Wish Upon a Star

by Patty Furlington

  “Aw!” said Rosie. “We were having so much fun.”

  “You need to get that chocolate pudding off your whiskers,” said Queen Fifi, ruffling Rosie’s fur. “Tomorrow’s a big day, so you must look your best.”

  Rosie wagged her tail and let out a yip of excitement. Only one more sleep until the Royal Talent Show!

  “Time to go!” Rosie cried, knocking on her brothers’ bedroom door. The day of the Royal Talent Show had finally arrived, and it was nearly time to leave for the theater.

  When nobody answered, Rosie opened the door and saw her brothers standing in front of a mirror.

  “What an honor,” said Rocky. “We are deeply humbled.”

  “We’d like to thank our parents, and of course all the citizens of Petrovia,” said Rocky, dabbing his eyes with his paw.

  “Um, what are you doing?” Rosie asked them.

  “We’re practicing for when we win the talent show,” Rocky informed her.

  “So we sound surprised,” Rollo added.

  Thinking back to the previous evening’s chocolate pudding disaster, Rosie knew she wouldn’t have to pretend to be surprised if her brothers won. “Don’t get your hopes up,” she warned them.

  Next, Rosie knocked gently on the Royal Blue Bedroom’s door.

  “Come in,” called Bella.

  “Did you sleep well?” Rosie asked Bella, who was sitting at her dressing table, brushing her fur.

  “Like a kitten,” Bella purred. “The bed was really comfy.”

  “Are you ready to go?” said Rosie.

  “Nearly,” said Bella, putting on a cool black collar with punky metal spikes. “I just have to make sure I look like a pop star.” She winked her blue eye at Rosie. “What do you think?”

  “You definitely look like Bella Fierce now,” Rosie said, winking back.

  Next, Rosie went into the ballroom. “We’ve got to go now,” Rosie told Cleo and Bruno, who were having one last practice.

  “I’ve got your costumes,” said Priscilla, holding up the two feathered outfits.

  Everyone gathered outside the palace in the cold air. The sound of jingling bells rang out across the snowy grounds. Chester trotted up the drive, pulling a big, shiny red sleigh.

  “I thought we’d take the royal sleigh, as it snowed again last night,” said Chester.

  “Wonderful idea,” said King Charles, climbing into the sleigh.

  The rest of the royal family, followed by Bella, Cleo, Bruno, and Priscilla, climbed into the sleigh and snuggled under warm blankets. Animals waved and cheered as the royal sleigh glided smoothly over the snow to the theater.

  “Thank you! Thank you!” said Bruno, waving back grandly.

  “I think they were waving to the king and queen,” Cleo whispered in Rosie’s ear.

  “Bruno thinks he is king,” said Rosie, giggling. “King of the dance floor, that is!”

  “We’re here!” announced Chester, coming to a stop. Everyone piled out of the sleigh and went inside the theater.

  “Wow!” said Cleo, gazing at the stage in awe.

  Rosie beamed. The set did look amazing!

  As King Charles, Queen Fifi, and Bella took their seats in the royal box, everyone else went backstage to get ready for the show. Rosie rushed around with a clipboard checking that all the acts had arrived and had everything they needed.

  “How are you feeling?” Rosie asked Cleo, who was pacing nervously.

  “Great!” barked Bruno, answering for his partner. “I just LOVE being onstage.”

  “I’m a little nervous,” Cleo admitted. She and Rosie peeped out from behind the thick red velvet stage curtains. There wasn’t an empty seat in the auditorium. The audience chattered excitedly, waiting for the show to start. Cleo gulped. “Now I’m a lot nervous.”

  “Just remember, you’re Cleo Savage,” Rosie told her friend. “You’ll be amazing.”

  Max, the stage manager, hurried over to Rosie. “One minute to curtain up, Princess Rosie!”

  Rosie’s heart pounded with excitement. This was it! The Royal Talent Show was about to begin!

  There was a deafening cheer as King Charles stood and thanked the audience for coming. “And now, on with the show!” the king said.

  The curtain rose, and a spotlight shone on a group of baby mice in tutus.

  “Awww,” cooed the audience as the tiny white mice tottered on their little pink feet performing an adorable ballet dance.

  “Charlie, you’re on,” whispered Rosie when the mice had finished. She handed her squirrel friend his acorns.

  Watching from the wings, Rosie held her breath and hoped that Charlie wouldn’t drop any of his nuts as he tossed them higher and higher in the air. For his grand finale, Charlie spun around and balanced all three acorns on the tip of his fluffy tail!

  “That was brilliant,” Rosie said as Charlie scampered offstage.

  A rabbit ventriloquist performed, followed by a hula-hooping cat and the cheerleading maids. Then it was Petal’s turn. The theater’s chandeliers rattled and all of the dogs in the audience whimpered as the guinea pig cook strained to reach the high notes.

  The audience oohed and aahed at a daredevil dog’s fire-eating act and chuckled as two cats named Fizzy and Dizzy clowned around, squirting each other with water.

  Next, the Twittertown Choir fluttered onto the stage. Flying in formation, they chirped a medley of songs from popular musicals. “Bravo!” cried the audience, giving the choir a standing ovation. It would be a tough act to follow, but Rocky and Rollo weren’t daunted.

  “Prepare to be amazed,” Rocky told Rosie and Cleo.

  “Good luck,” Rosie said. From what she’d seen, they would need it!

  Rocky and Rollo’s act started well. They did a few card tricks, and then Rocky pulled scarves out of Rollo’s crown.

  So far, so good, thought Rosie.

  Rollo wheeled a wooden cabinet decorated with dragons and magical symbols onto the stage.

  “For our next trick,” said Rocky, “we’ll need a volunteer.”

  “Me!” cried Bruno, rushing out from the side of the stage. “I’ll do it!”

  “Excellent,” said Rollo, opening the cabinet’s door. “Step right in here, sir.”

  Enjoying the attention, Bruno waved at the audience as he stepped inside the cabinet.

  “We will now make him disappear,” said Rocky.

  The puppy princes pointed their wands at the cabinet and chanted:

  “Abracadabra, alacazeer,

  Make this doggy disappear!”

  Rocky flung open the cabinet’s door. The audience gasped. Bruno had vanished!

  “We will now bring him back,” said Rollo.

  Once again, the princes pointed their wands at the cabinet and cried:

  “Abracadabra, alacazeer,

  Make this doggy reappear!”

  With a flourish, Rollo opened the door, revealing … an empty cabinet!

  Rocky and Rollo exchanged worried looks.

  “Let’s try that again,” said Rocky.

  The princes shouted the magic words again, but the cabinet remained empty. Faint thumps and muffled yelps were coming from inside it.

  The audience began to murmur and shift restlessly in their seats.

  Uh-oh, thought Rosie.

  “We need to get them off!” she told Max.

  The stage manager dimmed the lights, and Rosie helped Rocky and Rollo wheel the cabinet offstage.

  Thinking fast, Rosie handed Hamish his bagpipes. “You’re on!”

  As Hamish went onstage and started playing a lively jig on his bagpipes, Rosie tried to free Bruno from the cabinet.

  “Let me out!” the dance teacher demanded furiously. “It’s time for my tango!”

  Rosie tried with all her might, but she couldn’t break Bruno out of the cabinet. “I’ll get help,” she promised him, running to find Max.

  “The carpenters can get him out,” the stage manager told her, calling for help on his walkie-tal
kie. “But it could take a while.”

  Rosie didn’t have any time to spare! Bruno and Cleo were the only act left to perform, and Hamish had nearly finished his tune.

  “What are we going to do?” Cleo asked Rosie.

  “You’ll have to dance on your own,” Rosie said.

  Cleo’s eyes widened in alarm. “I can’t!”

  “Please,” begged Rosie. “You’re an amazing dancer, and the show really needs a fantastic closing act.”

  “I’ll do it,” Cleo said. “But only on one condition.”

  “Anything,” said Rosie.

  “You dance with me!” said Cleo.

  “But I’m a terrible dancer,” said Rosie.

  “No you’re not,” said Cleo. “We’ll dance to a Bella Fierce song.”

  Rosie hesitated, remembering how hard Cleo had practiced for this moment. She didn’t want to let her best friend down. She also didn’t want to disappoint the audience, who were expecting one more act.

  “Okay,” said Rosie. “Let’s do it.” She put on Bruno’s feathered cape and mask. Hopefully nobody will recognize me if I make a fool of myself, Rosie thought.

  “There’s been a last-minute change of music,” Rosie told Max. “The next act will perform to Bella Fierce’s ‘Wild, Not Mild.’”

  “I’ll let the sound engineer know,” Max said, taking out his walkie-talkie again.

  Giving one last blast on his bagpipes, Hamish left the stage to enthusiastic applause.

  “Ready to be Cleo Savage?” Rosie asked.

  “Ready as I’ll ever be!” Cleo said.

  Rosie and Cleo strutted onto the stage and struck feisty poses. Rosie blinked, adjusting to the glare of the spotlight. Luckily, it was bright, so she couldn’t see the audience. She could pretend that they were alone in her bedroom, dancing just for fun.

  The first strains of Bella’s hit song sounded and Rosie and Cleo began to dance. They grooved and glided across the stage, kicking their paws and shaking their tails in time to the beat. The song was about going wild, and that’s exactly what Rosie did. She threw herself into the funky music, using every ounce of energy she had.

  The dance routine finished with Rosie holding Cleo’s front paws and spinning her around and around. Cleo’s back paws lifted off the ground as Rosie twirled faster and faster.

  “Woo-hoo!” cheered the crowd.

  When the song ended, Rosie and Cleo took a bow, and the audience gave them a standing ovation. Squinting, Rosie peered up at the royal box. Her parents and Bella were on their feet, too!

  Backstage, Rosie squealed, “We did it!”

  “Thank you so much for dancing with me!” said Cleo. “You were amazing!”

  “So were you!” said Rosie, hugging her friend.

  “Well done to all the contestants,” King Charles said, walking onto the stage with Queen Fifi. “All the acts have performed, so it’s time—”

  “Wait!” howled Bruno. He ran onto the stage, finally out of the cabinet. “There’s one more act! I haven’t danced yet.” He looked around wildly. “Where’s my partner?”

  “I’ll dance with you!” cried a voice. Priscilla hopped onto the stage. “I’ve been watching the rehearsals—I know all the steps!”

  Before Bruno could reply, King Charles said, “Excellent! What a lovely surprise!”

  Tango music began to play. Bruno took Priscilla’s paws and led her around the stage, whisker to whisker. Priscilla danced gracefully to the music, her elegant movements perfectly in sync with Bruno’s. It was hard to believe that they had never danced together before.

  “Priscilla’s really good!” said Cleo, watching the dancers from the side of the stage.

  The housekeeper looked happier than Rosie had ever seen her before. “I can’t believe I didn’t realize that Priscilla really wanted to dance,” Rosie said, suddenly understanding why Priscilla had been so interested in the rehearsals.

  For their dramatic finale, Bruno dipped Priscilla so low that her long ears grazed the floor.

  “Yay!” cheered Rosie along with the rest of the audience.

  “Now I think we are finally ready to announce the winner,” said King Charles. He chuckled. “Unless we have any other last-minute surprises?” He paused for a moment and then continued, “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome this year’s judge, singing sensation Bella Fierce!”

  The audience whooped and hollered as Bella padded onto the stage, looking every inch the superstar she was.

  “I really enjoyed watching all the acts! It has been very hard to make a decision,” Bella said. “But the winner of this year’s Royal Talent Show is … the Twittertown Choir.”

  “They were great,” said Rosie, hoping Cleo wouldn’t be upset.

  Cleo nodded. “They really deserved to win,” she said sweetly.

  The choir chirped with delight as they flew onto the stage to collect their prize.

  “Congratulations to you all,” said Queen Fifi, handing the leader of the choir a trophy. Shiny and gold, it had a royal paw print on the top.

  The audience applauded until King Charles held up a paw for silence. “Ms. Fierce,” he addressed Bella. “We’d all love to hear you sing. Will you do us the honor?”

  “Well …” said Bella. “I have been working on a new song. Would you like to hear it?”

  The audience let out a roar.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” said Bella, laughing. “But I’ll need some backup dancers. Would the two dancers who performed to my song be willing to help me out?”

  Rosie and Cleo exchanged looks. “Does she mean us?” Cleo asked.

  “I think so!” Rosie replied.

  They ran back onto the stage, and the audience cheered.

  “I’d like to dedicate this song to my new friend, Rosie,” Bella told the crowd. She launched into her song about feeling like a princess.

  Rosie and Cleo danced joyfully, waving their paws and wiggling their tails. The audience clapped along, and everyone joined in with the chorus: “Today’s gonna be a big success. Yeah, I feel like a real princess.”

  When the song was over, Rosie and Cleo took a bow with Bella.

  “Thanks, girls,” said Bella. “I really do feel like a princess today.”

  “And I feel like a pop star,” said Rosie, grinning.

  After the show, they all went backstage. The other performers crowded around Bella to shake her paw and get her autograph.

  “I can’t believe we lost again,” sulked Rollo.

  “Cheer up,” Rosie told her brothers. “There’s always next year.”

  “The contest was rigged,” grumbled Rocky.

  “Well, you did trap Bruno inside a cabinet,” Rosie said.

  “I thought you’d be happy about that,” said Rollo. “No more dance lessons!”

  “Did someone mention dance lessons?” said Bruno, coming over. “You were surprisingly good, Princess Rosie. I have obviously been teaching you well.”

  “Er, thanks,” said Rosie.

  Turning to Cleo, Bruno said, “I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve asked Priscilla to be my dance partner from now on.”

  “That’s fine,” said Cleo. “You two are perfect partners.”

  “And so are we,” said Rosie, putting a paw around Cleo.

  “I agree,” said Queen Fifi, joining them.

  “You’re not angry that I danced in the show?” Rosie asked her mother nervously. She was worried that dancing to pop music wasn’t a very princessy thing to do.

  “Of course not,” said Queen Fifi. “I’m delighted to see you enjoying dancing at last.”

  “You did what it took to save the Royal Talent Show,” said King Charles. “I’d expect nothing less from the future queen of Petrovia.”

  “We are so proud of you,” said Queen Fifi. “Because of all your hard work, the show was a huge success and raised lots of money for animals in need.”

  Rosie glowed with pride. She was so happy to have helped her parents—as well as the les
s fortunate animals of Petrovia.

  “I should be going,” said Bella, who had finished greeting her fans.

  “Thank you so much for coming,” said Queen Fifi.

  “The pleasure was all mine,” said Bella. She curtsied politely to the king and queen, but hugged Cleo and Rosie.

  “I’m going on a world tour soon,” said Bella. “How would you two like to be my dancers?”

  Rosie looked at Cleo and then shook her head. “No, thanks,” she said. “I’m sure it would be really fun, but my place is here in Petrovia.”

  “And my place is with Rosie,” said Cleo.

  Rosie wagged her tail happily. Being a pop star had been fun, but being a puppy princess was even better!

  Read on for more Puppy Princess fun!

  “Dotty!” barked Rosie, her tail wagging wildly. She ran to her cousin and they nuzzled each other’s noses affectionately.

  “It’s so good to see you, Rosie,” said Dotty, who had fluffy hair like her mother and spots like her father. “There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” She beckoned to a handsome brown-and-white terrier. “This is my friend Jack Russell.”

  “Nice to meet you, Princess Rosie,” said Jack, bowing to her. “Dotty has told me so much about you.”

  “What’s she told you about us?” Rocky asked impishly.

  “She told me that you two are royal terrors,” teased Jack. “And that you love to play ball. Want to play catch in the garden?”

  “Yippee!” Rocky and Rollo cried together. Yelping with excitement, the puppy princes ran off with Jack.

  “Jack seems really nice,” said Rosie.

  “Yes, he is,” said Dotty. “He’s very special.”

  A bell tinkled inside the palace.

  “We’d better not be late for tea,” said Dotty.

  Rosie and Dotty joined their parents in an elegant parlor. There were lace doilies on every surface, and on the table was a fancy china tea set. King Charles was eyeing a silver platter of cookies greedily.

  “We’re here!” cried Rocky, bursting into the room. Rollo tumbled in after his brother, panting noisily before grabbing a cookie.

  “Oh no!” gasped Duchess Coco, horrified. “Look at the carpet!”