Lucy Longwhiskers Gets Lost

Chapter Five Bunny-napped!

The girls stared at each other in dismay. Then Goldie bravely walked up to the Boggits.

“I live in this grotto,” she said politely. “But I’m sure we can find you a new home somewhere else.”

The first Boggit shook his grubby head. “Boggits been living in a mud pool by Grizelda’s tower. This grotto be much better once Boggits make it good and messy!”

“But you can’t steal Goldie’s home!” Jess protested.

“Or hurt the Blossom Briar!” added Lily.

The second Boggit snorted. “Boggits not listen to nosy humans. I be starting with nasty flowers now.”

“Ladies first, Pongo,” growled a girl Boggit, elbowing him out of the way.

“Ow, Whiffy, that hurt!” yelled Pongo.

Whiffy took no notice. She jumped up at the Blossom Briar, ripping off a flower.

“Stop!” shouted Lily.

The Boggits just laughed. “Haargh! Haargh!”

“Now rip down them other flowers,” shouted Pongo. “Come on, Sniff! Over here, Reek!”

“No!” shouted a little voice.

Lucy had come out of Goldie’s grotto. The tiny rabbit’s whiskers were quivering with fear, but she hopped up to the Boggits.

“Leave the Blossom Briar alone!” cried the little rabbit.

“Lucy, go back inside!” called Goldie.

But before Lucy could move, Pongo scooped the rabbit up in his big, smelly paw. Lucy squirmed, her ears shaking with fright.

“Help!” she squeaked.

Jess clenched her fists. “Put her down!”

Goldie sprang at Pongo, reaching out for Lucy. But the Boggit dodged aside.

“Go, Pongo!” Whiffy yelled. “We show rabbit what happens when you mess with Boggits.”

Clutching Lucy, Pongo ran off.

“After him!” yelled Jess.

The girls and Goldie followed as Pongo crashed through the forest. But the Boggit had gotten a head start, and soon he was far ahead of them.

“This way!” called Lily, leading her friends around a bush with white flowers that were shaped like stars. But when they reached the other side, Pongo had vanished among the trees.

Jess felt as if her heart had sunk into her sneakers. “He could have taken Lucy anywhere. How will we know where to look?”

“There must be a clue somewhere,” said Lily.

She peered around a tree while Goldie sniffed the air for his horrible, rotting smell.

“Nothing,” the cat said.

Jess wriggled right under the bush, but there was no sign of Pongo or the little rabbit.

“Do you think he might have taken Lucy into our world?” Jess asked, rubbing mud from her leggings.

Goldie shook her head. “I can visit the human world because I was born there, but the other animals can’t—and you’re the only humans who can visit Friendship Forest.” For a moment, her worried frown faded and she smiled up at the girls. “Your love of animals makes you special, you see.”

“So Lucy’s somewhere in the forest,” Jess said. “But where?”

Lily sat on a patch of moss, trying to think. Beside her, the star-shaped blooms nodded in the soft breeze. Most of them were as white as milk, but one was gray, just like the flower Grizelda had turned to dust. Then another of the white blooms turned as dull as stone.

“Look!” Lily cried. “The flowers are dying because the Boggits are hurting the Blossom Briar.”

With a gasp, Jess pointed to a patch of yellow flowers. Lots of them were gray, too.

“This is terrible,” said Goldie. “The sooner we find Lucy, the sooner we can stop the Boggits! If we don’t hurry, all the flowers in Friendship Forest could die.”

Almost all of the star flowers were gray now. But Lily noticed that one of them still had a purple, silky center...

Her heart racing, Lily picked out a scrap of material from the flower. “Look!” she cried. “This comes from Lucy’s bow, doesn’t it? The ribbon must be unraveling. Everybody look for scraps of purple fabric. The trail will lead us to Lucy!”