by Sue Bentley
“Getting there slowly, but I won’t be running a marathon for a while!” she joked. “How are you and Mel doing?”
“Fine. I love the cottage and my room’s beautiful!” Charlotte told her about their plans to go to the beach. “We’re going with Kay and Jamelia. They’re Mel’s new friends.”
“Sounds good. Are they nice girls?”
“Yes, they are. I like them both,” she said after a pause.
“But you hadn’t expected Mel to have made such good friends so soon?” her mom guessed.
Charlotte blinked in surprise. “How did you know that?”
“I know you, Charlotte Denman. You always had to have the same story over and over again when you were little. And you’ve still got all your old dolls and teddy bears. You like things to stay the way they are.”
“I guess I do,” Charlotte admitted.
“That’s fine,” her mom said, “and I know you’ve really missed Mel since she left. But you can’t expect her not to meet other people—she has a new life now. It’s actually nice of her to want to share them with you.”
“I guess,” Charlotte murmured.
She was beginning to think that her mom was right. Maybe when she got back home she would feel more like forming new friendships of her own, like Mel had. But it was great to have Arrow with her until then. He was a very special friend.
She heard her mom take a deep breath. She didn’t want to tire her out with talking. “You should rest, Mom. I’ll call you again tomorrow.”
“Hey, who’s the mom here?” her mom laughed. “You have a good time on the beach.”
“I will. Take care. Love you, Mom.”
“Love you, too.”
She sighed as she picked up her bag. Arrow was sitting up, looking out of it.
“Is something wrong, Charlotte?”
“It’s Mom—” Charlotte hesitated, but she felt like she could tell Arrow anything. She took a deep breath. “Mom’s been really sick. She’s had weeks of treatment. The doctors say she’ll get better now, but I’m…I’m scared that she won’t.”
“Does Mel know this?” Arrow asked.
Charlotte shook her head. “No one except my family knows. I don’t want to talk about it in case I get upset. But it’s different with you somehow.”
“I am glad that you told me,” Arrow said gently, rubbing his soft caramel-colored cheek against her hand.
Charlotte stroked him. “Me too. Now you’re keeping my secret, just like I’m keeping yours.”
He looked at her face again. “Yes. But perhaps it might help if you talked to Mel about this.”
Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t want her feeling sorry for me. Or being extra nice to me just because Mom’s sick. I’d rather not say anything.”
Just then the doorbell rang and Mel came running from the kitchen past Charlotte and Arrow to open it. “Kay and Jamelia are here! Ready, Charlotte?”
“Coming.” Slipping her bag over her shoulder, Charlotte followed Mel outside and said hello to Kay and Jamelia. They all walked toward the beach. Weak sunshine shone through the clouds and a stiff breeze whipped Charlotte’s hair across her face. Arrow ducked down inside her bag to stay warm.
Charlotte was looking forward to her first visit to the beach. So far, she’d only had a brief glimpse of it. She imagined soft sand, a pretty curving bay, and maybe even rock pools to investigate. But as they reached the beach, she gave a cry of surprise. “Oh no! It’s all pebbles!”
Mel frowned. “Yeah. So what?”
“Well, pebbles aren’t as good as sand. They hurt your bare feet and you can’t build sandcastles or anything.” Charlotte glanced at Mel, who looked offended. She suddenly wished she’d kept her mouth shut, but it was too late now.
“My dad says it’s good for your feet, like having a massage,” Jamelia said cheerfully. “We do lots of stuff on the beach like skipping stones and treasure hunts. I have my kite with me. You can fly it, if you want.”
“Thanks. I’d like that.” Charlotte grinned, remembering her promise to make the best of things.
But Mel still looked annoyed. Stuffing her hands in her jeans pockets, she strode ahead.
Charlotte trudged along, the pebbles crunching beneath her sneakers. A few feet away, the beach sloped sharply toward the gray sea, where sluggish waves collapsed on the shore. A row of boats was moored at the far end. She could see their rusting anchors sticking out of the pebbles and the big loops of blue rope, draped with strands of seaweed.
Mel’s hair whipped around her face as the group made their way along the pebbles. “It so windy today. I wish I’d brought my kite, too!”
Kay ran ahead of them, spreading her arms. “Let’s pretend to be kites being blown around by the wind!”
While the three of them laughed and ran along the water, Charlotte hung back feeling nervous about joining in with their game. Perhaps all being friends together wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought. Mel and her new friends seemed to enjoy doing such different things to her. She turned to Arrow. “I don’t think you’ll be able to hop around on these pebbles. Maybe you’d better stay in my bag.”
“I will be fine!” Arrow pricked his ears excitedly.
Charlotte felt a faint warm prickling sensation again and saw his key flashing as he jumped down in a swirl of crystal dust. He landed on a sort of invisible sparkly magic carpet. It unfurled in front of him as he moved forward and snuffled about. Charlotte smiled at her magic bunny. His little paws were cushioned from the cold hard stones.
Jamelia ran back to Charlotte and took a fold-up kite out of her pocket. She assembled it and then handed Charlotte the plastic handle, which was attached to a spool of thread. “Come on! Let’s fly a real kite!” she said.
“What do I have to do?” Charlotte asked.
Jamelia showed her how to run along the beach, holding up the kite so it trailed behind her. She gave the kite to Charlotte, who ran back to where Arrow was busy investigating some of the larger pebbles on the beach. Mel, Jamelia, and Kay were left far behind her.
Charlotte laughed with delight as the kite lifted a few inches into the air.
“I think I’m getting the hang of this,” she cried excitedly.
Arrow had stopped to watch her. His eyes fastened on the orange-and-purple kite and the long crinkly tail fluttering out behind it. His little bobtail swiveled in fascination. Suddenly, a particularly strong gust of wind took hold of the kite. It was jerked out of Charlotte’s hand and went twisting and tumbling down the beach.
Arrow dashed headlong after it, his little floppy ears swept backward.
Charlotte’s heart missed a beat. Arrow thought it was a game. He’d probably never seen a kite and would follow it right up until it plunged into the water!
“Arrow! Stop,” she warned. “It’s too dangerous!”
But it was too late. A huge wave was rolling toward the shore. It looked just about to break. The way Arrow was tearing along, he’d be directly in its path!
“Oh no!” Charlotte thought quickly.
She had to get to him. Leaping forward, she ran as fast as she could toward the shore. The rushing sound of the waves came closer.
Arrow was running around, trying to nip at the kite’s trailing tail. He had no idea of the danger he was in. Charlotte’s heart was in her mouth.
“Arrow! Come back!” she yelled.
But the wind seemed to snatch her voice and he didn’t hear her.
She put on another burst of speed, slipping and sliding down the slope. The kite swooped upward and then a strong gust of wind blew it out to sea. A huge wave crashed onto the shore and the waves rushed toward Arrow. At the last moment, he seemed to realize his danger and froze in terror.
Charlotte gave a desperate lurch forward. She stretched out one arm and just managed to grab Arrow by the scruff of his neck. “Got you!”
She twisted, cushioning Arrow against her chest as freezing cold seawater swirled around her, soaking her almost up
to the waist. She had somehow managed to keep Arrow dry, but she was gasping with cold as she turned and waded through the sea and back to dry land.
“Are you okay?” she asked worriedly. She couldn’t stop shivering and her teeth were chattering.
Arrow’s little ears were flattened in terror and he was trembling with shock, but he nodded. “Thank you for saving me. You were very brave.”
“Not really. I just couldn’t bear for anything to happen to you,” she said, still shivering as she cradled him in her arms.
Arrow lifted his head. “You are cold. I will help you.”
Charlotte felt a familiar tingling sensation down her back as Arrow’s key flashed. A small cloud of crystal dust appeared and swirled around her for a few seconds, gleaming with tiny rainbows. Her clothes warmed up right away and she felt as if she was sitting in a nice hot bath. She gave a final shiver and realized that her jeans and sneakers were all dry and clean as if they had come out of the dryer at home.
“Wow! I’m completely dry now! Thanks, Arrow.”
As she stood up slowly with Arrow tucked safely beneath one arm, Kay, Mel, and Jamelia came running across the pebbles toward her.
Kay reached her first. “What happened?”
“Um…I…was…” Charlotte floundered, unable to explain that her invisible magic bunny had been in terrible danger. “I dropped the handle of the kite and it blew away. I thought I could catch it before it reached the water—but I was running so fast that I couldn’t stop myself!”
“You should be soaked,” Kay said, looking puzzled. “We saw you get caught by those waves.”
“The sun must be hotter than it looks,” Charlotte said, thinking quickly. “I’m hardly wet at all.”
“Oh no, look at my kite!” Jamelia cried.
Everyone seemed to forget about Charlotte’s amazing quick-drying clothes as they all looked out to sea, where a tangled orange-and-purple object was sinking into the dark water. It bobbed sadly on the gray waves as it was carried out by the tide.
“I’m really sorry,” Charlotte said quietly. “The wind was just too strong. I’ll buy you a new kite. I promise.”
“That’s okay. It didn’t cost that much,” Jamelia said.
“Don’t look so upset, Charlotte. Anyone can have an accident,” Kay said.
“Stop being so nice to her, you two!” Mel burst out. “Can’t you see that she just wants us to fuss over her?”
“I do not!” Charlotte exclaimed, stung.
Mel put her hands on her hips. Her face was flushed with annoyance. “Yes, you do. You’ve had a long face since you got here. You can’t say anything nice about the village, and I know you don’t like it that I’ve made new friends here. Why can’t you just be happy for me?”
Charlotte was surprised. They’d never argued like this before. There was an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach as Mel’s accusations hit home. She had to admit that she’d been a bit quiet at first, but things were different now.
“Mel doesn’t mean it. She’ll calm down in a minute,” Kay said.
Jamelia looked at Mel and then back at Charlotte. “Kay’s right. Come on, you two. This is silly. Be friends?”
Charlotte swallowed hard. She wanted to make up with Mel, but she couldn’t seem to find the right words. Worse still, she felt her eyes pricking with tears as her secret worries about her mom suddenly surfaced. How had everything turned into such a mess?
“I’m not feeling very well. I think I’ll go back to the cottage. I…I’ll see you later,” she called, already jogging away in the direction of the village.
By the time Charlotte turned onto the road and saw the pink walls and thatched roof of Mel’s cottage, she was calmer and felt a bit silly for running off. “I should have apologized to Mel and made up. Now she hates me, and Jamelia and Kay will think I’m horrible!”
“I do not believe any of them will think that,” Arrow said.
Charlotte hung her head. “It would be my own fault if they did. I haven’t been much fun, but I didn’t think Mel would notice because she was too busy spending time with Jamelia and Kay. Maybe I’ll tell her about Mom being sick when she gets back from the beach.”
Arrow looked up at her with chocolate-brown eyes. “That is a good idea. It is never too late for a fresh start.”
Charlotte gathered her wise little bunny in her arms and gave him a hug. He was the best kind of friend—the sort who made you feel better about yourself.
Having made the decision to speak to Mel about her mom, Charlotte’s heart felt lighter as she approached the cottage. Then she had a sudden thought. “Mel’s mom’s going to wonder why I came back by myself. Let’s go to the barn until Mel gets back. I bet you’d like to see Clover and Daisy again, wouldn’t you?”
Arrow nodded.
Opening the gate, Charlotte slipped into the backyard. In the barn, the gray rabbits came forward to look out of the wire mesh. “Hello, girls. I’ve brought someone to see you.” Charlotte opened the cage, so Arrow could jump inside.
Lifting his fluffy head, the tiny bunny touched noses first with Daisy and then Clover. Mel’s rabbits snuffled him and then both started licking him. Arrow stretched out with a blissful expression as they groomed every last bit of him.
Charlotte grinned.
She noticed that the cage was spotless and the food dish and water bottle were both full. Mel was keeping her promise about looking after the rabbits.
After a while, Arrow stood up and gave himself a little shake. Charlotte caught sight of a bag of carrots on top of the cupboard next to the cage. She took a couple out, intending to give them all a treat.
Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her. Mel’s mom came into the barn, her eyebrows raised in surprise. “Hello, Charlotte. What are you doing here?”
“Waiting for Mel…,” she began.
“Don’t tell me that you came back early to feed Mel’s rabbits for her! She’s got to learn to look after them herself,” Mel’s mom interrupted crossly.
“No, she didn’t—” Charlotte began hastily, but before she could finish her sentence, a voice rang out behind her.
“I can’t believe it!” Mel cried. “Now you’re trying to get me into trouble with my mom and dad, too!”
Charlotte turned toward Mel. “I wasn’t…I wouldn’t…”
“Well, it doesn’t look like it!” Mel said.
“That’s enough, Melanie!” her mom snapped. “You can’t blame Charlotte because you forgot to feed your rabbits again.”
“But she di—” Charlotte tried to get a word in edgeways.
Mel’s mom held up a hand. “Don’t try to stick up for her, Charlotte. She’s been warned that we’ll find a new home for Clover and Daisy if she doesn’t take better care of them. And you’re our guest.” She turned to her daughter. “Melanie, apologize to Charlotte.”
Mel glared at Charlotte. “Why should I?”
Her mom frowned. “That’s enough! Go to your room!” she ordered.
Mel looked close to tears. She clenched her fists and then whirled around and ran out of the barn.
Charlotte watched her go in dismay. She felt terrible. She didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sorry about that, honey,” Mel’s mom said. “I’d give her time to calm down, if I were you.”
Charlotte nodded silently. She knew there was no point in trying to explain again. Mel’s mom wouldn’t believe her, anyway. She took Arrow out of the cage, while pretending to check that the door was fastened.
“Is it okay if I sit in the yard for a bit?” Charlotte asked.
Mrs. George smiled. “Of course it is. And don’t worry. This will all have blown over by the morning. Weren’t you supposed to be going to the carnival tomorrow?”
Charlotte nodded glumly. She couldn’t imagine that Mel would want to speak to her after what had just happened. Maybe she could try once more to explain later.
But later on Mel said she wasn’t feeling well, so her mom took a sandwich
up to her bedroom for dinner. “I’m not going to get a chance to speak to her tonight after all,” Charlotte said sadly to Arrow. “I hope she’ll feel better in the morning.”
Arrow nodded. “I hope so, too.”
The following morning, Charlotte and Arrow made their way to the fairground, with Kay, Jamelia, Mel, and her dad all walking alongside them.
“I’m really looking forward to this. I love carnivals!” Charlotte said, smiling at Mel, who was next to her.
“Mmm.” Mel nodded, but she didn’t smile back.
“At least she isn’t ignoring me like she was last night,” Charlotte whispered to Arrow. “Perhaps we can patch things up between us during the day.”
“Let’s go on that first!” Kay said excitedly when they entered the park. She, Mel, and Jamelia headed straight for the biggest ride they could find. Charlotte stood watching from the ground as the rollercoaster crept slowly up the steep, almost vertical track. Their car crested the top and paused for a moment, before whooshing downward to a deafening chorus of screams.
“Whee-ee-eee!” Mel, Jamelia, and Kay were all yelling at the top of their voices.
Charlotte waved as the girls shot past on their way to another series of dizzying swoops and dips. Arrow, who was tucked safely inside Charlotte’s bag, flattened his ears in alarm as the fairground echoed with shrieks.
“It’s okay. They’re just having fun being scared,” Charlotte whispered to him.
“Humans are very strange,” he said, shaking his furry little head.
“Don’t you want to give it a try?” Mel’s dad asked her.
“No, thanks. I hate heights,” she replied. There was no way she was taking Arrow up there. “I’ll go on something else in a minute.”
Colored lights flashed from the sideshows, and carnival music blared out from all the rides. The smell of frying onions, hot dogs, and cotton candy filled the air.
The roller coaster cars pulled up at the finish and there was a hissing sound as the safety bars lifted from the passengers.
Mel, Kay, and Jamelia got off, still giggling as they staggered toward Charlotte and Arrow.
“That was awesome!” Kay breathed. “What’s next? The big wheel?”