by Sue Bentley
The key round Arrow’s neck glowed brightly and a final cloud of sparkling crystal dust surrounded Tansy, carrying her gently down on to the lawn. Arrow hopped up to the little dog, touched his nose to hers and then sprang away. Wagging her tail, Tansy padded carefully after Arrow.
Dawn breathed. ‘Phew! Panic over!’
‘Where did that little white rabbit go?’ Dawn’s mum asked, as she drew level.
‘Um… it ran off. I think it was a wild one…’ Dawn replied.
Aunt Jenny nodded. ‘That’s probably it. Look at Tansy, showing off in front you. She was having a lovely game of chase all by herself. It’s a shame that Bella’s too old to run about with her.’
Dawn grinned as she watched Tansy and Arrow playing their secret game. She spent a happy hour playing with them both before enjoying a delicious picnic of sandwiches and yummy home-made chocolate cake. Before leaving, Dawn gave Tansy the bone-shaped biscuit. She immediately settled down with it between her front paws, gnawing it happily.
Dawn tried not to feel too sad as they headed back. Tansy was obviously well cared for, but the visit had reminded her how much she missed her little dog.
‘I wish I could have brought her back with us,’ she whispered to Arrow, who was nibbling his rabbit chew.
Her fluffy friend stopped munching long enough to rub his soft cheek against her hand. ‘I hope that Tansy will be able to live with you again one day.’
‘Me too,’ Dawn sighed. At least she had Arrow as a friend. She felt herself cheering up as she stroked him.
Chapter
SIX
It was Friday, the day before the Easter Fayre. In the school hall, kids were busily pinning up a banner that read ‘Pets’ Corner: prizes for the best kept pet’. Others were blowing up balloons, organizing stalls with games and arranging things for sale.
Dawn stood with a group of kids, waiting to be given a job. She was holding Arrow’s invisible little body in the crook of one arm, over which she’d looped her school jumper.
Arrow craned his neck, watching all the activity with interest. ‘What is this for?’
‘It’s called Easter,’ Dawn whispered after quickly checking that no one was watching her. ‘People go to church and have parties and eat lots of special stuff like chocolate eggs and cupcakes decorated with fluffy chicks and bunnies. Not real ones,’ she said, trying not to smile as Arrow’s eyes widened in alarm.
Nearby, Miss Walker was giving out more jobs. The barrel needs to be filled with shredded paper for the Lucky Dip…’
Suddenly, there was a loud bang as a balloon burst.
Everyone laughed, but poor Arrow almost jumped out of his fur. His ears flattened in terror and he leapt to the floor. He darted behind a wooden stand that was leaning against a wall and crouched there trembling.
‘… and if someone would like to put that notice stand together please,’ Miss Walker was saying. ‘It needs to go outside the door and –’
‘I’ll do it!’ Dawn was across the room in a trice and bending down to scoop the scared little bunny into her arms. His tiny heart was fluttering against her hand.
‘It’s OK, Arrow,’ she whispered. ‘I know it was a very loud noise, but silly old bursting balloons can’t hurt you.’
‘I will not be frightened by such loud noises again,’ Arrow announced proudly.
‘Good for you.’ Dawn tried not to smile too much. She had her back to everyone, so risked a hasty cuddle as she carried him to a nearby bookcase and put him gently on the top. ‘There you go. No one will tread on you now.’
Arrow’s eyes lit up as he spotted a spider plant and immediately began nibbling one of the leaves.
‘Hey, leave that alone!’ Dawn said. It could be very awkward to explain what was happening if someone noticed the plant’s leaves gradually disappearing.
‘Charming!’ said a familiar voice.
Dawn whipped round in surprise, realizing that she’d spoken more loudly than she’d intended to. Emma was there and had obviously assumed Dawn was talking to her.
‘I only came over to help you with that wooden sign thing,’ Emma said huffily.
‘I wasn’t talking to… I didn’t mean…’ Dawn spread her hands helplessly as she knew she couldn’t explain about Arrow.
‘Don’t bother!’ Emma stormed off to help with the Lucky Dip.
Dawn watched her go in disbelief. After this, Emma would never want to be friends with her.
After breakfast on Saturday morning, Dawn phoned her aunt to see how Tansy was getting on. Her aunt held the phone close to Tansy, so the little dog could hear Dawn’s voice. ‘Be good for Aunt Jenny, Tansy! Love you lots.’ Dawn made kissing noises down the phone and felt the usual tug of sadness as she heard Tansy’s soft little whine. She could hardly bear to wait another week until she saw her again.
‘Everything OK, love?’ her dad asked, squeezing Dawn’s shoulder gently as she rang off.
Dawn nodded.
‘You need cheering up. Come on. Let’s go to the Easter Fayre. I’m looking forward to seeing your classroom and meeting some of your new friends.’ He jingled the car keys as he went towards the open front door. ‘Your mum’s already in the car.’
‘I’ll be right there!’ Dawn raced to her room to fetch Arrow, who was just finishing his breakfast carrot.
At the school they joined the other kids and their parents filing into the classrooms for the Easter Fayre. The hall was bustling with people enjoying themselves. Older children from the school music club were on the stage playing their instruments. Dawn grinned as two little girls from the Reception class pulled cheeky faces at her. Their faces were painted to look like cute Easter bunnies and they wore headbands with long pink ears!
Miss Walker came over to greet them. ‘Hi, Dawn. Hello, Mr and Mrs Kenton. Glad you could make it.’
‘Hi, Miss Walker,’ Dawn said. ‘It looks great in here.’
‘Yes, it does. Everyone’s worked really hard to get things ready. Including Dawn,’ she said warmly. ‘Dawn, would you like to sell some raffle tickets while I have a quick word with your mum and dad?’
Dawn took a bundle of tickets and she and Arrow set off round the hall.
Dawn wandered about, selling tickets as she went. Inside her shoulder bag, Arrow stretched up on his haunches so he could look out. His little pink nose twitched at all the exciting smells.
Over at Pets’ Corner, Emma was holding a large glossy black rabbit in her arms. The judge presented her with a shiny gold rosette. ‘First prize goes to Emma Packard’s beautiful rabbit Blackberry!’
‘Yay!’ Emma kissed her rabbit’s head. ‘We won! Well done, Blackberry.’
Arrow spotted the big black rabbit and Dawn felt him stiffen inside her bag. ‘My enemies have found me!’
‘What? Where?’ Dawn spun round and clutched her bag protectively. ‘Oh, you mean Emma’s rabbit. That’s not –’
She was too late. In a single mighty leap, Arrow landed on the floor and dashed under the nearest table.
‘Oh no!’ Dawn shot into action. Hastily thrusting a handful of coins and raffle tickets into her jeans pocket, she threw herself to her knees and scuttled under the table after her friend. ‘Arrow, wait!’
Arrow took no notice. In his desperation to escape his fierce enemies he raced about blindly. Dawn lost sight of him and crawled out from under a table to look around the hall.
There he was! Somehow he’d ended up right back near Emma, who had just put Blackberry back into his carrier. Dawn saw Emma’s eyes widen as she spotted the terrified little bunny. Bending down, she picked him up.
With a sinking heart, Dawn realized that Arrow was so scared that he’d forgotten to stay invisible again – just like when Tansy had chased him!
‘Hello. Aren’t you gorgeous? I’m sure no one brought a little white bunny here today. You must be lost.’ Emma was cradling Arrow gently in her arms. ‘Do you want to come home with me? You can be a friend for Blackberry.’
Daw
n froze. Now what was she going to do?
Chapter
SEVEN
Dawn spoke without thinking. ‘That bunny’s mine!’ she blurted out as she raced towards Emma.
‘Excuse me? I don’t think so. Where’s its carrier then? Anyway, I saw it first and I’m keeping it.’ Emma held Arrow gently but firmly, a determined look on her face.
‘Arrow’s a him. Just give him to me, Emma!’
Dawn bit her lip. She knew Arrow couldn’t use his magic to save himself with so many people around. It was up to her to sort this out somehow.
A few kids had wandered over to admire the fluffy white bunny. Other heads were turning to look at them.
Dawn tried to calm down and reason with Emma. ‘Look, I can’t explain. But it’s really important that you give him to me,’ she said desperately.
Emma frowned. ‘Why? Oh, I get it. You think I won’t look after him properly!’
‘No. Of course you would. Blackberry’s gorgeous. It’s not that…’ Dawn’s mind seemed to have gone blank. How could she explain without giving away Arrow’s secret? To make things worse, she saw her parents coming over. Oh, great, she groaned inwardly.
‘Dawn? What’s going on?’ her mum asked.
Dawn took a deep breath. ‘It’s this cute little white rabbit. He needs a home.’
Her mum looked closely at Arrow. ‘How odd. It looks just like the one Tansy was chasing the other day at Aunt Jenny’s.’
Dawn shook her head firmly. ‘No. That was definitely a wild one, remember? So can I have him? Please, Mum? Dad? He’d take up hardly any room. I’ll do anything – washing-up, ironing. I’ll even wash the car for a whole month and you needn’t pay me…’
‘Huh?’ Emma frowned. ‘I thought you said he was already yours?’
Dawn didn’t answer. Luckily, no one was paying Emma any attention.
She crossed her finger and toes and screwed her eyes shut. Please, please let Mum and Dad say yes!
‘I’m sorry, love,’ her mum said gently. ‘You know the rules about pets.’
‘Your mum’s right,’ her dad said. ‘But I know how much you miss Tansy. Maybe we could get you a goldfish.’
Dawn’s spirits sank. She didn’t want a goldfish, she wanted Arrow back! There was nothing she could do but watch Emma open Blackberry’s pet carrier, slip Arrow inside and fasten the door.
Arrow seemed to have realized that Blackberry wasn’t one of the fierce black rabbits from his homeland, but his brown eyes still pleaded with Dawn through the wire mesh side. ‘Do I have to go home with Emma? I want to stay with you.’
Dawn felt her heart turn over as she bent close to whisper so that only he could hear. ‘I know. I want that too. Don’t worry! I’ll think of some way of getting you back. Promise.’
‘Gotta go!’ Emma sang out, picking up the carrier. ‘Mum and Dad are waiting for me in the car park!’ She stalked towards the open door and went outside.
Dawn swallowed angry tears. Despite her promise to Arrow, she didn’t see how she was going to get him back.
There’s no way I’m giving up! I have to do something, she told herself firmly.
As Dawn struggled to think of a plan, something shiny on the hall floor caught her eye.
Arrow’s magic key!
It must have come off when Emma picked him up. Moonglow Meadow needed the key’s magic to stay lush and green. She had to get it back to him!
Dawn raced outside. ‘I’ll be right back!’ she called over her shoulder to her parents.
In her haste, Dawn slipped over on to the side of her foot and a hot pain shot through her ankle. Trying to ignore it, she frantically scanned the rows of parked cars. There! She spotted Emma putting the pet carrier in the back of a red car.
‘Wait! I have to talk to you!’ Dawn cried, half-running and half-limping over.
Emma straightened and looked at her in surprise.
Dawn saw that Emma’s parents were talking to some people a few metres away. It was now or never. Inside the car, Arrow’s little face was pressed hopefully against the wire mesh.
‘Emma, please listen,’ Dawn puffed. ‘This is going to sound totally weird, but it’s the truth. I swear.’
Emma folded her arms. ‘Go on then.’
‘I couldn’t tell you this in there, but that little white bunny really is mine,’ Dawn rushed on. ‘I smuggled Arrow into my bedroom and he lives there. Mum and Dad would go ballistic if they knew. No pets are allowed in Redford Mansions…’
‘Redford Mansions? Is that where you live?’ Emma interrupted.
‘Yes. We’ve just moved into one of the flats,’ Dawn carried on, eager to get Arrow back. ‘I brought Arrow here in my shoulder bag, but he got scared by something and jumped out. I was just about to put him back in my bag, when you picked him up.’
Emma blinked at her, obviously not sure whether to believe what she was saying. Then her lips curved in a smile. ‘Wow! That’s so cool. Fancy you doing that. I thought you were dead boring. You hardly say a word to anybody in class – especially me.’
‘I can be a bit shy with new people and everybody’s been so busy,’ Dawn admitted, blushing. ‘And… and I don’t like being teased.’
‘Yeah, well. I can be shy sometimes too.’
Dawn’s jaw nearly dropped. Emma? Shy?
‘People don’t notice because I cover it up by making jokes and stuff. Maybe I go too far sometimes,’ Emma admitted. ‘I’m sorry.’ Suddenly, she seemed to make up her mind. ‘OK. You can have Arrow back, but you have to promise me something.’
Dawn frowned suspiciously. ‘What?’
‘You’ll bring him to visit me and Blackberry sometimes.’
Inside the carrier, the glossy black rabbit was licking Arrow’s ears, while the magic bunny’s eyes were closed in contentment.
Dawn laughed. ‘OK. Deal!’
Emma reached into the car, unfastened the carrier and lifted out Arrow. ‘You’d better put him in your bag before your mum and dad see him. They’re just coming out of the school,’ she said, glancing over Dawn’s shoulder.
‘Oh, right. Thanks.’ Dawn opened her bag. ‘Quickly, Arrow!’ Her fluffy white friend gave a mighty leap out of Emma’s arms and dived straight inside.
Emma grinned, impressed. ‘That was some jump! Anyone would think Arrow understood what you said!’
Dawn smiled back. If only you knew, she thought.
‘See you in class on Monday!’ Emma called.
‘See you! And thanks again.’ Dawn tried not to limp as she walked away.
Arrow leaned up out of her bag, so that she could slip the golden chain round his neck. ‘Thank you for rescuing me and returning my key! You are a very good friend, Dawn.’
‘I just couldn’t bear the thought of losing you. Oh!’ Dawn gritted her teeth and stumbled as pain zinged up her leg. Her ankle was throbbing horribly.
Arrow’s furry brow crinkled in concern. ‘You are hurt! I will help you.’
Dawn felt a warm prickling sensation down her spine as Arrow’s key started pulsing with light. Arrow twitched his little pink nose and a cloud of crystal dust appeared, shimmering with a thousand tiny rainbows. To Dawn’s amazement, the magical dust swirled round her sore ankle for a few seconds, before seeming to sink into it. Her ankle turned icy cold before suddenly feeling fine – not even a twinge.
‘Wow! Thanks, Arrow. I’m fine now. Come on. Let’s go and find Mum and Dad and get you home!’
Chapter
EIGHT
Later that night, Arrow sat on Dawn’s bedroom window sill as they both looked out at the starry sky. The moon was a silver sickle overhead, spreading pale light on the street below.
It had been a long exciting day. Dawn bit back a yawn as she wondered if the same moon shone down on Moonglow Meadow.
Suddenly, Dawn felt Arrow stiffen beside her. ‘Look there!’ Arrow pointed with a front paw as a group of black shapes crossed a pool of streetlight on the opposite side of the road. ‘Dark rabbi
ts! My enemies are close,’ he said in a panicky voice.
Dawn quickly snatched him up and drew the curtains closed with her free hand. She could feel him trembling. ‘I don’t think they saw you. And you’re safe in here with me.’
Arrow leaned forward to peep out of a tiny crack in the curtains. ‘The dark rabbits are moving away,’ he said with relief.
Dawn hugged Arrow protectively until he calmed down. She put him on her bed.
Almost at once, the magic key began flashing more brightly than Dawn had ever seen it.
‘Moonglow Meadow will soon be in need of more magic!’ Arrow exclaimed.
Dawn gasped. ‘Do you have to leave right now?’ she asked anxiously.
‘No. Not until the key glows constantly. But then I may have to leave at once without saying goodbye.’
Dawn bit back a surge of dismay. ‘Will… will you be coming back to live with me again?’
Arrow looked up at her with gentle soft brown eyes. ‘I am afraid that is not possible. Once I leave here, the magic trail to this place is closed forever. I am sorry. I hope you understand, Dawn.’
Dawn nodded sadly. She tried not to think about Arrow leaving, especially after almost losing him once already today. She decided to enjoy every single moment of the time they had left together.
The following afternoon, Dawn and Arrow were sitting on the grass in a quiet corner of the grounds that surrounded Redford Mansions. Dawn munched on some chocolate Easter egg as she watched him investigating a patch of weeds. After she finished the egg, she squeezed the shiny wrapper into a tight ball.
‘Hey, Arrow! Fancy learning to play fetch?’ She rolled the ball towards him.