�Does this mean Friendship Forest needs our help?� wondered Lily. �Is Grizelda causing trouble for the animals?�

Grizelda was a wicked witch. So far Jess, Lily, and Goldie had managed to stop her plans to take over the forest, but now Grizelda had four helpers�messy creatures from the Witchy Waste.

The Witchy Waste had once been a beautiful water garden, with willow trees, ponds, and waterlilies. Then Grizelda�s creatures had made it as dirty as a landfill. Now she wanted them to help her make Friendship Forest messy and horrible, too, so all the animals would have to leave.

The last time Jess and Lily were in Friendship Forest, Peep the bat from the Witchy Waste put a spell on Olivia Nibblesqueak, a sweet little hamster. The spell made Olivia as messy as Peep, and had started to turn her into a bat, too! The girls had managed to undo Peep�s spell, but they knew that three more Witchy Waste creatures were waiting to cause trouble.

Goldie mewed as she turned toward the gate.

�Come on, Lily!� Jess hopped with excitement. �Goldie�s taking us to Friendship Forest!�

The girls ran down the lane, hurrying past the wildlife hospital. Two baby rabbits sat up inside their pen, looking startled as the girls dashed by.

Goldie led them over the stepping-stones in the stream at the bottom of Lily�s yard, and into Brightley Meadow. In the middle stood an old oak tree with bare, lifeless branches.

The Friendship Tree!

Jess and Lily shared an excited glance as Goldie reached the tree. Something amazing was about to happen!

Sure enough, leaves sprang from every branch�but they weren�t the bright spring green they usually were. This time, the leaves unfurled in glorious autumn colors�red, yellow, orange, and gold. They glowed in the sunshine. Bluebirds and robins swooped down to feast on the scarlet berries that hung from every twig.

Goldie stretched up a paw and patted some words carved into the tree trunk. Jess and Lily read the words aloud: �Friendship Forest!�

A door with a leaf-shaped handle appeared in the trunk. Jess opened it, and a soft golden light gleamed from inside. Goldie slipped through the door.

The girls held hands excitedly as they followed her into the shimmering glow.

A tingle ran right through them. Jess and Lily knew that meant they were shrinking, just a little.

As the light faded, they found themselves in a clearing in Friendship Forest. It was always summer in the forest, and today the warm air was sweet with the popcorn scent of nearby butterpuff bushes. Little cottages were tucked among the shady tree roots.

�It�s wonderful to be back,� Jess began, then gasped in surprise.

Every tree was covered in a glorious blanket of blossoms.

�Wow! There are so many colors,� said Lily, gazing up in wonder.

�Isn�t it beautiful?� said a soft voice.

The girls spun around. Their cat friend was standing upright, wearing her glittering golden scarf!

�Goldie! At last we can talk to you!� cried Lily as she ran to hug her.

�It�s a very special time in Friendship Forest,� said Goldie, smiling. �Today is Blossom Day!�

�Lorry I�m sate,� panted the owl as he reached them, mixing up his words like he always did. �I mean, sorry I�m late. I�ve got my Peffal Putter,� he said, patting the machine, �so we can start the hunt!�

�He means Petal Puffer,� Goldie whispered to the girls with a grin.

�Thank you, Mr. Cleverfeather,� said Mrs. Scruffypup. �Now when the Petal Puffer puffs, the hunt for the blossom drops begins!�

Lily, Jess, Goldie, and the little animals lined up excitedly in front of Mr. Cleverfeather. Evie was holding on to her big sister�s paw, her tail wagging with excitement.

�Petals ready! Puffer steady! Go!� Mr. Cleverfeather hooted.

He pressed a button and the Puffer whooshed thousands of petals high up above them. They drifted slowly downward like colorful confetti. With squeals of delight, the animals ran off to hunt for blossom drops. Lola Velvetnose and Olivia Nibblesqueak ran into the den, while Bella Tabbypaw darted over to search in a flower bed.

�Look!� Bella cried, holding up a little package made of leaves. �I�ve found some blossom drops!�

�Let�s search in the tree house,� said Hattie. �It�s this way!�

The girls and Goldie ran after the two puppies as they bounded over to a huge old apple tree. Built all around the trunk, and reaching up into the branches, was the most amazing wooden tree house they�d ever seen.

�Wow!� gasped Jess as she stared up at the different levels. There were curtains at the windows and pretty flowers painted all around the door.

�Dad made it,� said Evie. �Me and Hattie have lots of fun in here. Let�s see if there are any blossom drops inside!�

Evie and Hattie climbed into the tree house. Then they vanished from sight!

�Where are you?� Lily called up to them.

�Surprise!� Evie giggled, popping up at a third-floor window.

�Hi!� cried Hattie, looking out a door on the second level.

Evie disappeared for a moment, then leaned out of the topmost window. �Boo!�

Laughing, the girls and Goldie followed them inside. More flowers were painted on the walls, and they went up a wooden ladder to the next level, where Evie and Hattie were searching through a huge pile of toys.

Evie give a yip of excitement, and from inside a box of wooden animals she pulled out a small packet made of leaves tied with grass strands.

�Surprise!� Evie called. �Blossom drops!�

She handed the package to Lily, who opened it. Inside were lots of oval, honeysuckle-scented treats.

�Mmm!� Lily said as she ate one. �It�s gooey in the middle! That was a surprise.�

Evie giggled and Hattie pulled her into a hug. �Evie loves surprises!� Hattie said, ruffling her little sister�s fluffy fur.

They all jumped when they heard a terrified squeal.

�Eeeeeeeek!�

It came from the Scruffypups� den.

�What was that?� asked Goldie, her tail twitching with worry.

They hurried out of the tree house. Little animals were bursting out the front door of the den, scurrying to their parents. The girls and Goldie ran over. Through the windows, they could see a rat, a crow, a toad, and a bat charging through the den, chasing the frightened animals.

�The creatures from the Witchy Waste!� cried Lily. �They�re stealing all the blossom drops!�

Grizelda laughed. �The spell will make whoever it touches love messiness as much as Masha and her friends. Soon, the forest will be filled with creatures who love messiness and dirt! Friendship Forest will become so filthy that all you silly animals will have to leave. Ha-haa!�

Jess shouted bravely, �You won�t win!�

�We�ll see about that!� Grizelda snapped her fingers and disappeared in a burst of spitting sparks.

The animals were staring at each other in horror. A flash of movement caught Lily�s eye�Masha the rat was scuttling toward Evie!

�Look out!� Lily yelled.

But Masha had already reached the little puppy. She turned around and shook her long pink tail. A shower of purple sparks cascaded over Evie.

Goldie�s paws flew to her mouth. �Oh, no!� she cried.

Evie shook her fluffy fur. She sat still for a moment, but she looked exactly the same as she had before.

�Maybe nothing will happen,� said Jess hopefully.

But then Evie gave a yip. She darted to Bella Tabbypaw, snatched her blossom drop package, and threw the sweets all over the ground. �Look, a nice mess!� she cried.

�Oh, no,� said Goldie, �poor Evie already thinks she�s a messy rat!�

�Hee-hee!� giggled Masha. �Let�s take them all!� Evie and the Witchy Waste creatures ran into the trees, taking the rest of the stolen blossom drops with them.

�Come back!� called Mr. Scruffypup. But Evie had disappeared into the forest.

Evie�s mom gave a horrified cry and grasped the girls� hands in her paws. �What shall we do?�

Jess hugged her. �Don�t worry,� she said. �We�ll get Evie back.�

�We helped Olivia Nibblesqueak, remember?� said Lily, putting an arm around Hattie.

�That�s right,� said Goldie. �We found a spell in Mrs. Taptree�s library when Olivia started behaving like a bat. It stopped the messy magic before and it can do it again!�

Jess reached into her pocket and pulled out the mini-sketchbook she always carried with her.

�I copied it down,� she said, flipping through the pages. �Listen�it�s a spell to turn you back to your normal self.

You want to be yourself again?Then here�s what you must do.Gather up those favorite thingsThat mean the most to you.What do you like to do the most?What food do you love the best?And what is your biggest secret?Now here�s a little test.Put them in your favorite place,The place you love to be.If someone names those things aloud,Yourself once more you�ll be.

Hattie Scruffypup�s face brightened. �So we need to find Evie�s favorite things?�

�Exactly!� Lily beamed. �If we do that, we can save her!�

�That�s funny,� Mrs. Scruffypup said. She looked around with a puzzled expression. �Evie�s favorite is her jewel collection. She keeps it in a little woven basket under her bed, but it�s gone. Maybe she left it behind the last time she went to get more jewels?�

Mr. Scruffypup gave a yap of worry. �If we can�t find Evie�s favorite collection, Goldie and the girls can�t help her.�

�We won�t give up,� Lily said determinedly. �Where does Evie go to find the jewels?�

�The cavern beneath Toadstool Glade, I think,� Mrs. Scruffypup said.

�Of course!� said Jess. �It�s got jewels on the ceiling! We saw them during our adventure with Bella Tabbypaw. Don�t worry, we�ll save Evie!�

Lily, Jess, and Goldie hurried from Petal Hill, making their way through the forest toward Toadstool Glade.

On the way, they passed the Treasure Tree, where the forest animals got all the food they needed. A tiny pair of red boots stood at the bottom.

�Quack, quack, quack!� said an unhappy voice above them. Ellie Featherbill the duckling swung down on one of the ropes that dangled from the tree.

�Hello, Ellie!� said Lily. �What�s the matter?�

The duckling hugged the girls. �I came to get blackberries for Mom to make a pie,� she explained, �but they�re all gone!�

Jess held Ellie�s wingtip to help her balance while she put her boots on.

Ellie put one foot in.

Squelch!

�Yuck!� she said, and her feathers quivered. She pulled her foot out. It was covered in squished blackberry. �Yucky!� she quacked, and jumped up and down, trying to shake the mess off.

The girls peered inside Ellie�s boots. They were full of blackberries!

�That was a nasty surprise!� said Jess. �You poor thing!�

Ellie looked upset. �Who would be horrible enough to do that?�

The girls and Goldie shared a glance.

�Evie loves surprises, doesn�t she?� said Lily. �It must be her and Masha!�

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!�

�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.

�I�m Bethany,� the chick said, her voice trembling, �and Evie�s my friend. I really want her back to normal!� She gave a sob.

�Don�t worry,� said Jess. �We�ll help her. But we have to find out about her secret present.�

�I�m sorry,� Bethany said sadly, wiping her eyes with a wing. �I don�t know what it is.� Her face brightened. �But I think I know where it�s hidden!�

�That�s wonderful!� said Lily. �Do you think you could show us?�

Bethany gave another tremble, but then she puffed up her feathers. �Yes,� she said determinedly, �I�ll show you. I�d do anything to save Evie.�

�Thank you!� said Goldie, stroking the chick�s bright blue and orange feathers.

�Mom, I�m going to help Evie!� Bethany called.

�Please be careful!� Mrs. Blueflash called back.

�We�ll take care of her!� Jess promised. And they hurried away after Bethany, dodging the balls of mud that whizzed all around them.

Hattie smiled. �Evie�s the best little sister a puppy could have.�

�And thanks to you,� Jess said, �we�ve got everything we need to turn her back into her normal puppy self.� She took the basket of blossom drops from Hattie and put it down. �Her favorite food!�

Lily added the basket of jewels. �Her favorite things.�

�Her secret is the surprise party for Hattie,� said Goldie, as Hattie lay down the crown, �and her favorite place is Petal Dell.� Her ears pricked up. �Can you hear giggling?�

The girls listened. A moment later, they heard it, too.

�Evie and Masha must have followed us again,� Lily whispered.

�They�re probably planning another horrible, messy surprise,� Jess said softly. She drew a sharp breath. �Shhhh! They�re coming!�

Masha and Evie scurried out from the bushes nearby.

�What�s going on?� Masha demanded. She sat up on her back legs, chattering her teeth, and Evie did the same. Her fluffy, scruffy coat was now as dirty as Masha�s dirty fur. Hattie gave a cry of horror as she saw her sister.

Lily hugged Hattie. �Don�t worry, we have all of Evie�s favorite things. We�ll save your sister!�

But Evie scooped up a big pawful of mud from the ground. Squelch! The mud splattered over her favorite things.

�That was fun!� giggled Evie, and she and Masha laughed loudly at the mess.

�She doesn�t even recognize them,� Jess said, her stomach twisting with worry. �What if we�re too late?�

She snapped her fingers and disappeared in a burst of smelly sparks.

�It�s over,� Goldie said, putting an arm around Hattie and Evie.

It was early evening in Petal Dell and everyone was enjoying Hattie�s birthday party. Olivia and the other Nibblesqueaks had brought lots of tasty treats from their bakery. There were cheesy twists, fruit pies, honey biscuits, and three types of cake: raspberry cream sponge, lemon roll, and a birthday cake covered with Nibblesqueaks� Famous Nectar Icing. Olivia had iced Happy Birthday, Hattie! on it.

Hattie was wearing her birthday crown. �This is the best surprise ever, Evie,� she said. �It�s wonderful!�

�Having your party a day early was part of the surprise,� Evie said happily, as Hattie pulled her into a hug. �I�m so glad you like it!�

Mr. Cleverfeather had brought his Music-o-Matic. It was an enormous machine with a trumpet, drum, harp, and xylophone that played itself. Whenever anyone pressed a button and shouted, �All change!� a different tune played.

The Scruffypups were so delighted to have Evie back that they couldn�t stop dancing. The Longwhiskers family got everyone joining in the bunny hop, while the Blueflash family flew back and forth so the setting sun�s rays glinted on their orange and blue feathers.

Soon it was time for Jess and Lily to go home. Evie and Hattie hugged them good-bye.

�Thank you so much for saving me,� said Evie. Her fur was even scruffier than usual because she�d been dancing so much!

�You�re very welcome,� said Lily, giving her another cuddle.

Everyone waved good-bye.

�Snippit and Hopper will cast their spells soon, won�t they?� Jess said as Goldie led the girls to the Friendship Tree.

�When they do, we�ll be ready to help stop them,� promised Lily.

Goldie smiled and squeezed their hands with her paws. �You�re the best friends we animals could wish for.�

She touched the trunk and a door opened. The girls hugged Goldie and stepped into golden shimmering light. They felt the tingle that told them they were returning to their normal size and, as the light faded, they found themselves back in Brightley Meadow. The sun was still high. No time ever passed while they were in Friendship Forest!

�That was an amazing adventure,� said Lily with a smile.

�I know!� Jess grinned. �I can�t wait until next time.�

They made their way back to Jess�s yard, kicking up piles of red, yellow, and gold autumn leaves as they went. When they looked up at the tree, the little squirrel still sat on a branch, looking down at them.

Jess offered him an acorn. Both girls held their breath as the squirrel scampered down the tree, paused, then hopped over to Jess. He took the acorn and ran off toward the garden shed.

�What�s he doing?� asked Jess. �I thought squirrels buried their acorns.�

�He is burying it,� Lily giggled, �in one of your dad�s boots!�

Jess burst out laughing. �That�ll give Dad a surprise!�

The two girls shared a smile. They knew a little puppy who loved to give surprises!

The End