Sophie Flufftail’s Brave Plan

Chapter Six Hotpots

“Let’s go to the Toadstool Café to think,” Jess suggested.

“Don’t worry, little Sophie,” said Mr. Silverback. “Your family will be safe here with me.”

They thanked the badger and Sophie hugged each member of her family good-bye. Lola dug upward, making a hole big enough for everyone to climb out.

As the girls reached the surface, they stared around in shock. The forest was so different from the sunny place they’d seen when they’d stepped through the Friendship Tree. Without the Shining House it was gloomy and gray and the air was damp and cold.

“We have to fix this,” Goldie said miserably.

“Can I come with you to the Toadstool Café?” asked Lola. “I don’t want to meet Chilly by myself.”

“Of course,” said Lily, holding the mole’s soft paw comfortingly.

They walked back to Toadstool Glade. The café was full of shivering rabbits and cold birds and mice with chattering teeth, but they all squeezed in to make room.

“Everyone, take one of my play cots—I mean clay pots,” said a voice from somewhere in the middle of the room.

Jess grinned. “I know who that is!”

They made their way through the crowded café to where Mr. Cleverfeather was handing out red-brown pots to all the shivering little animals.

“Hello,” he said when he saw Goldie and the girls. “Something’s long with the forest, and everyone’s sold—I mean, something’s wrong and everyone’s cold. So I invented these hotpots.” He passed some over to Lily, Jess, and Goldie.

The round pots felt smooth and warm. Jess peeked under the lid of her hotpot and saw softly glowing embers. The girls, Goldie, and Sophie sat down and held the cozy pots. They felt even better when Mrs. Longwhiskers came over with a tray of hot blackberry tea and blossom buns.

“Mmm,” Lily said as she enjoyed the buns’ gooey golden filling, which tasted like butterscotch.

“Yummy!” Jess agreed. She looked around at the animals all huddled together. “All right, what are we going to do? We need to fix the Shining House and the Flufftails can’t help us.”

All the animals leaned in to listen. “Maybe we could break Chilly’s magic somehow?” Lily thought out loud.

Goldie glanced up as a long-legged stork wearing a flying helmet and carrying a tall cup made from bamboo appeared through the crowd. “Hello, Captain Ace,” she said. “Have you ever met a dragon on any of your long flights?”

Captain Ace nodded. “I did once. Now that was a very interesting journey.”

“Do you know anything about their magic?” asked Lily eagerly.

“One thing I know is that you can’t lift a dragon’s spell,” said the captain. “You have to persuade the dragon to do it himself.”

He dipped his beak into his tea as he strode away.

“If he’s right,” said Lily, “we have to find Chilly.”

“But where could he be?” Jess said.

Sophie shivered. “An ice dragon would probably go somewhere really cold.”

Lola wriggled. “Ooh! I know! The Winter Cave.”

Goldie’s green eyes gleamed. “Lola, that sounds like exactly the right place! But where is it?”

“It’s just beyond the Silver Spring,” said Lola. “I tunneled into it by mistake one day, and almost froze! I’m never going there again.”

“That must be it!” exclaimed Jess. “Lola, you don’t have to come, but could you tell us how to find it?”

“It’s very simple,” the mole said. “Instead of going through the maze to the Silver Spring, you go around it. Look for a glowing bush and the cave entrance is just beneath.”

“A glowing bush?” Goldie said in surprise. “I’ve never heard of one of those in Friendship Forest.”

“At least it’ll be easy to spot.” Jess shrugged. “Come on!”

“I’ll go back and tell the Flufftails not to worry,” Lola volunteered.

The girls, Goldie, and Sophie waved good-bye to Lola and their other friends, and set off. But as Lily passed the Friendship Tree, she cried, “Stop!” and ran to grab the coats they’d left there. “Even with the hotpots, it’s getting so cold that we might need these,” she explained.

They put them on gladly.

“Hey, turn around, Lily,” said Jess. She picked Sophie up and nestled her into Lily’s fur-lined hood. The little squirrel curled her tail round her toes.

“Ooh, it’s so snuggly,” she said with a smile. “Thank you!”

On they went, clutching the hotpots, which were still wonderfully warm. At last, they saw a light up ahead.

“The glowing bush!” Lily laughed when she saw it.

“Poor Lola couldn’t see—it isn’t the bush that’s glowing!” Jess giggled as she looked at the plant. It was covered with gorgeous fireflies, eating the leaves!

“And here’s the entrance to the Winter Cave,” Goldie said, pulling aside the leaves.

They’d only taken a few steps inside the cave when a rumbling noise echoed though the air. Lily, Jess, and Goldie stopped, and Sophie ducked even farther down into Lily’s hood.

“What was that?” exclaimed Jess. “It sounded like horrible laughter.”

“We have to keep going,” said Lily with a gulp. She took another step forward, then gasped. “Come and look!” she whispered.

Jess and Goldie joined her. Sophie looked over Lily’s shoulder as they all peered into the mouth of the cave.

“Wow!” said Lily.

It was dark inside the cave, but the walls, roof, and floor shimmered with gleaming ice. Long icicles hung from the roof and the rocks on the ground glittered with frost.

And in the middle, his tail over his eyes and his body shaking, was Chilly. But he wasn’t laughing... he was crying!