“So Evie didn’t mean to be unkind,” Jess said. “She just can’t help it at the moment. Masha’s spell is making her love messes—and messy surprises!”
Goldie came over with her paws full of raspberries. She popped them in Ellie’s basket. “There aren’t any blackberries left, but these will make a nice pie,” she said.
Ellie’s eyes sparkled. “Thanks, Goldie!” she quacked.
The girls and Goldie hugged the duckling good-bye, then hurried through the forest.
After a while, Goldie stopped and held up a paw. “Something’s moving up ahead,” she said. “Maybe it’s Evie and Masha.”
They heard a sharp giggle. “Hee-hee!”
Goldie whirled around, her ears pricked. “I can’t tell where it’s coming from,” she said.
“Perhaps that sneaky pair are following us,” suggested Lily.
“Let’s not worry about them for now,” said Jess. “We need that jewel collection. Come on!”
They hurried on and finally emerged from the trees near the entrance to one of the tunnels leading to the cavern.
Lily jumped as a twig snapped, right above her head. She looked up.
“Evie and Masha!” she cried. “So they were following us!”
The little black-and-white puppy shouted, “Surprise!” and threw a big pawful of blackberries at Lily.
“Stop!” Jess cried, but the only reply she got was a splatter of juicy ripe berries in her curly blond hair.
Evie laughed as Masha threw more blackberries. They splattered against the trees, covering the bark in sticky juice.
“Hee! What a lovely mess!” said Masha. She hurried off, Evie following after her—but instead of bounding as she usually did, Evie scuttled with her body close to the ground.
“She’s behaving just like a rat!” said Lily with a groan.
Jess nodded. “We have to lift Masha’s spell before she turns into a rat for good. Come on, let’s hurry!”
They quickly cleaned off the purple blackberry mush as best they could, then went into the tunnel. It wasn’t as dark as it was the last time they were there, when they went to rescue Bella Tabbypaw.
“Mr. Fuzzybrush the fox dug holes in the tunnel roof so the sun can shine in and light the way,” said Goldie. “Now all the animals can come and see the jewels.”
“Look, Jess!” said Lily, as they approached the huge cavern. “I’d forgotten how big it was.”
Jess gazed in awe at the cavern roof, which was studded with brilliantly glittering jewels of every color.
“How does little Evie manage to reach them?” Jess wondered.
“She doesn’t need to,” Goldie smiled. “Look down.”
The girls gasped. Now the cavern was lighter, they saw something they’d never noticed before. The floor of the cave was dotted with beautiful jewels, too!
“Wow!” said Jess.
“There are so many!” Lily said, gazing at the glittering stones.
“We have to find Evie’s collection,” said Jess. “Remember, she kept it in a woven basket. Let’s look.”
Lily searched a pile of fallen rocks, while Jess looked in all the nooks and crevices along the far wall. Goldie searched behind the great columns that supported the roof.
They’d only been looking for a few minutes when Jess heard Lily cry, “I found it! And something else, too.”
Goldie and Jess ran to see.
The little basket had fallen on its side, spilling out colorful jewels.
“Look at Evie’s wonderful collection!” said Goldie. “They’re all different shapes—round ones, square ones...”
“Even a heart-shaped one,” said Jess, as she piled the jewels back into the basket.
“Look,” said Lily. She picked up some string lying close by. “Evie must have been making something.”
A few paces away, they found a neat pile of golden leaves and golden twigs.
“What was Evie making?” Jess wondered. “We’d better hang on to them—we might need them for our spell.”
Several tunnels led out of the cavern. They couldn’t decide which one to take until Lily noticed something on the floor at one of the entrances. A golden leaf. Just a little farther on was another one.
“Evie must have dropped them,” said Jess. “You know what this means? We can follow her trail! We know what her favorite food is and her favorite hobby—it might help us find out her secret.”
Goldie set off. “Let’s hurry,” she called back. “Evie was already acting so much like Masha, there can’t be much time left. If we don’t break the spell, she’ll turn into a messy rat for good!”
Chapter Six
Mud Pies
The trail of golden leaves led the friends through the tunnel. They came out near Willowtree River.
A tree with delicate trailing branches and golden leaves stood on the riverbank. “So that’s where Evie got the leaves from,” said Jess, pointing.
Perched up in the tree, where the trunk divided into five branches, was a tiny little cottage.
“It’s so pretty,” said Lily, looking closer at the willow twig walls and the braided reed roof.
The door opened, and out popped a kingfisher! Her beak opened in surprise.
“Jess and Lily!” she said. “And Goldie, too!”
It was Mrs. Blueflash! She and her family had helped the girls in their adventures before.
“Chicks!” the kingfisher called, and the whole family flew out to flutter around the girls’ heads, blowing kisses with their wingtips.
“Mrs. Blueflash, we need help,” said Jess. She explained about Evie and her pile of golden leaves.
“Evie has a special secret,” said Lily. “We have to discover what it is, otherwise she’ll turn into a rat like Masha from the Witchy Waste. Do you know anything about it?”
“All I know is that Evie wanted some of our golden leaves for a surprise present she’s making,” Mrs. Blueflash said.
“What is it?” Goldie asked.
“Who’s it for?” asked Jess.
Mrs. Blueflash shook her head. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”
Splat!
“Ow!” cried Lily. A big, sloppy ball of mud had hit her on the arm. “Oh, yuck. Who threw—”
Splat!
More mud hit the Blueflashes’ cottage and ran gloopily down the front window.
Splat!
Another spattered all over Jess’s hair. “Ugh!” she cried. “Evie and Masha must have followed us here!”
“There they are!” said Mrs. Blueflash, pointing her wing across the river. “Chee-kee! Chee-kee!” she cried.
Jess and Lily looked toward the opposite bank. There, giggling away, was Evie with Masha, Peep, Snippit, and Hopper. They were bending back a springy tree branch and loading it with mud. When they let go of the branch, the mud catapulted across the river.
Evie scurried to the water’s edge. “SURPRISE!” she yelled, then turned to Masha. “We should throw mud all around the rest of the forest, too!”
“Ooh, yes,” said the rat, “then it’ll be lovely and messy.” She launched another mud missile.
“Oh, no,” Mrs. Blueflash squawked. “Mud is very bad for feathers! Hurry, children, hide!”
“Over here!” a small voice called to the girls.
Lily and Jess turned to see the smallest kingfisher chick hiding among the leaves of a bush. They dove behind it, Lily grabbing Goldie’s paw and pulling her with them.
The chick was shaking with fright, so Lily carefully lifted her up and stroked her feathers soothingly.