Chloe Slipperslide’s Secret

Chapter Two An Unwelcome Visitor

The path to Agatha’s shop was lined with pink poppies and bright sunflowers. As they walked nearer, a jingly noise floated on the air, like hundreds of tiny bells.

“What’s that?” asked Lily. “It sounds so pretty!”

Goldie smiled. “You’ll see!”

As they walked around a thicket of bushes, they saw a large beech tree with necklaces and bracelets dangling from every branch. As they stepped closer, Jess and Lily could see that the jewelry was made from shiny seeds, nuts, and pebbles. As the breeze blew, they jingled and jangled like dozens of tiny wind chimes.

“So that’s what’s making the noise!” cried Lily.

Goldie smiled. “Welcome to Agatha Glitterwing’s shop,” she said.

Beneath the tree, lots of little animals were sitting on blankets.

“Hey, everyone, it’s Jess and Lily!” called out a rabbit wearing a purple ribbon around her neck.

“Lucy Longwhiskers!” Lily cried, recognizing the bunny they’d rescued on their first adventure in Friendship Forest.

There was a chorus of happy, squeaky, squawky greetings.

“I’m so happy you’re here!” Sophie Flufftail the squirrel told them as she hugged Jess’s leg.

“Me, too!” cried Ruby Fuzzybrush the fox cub.

Agatha Glitterwing fluttered over with an excited squawk. “Welcome to my shop!” she told the girls. When she spoke, her long, shiny necklace jangled. “Would you like to make some jewelry, too? It’s so much fun!”

“We’d love to!” they said, and settled on a blanket next to a sleek little brown otter. She had a long tail and a pretty pointed face with sparkling eyes. Around her neck, she wore a necklace of shiny silver shells.

“I’m Chloe Slipperslide,” she said.

“I love your necklace,” Jess said. “It’s so pretty! Did you make it?”

Chloe beamed. “Thank you! Yes, I made it at Craft Club! I can help you make necklaces, too, if you like.”

“Chloe made this for me,” said a small voice. It was a tiny turtle in a violet swimming cap.

“Violet Flippershell!” Lily said, delighted.

Violet held up her flipper. She wore a bracelet of the same silver shells as the otter’s necklace. “I love my bracelet. Chloe’s so good at making things.”

Chloe modestly shook her head, and the tips of her ears blushed pink. She rummaged in a basket, pulled out two ribbons, and passed them to the girls. “To start your necklace, you need to hold one end of the ribbon,” she began.

Snap!

Pebbles, nuts, and seeds suddenly rained down on them from above.

“Oh, no!” cried Chloe, looking up into the branches of Agatha’s shop. “One of the necklaces must have broken!”

“What happened?” squawked Agatha.

Snap!

More nuts fell, bouncing off Violet’s shell. “Eek!” she squealed in surprise.

“Caw! Caw!”

Everyone looked up to see a scruffy crow perched on a branch above their heads. Jess let out a gasp. “It’s Snippit!”

Snippit was one of Grizelda’s messy helpers from the Witchy Waste. He wore a waistcoat with a missing button. As the girls watched, he closed his beak around the string of another beautiful necklace. Snap! The nuts tumbled to the ground.

“Stop breaking Agatha’s jewelry, Snippit!” cried Lily.

“Won’t,” he cawed. “It’s fun!”

Goldie shook the nuts and seeds from her fur. “He’s going to make poor Agatha’s shop as messy as the Witchy Waste!” she said.

A moment later, the other Witchy Waste creatures came out from the trees. “What a lovely mess you’ve made, Snippit!” cried Peep the bat, while Masha the rat and Hopper the toad laughed with glee.

Snippit giggled as he pecked at another necklace. “Heeheehee! I love shiny things, and shiny messes are even better!”

Agatha flapped her wings furiously as more seeds came tumbling down.

“Go on,” Masha the rat called to Snippit. “Do it!”

Jess glanced at Lily. “Oh, no,” she said, “Masha’s telling Snippit to use his spell!”

Grizelda had given each of the Witchy Waste creatures a magic spell which would make one of the forest animals as messy as they were. If the spell wasn’t lifted, the poor animal would completely transform into a Witchy Waste creature just like them! Then it would be able to change another animal, too, until the whole forest was filled with messy creatures.

“Run!” Goldie yelled to the animals. “Quick, before Snippit casts his spell on you!”

The crow was already ruffling his scruffy feathers, and purple sparks were flying around him. The animals fled in panic, rushing to hide in the trees and bushes. But when Lily looked back, she was horrified to see that Chloe hadn’t moved.

“Chloe! Run!” Lily cried.

But Chloe just crouched with her paws over her eyes and her long tail quivering.

“She’s too scared to move,” cried Jess. “I’ll get her!”

But before she could reach Chloe, purple sparks splattered over the frightened little otter.

Lily gasped. “Oh, no! Snippit’s put a spell on Chloe!”