Emily Prickleback’s Clever Idea

Chapter Five Kingfishers in Trouble

The group of friends hurried past trees and bushes. Emily peeked out of Jess’s pocket, holding her tiara in place with one paw.

Soon the bushes got so thick that they couldn’t see the river at all. As they walked along, they heard a funny noise. “Chee-kee, chee-kee!”

“It must be a bird,” Lily said, thinking about the birds they sometimes helped at the wildlife hospital. “It sounds upset.”

They pushed through the thick bushes to the river. As they got closer, they heard more and more bird voices crying out. “Chee-kee! Chee-kee!” they squawked.

When they reached the river, everyone gasped. The water had almost completely disappeared, leaving only a muddy ditch behind. And stuck in the mud were five small birds! Their feathers were plastered with mud, leaves, and bits of twigs.

“It’s the Blueflash kingfisher family,” Goldie cried, running to them. “What happened?”

“Chee-kee! Chee-kee!” Mrs. Blueflash cheeped, ruffling her feathers with worry. “Oh, Goldie! We stopped for a dip on our way to the Rushy River Race, so our colors would look fresh and bright. But now our wings are covered in thick mud so we can’t fly!”

One of the little Blueflashes flapped his wings, but he couldn’t take off. “We’ll never get home again,” he said sadly. “It’s too far to hop.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll help you,” said Lily. “There must be a way we can clean your feathers.”

“Lily and Jess help any animals in need,” Goldie said comfortingly.

“But how?” Lily whispered anxiously. “There’s no water to wash them.”

“Oh!” squeaked Emily. “I know how—I have an idea!” She wriggled out of Jess’s pocket and hopped down onto the ground. “Come here,” Emily called to the Blueflash family. One by one the kingfishers hopped out of the ditch, looking bedraggled and sorry for themselves.

“Just copy me!” Emily showed them how to roll around on the ground just like hedgehogs. “The mud on your feathers has dried in the sunshine,” she explained, “so if you roll, it will rub off!”

“It’s a dust bath!” Jess giggled in delight.

The Blueflashes did as Emily said, and once they saw that her plan was working, they all cheered up.

The young Blueflashes giggled as they rolled. Soon their brilliant blue-and-orange feathers were clean. They fluffed them up, then the kingfishers flapped their wings and took off, whizzing back and forth in delight.

“They’re so fast that all I can see are blue flashes!” Lily said, laughing.

“Great job, Emily!” said Jess. “That was really smart.”

Goldie told Mr. and Mrs. Blueflash about the spell Dusty had put on the rest of the Prickleback family.

“The beach is still very far away,” Mrs. Blueflash told them. “But we’ll see if she’s there. We can be there and back in a flash.”

“Thank you!” Jess called.

The kingfisher family took off in a blur of color. Minutes later they were back, shaking their heads. “She’s not there,” Mrs. Blueflash told them.

“We’ll keep an eye out for her,” promised Mr. Blueflash. “We really need the river back.”

One of the youngsters fluttered past them. “I’m cold,” he said. “Let’s fly up higher, where the air is warmer!”

“Wait a minute! Could that be where Dusty is?” Lily wondered out loud. “She’s not at the beach, but could she be sunbathing high in the treetops?”

Jess nodded. “It’s worth a try.”

Goldie’s whiskers twitched. “But there are so many trees,” she pointed out. “How do we know where she’d be?”

“Oh, I know!” said Emily. “She’d be up the tallest tree in the forest. That’s the Treasure Tree!”

“Of course!” said Jess, remembering that they’d climbed the tree on one of their adventures. “Your family is lucky you’re so smart, Emily. We’ll track Dusty down in no time. Let’s go!”