Magic Bunny: Dancing Days

by Sue Bentley

  ‘What is pizza?’ Arrow’s whiskers twitched in curiosity.

  ‘It’s sort of flat bread with tomatoes and other stuff, topped with melted cheese. Wait until you taste it. You’ll love it!’ She decided to ask for one with lots of spinach, especially for Arrow.

  Arrow licked his lips. ‘I like trying new human food.’

  Sara smiled as she stroked his soft little front paws that were poking out from her shoulder bag. ‘I can’t decide whether to tell Beth about Tamara,’ she mused, changing the subject.

  Arrow looked up at her, a tiny rainbow gleaming in each big brown eye. ‘Tamara might not want anyone to know she was dancing by herself.’

  Sara thought Arrow could be right. She didn’t even know the red-haired girl, but there was something about her she liked and she didn’t feel right about snitching on her.

  She chewed at her lip. ‘I know,’ she agreed, ‘but Beth’s my best friend. We usually tell each other everything. It feels strange to keep secrets from her.’

  Arrow lifted a paw and placed it on her hand. ‘It is not your secret. It is Tamara’s,’ he said quietly.

  Sara smiled at her wise friend. ‘You’re right! Let’s keep this just between you and me for now.’

  ‘Sara!’ Beth came out of school. She waved and quickened her steps as she hurried towards Sara and Arrow. ‘I hope you weren’t too bored all by yourself while we were playing tennis.’

  ‘Oh, I found loads to do,’ Sara said vaguely. Like having fun with my magic bunny friend and finding a mystery dancer! ‘Mum’s over there. Let’s go!’

  ‘Um … sorry, Sara,’ Beth said, wrinkling her nose in apology. ‘But I can’t come for a pizza after all. I’ve got to meet Olya. We’re doing extra practice in the evenings all week.’

  ‘What, every evening?’ Sara said, surprised. ‘And sometimes before school too?’

  ‘Yes, Olya wants to be the best she can for Jane’s auditions,’ Beth said reasonably.

  Sara nodded, not very happy about it. Beth was her best friend after all, and she wasn’t used to having to share her. ‘I suppose I’d want to do extra practice if it was me,’ she said reluctantly. ‘Well – see you tomorrow at school.’

  ‘Sure. Bye!’ Beth said, walking away.

  Sara waved, knowing that Beth’s mind was already on her dancing.

  Sighing, she felt her thoughts turning to Tamara. How odd that Beth and Olya were rehearsing so much and yet someone as talented as Tamara Blake chose to hide away and dance by herself in an empty classroom.

  It didn’t make sense.

  ‘Mm-mm. Mushrooms, olives and extra spinach with a cheesy stuffed crust. This is the best!’ Sara and Arrow sat in the garden. She helped herself to another slice from the open box.

  Beth might not be here, but it was fun to share with Arrow and especially watch him enjoying his very first taste of pizza.

  Sara folded a long string of mozzarella into her mouth. ‘I’ve got a new DVD of Shanilla Jakes. She’s one of my favourite performers. We could watch it together,’ she suggested.

  Arrow nodded, still munching. ‘I would like that.’

  ‘Come on then. I’ll ask to borrow Mum’s laptop. You and I can cuddle up together on my bed and watch it!’

  Her mum carried the laptop upstairs for her. Arrow stretched out full length beside her on the bed. Sara loaded the DVD and the screen filled with colourful images.

  Arrow’s little face lit up in wonder. ‘How is this world trapped in a box?’ he asked, his whiskers tickling her fingers.

  It was a difficult question and Sara tried to explain.

  ‘Well – those moving pictures were filmed from real life. But what we’re watching is like a memory – kind of. I don’t really know how DVDs work,’ she admitted with a grin. ‘I just enjoy watching them. Wow! Look at the way Shanilla Jakes moves! Isn’t she great? I wish I could dance like that.’

  Arrow looked up at her with rainbow-bright brown eyes. ‘I am sure you will be a very good dancer one day.’

  ‘Thanks, Arrow,’ she said, smiling at her loyal friend. ‘I know it would help me to get better if I got a place in Jane’s new troupe. Oh well. There’s no point in going on about it.’ Sara felt a pang of sadness as she thought about Beth and Olya rehearsing together right now.

  ‘Is there not another dance troupe you could join?’ Arrow asked, rubbing his fluffy cheek against her arm.

  Sara stroked his velvety ears. ‘I don’t think so. Not round here anyway. I s’pose someone else might start one up. You never know,’ she said hopefully.

  Lights flashed and created dramatic shadows in the music video playing on the laptop. For a second, the shadows merged together and made a strange rabbit-shaped image on the screen.

  Arrow gave a squeal of fright. ‘My enemies have found me!’ he cried.

  ‘What? Where?’ Sara said, puzzled. ‘Oh, you mean that rabbit-shaped shadow on the –’

  Arrow wasn’t listening. Leaping on to the floor, he shot straight towards the open bedroom door. To Sara’s horror, he rushed outside and she heard his nails scrabbling on the wooden stairs.

  ‘Oh no!’ she gasped. There was no telling where he’d go in his panic.

  She clambered down from the bed. Not wanting to waste time reaching for her crutches, she hopped after the terrified bunny on one leg. Holding the stair rail, Sara followed him downstairs as quickly as she could.

  The sound of the TV came from the sitting room. Luckily, her parents were watching their favourite television programme.

  ‘Arrow! Stop!’ Sara hissed, not daring to raise her voice in case her mum and dad came out to ask what she was doing without her crutches.

  Steadying herself on the wall, she went into the kitchen and glimpsed Arrow’s bobtail through the open back door as he shot under the patio table. Sara went outside and lowered herself awkwardly to the ground. Arrow was tucked into a tight ball behind the table leg. She crawled towards him and gently picked him up.

  ‘It’s OK. There are no bad rabbits here,’ she crooned, cuddling him in her arms. ‘It was just a trick of the light. DVDs aren’t real, remember?’

  But Arrow was still trembling and didn’t seem to have heard her.

  Sara felt a tingling sensation down her spine as his key flashed and a crystal cloud appeared. It surrounded her and Arrow and shimmered as it turned into something fluffy and squishy that felt like a huge soft duvet.

  ‘Oh!’ To Sara’s total amazement, she felt herself floating upwards with Arrow next to her. They were hovering high in the air on a soft sparkling white cloud, out of sight of anyone below! The old apple tree in the garden was far below them and the neighbouring gardens were spread out like brightly coloured patchwork.

  Sara glanced at Arrow, who crouched next to her, peeping over the pillowy edge. His whiskers twitched nervously as he searched for signs of his enemies.

  ‘See? There are no dark rabbits anywhere, or you’d be able to see them from way up here,’ she reassured him gently. ‘Now do you believe me?’

  He nodded slowly. ‘You are right, Sara. I am sorry I panicked.’ His long floppy ears drooped. ‘I must try to be brave.’

  ‘You are brave,’ Sara said gently. ‘And you can do the most amazing things too! I can’t believe we’re up here – I’ve never thought that our house and garden could look so beautiful!’

  As she looked at him the key round his neck began flashing more brightly than she’d ever seen it.

  ‘Moonglow Meadow will soon be in need of the key’s power,’ Arrow told her.

  Sara’s chest tightened with panic. ‘Do … do you have to leave right now?’ she asked worriedly.

  ‘No. Not until the key glows steadily. Then I will know that its magic is needed urgently. If that happens, I will have to leave at once, maybe without saying goodbye.’

  Sara knew that she would have to be very strong if that happened, but she couldn’t bear to think of it right now. She decided to try to enjoy every moment she could with Arrow.


  Just as Sara was wondering where else she and Arrow might be able to go on their magical sparkling cloud, she heard a noise below.

  ‘Sara?’ It was her mum’s voice coming from the house as she called upstairs. ‘I’m going to make a cool drink. I’ll bring you one up!’

  Chapter

  SEVEN

  Sara stiffened. ‘Oh no! Mum thinks I’m still watching the DVD. She’s going to wonder where I am when she goes into my bedroom. What shall I do?’

  ‘Do not worry. We’ll float back in through your bedroom window before she notices. But I have used my magic so we have a little time to spare. I thought you might like to enjoy being able to float on this cloud with me for a while.’

  ‘Oh yes. It’s so … magical. Better than anything!’

  ‘Better than dancing?’ Arrow asked cheekily.

  She grinned. ‘Nothing’s better than dancing. But this is close!’

  Sara looked around. From high up above the tree, she could see across all the back gardens down the street. Two gardens away, she spotted a small figure on a lawn. It was a girl with dark-red hair and she was dancing.

  Sara narrowed her eyes as she felt a surge of excitement. ‘I think that’s Tamara Blake! I wondered why I hadn’t seen her around. Her family must have only just moved into that empty house. Let’s go closer. Will she be able to see us?’

  ‘No, I used my magic so we are both invisible.’

  Arrow and Sara gently floated towards the garden where Tamara was dancing. Once again, just like in the classroom, Tamara seemed lost in her own private world of dance. She dipped and spun and struck graceful poses.

  A younger girl, who looked very like Tamara, came out of the house. The moment Tamara glimpsed her sister, she stopped dancing. She quickly grabbed a book that was sitting nearby on a table and pretended to be reading.

  Sara frowned, puzzled. ‘Tamara really hates anyone seeing her dancing. I wonder if it’s because she’s shy,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Going to dance classes every week helped me feel more confident. Maybe they’d help her too.’

  ‘You could tell her about them,’ Arrow suggested.

  Sara hadn’t thought that far ahead. But maybe Arrow was right.

  Arrow’s brown eyes suddenly lit up with urgency. ‘We must leave! It is time for you to be back in your bedroom.’

  Everything seemed to go into fast forward. As the sparkling magical cloud whooshed downwards, Sara and Arrow bounced on its billowy surface. They reached her window in the blink of an eye. Sara giggled as she felt a ticklish stretching sensation and they whooshed in through her open window.

  She landed in a heap on her bed and the sparkling cloud dissolved into sugary dust around her and disappeared. Sara dashed a hand through her tousled hair and quickly sat up just as her mum walked into the room holding a tray.

  ‘Here you are, love. I’ve brought you a snack as well.’

  ‘Thanks, Mum.’

  Sara glanced at Arrow, who was nestled against her pillow. That was close, she thought, biting back a grin. Floating on a cloud with her magic bunny friend was the best fun ever!

  Chapter

  EIGHT

  Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. Sara woke from a wonderful dream. She had been dancing in a forest, where every tree glittered with crystal droplets.

  ‘I love how it feels when I dance. It’s the best!’ she said, stretching. ‘I’ve decided to go and watch Beth and Olya dance in the audition. It’s no good being all moody, just because I can’t audition. And I know how much this means to Beth.’

  Arrow was curled up on the pillow near her shoulder. He opened one sleepy brown eye.

  ‘You are a good friend to Beth. And a kind person, Sara.’

  ‘When I haven’t got the grumps, you mean?’ She laughed wryly. ‘I’ve been thinking about Tamara too. I’m going to try to find out why she dances in secret.’

  ‘How are you going to do that?’ Arrow stretched out his front paws and then his back legs, before giving himself a shake.

  Sara drew him gently into her arms and stroked his warm fur. ‘I reckon I need some way of getting her to talk to me. I’ve got an idea! How about if we …’

  Arrow listened intently as Sara finished explaining. He twitched his ears in agreement. ‘That is a good plan.’

  ‘Let’s do it!’ Sara threw back the duvet and reached for her clothes.

  Straight after breakfast, she told her mum she was going to the corner shop to buy some sweets with her pocket money. It wasn’t exactly a fib, as Tamara’s house was on the way.

  ‘This is it,’ Sara whispered when they reached the front gate. ‘You know what to do.’

  Arrow’s big brown eyes glinted with tiny rainbows. His magic key glowed brightly. ‘I am no longer invisible.’

  ‘Good. Ready?’

  Arrow nodded. Hopping under the front gate, he hopped up the short path.

  Sara waited until her magic bunny was hidden behind a large plant pot near the front door. She took a deep breath, hobbled up to the front door and rang the doorbell. There was a pause and then Tamara herself opened the door.

  ‘Yes?’ she said, smiling. She was even prettier close up, with lovely hazel eyes.

  ‘Hi! I’m … um … Sara Penfold. I live just down the street. I’m looking for my pet rabbit. He’s escaped. I think he might be in your front garden.’

  ‘Oh, the poor little thing. He must be really scared. I’ll help you look for him.’ Tamara stepped outside. ‘What does he look like?’

  ‘Thanks.’ Sara smiled gratefully. ‘He’s tiny with fluffy black-and-white fur, a cute pink nose and huge chocolate-brown eyes.’

  Arrow saw his chance. He hopped forward and paused for a second on the path to make sure they saw him. He then slipped past Tamara and dashed into a clump of flowers.

  ‘There he is!’ Tamara cried, running after him. ‘I’ll get him!’

  Sara grinned to herself. The plan was working!

  Arrow flattened his ears and darted about in circles, pretending to be a scared little tame bunny.

  Tamara made a grab for him. ‘Got you!’ she cried triumphantly.

  ‘Phew!’ Sara let out a big sigh of relief. ‘I didn’t think I’d ever catch him.’

  ‘Hello, bunnykins,’ Tamara crooned. She held Arrow gently, but firmly. ‘Isn’t he gorgeous? His eyes are like melted chocolate with rainbow glitter mixed in. How long have you had him?’

  ‘Not very long,’ Sara said vaguely. ‘But I love him to bits. Thanks very much for helping me to catch him. He’s called Arrow.’

  ‘Cool name.’ Tamara smiled, as she handed Arrow over. ‘Did you say you live just up the road? Do you go to Denton School?’

  ‘Yes. I do. I think I saw you the other day,’ Sara said casually. ‘I walked past an empty classroom. And you were dancing –’

  ‘That was you?’ Tamara interrupted, blushing.

  ‘Yes. I dance too. Well – I did, before I hurt my ankle. I go to dance classes at the community college with my best friend, Beth,’ Sara rushed on quickly, hoping that Tamara would stay and listen to her this time. ‘Jane Lewis, the teacher, is really nice. She’s starting a new dance troupe. Beth and I were planning to audition together to win a place.’

  ‘That’s bad luck,’ Tamara said. ‘You must be really disappointed.’

  ‘I was for a while,’ Sara admitted. ‘Beth’s still going to dance our routine. She’s asked Olya, another girl from our class, to be her partner. The auditions are tomorrow. I’m going to go and cheer them on. Would you like to come with me?’

  ‘Me?’ Tamara said, surprised. ‘I … I don’t know.’

  ‘It’ll be fun,’ Sara encouraged. ‘And everyone is really friendly.’

  ‘I really used to love dancing and performing, but I was bullied for showing off at my old school,’ Tamara said quietly.

  Suddenly everything made sense. Sara felt annoyed on Tamara’s behalf.

  ‘I hate kids like that! I bet they we
re jealous because you’re so good. We’re not like that here. I’m not like that. You’ll see. If you come to the auditions, you can meet everyone and then maybe you’d like to come to dance classes with me sometime?’

  Tamara seemed to be considering it. ‘I’ve really missed dancing with other people. Maybe it’s time I gave it another try. And I’d like to make some new friends round here.’ A slow smile spread over her face. ‘OK then.’

  ‘Fantastic! My mum’s taking me. We’ll pick you up at five thirty tomorrow.’

  ‘I’ll be ready.’

  At the front gate, Sara turned and waved to Tamara. ‘Bye!’ She looked at Arrow as they headed home. ‘Well done, Arrow. You were great. Our plan worked perfectly.’

  ‘I am glad. I like Tamara.’ He nuzzled her hand.

  Sara rubbed the soft place between his ears. ‘Me too. I hope she’ll like Beth and Olya. It would be great to have another dance friend.’

  Chapter

  NINE

  ‘I hope Tamara hasn’t changed her mind about coming with us,’ Sara said to Arrow the following day.

  But she needn’t have worried. Tamara was waiting outside her house when they drew up in her mum’s car. Sara grinned.

  ‘Hi!’ Tamara greeted Sara warmly. ‘Thanks for picking me up, Mrs Penfold.’

  ‘You’re welcome,’ Sara’s mum said, smiling.

  ‘Hi, Tamara,’ Sara said as Tamara got into the back and sat next to her and Arrow. ‘I phoned Beth to tell her we’re coming. She’s looking forward to meeting you.’

  ‘Me too,’ Tamara said.

  The roads were unusually busy and they crawled along, waiting in endless traffic queues. It seemed as if every set of traffic lights was on red. Sara began fidgeting with impatience.