Jess and Goldie followed her to investigate. Lily jumped up and grabbed the Dropper Spotter so it wouldn’t get too far ahead, then joined them.
But there was no one behind the bushes.
“That’s funny.” Amelia scratched her head in surprise.
“Help!” a voice cried. “Please help me!”
“I heard it, too!” cried Jess. “It’s coming from that bush with orange flowers...”
As Lily, Jess, and Amelia ran over to the bush, Goldie shouted after them, her tail twitching with worry.
“No, wait!” the cat yelled. “That’s how Grizelda kidnapped me, remember—she used a spell so I thought an animal was in trouble! It’s a trap!”
But it was too late. There was a sudden explosion of stinky sparks in front of the girls and Amelia. Standing with Gobbler tucked under her arm was Grizelda!
Chapter Three
Shower Flower
With a triumphant cry, Grizelda snatched the Dropper Spotter from Lily. “Ha haaa!” she cackled. “I knew you’d fall for it if I called for help. Serves you right! You just can’t keep your noses out, can you?”
She pressed the Dropper Spotter’s start button and the umbrella started to turn.
“Ha haa!” she crowed. “Now I’ll find the shower flower!”
“Eeeep!” squeaked Gobbler as the witch dashed after the Dropper Spotter.
The four friends set off at top speed behind her.
“Hurry!” Goldie cried as she ran. “She’s getting away.”
Grizelda looked around, laughing as sparks flashed from her high-heeled boots.
“She’s using magic to go faster,” Lily groaned. “We’ll never catch up.”
“Keep going,” yelled Jess. Amelia was panting for breath, so she scooped the kitten up. “Grizelda will stop if the Dropper Spotter does!”
“Run!” cried Goldie, glancing up at the gray clouds overhead. “The sky’s getting darker. It will rain soon.”
They raced on until they came to a large clearing near the parasol tree.
“Look!” Lily cried, pointing. “There’s Grizelda. And Gobbler! The Dropper Spotter’s stopped!”
“That must be where the first raindrop will land,” said Jess.
As she spoke, the sky darkened. A gray cloud loomed overhead, right above where Grizelda was standing.
Goldie, Amelia, and the girls watched in horror as a single raindrop fell from the cloud, glittering like a diamond. The drop fell lower and lower until it splashed onto the dry ground at Grizelda’s feet.
Instantly, a green shoot sprang up, glistening with the raindrop’s moisture.
The rain started falling harder and, as it did, the shoot began to grow. When it was as tall as Grizelda, a huge blue flower burst into bloom.
Lily gasped. “The shower flower!” she cried. “Quick, let’s get it!”
They raced toward the tall plant, but they were too late. Grizelda’s long, bony fingers reached out and plucked it.
Cackling with glee, she pulled a glass flask from inside her cloak. She crumpled the flower and stuffed it inside. Only then did she look at Goldie and the girls.
Grizelda smiled her cold smile and waved the flask. “You’re too late,” she said, gloating. “All the ingredients are in here. My potion is complete and there’s nothing you can do!”
She shook the flask from side to side.
“Oh, no!” Lily breathed.
Amelia buried her face in her paws. “What’s the potion going to do?”
Chapter Four
Gobbler Grows
Goldie, Amelia, and the girls watched helplessly as Grizelda’s flask bubbled and fizzed. Dingy green smoke flowed over the top, leaving a thick liquid behind.
Grizelda poured the liquid onto a handful of leaves and put them on the ground in front of Gobbler.
“Eeeeeep!” he squeaked delightedly and began chomping on them. But after a moment, he had to stretch down to reach the rest of the leaves.
Jess gave a cry of alarm. “So that’s what the potion does—he’s getting bigger!”
They watched, horrified, as the furry blue creature grew larger. He bounded to a nearby bush and quickly munched his way through it, still growing. His shell-shaped ears grew as big as saucers, and his tail was twice as long as Goldie’s.
“He’s already much bigger than Amelia,” said Goldie, her green eyes wide with worry. “How big is he going to get?”
“Big enough to eat up the entire forest!” Grizelda cackled. “That’s right, my lovely, eat up!”
Gobbler swallowed the rest of the bush, and his fluffy blue body grew so he was as tall as the girls! Amelia gripped on to Lily’s leg, trembling.
“Oh, no!” said Goldie as Gobbler chomped a whole tree branch.
Gobbler stretched up on his hind legs to start eating a holly tree. His tail waved and twirled, swishing around like a gigantic feather boa.
“There has to be a way to stop him!” cried Lily.
The witch danced in delight. “Oh, no, there isn’t!” she crowed. “Gobbler will gobble everything—trees, smelly flowers, the animals’ homes, and their awful belongings. They’ll all leave. In a few hours, Friendship Forest will be mine, all mine!”
Jess clenched her fists. “You won’t win, Grizelda!” she yelled. “We’ve beaten you before and we’ll do it again!”
Grizelda ignored her. “Eat up, Gobbler,” she screeched. “I’m going to my tower to get my things ready to move here.”
She snapped her fingers, and vanished in a smelly burst of sparks.
Gobbler gobbled on. “Eep, eep,” he squeaked, licking his lips with his long red tongue.
Jess groaned with despair. “We’ll never stop him. He loves eating too much!”
Amelia and Goldie hugged each other miserably as Gobbler ate everything around him.
“We must do something,” said Goldie. “Think hard, everyone!”
Lily had a thought. “What if we got Gobbler to eat Grizelda’s workshop?” she said. “Those tough branches would keep him busy, and it would give us time to think of a way to break the spell.”
“Perfect!” said Jess. “Amelia, Gobbler likes you. Could you persuade him to come with us?”
“I’ll try,” Amelia said nervously.
She padded forward and called, “Gobbler?”
The creature was twice the size of the girls now. He looked down at Amelia and blinked his big blue-green eyes.
“Come with me, Gobbler!” Amelia called, setting off in the direction of the workshop. “We know where there’s lots of delicious food!”
“EEP!” said Gobbler, his voice now loud and booming. “EEEEEEEP!”
He followed after Amelia, his huge paws thumping on the ground. Lily, Jess, and Goldie hurried after them.
“Are you all right, Amelia?” Lily called.
“I think so,” the kitten replied over her shoulder. “He’s actually really friendly, even though he’s so big!”
As soon as they reached the workshop, Gobbler started gnawing through the tough branches. With each mouthful, he swelled up more, and more, and more, until he towered over the workshop itself.
Goldie sighed with despair. “We’ll never be able to feed him enough to stop him from ruining Friendship Forest.”