A familiar yellow-green orb of light was hurtling toward them!
“Quick, into my grotto!” Goldie shouted, but it was too late.
The orb burst in a shower of smelly green sparks. When they cleared, there stood Grizelda, wearing her usual purple tunic, skinny black pants, and high-heeled boots.
“Go away, Grizelda!” cried Jess. “We’ve had enough of your evil spells!”
The witch’s face was red with rage, and her green hair swished around like tangled snakes.
“You’ve stopped me this time, cat!” she shrieked. “But you won’t interfere with my plans again! Ever!”
She snapped her fingers and disappeared in a burst of vile-smelling green sparks.
Lily and Jess turned to Goldie.
“Don’t worry,” said Lily. “If Grizelda comes back, we’ll be ready for her.”
“Whatever happens,” said Jess. “Now, it’s your birthday, and we’re not going to let that awful witch spoil your party!”
“No way!” Amelia added bravely.
Mrs. Sparklepaw knelt to hug her kitten again. “Are you sure you don’t want to go home, Amelia?” she asked.
But Amelia shook her head. “I love parties, Mom! I want to stay!”
Goldie smiled at the little kitten. “I’ll go inside and start the Dreamy Creamy Ice Machine!”
When she’d gone in, Jess pulled out the little sketchbook and pencil she always carried in her pocket. “Lily,” she whispered. “We don’t have a present, but at least we can make Goldie a card.”
Amelia collected flower petals to decorate the card, and Lily found some tiny glossy red seeds that she stuck to the card with dabs of sticky pine sap.
They went inside to give the card to Goldie, but the ice cream machine stood silent in the empty cave. Goldie was nowhere to be seen.
“Goldie?” Jess called.
“Maybe she took ice cream out to the others,” said Amelia. “I’ll look.” She scampered away.
“Goldie?” Jess called again.
Amelia came back in, shaking her head. “She’s not outside, and no one’s seen her,” she said. Her whiskers twitched with worry. “Where could she be?”
Lily gave a cry of horror. “Oh, no,” she said. “Remember what Grizelda said—that Goldie wouldn’t stop her plans again? I think she’s taken her!”
Amelia gave a frightened mew. “Poor Goldie!”
Jess clenched her fists. “Whatever Grizelda’s done with Goldie, we’ll find out somehow. We won’t let that witch cat-nap our friend!”
Story Two
Cat-napped!
Chapter One
Where’s Goldie?
Lily and Jess sat in despair on Goldie’s sofa, with Amelia Sparklepaw the kitten snuggled between them.
Grizelda the witch had already spoiled Goldie’s birthday party with one horrible surprise. But now she had done something even worse. She’d cat-napped Goldie!
All the guests were still outside in the sunshine, enjoying the party food. They had no idea that the witch was up to her terrible tricks again.
Lily sighed. “Grizelda told us Goldie would never interfere with her plans ever again,” she said. “Where could she have taken her?”
“I keep hoping Goldie’s playing touch-a-tail, like I do with my brothers,” said Amelia sadly. “That would mean she’s just hiding. But she’s really gone.”
Jess took Amelia’s soft little paw. “Come on, let’s tell the others what happened.”
When the animals heard the news, they all gasped in shock.
“Poor Goldie!” squeaked Molly Twinkletail tearfully.
“She must be so scared,” cried Lucy Longwhiskers, her whiskers drooping.
The butterflies talked worriedly together in tinkling voices, twirling their parasol leaves as they flew.
“And Goldie was so brave helping to get Amelia back,” sniffled Mrs. Sparklepaw.
Mr. Cleverfeather hooted mournfully. “It’s a dad bay,” he said. “I mean, a bad day. Where could Goldie be?”
“Maybe Grizelda’s taken her to that terrible witchy tower of hers,” Lily suggested.
Everyone looked around in dismay. All except Amelia, who was staring at something on the ground, over where Grizelda had been standing. “Look,” she said. “One of the butterflies dropped their parasol leaf.”
“Ooh, yes,” said Jess. “Butterflies,” she called, “has anyone lost their parasol?”
“No,” they called in their tinkly voices.
Lily’s eyes shone. “Hey! If none of the butterflies dropped the leaf, maybe it fell from Grizelda’s clothes. It’s a clue!”
“You’re right!” cried Jess. “If we can find where it came from, maybe it’ll help us find Goldie. Hermia, where in the forest do parasol leaves grow?”
“We’ll show you,” cried the butterfly. “There’s only one parasol tree. Follow us!”
Hermia and her friends fluttered away in a rainbow swirl.
Lily and Jess started after them, but Amelia yelled, “I’m coming, too!”
Mrs. Sparklepaw held Amelia’s paw. “Stay here where you’re safe,” she said.
“Please, Mom,” Amelia begged. “Goldie helped rescue me, remember?”
“Jess and I will take care of her,” Lily said to Mrs. Sparklepaw. “We promise.”
“All right,” Mrs. Sparklepaw agreed.
Amelia scampered along beside Jess and Lily as they followed the butterflies. Behind them, the animals called, “Good luck!”
“Don’t worry,” Jess called, “we’ll be back soon—with Goldie, too!”
Chapter Two
Amelia’s Flower
The butterflies swirled in a colorful, fluttering cloud through the forest.
“Almost there,” Hermia said.
Soon they reached the Treasure Tree. Its branches were covered in enough fruit, nuts, and berries for all the animals in the forest. The lower branches were heavy with golden pineapples. Nearby, the Paddlefoot beaver family was filling baskets with the spiky yellow fruit.
“Hello, Jess and Lily,” little Betsy Paddlefoot called. “We’re having pineapple pudding today.
Would you like to come and have some?”
“We’d love to, Betsy,” said Jess, “but we’re busy following a clue. It’s very important!”
The cloud of butterflies led them on through the trees. Finally, they reached an umbrella-shaped tree.
“The parasol tree!” Lily said excitedly.
The butterflies swirled around it so fast that they made a ribbon of color.
“Thank you, butterflies!” said Jess.
Hermia and her friends called good-bye and fluttered away.
Amelia bounded over to the tree, and the girls joined her to look up through the delicate branches.
“There’s no one there,” Jess said. “No Goldie, no Grizelda.”
Amelia’s whiskers drooped.
Jess stroked the kitten’s fluffy head. “We’ll keep looking,” she promised.
Lily glanced around and noticed something odd close by. “Look! There’s a strange bush,” she told the others.
“Let’s take a look,” said Jess.
“Be careful,” Lily said, picking Amelia up. She hugged the kitten close. “Something about it gives me the shivers.”
As they drew nearer, they saw it was a building made of thick, thorny branches twisted together.