Molly Twinkletail Runs Away

Chapter Eight A Bath for the Boggits

Mr. Paddlefoot gave the girls a thumbs-up, then the beavers rolled away the logs that supported the dam.

Whoosh!

Jess and Lily watched in amazement as a torrent of water gushed all over the shrieking Boggits. Molly’s whiskers twitched with excitement.

The Boggits roared and gasped as they tried to escape the downpour. They stumbled and spluttered, sliding over the slippery rocks in their panic to get to dry land.

But when they got there, they had another shock.

They were clean! All the mud and filth had been washed away, and their multi-colored fur was gleaming.

“Boggits is wet,” Sniff said with a shiver. “Lovely mud has gone. Boggits is cold.”

“Urgh!” grunted Pongo. “Boggits must get muddy again.”

Whiffy squeezed water from her skirt, wailing, “Whiffy’s clothes is clean and nasty.” She bent over and gave a horrified bellow. “Whiffy’s skirt is clean!”

Reek charged into the trees. “Run! Boggits must go back to Grizelda’s tower and get in mud pool!” he roared.

The others crashed after him through the forest.

“Hooray!” shouted the girls and their animal friends. Molly Twinkletail squeaked and clapped her tiny paws.

Goldie grinned. “The Boggits will be so busy getting dirty again that they’ll forget all about the Treasure Tree,” she said. “And I’ve got an idea for how we can fix the mess they’ve made...”

A little while later, all the animals had helped move the fair from Sunshine Meadow to the area around the Treasure Tree. Woody Flufftail and the other animals were upset when they saw how many nuts and pieces of fruit the Boggits had pulled from the tree.

“Don’t worry,” Goldie said. “There’s still enough left for everyone to have plenty of food. The fruit and nuts will grow back.”

Then Goldie explained her plan.

“We can change all the games so that everyone helps to clean up the mess the Boggits made,” she told the animals, “but has fun at the same time.”

“I know!” said Jess. “We could make a bottle toss with all the nuts the Boggits chucked around.”

“And have a game where whoever collects the most squashed fruit wins,” Lily suggested.

Woody and all of the other animals exchanged grins. “Fantastic!” they all said.

“Give some of the foiled soot—I mean, spoiled fruit—to me,” said Mr. Cleverfeather, adjusting his monocle. “I’ve got an idea...”

Soon everyone was enjoying themselves. Jess and Lily looked after the squashed-fruit-collecting competition, where Harry Prickleback was collecting apples by curling into a ball and rolling around, spiking the fruit on his spines. Molly and her nine brothers and sisters were squeaking happily as they danced in the bubbles pouring from Mr. Cleverfeather’s Bubble-Blower machine. He was tipping squashed fruit into it to make multicolored bubbles. They smelled delicious when they popped!

“I didn’t manage to get the apples Woody needed for apple-bobbing,” Molly told the girls, “but this is much more fun!”

As the sun began to set, the squashed fruit and nuts had been cleared away.

“Thank you,” Woody said to the girls and Goldie, his tail swishing happily. “There would be nothing growing on the tree at all if it wasn’t for you.”

Mr. and Mrs. Twinkletail each hugged the girls. “Thank you again for saving our Molly,” Mr. Twinkletail said.

Lily and Jess said good-bye to Molly and all their other friends, then Goldie took them back to the magical tree in the center of the forest so they could return to their own world. She touched the trunk with her paw and a door appeared.

“I’m so happy you were here today to stop Grizelda!” said the golden cat.

“So are we!” agreed Lily. “Do you think she’ll try to drive out all the animals again?”

“I’m sure she will,” Goldie said. “And when she’s back, I’ll come and get you.”

Jess and Lily hugged her.

“See you soon,” said Jess.

“Knowing Grizelda, you won’t have to wait very long!” said Goldie.

The girls stepped through the door and into the golden light that shimmered inside. A moment later, they found themselves in Brightley Meadow.

“Wow,” said Lily, rubbing her eyes. “That was an amazing adventure. I’m so glad we found Molly.”

“And saved the Treasure Tree,” said Jess with a smile.

They skipped back over the stepping stones. “Let’s go to your house and check on the other little mouse,” Lily said.

But when they asked Mr. Forester if he’d looked at the trap yet, he looked confused. “Of course not. You’ve only been gone ten minutes.”

Lily and Jess giggled. They’d forgotten that time stood still when they were in Friendship Forest!

“I’ll check it,” said Jess.

She looked in the cupboard. “Lily!” she whispered. “The trap’s little door is shut.”

“The mouse must be in there,” Lily said.

Jess picked up the trap. She could hear something moving inside. “Let’s set it free,” she said.

She carefully carried the trap to the trees at the end of the garden and set it down. Lily lifted the little door.

A moment later a tiny nose appeared, and slowly, slowly, the little brown mouse crept out. It scampered across the grass to a nearby hazel tree. There it stopped to nibble a fallen nut.

Lily and Jess smiled.

“Hazelnuts must be its favorite snack,” said Jess.

Lily laughed. “Just like Molly Twinkletail!”

The End