Sophie Flufftail’s Brave Plan

Chapter Seven Inside the Winter Cave

Chilly whimpered again. With each cry, puffs of snow blew out of his mouth.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jess asked.

“We have to help him,” Lily said.

“But what if he puts a spell on us, too?” said Goldie. “Then who will help the Flufftails and save Friendship Forest?”

Chilly gave a huge rattling sniffle, then puffed out more snow.

Lily and Jess looked at each other. Goldie was right. What were they going to do? Before they could move, Lily’s hood started wriggling. Sophie jumped out and darted down Lily’s back.

“Sophie, no!” Jess whispered.

But Sophie didn’t listen. “I hid before, but I’m not hiding anymore!” she chattered as she jumped down on the floor of the Winter Cave, then bravely scampered over to the dragon.

“Take the spell off my family, you big meanie!” she shouted as she scurried right up to Chilly and stood in front of him.

The crying stopped. The dragon’s eyes snapped open and he jumped onto his clawed feet. Chilly opened his mouth, as if he was about to roar...

But to the girls’ surprise, the little dragon gave another whimper.

“Who’s there?” he asked, his scaly legs trembling. “Are you a monster?”

Sophie looked shocked. “No, it’s me, Sophie Flufftail,” she told him. “And my friends. Why did you think we were monsters, Chilly?”

Chilly trembled. “Anything could be hiding in the dark.”

“Chilly’s scared of the dark!” Lily gasped. “That’s why he was crying!”

“Of course!” said Jess. “The forest is colder and darker without the Shining House. Chilly likes how cold it is, but he doesn’t like the darkness!”

Goldie’s green eyes gleamed. “Smart Sophie for talking to him! We’d never have realized otherwise.”

Lily glanced down at the hotpot in her hand. It had given her an idea. She lifted the lid, and a warm light shone out, making the icicles on the roof glitter like chandeliers.

Chilly gazed up, his eyes wide. “Oooh,” he breathed happily.

Lily held the hotpot out to him. “You can have it if you want,” she told him, “as long as you do something for us.”

Chilly reached a scaly paw toward the hotpot. Then he leaped back. “Hot!” he roared angrily, blowing a puff of snow over them all.

Lily glanced anxiously at Jess and Goldie. What should they do now? Sophie scampered over and they all gathered on one side of the cave.

“If only the hotpot wasn’t hot,” Goldie sighed.

“We need one of Mr. Cleverfeather’s glowworm lanterns,” said Jess, thinking back on one of their other adventures. “They made light but they weren’t too warm.”

“Oh, I know!” cried Sophie. “There were fireflies outside. Maybe they’d light the cave for Chilly?”

Goldie ran outside as fast as her paws could take her.

“Chilly, we think we can make the Winter Cave nice and light,” Jess said. “But we want you to do something in return. Will you take your spell off Sophie’s family?”

“Can’t,” said Chilly.

“But why not?” Jess asked.

The little dragon shrugged sadly.

Jess remembered how bossy Grizelda was to the dragons when they first saw them in Brightley Meadow.

“Is it because of Grizelda?” she asked.

Chilly nodded his scaly blue head.

“You don’t have to do what she says,” Jess went on.

Chilly looked puzzled. “Don’t I?”

“No,” said Lily, catching on to what Jess was thinking. “Dragons don’t take orders from witches!”

Chilly roared again, sending more snow fluttering around the cave. “I’m going to lift my spell whether she likes it or not! Pffffftttt!” He blew a huge raspberry.

Brave Sophie raced over to Chilly and gave him a hug. “Thank you!” she said.

The girls cheered. “Now we just need Goldie to get the fireflies to agree to help,” Lily said.

“I don’t think we need to worry about that,” Jess smiled. “Look!”

Goldie rushed back into the cave, followed by a gorgeous fluttering cloud of golden fireflies.

“You must promise not to hurt the fireflies, Chilly,” Goldie told him sternly.

Chilly looked around happily. “Lovely light.” He blew out a breath, which sparkled with frost. Then he stared shyly at Sophie and the girls. “Thank you.”

Lily smiled at the little dragon. Thanks to Sophie, they’d found out that he wasn’t so bad after all. “You’re welcome, Chilly. Now let’s break that spell!”

Lola, the Flufftails, and Mr. Silverback gasped with surprise when the dragon peered down the hole into the underground garden.

“Chilly’s going to lift the spell so you’ll love the sunshine again,” Lily told the squirrels.

Chilly beat his wings and chanted,

“Dragon wings stop Chilly’s spell

Grizelda’s had her fun

Make squirrels be themselves again

And love the golden sun.”

Instantly, the young Flufftails started squealing. “It’s so dark!” squeaked Woody.

“Where are we?” asked Dasha.

“You’ve been under a spell that made you hate the sunshine,” said Jess.

“We have to get back home to the Shining House!” said Mr. Flufftail. “Come along, children, quickly!”

Lola and Mr. Silverback helped them climb out of the tunnel, and Sophie quickly told her family the whole story. The Flufftails thanked everyone.

“As for you, Sophie,” said her father, “you’re the bravest little squirrel there ever was. We’re so proud of you.”

Everyone hugged, then Mrs. Flufftail shivered. “Brrr! We’d better fix the Shining House before the forest becomes any more wintry.” She bounded away. “Come on, Flufftails. Work to do!”

Goldie smiled. “When the Shining House is gleaming again,” she said, “then Grizelda’s plan will have failed!”

Lily turned to Chilly. “Thank you for freeing them. You’re not going to cast any more spells, are you?”

Chilly shook his head. “I’m going to play in the Winter Cave! The fireflies have made it so nice and light!”

The girls and Goldie waved as he flew a loop-the-loop over their heads, then flapped away. Goldie, Lily, and Jess grinned, then raced after their squirrel friends. It was time to fix the Shining House for good!