by Lily Small
Bella thumped her paws in glee. Ladybug Two was brilliant!
“Look, Lexi!” Bella begged. “She’s overtaken the June bug!”
But Lexi still wouldn’t look.
The butterfly roared into his mushroom trumpet: “Ladybug Two is coming up to the finish. Now Ladybug Three is off!”
Bella turned to Lexi. “You’re next! Come on!”
“No, I can’t!” squeaked Lexi.
Bella’s ears drooped in despair. How, oh, how could she get Lexi to race? Then she had an idea. Bella snuggled up close to her friend, and she started singing a new song, very softly, so that only Lexi could hear.
It doesn’t matter a jot
That you’ve got only one spot.
You can do it if you try—
All you have to do is fly!
Lexi opened her eyes and stared at Bella. “Do you really think I can do it?”
Bella smiled and nodded. “Of course you can. You’re wonderful at flying.”
Lexi gave a big sigh. Then, very slowly, she stepped up to the starting line. Everyone could see her one black spot now.
Bella knew how afraid Lexi was that everyone would laugh. But the crowd wasn’t looking at Lexi. Everyone was pushing forward to see Ladybug Three as she finished her lap. She was out in front!
“Come on, ladybugs!” yelled the butterfly. “Number Three’s in the lead! All she has to do is hand over to Ladybug Four. Oh no!”
There were so many creatures milling around at the starting line that Ladybug Three couldn’t see who to pass the baton to. She circled in the air, searching for the fourth member of the team.
“This way!” Bella shouted. “Look for One-Spot Lexi!”
The sun shone down on Lexi and her single black spot. Now Ladybug Three knew who to head for! She whizzed down toward Lexi, holding out the grass-seed baton.
“Go, Lexi, go!” shouted Bella with a big grin.
Lexi seized the baton in her antennae and zoomed away. She was over the sticks in a flash, with a spectacular loop-the-loop.
The crowd went wild, cheering and clapping, and the Pollen Puppies wagged their tails faster than ever.
“We’re on the last lap now. The June bugs are in the lead again. But just look at that!” howled the butterfly. “The ladybug’s at the tunnel already!”
Lexi shot through the cobweb tunnel like an arrow. She was catching up to June Bug Four!
“This is amazing!” the butterfly gabbled. “Just look at One-Spot Lexi! She’s loop-the-looping all the way up the helter-skelter tree!”
“Go, Lexi, go!” yelled Bella.
“I’ve never seen anything like it!” the butterfly shrieked. “She’s fantabulous! She’s brilltastic! She’s right behind the June bug!”
Bella hopped up and down, clapping her front paws as Lexi hurtled toward the finish. Now she was in front of the June bug!
“Go, One-Spot Lexi! Go, go, go!” roared the crowd.
Lexi shot across the finish line.
“Yes!” cried the butterfly, throwing his trumpet into the air and catching it. “She’s done the fastest time ever! A Misty Wood record. The ladybugs have won!”
“I did it!” Lexi panted, circling down to land on the grass in front of Bella.
“You won! You won!” Bella was so proud of her new friend. “You’re a star, Lexi!”
The rest of the ladybug team came up to congratulate Lexi.
“You were incredible!” Ladybug One said. “We’d never have won without you.”
The yellow butterfly called the team over to collect their prizes. He gave each ladybug an acorn cup full of golden honey.
“Well done, One-Spot Lexi,” he said.
Lexi blushed even redder. She took her honey and hurried back to Bella.
“Let’s get away before they start laughing at my spot,” she said, looking around at the spectators who were still buzzing with excitement about the race.
The two friends fluttered their wings and drifted away over the heather, looking for somewhere quiet. But everywhere they went, insects and fairy animals flew up to congratulate Lexi.
“Hello!” called a Moss Mouse. “I loved your loop-the-loops!” He tried a clumsy loop of his own before flying off.
“Mmmarvelous!” droned a furry bee. “Bbbbessst race evvvvverr!” Then she buzzed away, searching for a flower.
“They’re not laughing at me!” Lexi said, looking very surprised.
“Why would they laugh?” Bella said with a smile. She saw a patch of grass between the heather plants. “Let’s go and sit over there so you can eat some of your prize honey.”
“You have to have some, too,” Lexi said. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d never have been brave enough to race.”
They flew down and were just dipping into the acorn when a very small ladybug peeped at them through the heather stalks.
He looked at Lexi shyly. “Hello, Lexi. You’re my hero,” he mumbled, then darted away.
Lexi stared after him. Then she looked at Bella, puzzled. “Why would he say that I’m his hero?”
“Because you won the race for the ladybug team,” Bella said. “And it wasn’t just because you’re so good at flying.”
“What do you mean?” Lexi asked.
Bella licked a drop of delicious honey from her paw. “Well, if you weren’t One-Spot Lexi, Ladybug Three would never have known who to pass the baton to.”
Lexi looked thoughtful. Then her eyes began to shine. “You mean … it was a good thing that I have only one spot?”
Bella nodded. A smile spread slowly across Lexi’s face, and she zoomed up into the air in a happy loop-the-loop. “Maybe being different isn’t so bad after all,” she called down to Bella. “Wheeeeeee!”
There was a shimmer of silver wings above the heather, and Carla the Cobweb Kitten fluttered down to join them.
“Hello, Bella! I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” she said. “Did you see the Obstacle Relay Race? It was amazing!”
“Yes,” Bella said proudly. She nodded at Lexi. “My new friend here just won it.”
“Oh, wow!” Carla looked at Lexi with admiration. “You were brilliant. I wish I could do loop-the-loops like you.”
“I can teach you if you like,” Lexi said shyly.
“Ooh, really?” Carla fluttered her silver wings excitedly. “I would love that!”
Carla turned back to Bella. “Are you still trying to find out where spots come from?”
Bella looked at Lexi.
Lexi smiled and shook her head. She was happy just the way she was.
“Not anymore,” Bella said, winking at Lexi. “No need for more spots here!”
* * *
The sun was starting to hide his face behind the trees of Misty Wood, and the sky was turning golden pink. The warm spring day was coming to an end. It was nearly time to go home.
“Thank you, Bella,” said Lexi. “Your songs have really helped me today.”
“You’re welcome,” Bella said. “In fact…”
Bella began hopping around Lexi and Carla as she started singing another song.
Making friends with you
Has been the best thing by far.
One-Spot Lexi,
The loop-the-loop star!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lily Small is the author of the Fairy Animals of Misty Wood series. Sign up for email updates here.
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Chloe the Kitten
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Acknowledgments
Map of Misty Wood
Chapter One: The Talking Bud
Chapter Two: A Sad Ladybug
Chapter Three: Wanted: Spots!
Chapter Four: Daydreaming
Chapter Five: Magic Toadstools
Chapter Six: Moonshine Pond to Heather Hill
Chapter Seven: Loop-the-Loop
About the Author
Also by Lily Small
Copyright Page
Text copyright © 2013 by Hothouse Fiction Ltd.
Illustrations copyright © 2013 by Artful Doodlers Ltd.
Cover illustration © John Francis
Henry Holt and Company, LLC
Publishers since 1866
Henry Holt® is a registered trademark of Henry Holt and Company, LLC.
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All rights reserved.
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
First American edition 2015
eBook edition February 2015
Originally published in Great Britain in 2013 by Egmont UK Limited.
eISBN 9781627793612