers! Hurry, children, hide!”
“Over here!” a small voice called to the girls.
Lily and Jess turned to see the smallest kingfisher chick hiding among the leaves of a bush. They dove behind it, Lily grabbing Goldie’s paw and pulling her with them.
The chick was shaking with fright, so Lily carefully lifted her up and stroked her feathers soothingly.
“I’m Bethany,” the chick said, her voice trembling, “and Evie’s my friend. I really want her back to normal!” She gave a sob.
“Don’t worry,” said Jess. “We’ll help her. But we have to find out about her secret present.”
“I’m sorry,” Bethany said sadly, wiping her eyes with a wing. “I don’t know what it is.” Her face brightened. “But I think I know where it’s hidden!”
“That’s wonderful!” said Lily. “Do you think you could show us?”
Bethany gave another tremble, but then she puffed up her feathers. “Yes,” she said determinedly, “I’ll show you. I’d do anything to save Evie.”
“Thank you!” said Goldie, stroking the chick’s bright blue and orange feathers.
“Mom, I’m going to help Evie!” Bethany called.
“Please be careful!” Mrs. Blueflash called back.
“We’ll take care of her!” Jess promised. And they hurried away after Bethany, dodging the balls of mud that whizzed all around them.
Bethany led Goldie and the girls back toward Petal Hill. Mr. and Mrs. Scruffypup and Hattie were waiting anxiously outside their den.
“I’ve got the blossom drops from Olivia,” said Hattie, holding up a full basket. Her eyes were wide with worry. “Have you found all of Evie’s favorite things yet?”
“Just one more to go,” said Jess. She turned to the kingfisher chick. “Bethany’s helping us!”
The kingfisher fluttered over and perched on Jess’s outstretched hand. “It’s this way!” she chirped.
Hattie tucked the basket over her paw. “I’m coming to help,” she said. “I miss Evie so much!”
Bethany zoomed up Petal Hill. Goldie and Hattie followed, bounding easily between the blossom-laden bushes.
A surprise awaited them. At the top of the hill, the ground dipped into a hidden flowery dell. It was like a little sheltered valley, and the scent of jasmine hung in the warm air. The grass was soft and cushiony and in the middle was a copse of blossom-covered pear trees. Petals fluttered down as the branches swayed in the breeze.
“This is Petal Dell,” said Bethany.
“Over here!” Goldie called.
The girls and Hattie ran up the slope to join her. Goldie pointed at the flowers. Most of them were yellow, but in the middle, dark blue flowers were arranged into shapes.
“They’re planted in the shapes of letters!” Lily cried.
Hattie gasped. “They’re spelling out a word—my name! Look, they say ‘Hattie’!”
Then Bethany called from the pear trees. “Come and see!” she chirped.
Goldie and the girls ran down past the flowers, into the trees. Bright balloons and streamers hung from every branch.
“It’s decorated for a party!” said Jess.
Lily spotted something glinting beneath a starflower bush and picked it up. It was a beautiful little crown, made of golden willow leaves and decorated with brilliant jewels.
“This must be what Evie was making,” she said, showing the others.
Jess gave a cry. “Oh! Now I know what the surprise is! Evie was planning a party for you, Hattie!”
Hattie clapped her paws together in delight.
“And this must be a crown she made for you,” Lily smiled, placing it gently on Hattie’s head.
“Blossom Day is the day before my birthday,” Hattie said, her eyes shining. “I always feel a little sad because everyone’s always tired after the celebrations, so my birthday doesn’t feel very special. I’ve never told Evie, but she must have guessed!”
“And so she decided to give you a secret surprise party,” said Lily.
Bethany nodded. “Evie thinks this is the prettiest place in the whole of Friendship Forest,” she chirped. “That must be why she decided to have it here.”
Hattie smiled. “Evie’s the best little sister a puppy could have.”
“And thanks to you,” Jess said, “we’ve got everything we need to turn her back into her normal puppy self.” She took the basket of blossom drops from Hattie and put it down. “Her favorite food!”
“Her secret is the surprise party for Hattie,” said Goldie, as Hattie lay down the crown, “and her favorite place is Petal Dell.” Her ears pricked up. “Can you hear giggling?”
The girls listened. A moment later, they heard it, too.
“Evie and Masha must have followed us again,” Lily whispered.
“They’re probably planning another horrible, messy surprise,” Jess said softly. She drew a sharp breath. “Shhhh! They’re coming!”
Masha and Evie scurried out from the bushes nearby.
“What’s going on?” Masha demanded. She sat up on her back legs, chattering her teeth, and Evie did the same. Her fluffy, scruffy coat was now as dirty as Masha’s dirty fur. Hattie gave a cry of horror as she saw her sister.
Lily hugged Hattie. “Don’t worry, we have all of Evie’s favorite things. We’ll save your sister!”
But Evie scooped up a big pawful of mud from the ground. Squelch! The mud splattered over her favorite things.
“That was fun!” giggled Evie, and she and Masha laughed loudly at the mess.
“She doesn’t even recognize them,” Jess said, her stomach twisting with worry. “What if we’re too late?”
“We can’t give up now,” said Goldie. “Let’s do the spell—and quickly!”
As Evie and Masha scooped up more mud, Jess chanted, “Evie’s favorite hobby … collecting jewels!”
“Evie’s favorite food,” shouted Goldie. “Blossom drops!”
“Evie’s secret … a special surprise party!” added Lily.
They joined hands and said together, “In Evie’s favorite place—Petal Dell!”
Purple sparks flew from Evie. Her fluffy fur stood all on end for a moment, and then the dirt disappeared so that her white stomach was as snowy white as before. She blinked a couple of times, then her tail began to wag.
“Hooray!” cried Lily and Jess.
“Evie’s herself again,” Goldie said, with tears of joy in her green eyes.
Evie Scruffypup's Big Surprise Page 2
