CHAPTER ONE
The Talking Bud
Spring had come to Misty Wood. The early morning sun could see lots of baby plants starting to grow on the ground below as he rose through the bright blue sky. With a warm smile, the sun reached out his beams to help the plants push through the soil.
High among the trees, there was a flash of silver. It was a little bunny! She had soft silver-gray fur, violet eyes that sparkled like jewels ... and a pair of golden fairy wings. Her name was Bella, and she was a Bud Bunny-one of the fairy animals who lived in Misty Wood. As she flitted through the trees, she sang a song about the special job she was going to do-open the beautiful spring flowers.
Shine on, shine on, big, bright sun!
I'm on my way to have some fun.
I'll be spending happy hours
Turning buds into flowers!
Suddenly, Bella felt something trickle down her fur. Droplets of rain had started to fall. Pitter-patter went the raindrops as they bounced on the leaves. Bella smiled as the water tickled her nose. She liked the rain just as much as she liked the sun-it helped the flowers to grow, too!
Bella twitched her velvety nose. The leaves and the earth and the new plants smelled lovely in the rain. Everything was green and fresh.
Misty Wood will be even more beautiful when I've done my job! Bella thought. She twirled her wings and did a happy somersault. Soon there'll be lovely flowers everywhere!
Just as quickly as it had begun, the rain stopped and the sun was shining again.
"No time to lose," Bella told herself. "I must hurry to Bluebell Glade. There are hundreds of bluebells there, just waiting for me to open them."
She darted off through the trees, singing more of her song.
Little buds just wait for me.
I'll come soon to help you be
Pretty flowers fresh and bright,
Blue and yellow, pink and white.
"Hello, Bella!"
Bella spun around at the sound of her name. Carla, a Cobweb Kitten, was flying along behind her. Her wings sparkled in the sunlight as she hurried to catch up.
Carla was Bella's best friend. She had white fur the same color as the mist that gathered under the trees-and beautiful spots that looked like chocolate chips.
Carla flew up, and the two friends touched noses to say hello.
"I can't stop. I must get to Bluebell Glade," Bella explained. Then she noticed the little basket Carla was carrying, made from tightly woven flower stems. "Your basket looks heavy today, Carla."
"It's full to the brim with dewdrops," Carla replied proudly.
Just like the Bud Bunnies, the Cobweb Kittens had an important job to do in Misty Wood. Every day, the Cobweb Kittens gathered dewdrops and hung them on cobwebs so they glittered in the sunlight.
Suddenly, Bella's ears quivered. She could hear a buzzing noise.
Bzzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzzzzzz.
"What's that?" Bella said, spinning around.
"Look!" Carla cried.
Bella turned to see what Carla had spotted. A cloud of tiny wings glinted in the sunshine. Hundreds of insects were flying toward them.
A small blue June bug bumped into Bella's nose.
"Oops, sorry!" the June bug squeaked before whizzing on.
Then a swarm of striped hoverflies buzzed by.
"Hey, where are you going?" called Carla.
"Zzzzz. Musssst dassshhhh!" the hoverflies replied, following the June bug.
"I've never seen so many insects," Bella told Carla. "I wonder what's going on."
A big yellow butterfly fluttered up to them.
"Hello, Mr. Butterfly," Bella said. "Where are you all going?"
"Today is the Misty Wood Insect Sports Day," he said. "I'm the chief steward!" He twirled his long antennae grandly.
"Wow!" Bella gasped.
"Insect Sports Day! How could we have forgotten?" said Carla. "It happens every year on Heather Hill."
"Do come along. Everyone's welcome," the friendly butterfly said before whooshing after the hoverflies.
"Oh, I wish we could go," Carla sighed. "Watching the insects race must be so much fun!"
"I know!" said Bella. "Maybe we can, if we're really quick with our cobwebs and flower buds."
"Great idea!" Carla exclaimed. "I'd better start hanging up these dewdrops, then. Bye, Bella. See you later at Heather Hill." Carla rubbed noses with her friend and flew off toward the edge of the wood, where the cobwebs were waiting for their dewdrops.
"Bye!" Bella called after her. Then she set off toward Bluebell Glade, humming her happy song.
When Bella reached the glade, she swooped down and landed among the bluebells. Each one had lots of tight green buds just waiting to be opened. Bella's nose tingled with excitement. When she finished her work, the glade would be a sea of blue, and the sweet smell of the flowers would drift all through Misty Wood.
She hopped over to a bluebell stem and twitched her nose against the biggest bud. Very slowly, the petals began to unfurl. Bella hopped back and watched, her whiskers quivering in delight. This was her favorite part of her job. It was like watching a beautiful present unwrap itself. She held her breath, and a pretty blue flower, the same shape as a fairy's cap, burst out.
Bella sang happily as she hopped and bounced her way over to another bud.
A hippity-hop and a hoppity-hip.
Opening flowers makes me skip!
Soon she had opened dozens of bluebells. They tinkled like bells in the breeze, and the glade was filled with their sweet scent.
Then there was just one flower left to open. Bella hopped over to it eagerly. One more flower and then she could go to Insect Sports Day! But just as she placed her velvety nose next to the bud, something very strange happened.
"Please don't!" a voice squeaked.
Bella hopped back on her heels and stared at the plant in shock. The voice was coming from the flower! In all the time she'd been a Bud Bunny, Bella had never heard a bud speak to her before. What was going on?
CHAPTER TWO
A Sad Ladybug
Bella pricked up her ears and listened. Everything was quiet. Maybe she'd imagined the voice.
"After all, buds can't talk, or can they?" she said to herself.
She hopped up close to the bluebell again. She was about to touch her nose to the bud when-
"Didn't you hear what I said?" the bud squeaked. "Please, please leave me alone!"
Bella jumped back in surprise. She definitely hadn't imagined the voice this time.
"Don't open me," the flower pleaded. Its voice was quivery now-as if it was about to cry.
"Why ever not?" Bella asked.
The bud went quiet again.
Bella leaned in close. "Don't you want to be a pretty flower?" she whispered.
The bud made a noise that sounded like a sigh. Then it said, in a teeny-tiny voice, "Well ... the thing is..."
"I can't hear you," Bella said.
The voice spoke again, a bit louder now. "The thing is ... you see ... I like being a bud. I don't want to change."
Bella's ears shot up and her eyes opened wide. She couldn't believe what the flower was saying. "Don't be silly!" she said. "You'll be a beautiful bluebell!"
"No!" squeaked the bud.
But Bella's nose was already twitching. The bud was probably just shy. Once Bella had opened it, and the flower saw how lovely it looked, it would soon change its mind. She pressed her nose against the bud and wiggled it.
One by one, the shiny blue petals unpeeled to reveal the biggest, brightest bluebell in the whole glade.
"There, see. You're beautiful!" Bella cried, clapping her silky paws.
"No!" the voice wailed. "I'm not beautiful at all. Look at me!"
Something flew out of the flower, zoomed toward Bella, and landed on her nose. Bella squinted to see what was there.
It was a tiny ladybug! She had a tiny frown on her face.
"Why didn't you listen to me?" the ladybug whispered. "Why couldn't you leave me in there?"
"I'm really sorry." Bella's ears flopped down over her face, the way they always did when she felt upset. "I ... I thought it was the flower talking."
"But flowers don't talk!" the ladybug exclaimed.
"I know, but..." Now Bella frowned. "What were you doing hiding inside a bluebell bud?" she asked.
The ladybug looked sad. "I was hiding from Insect Sports Day."
"What? But why?" Bella asked. "Sports Day is fun. I'm going to see it with my friend Carla."
The ladybug flew down from Bella's nose and landed on top of the bluebell in front of her.
"How can I go when I look like this?"
Bella stared at the ladybug. "What's wrong?" she asked. "You look all right to me."
The ladybug sighed. "How many spots can you see?"
Bella peered closely. The little insect was as red and shiny as a juicy apple. Right in the middle of her back was a single black spot.
"Oh!" Bella said. "You have only one spot."
The ladybug's eyes filled with tears. "Exactly! How can I go to Sports Day with just one spot? I'll look stupid!"
"It's a nice spot," Bella said.
The ladybug shook her head. "Proper ladybugs have lots of spots. I'm the only ladybug I know with just one. My family knows I'm different. They love me all the same. I don't even mind when my friends call me One-Spot. But"-the ladybug stopped to catch her breath-"if I go to Sports Day, all the insects in Misty Wood will see me, and they'll laugh." The ladybug's lip trembled. Her eyes were bright with tears.
"Don't be sad," Bella said.
"How can I not be sad?" the ladybug replied.
Bella's violet eyes lit up. "I know! I'll help you find some more spots."
The ladybug looked confused. "How will you do that?"
"Hmm. Let me think." Bella crouched down and leaned her head to one side to help her brain work better. She wiggled her nose-sometimes that helped her think. Suddenly, her whiskers twitched, and she hopped in the air.
"We need a song! I never do anything without a song."
Bella hopped and skipped around the little insect. Then she started to sing, thumping her paws on the ground to keep the rhythm.
This ladybug needs some spots.
Hoppity, hoppity, hop!
We're going to find lots and lots.
Hoppity, hoppity, hop!
Hopping here and hopping there,
Hopping, bopping everywhere!
She'll be happy when she's got
LOTS AND LOTS OF SPOTS!
"How was that?" Bella asked, giving an extra-bouncy hop as she finished singing. But there was no reply.
The ladybug had vanished!
Text copyright © 2013 by Hothouse Fiction Ltd.
Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Artful Doodlers Ltd.
