The Golden Shell

by Paula Harrison

  “Rosy! Don’t stop like that!” cried Lottie.

  “Shh!” said Rosalind. “I can hear something.”

  A low clanking noise came from above them, mixed with the sound of muffled voices.

  “It sounds a bit like people washing up,” said Ella at last. “Do you think we’re below the kitchen?”

  “Yes, we must be!” said Rosalind, her blue eyes gleaming. “And maybe that’s why Daisy came down here. Maybe she smelled vegetables and she felt hungry!”

  “Let’s keep going,” said Lottie.

  They hurried along the narrow corridor. The stone floor became uneven and Ella noticed that the walls were damp. The passageway opened out into a small, empty room.

  “Look!” Ella shone her torch at the door. “There’s a way out and it has that golden shell on it again.”

  “Hold on!” Rosalind frowned. “Where’s Daisy? She can’t have turned the handle and opened that door.”

  “Look, there’s a hole.” Lottie shone her torch at a small gap at the bottom of the wall where a brick was missing. “I bet Daisy got out that way. It’s just the right size for a rabbit!”

  Ella crouched down close to the hole and caught the smell of cooking. “You’re right – she could easily have gone through there.”

  Lottie pulled at the door but it didn’t open. “It’s stuck! Now what are we going to do?”

  Rosalind tried the door too. “I hope it’s not locked.”

  “Let’s try pulling it at the same time,” suggested Ella, and she and Rosalind both took hold of the door handle.

  “One, two, three, go!” said Rosalind, and they pulled together.

  The door flew open, sending both girls flying backwards.

  “Are you all right?” Summer asked, helping them up.

  “I’m fine.” Ella rubbed her elbow. “I just hope no one heard the noise.”

  “It’s all right – there’s no one here,” said Lottie, who had gone through to look around. “It looks like this is some kind of store room.”

  The other princesses followed her into the room, closing the door carefully behind them. The room was quite small and had no windows. Tall cupboards lined the walls and baskets of fruit and vegetables were stacked to one side. Stone steps led up to a half-open door, and beyond that was the sound of people talking and banging saucepans.

  “We must be right next to the kitchens,” muttered Rosalind.

  “There’s no sign of Daisy though.” Summer shone her torch into the corners of the room.

  “Poor Daisy!” said Ella. “I wish Molly hadn’t stopped us from looking earlier. We might have found her straightaway.” She ran up the steps to the half-open door, stopping when she heard a familiar voice.

  “Where is my plate? I don’t want to wait for ever, you know,” said Lady Eggley snootily. “I’ve had a very busy day and I want to go to bed soon. Please hurry up and put my snacks on the trolley.”

  Ella’s heart sank. Where was Daisy? If Lady Eggley caught sight of her they would all be in big trouble!

  Ella signalled to the others to be quiet. Then she peeped round the door. She could see Lady Eggley and one of the cooks, who was wearing a large green apron. Next to Lady Eggley was a small catering trolley with wheels. Ella tried to see if there was anything on the trolley but the teacher was blocking her view.

  “Oh good. You’ve done it at last,” said Lady Eggley. “I shall wheel this to my room now. Good night.” Then she left the kitchen, pushing the trolley in front of her. The click-clack of her footsteps grew fainter.

  “Lady Eggley’s gone,” Ella whispered to the others.

  “That lady has no manners,” muttered the cook, banging a saucepan down on the table. “No manners at all! Now, what’s all this? Who’s made a mess of my lettuces?”

  Rosalind nudged Ella. “Something’s knocked over the box of lettuces – look!”

  Ella saw the cook pick up the fallen lettuces and put them back in the box. “I bet that was Daisy!” she whispered. “Maybe she’s hiding somewhere.”

  At last, the cook finished tidying up. She hung up her apron and switched off the light. As soon as she’d gone, the princesses switched their torches back on and dashed into the kitchen. They searched under tables and inside cupboards. They peered into the fridge and even took the lids off the saucepans to check inside.

  “I can’t think of anywhere else to look,” said Rosalind.

  “Where are you, Daisy?” Ella said softly.

  “I don’t think she’s here,” said Summer at last. “Maybe she knocked over those lettuces and then hopped away.”

  “She might have gone this way.” Lottie hurried down the passageway and the others followed.

  Ella felt an uneasy wriggling deep down in her tummy. She didn’t know her way around the school very well and it was even more confusing in the dark. How had Daisy managed to hop so far without getting tired? She was only a baby rabbit after all!

  “Here’s the art room and next door is the library,” said Lottie. “Rosalind and Ella, you look in the library, and Summer and I will search in here.”

  Ella followed Rosalind into the library. The two girls went along every single shelf of books and checked carefully under the chairs and tables.

  “This is really strange,” said Ella, pushing back her dark, wavy hair.

  “What do you mean?” said Rosalind.

  “I don’t understand how Daisy’s come so far.” Ella bit her lip. “It’s as if she’s just disappeared.”

  “It is a bit weird,” agreed Rosalind. “But she must be somewhere.”

  Lottie opened the library door. “There are no bunnies in the art room. Any luck in here?”

  Ella and Rosalind shook their heads.

  The princesses carried on searching. They checked three classrooms and then tiptoed on into a new corridor with thick red carpets.

  “Watch out, everyone,” hissed Lottie. “This is where the teachers sleep.”

  “We should go back,” said Summer. “We could get in so much trouble.”

  “Maybe we can take a peek inside their bedrooms?” Lottie tiptoed up to the nearest door and pulled down the handle. “I’ll only open the door a tiny bit.”

  “Lottie!” gasped Ella. “What if the teacher wakes up and sees you looking in?”

  There was a low snort from inside the room, followed by a voice saying. “Hmm? What’s that? Your dirty fingernails are a disgrace!” Then there was a creaking sound followed by silence.

  Lottie opened the door very slightly and there was another loud snort from the bed. “I think that’s Lady Eggley,” she whispered with a giggle.

  “Not so loud,” muttered Rosalind.

  Ella didn’t dare to shine her torch into the room. She peered through the darkness. “It does look like Lady Eggley,” she whispered to the others. “And look, there’s the trolley that she wheeled out of the kitchens.”

  The trolley was covered by a long piece of cloth that gaped at one end, revealing another shelf underneath. Ella looked closer. Was that a small furry shape next to the trolley? “Daisy!” she whispered joyfully.

  The furry shape twitched and two ears pricked up.

  “Oh, Daisy! What are you doing in there?” murmured Summer.

  “I bet she rode all the way here on the bottom of that trolley and Lady Eggley didn’t even know,” said Lottie, giggling. “She had no idea that she was giving a rabbit a ride!”

  Rosalind nudged her. “Shh, Lottie! You’re still too loud—” She broke off as the teacher turned over in bed.

  Then a muffled voice said, “Wretched girls! I can hear them talking. They should NOT be running around in the middle of the night!”

  Ella gasped and flapped her hand at Lottie. “Close the door!” she mouthed. “Quickly, before she sees us!”

  Lottie shut ths teacher’s door. The girls stood still, holding their breath and listening out for sounds from inside.

  “I can’t hear any creaking so I don’t think she’
s got out of bed,” whispered Summer. “Maybe she was just talking in her sleep.”

  “We need to get Daisy out of there,” said Lottie. “If Lady Eggley catches the rabbit in her room she’ll go crazy!”

  “Can you get Daisy to come to you, Ella?” said Summer. “She loves you. Maybe if she sees you she’ll come over?”

  “I’ll try.” Ella’s heart thumped as she slowly pulled down the door handle.

  Loud snores filled the bedroom and Ella felt relieved. Lady Eggley must be asleep. She saw Lottie put her fingers over her mouth to stop a giggle.

  Kneeling down, Ella held out her hand and whispered as quietly as she could, “Daisy! Come over here.” But the rabbit twitched her nose naughtily and bounced away behind the trolley.

  Ella straightened up. “I’m going in to get her,” she whispered to the others. “Rosalind, could you hold the door for me?”

  Rosalind held the door open, wincing when it creaked a little. Ella crept over to the trolley but Daisy wasn’t hiding there. She wasn’t on the bottom shelf or behind the dangling cloth.

  Ella bit her lip. The longer it took to find the little rabbit, the more likely they all were to get caught. She tiptoed round the room, looking for Daisy on the floor. Then she knelt down and checked under the bed. She looked into all the corners and behind the wastepaper basket. She couldn’t see Daisy anywhere.

  Lady Eggley was still snoring. Now and then, she muttered something in her sleep.

  Lottie came in and started looking too. Ella peered behind the perfume bottles and hand mirrors on the teacher’s dressing table. She turned round, wondering where else to look. Something moved on the bed and Ella froze. On top of the sleeping teacher sat a little floppy-eared bunny!

  “Can you see her?” hissed Lottie.

  Ella put a finger to her lips and then pointed at Daisy, who was hopping along the blanket that covered Lady Eggley’s legs.

  “She must have jumped up there,” whispered Lottie.

  Ella wondered how she was going to pick up Daisy without waking the teacher. Lady Eggley grunted in her sleep and then smacked her lips together. Ella held her breath but the teacher didn’t open her eyes.

  Daisy hopped over Lady Eggley’s stomach till she reached her neck. Then, to Ella’s horror, she nibbled at the teacher’s chin.

  “What’s that?” muttered Lady Eggley. “Tickling is not allowed in class!”

  Ella ducked down and crawled across the floor to the bed. She had to get to Daisy before the bunny did something even naughtier! She peered at the sleeping teacher just as the rabbit jumped on to the pillow and began snuffling at Lady Eggley’s ear.

  Ella tried to take hold of Daisy. Her hand brushed against soft fur but the bunny slipped under her fingers and sprang off the pillow on to the bedside table. Lady Eggley rolled over in bed. Ella waited until the teacher had stopped moving, then she crawled after Daisy.

  A plate of carrot sticks lay on the bedside table. Next to it was a yellow book with the title How to Look Elegant and Impress a Gentleman.

  Lottie waved her arms and pointed at the carrot sticks. “Lady Eggley loves carrots,” she whispered. “She must have brought them here on the kitchen trolley. I bet Daisy was after them too!”

  Lady Eggley stirred at the sound of Lottie’s whisper and muttered something in her sleep again.

  Ella felt a fluttering in her tummy. If Lady Eggley woke up now she’d take them straight to the Headmistress!

  Quickly, she reached over and took all the carrots off the plate. Daisy, who had nearly reached the vegetables, looked at her reproachfully. Crouching back down, Ella held the carrots close to the floor and edged backwards. After a moment, the little rabbit jumped down from the bedside table and followed the carrots.

  Ella crawled backwards, holding the carrots out in front of her. She kept her eyes fixed on Daisy. Lottie tried to step out of Ella’s way and bumped into the wardrobe, making it rattle.

  Lady Eggley jerked in the bed. “The princesses forgot to curtsy? Someone must be punished!”

  Ella’s heart pounded so loud she wondered for a moment if everyone would hear it. Then the teacher dozed off again. Checking that Lottie was out of the way, Ella crept backwards with the carrots. Daisy hosleeppped after her with her nose twitching. At last they reached the corridor and Ella gently picked up Daisy and hugged her tight. “Silly thing!” she murmured. “I was so worried about you.”

  Daisy twitched her nose. Then she took a carrot stick from Ella’s hand and crunched it.

  The princesses took Daisy upstairs to Seahorse Tower. They knew that the main doors of the castle were locked at night and they’d have to wait till morning to take the baby rabbit back to the pet barn. Ella didn’t really mind. It gave her a chance for a longer cuddle with her bunny. She pressed her cheek against Daisy’s warm fur, glad that the baby animal was safe.

  Summer found a small empty suitcase and padded it with a woolly scarf to make a comfortable sleeping place for Daisy.

  “What a strange adventure!” yawned Summer. “It was amazing how that little golden shell opened up a whole secret passageway.”

  Lottie’s eyes gleamed. “Maybe there are other golden shells hidden around the castle that will take us into more tunnels.”

  “Well, I’m definitely too tired to look for them tonight,” said Rosalind. “My legs are aching. I feel like I’ve walked for miles and miles!”

  “Me too,” agreed Ella. “I’m really looking forward to getting into bed! I bet even Daisy’s tired.”

  They all looked over at the baby rabbit snuggled up among the folds of the woolly scarf and saw that she’d fallen fast asleep.

  In the morning, the four princesses got dressed early before the rest of Seahorse Tower was awake and took Daisy down to the pet barn.

  Ella kissed the rabbit’s floppy ears before placing her back in the hutch with her brothers and sisters. She fetched some extra hay for the rabbits and helped Rebecca move the hay bales into another part of the barn. Daisy hopped up and down her run happily with her ears pricked up.

  “She’s still got lots of energy even after hopping down all those passageways,” said Lottie, smiling.

  “She’s quite an adventurous rabbit,” said Ella.

  “Hey – you know what today is?” said Rosalind, suddenly excited. “It’s Pet Picnic Day!”

  “Ooh, yes!” said Summer. “I’d forgotten about that.”

  “What’s Pet Picnic Day?” asked Ella.

  “Every month we have a picnic and the pets come along too.” Rosalind grinned. “And we’re allowed to wear our own clothes instead of school uniform.”

  “And the cooks give us the yummiest cakes and jellies for the picnic,” added Summer.

  “But the best bit is that each tower takes turns at being in charge and today it’s the turn of Seahorse Tower!” said Lottie.

  A shadow fell in the doorway. “Well, you four aren’t going to take part in it!” said Molly. “I’ve told Miss Goldwin that you weren’t in your room at bedtime last night. She’s coming here right now to tell you off.”

  Ella’s stomach turned over. Then she noticed Molly’s mean smile and knew she had to say something. “I’m really sorry I knocked you over into the water that time,” she said to the older girl. “But it was an accident and I don’t think it’s fair of you to carry on being angry about it.”

  “Well said!” Rosalind folded her arms and glared at Molly.

  “I know that captains are supposed to make sure people follow the rules,” added Ella. “But aren’t they also meant to look after new princesses and help them feel at home in Harebell Castle?”

  “Yes, Ella,” said Miss Goldwin, stepping into the pet barn. “That’s exactly what they’re supposed to do.” She gazed at the girls with bright eyes. “As it happens, Rebecca has told me how helpful you’ve been here in the pet barn. Was there a good reason for you to be out of bed last night?”

  “Yes, Miss Goldwin. There was,” said Ella truthfully. />
  The Headmistress turned to the older girl. “You see, Molly. There was no need to worry. But perhaps you’d like to come back to my office where we can talk about your job as a Seahorse Captain.”

  Molly turned red and muttered, “Yes, Miss Goldwin.” Then she left the barn without looking at Ella and the others.

  Miss Goldwin smiled. “Now, as it’s Pet Picnic Day, you’d better start taking these animals outside. I’m sure the rest of your tower will be along soon to help you.”

  “Yes, Miss Goldwin,” said the girls.

  The four princesses picked up the rabbits one by one and put them in a run on the grass. Then they rushed inside to get changed into their best dresses ready for the picnic.

  Ella put on her beautiful cream-coloured dress decorated with green leaf patterns. She added her favourite bracelets and a tiara with gleaming gold flowers.

  Rosalind was wearing a dark-blue dress and a golden tiara that sparkled with sapphires. “I like your bracelets,” she told Ella. “They’re really pretty.”

  “Thanks!” Ella smiled.

  Lottie pulled on a crimson dress with silk sleeves. Then she squashed a ruby tiara on top of her red curls. “We’d better hurry. We don’t want to let the other girls from our tower do all the work.”

  “I’m nearly ready!” Summer smoothed her dress, which was edged with red ribbon. Then she quickly brushed her golden hair.

  The princesses rushed down to the kitchen where they collected a bundle of picnic blankets and three large baskets. The baskets were filled with sandwiches, sausage rolls and the biggest chocolate cake Ella had ever seen.

  They took everything out to the field and began spreading the picnic blankets on the grass. They handed out plates decorated with a starfish pattern and poured glasses of sparkling lemonade for everyone.

  The whole school sat down on the picnic blankets to enjoy lunch while their pets played around them. Ella took a bite of delicious chocolate cake. She could see Daisy bouncing up and down, enjoying the fresh air and the warm sunshine.