A Splash of Magic Read online

  To all the pet bunnies I’ve met.

  Thanks for the hugs!—SB

  GROSSET & DUNLAP

  Published by the Penguin Group

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  Text copyright © 2010 Sue Bentley. Illustrations copyright © 2010 Angela Swan. Cover illustration © 2010 Andrew Farley. First printed in Great Britain in 2010 by Puffin Books. First published in the United States in 2013 by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, 345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.

  ISBN: 978-0-698-14391-3

  A Splash of Magic

  SUE BENTLEY

  illustrated by Angela Swan

  Grosset & Dunlap

  An Imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  Arrow glanced around Moonglow Meadow as he emerged from the burrow. A rainbow shone in his warm brown eyes as he looked at the lush grass, dotted with colorful wildflowers. All around him, other magic rabbits were eating or drinking from the crystal pool.

  It was good to be back.

  Arrow shook himself and his velvety white fur ruffled up before settling into place again. He stretched out happily on the warm grass. Sunlight gleamed on the tiny gold key that Arrow wore on a fine chain around his neck. As guardian of Moonglow Meadow, it was his responsibility to keep it safe.

  A large older rabbit with a wise expression and a dark gray muzzle bounded up to him.

  “Strike!” Arrow bowed in greeting before the leader of the warren.

  “I am sorry to disturb your rest when you have only just returned,” Strike said gravely. “But I wanted to warn you—the dark rabbits are coming to try to steal the magic key.”

  The deep gully next to Moonglow Meadow was home to a neighboring warren of fierce dark rabbits. Their land had become dry and nothing could grow there, so they were hungry.

  Arrow felt a stir of dismay. “But why can’t they share our land?”

  Strike shook his head sadly. “I am afraid they refuse to do so. They want to use our magic key to make their land lush and green again.”

  Arrow gave a gasp of horror. “But then Moonglow Meadow will become a desert and we will starve!”

  “Yes. That is why you must go to the Otherworld. Hide there with the key, so the dark rabbits cannot find it.”

  Arrow tried not to think of all the dangers he might face. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his head. “I will do it.”

  Strike’s old face creased with pride. “We chose well when we made you guardian of our key. You must leave at once.” He gave a soft but piercing cry.

  All the rabbits pricked up their ears and rushed to form a circle around Arrow. Suddenly, the golden key glowed brightly, like a miniature sun. The light slowly faded and where the young magic rabbit had been, now stood a tiny fluffy caramel-brown-and-white bunny with brown eyes that gleamed with tiny rainbows.

  “Use this disguise. Return only when Moonglow Meadow needs more of the key’s magic,” Strike ordered. “And watch out for dark rabbits.”

  Arrow raised his little fluffy chin proudly. “I will!”

  Thud. Thud. Thud. The rabbits thumped their feet in time. Arrow felt the magic building and a cloud of crystal dust sparkled around him as Moonglow Meadow began to fade…

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  About the author

  “Bye, Dad! Don’t forget to give Mom a big hug from me when you get back!” Charlotte Denman leaned down to kiss her dad good-bye through the open car window.

  Mr. Denman smiled. “I will. Don’t worry, she’s going to be fine,” he said gently. “Now, you and Mel must have a lot of catching-up to do. Just concentrate on having a good time. Okay?”

  Charlotte nodded, smiling. Since Mom had gotten sick a few months ago, Charlotte hadn’t been able to stop worrying about when she would get better. Mom had finished her treatment now and was resting at home, but she was still very thin and pale. “See you both in a few days.”

  She stood waving until the car was no longer in sight, then walked back toward her friend who was standing at the gate of her front garden. The worry she was still feeling about her mom faded a bit as she saw Mel’s smiling face. This was the first time she’d seen her best friend since Mel had moved nearly six months ago. She’d missed her a lot and had been looking forward to her trip for ages.

  “I’m so glad you could come!” Mel’s blue eyes were shining as Charlotte reached her. Her dark hair was pulled away from her pretty round face.

  “Me too,” Charlotte said. “Wow! Your hair’s gotten really long.”

  “I know!” Mel flipped her ponytail over one shoulder. “Shows how long it’s been since we moved here.”

  “Tell me about it!” Charlotte joked, rolling her eyes. “It feels like ten years.”

  They both laughed.

  Charlotte still really missed Mel, who used to live down the street when they’d both lived in the same town. They’d been in the same class at school since they were five years old and used to spend all their spare time together. They’d even been on vacation with each other’s families.

  A warm breeze stirred Charlotte’s short red hair as she and Mel walked toward the cottage. It had pink walls and a thatched roof and tulips, bluebells, and other spring flowers filled the pretty front yard. Seagulls wheeled overhead.

  “How are Clover and Daisy?” Charlotte asked eagerly. She had a bag of treats in her suitcase for Mel’s adorable gray rabbits.

  “Oh, you know. They’re just the same,” Mel said vaguely. “Come on. I’ll show you around.”

  Inside the cottage, the downstairs rooms all had white walls and wooden ceiling beams. Colorful rugs covered the stone floors and there was a huge fireplace in the living room. Charlotte could imagine how cozy it would be with a big log fire burning there on cold evenings. It couldn’t be more different from her house back in town.

  Mel led the way upstairs. “Mom’s put you in the attic room. It’s a bit small but it looks out on the backyard. I hope you like it.”

  Charlotte’s eyes widened as she opened her bedroom door. A small
desk and chair stood beside a chest of drawers. A big comfy-looking brass bed took up most of one wall. Its cheerful yellow and white spotted quilt matched the curtains. “Oh, it’s gorgeous. I love it!”

  Her suitcase stood on the rug, where her dad had placed it earlier. Charlotte walked past it and glanced out of the window at the lawn and flowerbeds. A wooden building was visible between the trees.

  “Is that where Clover and Daisy live?” she asked Mel.

  Mel nodded. “That’s the old barn. Dad’s made it into a workshop.”

  “Let’s go and see them.” Charlotte was looking forward to making a fuss of the rabbits and playing with them, just like she and Mel used to.

  Mel didn’t look that happy. She shrugged. “If you really want to.”

  “I do!” Charlotte said firmly, giving her a friendly dig in the ribs.

  They trudged downstairs and went through the kitchen into the large backyard. As they entered the barn, Charlotte wrinkled her nose at the smell of dirty straw. The rabbit cage needed cleaning.

  “Hello, girls!” She poked a finger through the mesh to stroke each of the gray rabbits. They snuffled her fingers through the wire mesh, pink noses twitching curiously.

  To her dismay Charlotte saw that their food dish was empty and the water bottle needed refilling. She frowned. It wasn’t like Mel to be so careless.

  Mel must have seen the look on her face. “I’ve been extra busy lately,” she said quickly. “I was going to clean the cage out today, but then I was so excited about you coming that I forgot.”

  “Why don’t we do it together?” Charlotte suggested. “It’ll be fun. I miss cuddling Daisy and Clover.”

  Mel shifted her feet reluctantly. “What, right now? I’m expecting Jamelia and Kay to call me any minute.”

  “Who are they?”

  “Two girls from my new school. They live in the village. I told them you were coming and they’re really looking forward to meeting you and doing stuff together.”

  Charlotte hid her surprise. She’d expected the two of them to spend the week together on their own, just like they used to. “No offense, but I was looking forward to it being just us,” she said, feeling a bit awkward. “We never needed to be with anyone else to have fun before. Besides, we promised we’d always be best friends, didn’t we?”

  “Well, yeah. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have other friends, too, does it?” Mel asked hesitantly.

  No, except that I haven’t made any new friends, Charlotte thought sadly. Mel seemed to have moved on and made new friends without any problem. But Charlotte hadn’t felt like doing that, with her mom being so sick. Besides, she hadn’t met anyone she liked nearly as much as Mel. She felt a bit hurt that Mel obviously didn’t feel the same way.

  Swallowing hard, Charlotte forced a smile. “No, you’re right. I guess it will be fun to meet your new friends. Where do you keep the rabbit stuff?” she asked quickly, changing the subject.

  Mel’s face cleared and she smiled back. “It’s in here.” Opening a cupboard beneath the cage, she took out bags of hay and straw.

  Charlotte was unlatching the cage door when Mel’s mom popped her head inside the barn door.

  “Hi, girls. Having fun? Jamelia’s on the phone, Mel. She just called.”

  Mel’s face lit up. “Okay. Thanks, Mom.” She thrust the bags at Charlotte and raced toward her mom. “Back in a minute!” she called over her shoulder.

  Left alone, Charlotte’s shoulders slumped. “Looks like it’s just you and me then, girls,” she sighed. She gave Daisy and Clover the rabbit treats she’d bought from the pet store back home. As she stroked them, she noticed there were knots in their long gray fur and they needed a good brushing. Charlotte frowned. Mel always used to love looking after her rabbits and making a big fuss of them. What was going on?

  Suddenly, there was a bright flash and a shower of crystal dust drifted down around the cage like a twinkling cloud.

  “Oh!” Charlotte narrowed her eyes, trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

  As the strange mist slowly cleared, she spotted a tiny fluffy caramel-brown-and-white bunny hopping out from behind Daisy.

  “Can you help me, please?” the bunny asked in a scared little voice.

  Charlotte stared at the cute little bunny in complete astonishment. Its face, ears, and body were a warm caramel-brown color and it had a broad white stripe down its nose. One of its front paws and its little chest were also white.

  Why hadn’t Mel told her that she had a new bunny? It must have been hiding at the back of the cage the whole time. Charlotte smiled at herself for imagining things. Little fluffy bunnies, however cute, couldn’t talk!

  “Hello. Aren’t you gorgeous?” she said gently. Despite being so tiny, it didn’t seem to be scared of her. “I wonder what Mel calls you.”

  The caramel-brown-and-white bunny twitched its little ears curiously and looked up at her with dewy brown eyes.

  “I do not know anyone called Mel. My name is Arrow. I am guardian of Moonglow Meadow,” it said, squaring its fluffy little shoulders proudly.

  “You really can talk! I wasn’t imagining it!” Charlotte gasped. She felt like pinching herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

  “Yes. All of my warren can talk,” Arrow told her. “May I know your name?”

  “Um…yeah. I’m Charlotte. Charlotte Denman. I’m here visiting my best friend.”

  “I am honored to meet you, Charlotte.” Arrow hopped closer to the open cage door and bowed his head. As he straightened up again, a rainbow shone in his brown eyes.

  “Me too.” She bowed awkwardly, not sure whether she ought to curtsy or something. She still couldn’t quite believe this was happening. “Is Moonglow Meadow near Mel’s village?”

  “No. It is far away. In another world.” Arrow shook his head and something around his neck twinkled. Charlotte saw that he wore a tiny gold key on a fine gold chain.

  “Is that a good-luck charm?” she asked.

  “It is a magic key that keeps Moonglow Meadow lush and green. I must guard it from our neighbors, the dark rabbits, who want to steal it.”

  Charlotte frowned. “Why would they want to do that?”

  “Their land has become dry. Nothing grows there anymore and they are hungry. But they refuse to share our land. They want to use the key’s magic to make their land green again, but Moonglow Meadow would become a desert if that happened.”

  “Oh no!” Charlotte exclaimed. “That would be awful.”

  Arrow’s fluffy little face creased in determination. “Yes! That is why I agreed to come here and keep it safe.”

  Charlotte was still having trouble believing this was really happening, but she was fascinated by Arrow’s world. It sounded so strange and magical.

  She smiled warmly at the brave little bunny. “That sounds like a scary mission for someone so tiny.”

  Arrow raised himself up onto his back legs. His whiskers twitched mischievously.

  “Please stand back,” he ordered.

  The tiny bunny leaped out of the cage and landed on the barn floor in front of her. She felt a strange warm tingling sensation down her spine as the key around Arrow’s neck began to glow brightly and a cloud of twinkling crystal dust appeared and swirled around him. When it cleared, Charlotte saw that the little caramel-brown-and-white bunny had disappeared. Standing in front of her was the most magnificent rabbit she had ever seen. It was the size of a large cat and had silky snowy-white fur flecked with silver. The tips of its large upright ears looked as if they’d been dipped in silver.

  Charlotte gasped.

  “Arrow?” she gulped.

  “Yes, Charlotte. It is still me,” Arrow said in a rich velvety voice. A rainbow twinkled in his chocolate-brown eyes.

  Before she could get used to seeing him in his true form, there was a final glow of light from his key and Arrow reappeared as a tiny fluffy caramel-brown-and-white bunny.

  “That’s an amazing disguise!” C
harlotte exclaimed.

  Arrow flattened his little ears nervously. “The dark rabbits will not be fooled if they discover me. I must hide, and quickly.”

  Charlotte’s heart went out to the brave little bunny, who was so far from home. “I’ve got a lovely room at the top of the house. You can stay there with me. Wait until Mel hears about you—”

  “No, I am sorry, Charlotte. You can tell no one about me. My mission must remain a secret,” the magic bunny said seriously. “Please, promise me.”

  Charlotte fought her dismay. She was hoping that once Mel met this magic bunny, she might remember the fun they used to have, and that they would be able to play with Arrow together. But it was more important to keep Arrow safe from his enemies.

  “Okay. No one will ever hear about you from me,” she said. “As soon as I’ve finished cleaning Daisy and Clover’s cage, I’ll smuggle you up to my bedroom.”

  “Thank you, Charlotte. I would like that very much.” Arrow leaped up into her arms in another little cloud of sparkling crystal dust.

  “Oh!” Charlotte closed her hands gently around his furry little body as he snuggled close to her. She loved the idea of having an amazing secret friend of her own. Maybe with Arrow to keep her company, she wouldn’t mind quite so much that Mel was spending time with her new friends instead of her.

  “Sorry I took so long,” Mel apologized as she came back into the barn. “The minute I hung up with Jamelia, Kay called. They can’t wait to meet you. Wow! The cage looks great.”

  “I gave Clover and Daisy some food and refilled the water bottle, too,” Charlotte said, deliberately standing in front of Arrow, who was hopping around on the floor, nibbling some hay she’d dropped. It was amazing that Mel hadn’t noticed him yet. “Um…what should I do with this garbage bag of smelly straw?”

  “It can go on Dad’s compost heap.” Mel looked a bit sheepish as she grasped the full bag. “Do you mind if we don’t mention that you cleaned the cage? Mom and Dad have been nagging me to do it for ages. I guess I’ve just been busy with other things, but I’m going to try to make more of an effort—starting now!”