Jess and Lily turned to see Goldie holding out her paws to them. She was standing upright, as tall as their shoulders now that they had shrunk, and wearing her golden scarf. Like all the Friendship Forest creatures, she could talk.
“Oh, Goldie, it’s wonderful to be in Friendship Forest again!” cried Lily as the cat hugged them.
“Is that horrible witch, Grizelda, back?” asked Lily anxiously.
Goldie shook her head. “No,” she said, “but I do need your help.” She sat on a mossy tuffet and the girls settled down beside her.
“Do you remember that I was once a stray in the human world,” Goldie began, “before I found my way here to Friendship Forest?”
Jess and Lily nodded.
“A young dog was very kind to me then,” said Goldie. “You know him. He’s named Barney.”
“So that’s why he was barking at the pine tree,” said Lily. “He wasn’t chasing you—he was excited to see you!”
“That’s right,” said Goldie. “And today is Barney’s birthday, so I want to visit him. But every year, I judge the Friendship Forest Flower Festival, and guess what?”
“That’s today, too?” asked Jess.
Goldie nodded. “Would you two take my place and be the festival judges?”
Lily’s eyes shone. “Of course!” she said.
Jess was already on her feet. “I can’t wait!” she said. “We’ll see all our animal friends again!”
“Thank you,” Goldie said, smiling. “I knew I could rely on you two. The festival is in Sunshine Meadow. Come on, I’ll take you there!”
They followed Goldie through the forest to Sunshine Meadow. Red, yellow, and orange flowers glowed brightly in the grass. A long table was set up in the middle, covered with shiny prizes made by Agatha Glitterwing, the magpie. Animals were setting out floral arrangements on smaller tables dotted all around the meadow.
Jess sniffed. “Those flowers smell so lovely!” she said.
Just then, Woody Flufftail, a young squirrel, cried out, “Look, everyone! Goldie’s brought Jess and Lily!”
In a few moments, the girls were surrounded by the friends they’d made on their adventures in Friendship Forest. Lucy Longwhiskers and the rest of her rabbit family hopped up and down in excitement, while Ellie Featherbill, the duckling, quacked with joy.
Molly Twinkletail, the mouse, darted toward them. “You’re back! You’re back!” she squeaked. She was so little that Lily could scoop her up in one hand for a cuddle.
Bella Tabbypaw, the kitten, waved as she skipped over to them. “It’s the girls! Hooray!” she cried, hugging Lily’s and Jess’s legs.
“Hello, Bella!” said Jess, stroking the kitten’s striped head. The girls had helped rescue Lucy, Molly, Ellie, and Bella from Grizelda and her terrible helpers. It was so nice to see them safe and happy.
Goldie explained to Agatha, the festival organizer, that the girls were going to be the judges instead of her.
“Welcome, girls!” said Agatha with a flap of her wings. “It’s nice to meet you. Come on, everyone, let’s get our flowers ready for the contest!”
The animals ran off, squealing and squeaking in excitement.
“I’ll be back soon,” Goldie told Lily and Jess as she hugged them good-bye. “Have a wonderful time!”
“Bye, Goldie!” they called. “Have fun with Barney!”
While some of the animals were setting up displays of flowers, others were running food stalls or organizing games. Mrs. Twinkletail, Molly’s mother, gave them each a piece of cake from her stall.
“Yum,” said Jess, taking a bite. “It tastes like roses! There are even sugared rose petals on the icing.”
Lily pointed out a group of young animals who were using an enormous daisy chain as a jump rope. “Look—everything at the festival involves flowers!”
Jess noticed two puppies bounding between the stalls. They were as tall as the girls’ knees and had very waggly tails. She and Lily hadn’t met them before.
“They’re so cute!” Jess whispered to Lily. Then she said to the puppies, “Hello! Who are you?”
“I’m Poppy Muddlepup,” said one. Her fur was sandy-colored and she wore a red, heart-patterned bandanna around her neck. She was holding a little bag with flowers peeking out of it. “This is my twin brother, Patch.”
Patch looked just like Poppy, except for the brown patches in his sandy fur. His bandanna was blue and was covered in stars instead of hearts.
“Goldie told us about you,” said Patch, looking up at the girls. “We’re glad you came. It’s going to be so much fun!”
Across the meadow, Agatha Glitterwing jangled a bell.
“Ooh, it’s time for the judging,” said Poppy.
The first competition was for the biggest bloom. Jess and Lily chose a pale yellow moonflower as the winner. They were delighted to find that it belonged to Captain Ace, the stork. He and his hot air balloon had helped them rescue Molly Twinkletail.
Next, Jess and Lily measured the entries for the tallest-flower competition, and gave the prize to Mr. Silverback, the badger, for his climbing dandyrose.
Molly Twinkletail and her nine brothers and sisters won a special award for their beautifully woven flower baskets. There were prizes for flower arrangements, and for the loveliest scent, and one for the best bouquet. The girls awarded the prize for the flowers with the most petals to Poppy and Patch Muddlepup. Their red twisting twirls won easily. They had far too many petals to count!
“Would you like one?” Poppy asked. She picked a twisting twirl each for Lily and Jess. “You could put them in your hair,” she suggested shyly.
The long red flowers rustled softly, as if they were whispering.
“They’re gorgeous,” said Lily. “Are they hard to grow?”
“Not for us,” said Patch. “We know lots about growing flowers. If you come to our family den in Garden Grove after the festival, we’ll show you why.”
Jess and Lily looked at each other. They’d love to spend more time with the puppy twins! “Great!” Jess cried.
Everyone cheered as they presented the rest of the prizes. When the festival came to an end, the girls said good-bye to their friends and followed Poppy and Patch to Garden Grove. The two puppies were bouncing with excitement.
They led the girls into a sun-dappled clearing. A wooden den stood in the center, surrounded by beds of strange and beautiful plants. Mr. and Mrs. Muddlepup came outside to greet the girls and admire the prize Poppy and Patch had won—a silver bowl. “Well done, you two!” said Mrs. Muddlepup proudly.
Jess wandered over to a plant with long blue leaves and lemon-scented berries. She touched a leaf, then snatched her hand away. “It moved!” she cried.
The puppies rolled on the floor in laughter. “Our plants are magical,” Poppy said. “Jess, touch the small curly plant with your shoe.”
Jess did so, and both girls gasped when her white boot turned pink.
“That’s a color-clover. It makes things change color,” Poppy explained. “Watch the bubbling buttercup send out bubbles,” she gabbled, “and just look at what the pom-pom puffball does.” She blew on one of the purple flowers. The puffball dissolved into bright pink smoke that wafted away on the breeze.
“Wow!” said Lily. “These are fun!”
“They’re helpful, too,” said Mr. Muddlepup. “We use them in potions to help sick animals feel better.”
Poppy held up her flower bag. “I always keep some with me, just in case I need them,” she explained. “Come and see the rest of the garden!”