And in the balloon’s basket was Goldie!
Chapter Four
Back to the Den
“Goldie!” cried Jess. “How did you know where we were?”
Ace lowered the basket to the tower roof, and Goldie sprang out. She hugged her friends and Poppy. Then she quickly told them how she’d found them.
“When I got back to Friendship Forest after visiting Barney,” she explained, “I found Mrs. Taptree waiting for me. She told me about poor Patch and the potion and rushed me to Garden Grove. Then Woody Flufftail came by and said you had two ingredients already and were looking for Sunrise Berries.”
“We found them,” said Lily. “Right here in Grizelda’s tower!”
“I guessed you would,” said Goldie. “You’re brave and clever, and I knew you’d do your best to find all the things you needed.”
“And you found us!” said Jess.
“Yes, thanks to Captain Ace,” said Goldie. “I thought you might need help getting back to the Muddlepups’ den in time. Now quick—into the basket!”
When they were all safely aboard, Ace flew them away and over the forest. As the balloon took them farther and farther from Grizelda’s chilly tower, they felt happier and happier. But then Goldie gasped. “Hurry!” she cried. “The sun has almost set!”
Captain Ace’s wings beat harder and the balloon moved faster through the darkening sky.
Poppy spotted her family’s den first. “There, Captain Ace!” she cried, pointing her paw.
Ace lowered the balloon over the den and Lily climbed down a rope ladder, being careful not to land on the magical flowers below. Who knew what might happen if they were stepped on?
Jess passed Poppy to Lily, then she and Goldie climbed down.
Everyone yelled, “Thank you!” to Captain Ace as he flew off with the balloon. Then they rushed into the den, calling, “We’re back!”
Mr. and Mrs. Muddlepup were sitting with Patch, who was still fast asleep in his nest of blankets. They looked very worried.
“Poppy, fetch a bowl, please,” Lily said. Then she explained their plan to the Muddlepups. “We’re going to make the Rise and Shine potion, and then we’re going to wake Patch up.”
Jess carefully emptied the jewel water out of the bottle blooms and into the bowl, then Lily dropped in the berries and added the hummingbird feather.
There was a fizzle! and a pffft! as the ingredients dissolved into a swirling, foaming, orange mixture. It began to glow with magic.
“It’s turning as bright as the sunrise,” Lily said. “That’s a good sign, isn’t it?” she asked anxiously.
No one replied. Lily guessed that they were all wondering the same thing. Oh, please let the potion work, she thought desperately.
Mrs. Muddlepup propped Patch up. Lily took a spoon and carefully dripped a little of the potion into his mouth. She’d done this sort of thing with medicine many times before at the wildlife hospital, but she’d never been quite this nervous.
The potion fizzed as it touched Patch’s tongue. His mouth moved a little as he tasted it. Now Lily was able to give him a whole spoonful.
Fizzle... fizzle, it went.
Patch’s nose twitched. He yawned a great wide yawn. And finally—he opened his eyes!
Mrs. Muddlepup burst into happy tears. “You’ve saved him! Oh, thank you, girls, you’ve saved my little Patch! How can we ever repay you?”
Jess and Lily felt as if they would explode with pleasure and relief. Through the windows, they could just see the last rays of the setting sun lighting the magical grove. They’d been just in time!
But then Jess saw something else. An orb of eerie yellow-green light was floating down toward the Muddlepups’ cozy den.
“Grizelda!” cried Jess. “She’s coming!”
Chapter Five
Good-bye, Muddlepups!
Goldie and the girls hurried out and saw the orb explode in a shower of evil-smelling sparks. There stood Grizelda, her dark eyes glittering coldly.
“This is it!” the witch sneered. “Your last chance to save Patch. Hand over Garden Grove and the magical plants to me, and the puppy will wake. If you refuse, he will sleep forever! Haaa!” Her laugh boomed like thunder.
Lily and Jess heard movement behind them and turned to see the Muddlepups emerging from their den. Last to come out was Patch—looking as wide-awake and bouncy as ever!
Grizelda gasped when she saw the puppy. A look of fury spread across her face, and her wild green hair stood out like the bristles on a hairbrush.
“How did this happen?” she shrieked. “You couldn’t have made the Rise and Shine potion, because you didn’t have all the ingredients!” She pointed at Patch. “He broke my spell! How did he break it? Answer me!”
Jess went to speak, but Goldie hushed her. “Grizelda doesn’t know you got the Sunrise Berries from her tower,” she whispered. “She thinks Patch has special magic powers!”
Jess’s face lit up. “Let’s tell her that all the Muddlepups are magical,” she whispered back, “and that she’d better leave them alone if she knows what’s good for her.”
Lily nodded and turned to the Muddlepups so that her back was to Grizelda, putting a finger to her lips.
Jess spoke in a loud voice. “Of course Patch broke your spell. Everyone knows that all the Muddlepups are magical and can break spells. Isn’t that right, Lily?”
“Yes, that’s why they look after Garden Grove,” Lily said. “They have special powers, so you’d better stay away, Grizelda! There are four of them and there’s only one of you!”
Jess glanced around. The Muddlepups were trying to hide their grins.
“I’m magical, too, you horrible witch!” Poppy shouted bravely. She skittered past the girls, clutching a bunch of purple pom-pom puffballs. She held them up and chanted nonsense words. “Bikker cree duckfar!” Then she blew on them, releasing clouds of bright pink smoke, just as she had shown the girls earlier. They wafted toward the witch.
“Run, Grizelda!” Lily called. “Poppy just did a spell that makes witches disappear!”
Grizelda screamed and backed away from the pink cloud. “You might have won this time,” she shrieked, “but this isn’t the last you’ll see of me!”
She snapped her fingers and vanished in a shower of yellow sparks.
After a moment’s silence, everyone burst into loud cheers. “Hooray!”
Mr. and Mrs. Muddlepup hugged the girls, and both their tails wagged.
“We’re not really magical, are we?” asked Patch. “We’re not special?”
Lily smiled. “We did make up most of what we said to fool Grizelda,” she explained, “but you Muddlepups definitely are special.”
“And so are you girls!” yapped Poppy in delight.
A little while later, they were all enjoying Mrs. Muddlepup’s delicious sweetroot soup and hazelnut crackers, and then it was time for Jess and Lily to say good-bye. There were lots of hugs for everyone, and kisses and cuddles for Poppy, then Goldie took Lily and Jess all the way back to the Friendship Tree. The girls put their warm clothes back on while Goldie touched a paw to the trunk.