Lucy Longwhiskers Gets Lost

Chapter Six Mr. Cleverfeather

The girls and Goldie darted through the forest. Lily spotted a second piece of material.

“This way!” she called.

Soon, Jess found a third strand, then Goldie saw another, beneath a tall tree.

“This must be the right way,” she panted.

But that was the last scrap they found.

Jess groaned. “I can’t believe it! We were so close.”

They were all wondering what to do when a loud buzzing sound from above made them jump.

Jess looked up. “Watch out!” she cried, as hundreds of dead leaves showered down from the tree.

“Do you think it’s Grizelda?” Lily asked, looking up anxiously. The thought of the witch lurking nearby made her shiver.

Buzzzz!

More leaves tumbled down. Jess darted away and leaned against a tree. Beneath her fingers, she felt the trunk move...

Jess spun around. The surface of the trunk was rippling and twisting!

“Hey, look at this!” she called.

Lily and Goldie hurried over. A staircase appeared on the tree, winding around the trunk up into the branches.

“More magic!” Lily breathed.

“Maybe Lucy’s up there,” Jess suggested. “Let’s find out!”

She put one foot on the bottom step and began to climb, with Goldie and Lily close behind.

At the top, Jess called down, “There’s some sort of shed up here!”

“Did you say a shed?” asked Lily, amazed.

“Yes,” said Jess. “The door’s open. Maybe Lucy’s inside!”

Goldie and Lily followed Jess into the ramshackle tree house. The girls had to stoop slightly because their heads touched the ceiling. It was gloomy, with leaves everywhere, and no sign of Lucy...

But there was an owl. He wore a striped vest with lots of little pockets, and a monocle fixed in front of one eye, like half a pair of eyeglasses.

“Yeeeek!” the owl screeched. He pressed a button on the long tube he held.

Buzzzz! It blew the leaves into a spin, making the girls and Goldie squeal.

“Yeeeek!” the owl screeched again. He dropped the tube and his monocle flew off.

“Don’t be scared!” cried Goldie. “It’s me, Goldie, and my friends, Lily and Jess!”

The owl felt around the floor with his wing tips. “Where’s my monocle?” he wailed. “I can’t see properly without it.”

Lily found it and gave it to him.

“Thank you,” he said. “I do jolly pies.”

“Jolly pies?” Jess wondered aloud.

“I think he means ‘apologize’!” said Lily.

“Girls, this is Mr. Cleverfeather,” Goldie explained. “I think we’ve found his secret inventing shed!”

The girls gazed around. Half-finished gadgets, drawings, and tools covered every surface. A diagram labeled FOR TWINKLETAIL FAMILY showed plans for a double-decker stroller that held five baby mice on each level. Another was a machine for catching baby birds that fell out of their nests.

“What’s the long tube for?” asked Lily, pointing to the contraption that Mr. Cleverfeather was holding.

“It’s my latest invention,” Mr. Cleverfeather said. “A beef lower. Er, I mean a leaf blower. Leaves get everywhere, you see, and mess up my inventions.” He squinted at Jess and Lily. “What sort of creatures are you?”

“Jess and Lily are young humans,” Goldie explained. “They’re clever and brave.”

“Most interesting,” said Mr. Cleverfeather. “But why are you here?”

Goldie told him about Lucy, the Boggits, and the Blossom Briar.

“Have you seen Lucy?” Lily asked.

“I’m afraid not,” said Mr. Cleverfeather.

Lily wasn’t surprised. He didn’t seem to have very good eyesight.

“You could try my telescope,” Mr. Cleverfeather suggested. “Maybe you can spot the runny babbit—er, bunny rabbit.” He opened the back door and led them onto a balcony.

Mr. Cleverfeather lifted a cover made of leaves stitched together, revealing a wooden telescope. Lily crouched down to look through it, scanning the forest in all directions. Suddenly, she caught sight of something moving at the top of a chestnut tree.

“It’s Lucy!” she yelled. “But she’s in a cage. Her ears are droopy and she looks so sad.”

Jess and Goldie gasped as they took turns looking through the telescope at the little rabbit.

Faintly, Lucy’s voice floated toward them. “Help! Please, someone help me!”

“She’s really scared!” Goldie cried.

Jess clenched her fists. “Let’s get her out of there, right now!”

“But she’s so high up in that tree,” Lily said despairingly. “We’ll never reach her!”