Magic Puppy: Sparkling Skates

by Bentley, Sue

“I will come with you!” Storm yapped, his midnight-blue eyes gleaming.

  Lauren wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to have a lively puppy bounding around the classroom—even if he was invisible. But Storm looked so eager to come with her that she smiled and gave in. “Well . . . all right, then.”

  “Are you ready, Lauren? I’ll be in the car,” her mom called up the stairs.

  “Okay. I’m coming!” Lauren answered. She turned back to Storm. “Mom’s dropping me off on her way to work. Why don’t you get in my book bag for now?”

  Storm nodded. Lauren opened her bag, and he immediately jumped in and curled up next to her purple fake-fur pencil case.

  Ten minutes later, Lauren stood at the school gates and waved good-bye as her mom drove away. “Here’s Jemila. She’s my best friend,” she whispered to Storm as four girls came walking down the street toward her and Storm. “Becky, Katie, and Padmini are all my classmates, too.”

  “Hi, Lauren. Here are those skates I promised you,” Jemila said as she reached her friend. She handed her a drawstring bag.

  Lauren smiled gratefully as she took the bag. “Thanks. But I don’t think I’ll be needing them now. Mom and Dad won’t let me join the Ice Academy. They think I won’t keep it up. I’ve tried to tell them I will, but they won’t listen.”

  “Oh. That’s awful,” Jemila said. “Why don’t you keep the skates anyway, in case they change their minds?”

  “And pigs might fly!” Lauren said glumly.

  “Tough luck,” said Becky, wrinkling her nose sympathetically.

  “Thanks,” Lauren said. Becky was slim with a heart-shaped face and light-brown hair, and she was very popular in class. Her parents always bought her the latest things, and she always looked amazing. But no one minded, because she wasn’t snooty to anyone and was very generous.

  “Look! Dad got me the latest copy of Silver Blades,” Becky said, taking a glossy magazine out of her bag. “There are some really cool figure-skating costumes. I’m going to get him to buy me one.”

  “Let’s see!” Katie and Padmini chorused. The three of them crowded around the magazine, chattering excitedly about leotards and the latest designer skates. Lauren gazed longingly at the other girls as they wandered away into the playground.

  Jemila hesitated and Lauren could tell that her best friend wanted to join the other girls. She wouldn’t have blamed her if she did, but Jemila linked arms with Lauren instead.

  Lauren beamed at her friend, pleased that Jemila had chosen to walk to class with her. But she couldn’t help thinking sadly about how all four of the other girls would be meeting up each night for lessons at the ice rink, while Lauren stayed at home watching boring TV.

  Lauren slipped her hand inside her book bag. Storm woofed softly and immediately began licking her fingers. Lauren began to feel a little bit better, glad that she would have her secret fluffy friend to keep her company.

  Chapter

  * FOUR *

  Lauren groaned as she sat looking down at her math workbook. She didn’t seem able to concentrate today, and it was taking her forever to work through the problems. All she could think about was ice skating.

  She sat back in her chair. Luckily it wouldn’t be long until the bell rang for the end of class. Craning her neck, Lauren looked around the room, but there was no sign of Storm.

  She wondered what he was up to. Storm had finished exploring the classroom an hour ago and had slipped out to search for other interesting smells to snuffle up.

  Just then, Lauren saw a tiny black form squeeze back inside the half-open classroom door. She smiled to herself as the mischievous magical pup scampered toward her between the rows of desks. She was still getting used to the idea that only she could see him and hear him talking.

  As soon as Storm reached Lauren, he leaped straight up into the air, trailing invisible sparks behind him like a rocket taking off. He landed—plonk!—right on her math book.

  “Storm! I hope you haven’t got dirty paws! My teacher will go bananas if I mess up my book!” Lauren whispered, grinning, as she gently lifted him aside.

  Storm frowned. He lifted all four paws in turn and examined them, and then nodded, satisfied. “They are all clean!” he yapped, sitting down beside her. His stumpy little tail began thumping loudly against the desk.

  Lauren smothered a giggle and quickly reached out to put her hand over his tail to muffle the sound. But she wasn’t quick enough. Becky, who sat directly in front of her, glanced around. She looked puzzled.

  “What?” Lauren said innocently.

  “I could have sworn I just heard a drumbeat or something,” Becky said. When Lauren looked blank, she shrugged. “Weird. I must have imagined it.” She turned around again and went back to her work.

  Lauren smiled to herself, imagining the look on Becky’s face if she found out an amazing magic puppy was sitting on Lauren’s desk!

  Quickly checking that no one else was looking her way, she whispered to Storm, “Did you have a good time finding things to explore?”

  Storm nodded, his midnight-blue eyes widening. “I have just been into a big room with shelves full of lots and lots of books.”

  “That’s the school library,” Lauren said, wondering why Storm had chosen to spend time in there. “Didn’t you find it a bit boring?”

  Storm shook his head, looking very pleased with himself. “No, it was very interesting!”

  Lauren was about to ask him exactly what he had been doing in the library when the bell rang.

  “All right, class. Put your work away,” the teacher ordered.

  There was a sudden noise of chairs scraping as everyone began getting up to go home. Lauren stuffed her schoolbooks into her bag and then made space for Storm to jump inside as well. Picking up the other bag, which held the skates, Lauren went outside with Jemila.

  As the two of them walked to the school gates, Lauren saw that her mom was parked across the street. “Do you want a ride home, Jemila?” she offered.

  “Thanks, but Becky already asked if I’d walk home with her. You don’t mind, do you?” Jemila asked.

  “No, of course not,” Lauren said, although she did a bit.

  “Okay, I’ll see you in the morning then.” Jemila jogged toward Becky, who was waiting a short distance away. Padmini and Katie hurried forward to join them, and the four girls walked off together.

  Storm was sitting up with his front paws looped over the side of her bag. “Is something wrong?” he barked as Lauren stared wistfully after her friends.

  “I’m just feeling a bit left out,” Lauren admitted in a whisper. “All my friends are excited about figure skating. It’s all they talk about. But there’s no point in joining in, is there?”

  Storm put his head to one side as he looked up at her. “I am sorry that you are feeling sad, Lauren.”

  Lauren patted one of his soft little paws. “Thanks, Storm. You’re sweet. But I’ll just have to get over it, won’t I? I’ll be okay,” she said softly.

  Despite her good intentions about not getting into a bad mood, Lauren sat quietly staring out the car window the entire ride home.

  Her mom frowned. “Are you feeling all right, honey? You don’t have a stomachache or a headache, do you?”

  “No. I’m okay,” Lauren murmured.

  “What’s that you’ve got there in that drawstring bag?”

  “Jemila’s old skates. She said I can keep them, even though there’s no chance of me using them now, is there?” Lauren said, looking at her mom hopefully.

  Her mom gave her a sideways look. “I hope you’re not going to ask about having figure-skating lessons again. Because I’m afraid you already know what the answer will be, don’t you?” she said gently.

  Lauren sighed and nodded.

  The second she got inside the house, Lauren went into the kitchen to ge
t herself a drink and grab two bags of potato chips before heading straight upstairs to be by herself with Storm. He seemed to be the only one who understood her, and she was really glad that she had him for a friend.

  Her mom looked surprised as Lauren dashed past. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

  “Got to . . . um, finish some homework!” Lauren called over her shoulder.

  “I’ll call you when supper’s ready.”

  In her bedroom, Lauren put her bag down and Storm jumped out. They sat on her bedroom rug together and Lauren shared her chips with the tiny puppy.

  Storm crunched them all up and then sat licking his chops. “Are you ready now?” he woofed, his big dewy eyes sparkling.

  Lauren blinked at him in puzzlement. “Ready for what?”

  Storm didn’t answer. Lauren felt a warm tingling sensation flow down her spine as big gold sparks ignited in Storm’s fluffy black fur and his little pointed ears fizzled and crackled with miniature lightning flashes.

  Excitement glowed through Lauren. It felt like something very strange was about to happen.

  Chapter

  * FIVE *

  Storm held up one tiny black front paw, and a big spurt of glittering sparkles shot into the air. Lauren watched in utter astonishment as the cloud of tiny sparks whizzed around faster and faster, until they became like an ice storm inside a Christmas snow globe.

  The air in front of her shifted like a shimmering curtain, and the room began to change right in front of Lauren’s very eyes.

  Creak! The walls moved outward and the room stretched to six times its normal size. Phut! The bed, dresser, and other furniture shrank and lined itself up against one wall. Crackle! A small ice rink, with a rail around it, appeared in the center of the room.

  There was a soft thud, and a book appeared on the ground beside her. Lauren bent down to pick it up. The title read Figure-Skating Techniques—Step by Step.

  “Wow! This is amazing!” Lauren exclaimed. She beamed at Storm. Now she knew what he’d been doing in the school library. “You’ve thought of everything. Now I can have a practice session. And this book is nearly as good as having a real coach all to myself!”

  “I am glad that you are pleased,” Storm woofed with a toothy little grin.

  Lauren couldn’t wait to try out the rink. She quickly changed out of her school clothes and put on Jemila’s old skates.

  “Here I go!” she said delightedly. She took a deep breath and glided onto the ice. It felt amazing to soar along so smoothly that it was almost as if she were flying. Her heart lifted as she knew for certain that this was all she wanted to do from now on.

  After five minutes of skating, Lauren had warmed up and was ready to start work. She picked a simple routine from the book. After a few mistakes, she knew it by heart and started practicing to make it perfect.

  As Lauren became more confident, she felt so happy. It was as if her feet had wings. “I can’t believe how well I’m doing. You’re not using your magic to make me skate better, are you?” she asked suspiciously, zooming past him with her arms outspread.

  Storm was sitting at the edge of the rink watching her. He shook his head. “No, Lauren. I would not do that. It is better for you to learn by yourself. After all, I will not always be here to help you.”

  “It must be beginner’s luck then . . .” Lauren stopped as Storm’s words sank in. She skidded to a halt in a silvery spurt of ice crystals. “But Shadow won’t find you here, will he? So you can live here with me always!”

  Storm shook his head slowly, and his tiny square face wore a serious expression. “Shadow will never give up looking for me. And I must one day return to my home world to lead the Moon-claw pack,” he reminded her.

  Lauren felt a pang. She didn’t want to think about her wonderful little friend leaving when she’d barely gotten used to having him around. “But that won’t be for a long time, will it?” she asked anxiously.

  Storm’s little black muzzle wrinkled in a smile. “I will stay here for as long as I can,” he woofed.

  “Yay! That’s okay then! Watch this!” Flexing her knees, Lauren shot across the ice and did a rather squiggly figure eight.

  “That is very good, Lauren,” Storm yapped. “Perhaps I will try ice skating!” There was another flash of sparks, and tiny gold skates appeared on all four of his little black paws. Storm zoomed forward and glided across the ice in a straight line. But the moment he lifted one front paw, all the others shot out.

  “Wur-rooof!” Storm collapsed onto his tummy in a furry heap.

  “Oh dear! Are you all right, Storm?” Lauren skated over and picked up the tiny puppy and set him firmly back on his paws. Her lips twitched, but she bit back a grin—she didn’t want to hurt her friend’s feelings.

  Storm shook himself, flicking powdery ice crystals from his thick black fur. “It is a lot more difficult than it looks! I think that I will leave figure skating to you,” he woofed, padding gingerly off the ice. As soon as he stepped onto the bedroom carpet, his tiny skates dissolved in a cloud of gold glitter.

  An hour later Lauren was hot and sweaty and her legs were aching pleasantly. She glided up to the rail and stepped off the ice. Sitting down next to Storm, she started to remove her skates. “Phew! That was fantastic. Even Becky hasn’t got her very own private skating rink! Thanks, Storm—you are the best puppy ever!”

  “You are welcome. Now you can practice every night after school,” Storm woofed happily.

  Lauren’s eyes widened. “Really? I thought this was a special one-time treat! That’s so amazing. I’m going to work hard and get really good. If I can prove to Mom and Dad that I’m serious about being a figure skater they’ll have to let me join the Ice Academy!”

  “Lauren! Dinner’s ready!” her mom called upstairs a few minutes later.

  “Coming!” Lauren sang out.

  Storm raised his tiny black front paw again and Lauren felt a tingling down her spine as busy magical sparks changed her bedroom back to normal.

  Happiness filled Lauren as she and Storm went downstairs together. Storm was the best friend anyone could have.

  “How did it go last night?” Lauren asked Jemila in class the following day. “Did Padmini, Katie, and Becky all sign up for figure-skating classes?”

  “Yeah. They all joined. Maggie was really happy to have some new members. Becky turned up in a brand-new purple leotard and matching skates,” Jemila told her.

  Lauren laughed. “Of course she did!”

  Jemila laughed, too. “She didn’t look too impressed when she saw the uniforms we all have to wear—short pleated skirts and T-shirts aren’t her style! She said they were like some boring old gym clothes! Anyway, it was pretty fun. But I really wish you could have been there.”

  “Me too,” Lauren agreed. She wished that she could tell Jemila about having her own private magic ice rink, but she knew that she could never give away Storm’s secret—not even to her best friend.

  Lauren darted a secretive glance at Storm, who was invisibly stretched out full-length on her desk. He opened one sleepy midnight-blue eye and his tail twitched.

  “You are still coming to the normal Saturday morning sessions at the rink, aren’t you?” Jemila asked.

  Lauren nodded. “Yes. Mom and Dad are fine about me going to those. And I get my allowance on Saturdays, anyway.”

  “Great. We’ll all be there as well,” Jemila said. “We’re starting to have classes on Saturdays, too. A part of the rink’s going to be roped off for the academy.”

  “Is that because of the show in two weeks?” Lauren asked.

  “Yes, but Maggie wants us all to work extra hard for the next few weeks. She said the best skaters will be offered a place at summer school.”

  “Wow!” Lauren was seriously impressed. Getting a place at figure-skating summer school was be
yond even her wildest dreams. She had a thought. “So you, Becky, Katie, and Padmini are all going to be busy behind the roped-off area on Saturday?” She sighed. It looked like she was going to have to skate around all by herself in the public area with lots of kids she didn’t know, which wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.

  “Yeah, but if we all get there early, we can have a normal skate together before class starts in the academy section,” Jemila said. “I can show you some of the new moves we’ve been doing, if you like.”

  “I’d love that!” Lauren enthused. And then with Storm’s help I’ll be able to practice them in my bedroom every night after school, she thought.

  Chapter

  * SIX *

  Lauren usually enjoyed school, but over the next few days she couldn’t wait to get home. The second she got back, she shot straight upstairs and spent every spare moment before supper, and an hour or two before bed, too, skating on the rink in her magically transformed bedroom.

  “I think I’d better have a quiet word with your class teacher,” Lauren’s dad decided on Friday evening, when Lauren and Storm came downstairs to get a drink in between figure-skating practice.

  Taken by surprise, Lauren blinked at him. “Why?”

  “You’ve been spending hours upstairs on your homework this past week. Your mom and I have hardly seen you. We’re worried that you’re having problems with your schoolwork,” he said, looking concerned.

  “No! I . . . um, haven’t! Everything’s fine . . . ,” Lauren burbled, trying to think of an explanation. It would be really embarrassing if her dad went to the school and made a fuss. How was she going to get out of this? She threw a desperate glance at Storm.

  Storm pricked his ears, and tiny gold sparks flicked out of the ends. Lauren heard a thud behind her and turned to see that the library book was on the floor.

  She quickly bent down to pick it up. “Oops, I . . . um, left it on the chair. I must have just knocked it off!”