Smooches closed her eyes. ‘I don’t think I want to go any higher,’ she said. Her voice trembled.
‘Willow,’ Toby called. ‘I’m leaving Smooches here, and I’m going on up alone. I’ll get her pocket heart.’
‘Please be careful, Toby,’ Willow cried. She watched him climb, ever higher.
Just as Toby reached the branch below Croc, a prickly chestnut pod hit him on the nose, ‘Ow! You stop that, Croc!’
More chestnut pods rained down on him, but Toby kept going.
‘See, Croc?’ shouted Willow, dodging falling chestnuts. ‘You can’t stop my Hoozle.’
The same thought must have occurred to Croc, because he began to edge along the branch, away from Toby, saying, ‘Get back!’
‘Give me that pocket heart!’ Toby demanded, crawling on his tummy along the branch.
‘No!’ snapped Croc. ‘It’s none of your business.’
‘If any Hoozle needs help, it’s my business,’ said Toby, standing up. He took three quick steps, reached for Croc and grabbed him. They struggled for a moment.
Willow could hardly bear to look and, when Toby lost his footing and slipped, she cried out. ‘Be careful!’
But the valiant little bear regained his balance and reached for Croc again. ‘Give me that pocket heart, Croc. You can’t escape.’
Croc realised he was trapped. ‘Back off!’ he shouted, his tail lashing from side to side. ‘Or else.’
Willow gasped. High above her, Croc was holding out the pink glass pocket heart.
‘Back off!’ he said again. ‘Or do you want me to let it go?’
‘Please don’t drop it!’ cried Willow. She stood beneath him, her hands ready to try to catch the glass bead, and never took her eyes off him.
Croc jumped down to the branch below and looked back up at Toby. ‘You stay in the tree if you want to,’ he said. ‘I’m off, and you won’t catch up with me this time.’
The orange crocodile dropped from one branch to another. Willow held her breath. Be careful, Croc, she thought. Hold it tightly.
Toby’s voice was strong and growly as he shouted down, ‘He’s too fast. I can’t keep up with him, Willow. Don’t let him escape.’
‘I won’t,’ she promised. ‘He’s not getting out of this tree with Smooches’s pocket heart.’
‘That’s what you think,’ Croc sneered. He held out the glass bead once more. ‘Move away from the tree – or I throw it!’
Willow did what Croc wanted and moved slowly backwards. But only because she’d seen what was happening above him. Smooches still sat where Toby had left her, with her paws over her eyes, but the daring bear was creeping down the tree, closer and closer to the orange crocodile.
‘Croc,’ she called, hoping to stop him looking up. ‘Um, mind you don’t slip.’
He ignored her, and Willow tried desperately to think of something else to say. She bent down and picked up an odd-shaped stone. ‘Look, Croc,’ she cried. ‘This looks rather like a crocodile’s tail, don’t you think?’
He paused. ‘No,’ he said. ‘It looks like a bear’s nose.’ He peered upwards through the leaves. ‘Speaking of bears, where’s that –’
‘Croc!’ Willow said hurriedly, hoping he hadn’t spotted Toby. ‘You look stuck. Are you stuck?’
‘No!’
Over Croc’s shoulder, Willow saw Toby drop down and reach towards the glass bead. He was almost there … almost … and then he stepped on a dry twig.
CRACK!
The twig snapped.
Croc spun round and saw Toby. Willow gasped in horror as the crocodile reached up, grabbed Toby’s paw, and pulled him off balance. She gave a little scream as he tumbled down, down through the branches and then – PLOP! – safe into her outstretched arms.
‘Oh, Toby!’ said Willow in a shaky voice.
Croc mimicked her. ‘Oh darling Toby! Well, nah nah na-na nah!’ And with that, he threw the pocket heart away from the tree as hard as he could.
Willow rushed to catch it, but she couldn’t get there fast enough. The glass bead hit the ground and shattered.
From high in the tree there was a squeal of despair.
Willow looked up. ‘Oh, Smooches, I’m sorry! I tried!’
Croc laughed, then hurtled down the tree and away across the grass. His gleeful giggles faded as he disappeared through the park gate.
Smooches was still high in the tree, sobbing. ‘Clemmie won’t love me any more now I haven’t got my pocket heart. Oh, what’s going to happen to me?’
Willow and Toby did their best to comfort her, but she was too upset.
‘It’s safe to come down now, Smooches darling,’ said Willow gently. ‘Croc’s gone.’
But Smooches refused to move. ‘I’ve got no one to love me, so I’m staying in this tree for ever and ever,’ she wailed.
‘Uh oh,’ Toby said to Willow. ‘Now what are we going to do?’
‘We’ve got to persuade her to come down, somehow.’
Willow thought for a moment and decided there was only one thing to do. Get Clemmie. She told Smooches she’d be back soon, and then she and Toby raced to the toy shop. All the way, Willow wondered how on earth she was going to explain why Smooches was stuck up a tree without her pocket heart.
Clemmie was flouncing down the stairs when they arrived. There was a damp patch on her dress. ‘We’ve managed to get the mark out,’ she said. ‘You’ll be glad to know those pens have washable ink.’ She went to the chair and picked up her handbag. ‘Where’s Smooches?’
Willow took a deep breath and said, ‘She’s not here.’
Clemmie’s eyes narrowed. ‘What have you done with my Hoozle?’
Willow still didn’t know how to explain. ‘I’m really sorry, but she’s stuck up a tree in the park,’ she began.
‘Oh no!’ said Clemmie. ‘It was that ginger cat, wasn’t it? It stole my Smooches!’
Willow expected Clemmie to burst into tears and start yelling, but she didn’t. Instead she clasped her hands together and said, ‘Oh, why did I leave her down here where anything could happen to her?’ She turned to Willow. ‘You must take me to Smooches at once. Come on.’
And without waiting for a reply, she hurried out of the door. Willow went after her, and they ran together to the park.
As they drew near to the chestnut tree, Clemmie cried out when she saw the bunny rabbit so high up. ‘Poor Smooches!’ she cried. ‘It’s all my fault.’
Willow knew that wasn’t true. ‘It’s not your fault,’ she began, but Clemmie interrupted.
‘I won’t leave Smooches up there a moment longer,’ Clemmie declared. ‘I should never have left her alone with a stray cat, just because my dress was dirty. Dresses aren’t important.’ She looked Willow up and down. ‘I’m taller than you. If you give me a boost I could reach that branch.’
And with that, she kicked off her pink strappy sandals and said, ‘I’m going up.’
Willow watched in amazement as Clemmie hauled herself on to the first branch.
Clemmie muttered and grumbled as she made her way up the tree. Twigs hooked themselves into her hair and at one point, Willow heard a ripping sound. Oh no! she thought. Clemmie’s beautiful white dress.
‘Poor Smooches must be really scared,’ Toby growled.
Willow hugged him, knowing he would be anxious until Smooches and Clemmie were safely down. ‘She’ll be fine, you’ll see,’ she said.
At last, she saw Clemmie reach out for her Hoozle and lean against the trunk.
‘I’ve got her!’ she shouted.
‘Well done, Clemmie,’ Willow called back.
‘I’m tying her to my belt. Here I come!’
Toby gripped Willow’s thumb until Clemmie reached the bottom-most branch and dropped down beside them.
‘That was amazing,’ said Willow. ‘You’re a brilliant climber.’
Clemmie didn’t reply. She whisked bits of leaf off Smooches and gave the bunny Hoozle a most enormous hug. ‘I’m so happ
y to have you back, darling Smooches,’ she whispered.
As Clemmie brushed herself down, Willow saw that the expensive white dress had a long tear in it. She held her breath, waiting for the explosion.
But Clemmie didn’t explode. She shrugged and said, ‘It doesn’t matter. It’s worth it, just to have my Smooches back. Willow,’ she continued, ‘I’m really glad you spotted the cat stealing my Hoozle. I’m sorry I got so mad about the marker pen on my dress.’ And to Willow and Toby’s surprise, Clemmie put her arms round them both and gave them a hug, too.
On their way back to the Best Toy Shop in the World, Clemmie invited Willow to come over to her house next day. ‘My mum has loads of costumes from her movies, and she lets me dress up in them. You can too. If you want,’ she added shyly.
Willow grinned. ‘That would be fantastic!’ Then she remembered something. ‘Clemmie, I’m really sorry, but Smooches’s pocket heart is gone.’
‘I don’t care,’ said Clemmie. ‘Those sort of beads went out of fashion ages ago. I’ll find something else.’
Suddenly, Willow realised why Smooches wasn’t affected when her pocket heart was stolen. The glass bead wasn’t special to Clemmie. ‘A Hoozle’s pocket heart should really mean something,’ she said. ‘It should be very important to you both.’
Clemmie frowned. ‘That’s true. But what could it be?’
Toby’s blue paw patted Willow’s hand. She looked at him in surprise. He never normally moved when someone else was around. It must be important. She dropped back a little and lifted him to her ear.
‘There’s a chestnut pod caught in Clemmie’s hair,’ he whispered in his soft, growly voice.
Willow grinned at him, and reached up to untangle the chestnut pod. She broke it open and showed Clemmie the glossy brown chestnut inside. ‘It’s from the tree you climbed to save Smooches, and it’s exactly the same colour as your hair!’
They smiled at each other, then Clemmie said, ‘Willow, don’t you think this would be the perfect pocket heart? It would always remind me of when Smooches was taken away from me and of how happy I was to get her back.’
Willow thought that was perfect, and so did Toby, judging by the cheeky wink he gave her as Clemmie slipped the chestnut into Smooches’s pocket. At that very moment, Willow thought she glimpsed a flickering golden glow around them both. She moved away and whispered to Toby, ‘Croc was trying to break them apart, but he’s made the Hoozle bond even stronger than before.’
Clemmie hugged Smooches to her, linked arms with Willow, and they skipped off back to the toy shop.
Willow held the back door open for them, and noticed Smooches mouth a silent, ‘Thank you!’ to Toby.
Clemmie wasn’t bad at all. In fact, Willow was beginning to like her. It looked as if it would be fun having a new friend in Summertown!
Also in the Series
Magic Toyshop: Ragbag Friends
Magic Toyshop: Treasure Island Trouble
Copyright
First published in 2012
by Faber and Faber Limited
Bloomsbury House
74–7 Great Russell Street
London WC1B 3DA
This ebook edition first published in 2012
Series created by Working Partners Limited, London W6 0QT
All rights reserved
Text © Working Partners Limited, 2012
Illustrations © Penny Dann, 2012
Special thanks to Val Wilding
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights, and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly
ISBN 978–0–571–25997–7
The Rabbit Rescue Page 2