The Rescue Princess Read online

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  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Copyright

  About the Book

  Poppy is hosting her first ever sleepover, which is made even more exciting by the huge snowstorm that starts during the night. But when the General Store runs out of supplies, Honey hurts her ankle, Poppy, Dad and Mr Atkins go missing and some of the phone and electricty lines go down, everyone starts to panic.

  Will the villagers pull together and help each other and will Poppy save the day?

  Princess Poppy:

  The Rescue

  Princess

  written by Janey Louise Jones

  Illustrated by Samantha Chaffey

  To Lindsey Fraser, with grateful thanks

  for all your help

  Chapter One

  POPPY LOVED COSY nights in, especially Fridays. School was over for another week, and when the weather was cold, there was always a roaring fire in the sitting room at Honeysuckle Cottage, which made things seem even cosier. The smell of Mum’s home-baked bread and Victoria sponges, both regular weekend treats, wafted in from the kitchen stove. But tonight Poppy was even happier than usual because she was having her first ever sleepover. Honey, Mimosa, Sweetpea and Abigail had come over straight after school and were all staying the night. They had been planning and looking forward to the sleepover for weeks.

  “My cousin Daisy and her friends have sleepovers all the time, although she has hers in the summer house, not in her bedroom,” explained Poppy as she laid out everybody’s sleeping bags neatly on the cushions Mum had put out for the girls to sleep on.

  “Don’t Daisy and her friends do lots of beauty treatments when they have sleepovers?” piped up Honey, who was quite a fan of Poppy’s older cousin. “I wish we could do that.”

  “Well, actually, we can. Come and see,” said Poppy excitedly. “I went to see Lily Ann Peach today at the Beehive Beauty Salon and she’s given me all this stuff. Look!”

  “Wow! Make-up!” said Sweetpea. “My mum never lets me wear make-up. This is so cool. I love that bright red lipstick!”

  “And sparkly eye shadow,” gasped Abigail.

  “Look at all the creams and lotions too!” said Honey as she examined the pretty bottles and jars. “Yippee!”

  “I told you I’d sort it out, didn’t I?” laughed Poppy.

  “Ugh, what’s that?” wondered Mimosa, pointing at a glass jar of what looked like guacamole. “Do we eat it with dipping chips?”

  “No, silly,” said Poppy knowledgably. “It’s avocado face pack. Lily Ann said to spread it on our faces then wash it off after about half an hour.”

  “Cool . . . but what’s it for?” asked Abigail.

  “Um . . . it makes your face glow or something,” muttered Poppy, who wasn’t quite sure of the point of it herself but knew it seemed incredibly grown-up, if a little disgusting and slimy.

  “Right,” she continued, “I’ve made a plan for tonight. We can’t waste a single nanosecond because this doesn’t happen very often. Have you all brought the things we agreed on?”

  Everybody nodded.

  “OK then. Let’s run through the list of what everyone should have with them,” said Poppy, clutching her very efficient-looking clipboard.

  All the friends rummaged about in their backpacks.

  “Yes,” they chorused. “Got everything.”

  “Good. So here’s the plan. Let’s start with the posters for cousin Daisy’s band, the Beach Babes. Have you brought your art set, Honey?”

  Honey produced a fabulous box of art materials which her mum and dad had given her on their last visit to Honeypot Hill, complete with several big sheets of white paper, some stencils, stickers and a calligraphy set.

  “Check,” she said.

  “Good, that’s the posters sorted then,” continued Poppy. “After that we can start the beauty treatments. I’ve got all that stuff which we’ve just seen. Very well done, Poppy Cotton, good job,” she said, patting herself on the back.

  All the girls laughed. Poppy was great fun, even if she did have a bit of a bossy streak.

  “After that, we need to practise our dance routine for the Beach Babes’ next gig. Mimosa, did you bring your big sister’s cool CDs?”

  “Yep, here they are,” replied Mimosa, and held up the bright pink CD player and karaoke machine she had brought with her as well.

  “Excellent. After that it will be supper time. Yum-yum! Mum’s cooked something ‘sensible’. Have you got the goodies, Sweetpea?”

  “Yes, I most certainly do!” said Sweetpea proudly, showing off a large bag of mixed sweets from the General Store. The girls were hardly ever allowed to eat sweets.

  “Wow!” said Abigail. “I hope my dad doesn’t find out!”

  “And after supper, when Mum’s tucked us up in bed, it’s officially ‘Scary Story Time’. I’ve been to the library and got these!” announced Poppy.

  The girls drew closer to examine the books Poppy was holding out: Ghostly Galleons: Pirate and Mermaid Spirits, plus Highwaymen and Other Robbers. And the worst ever was Witches’ Way.

  “Oooh, they all sound horrible,” shuddered Honey. “My granny won’t let me read Witches’ Way. She says it’ll give me bad dreams.”

  “Um, Honey,” said Mimosa, “the whole point of a sleepover is to do things you aren’t normally allowed to do!”

  “I don’t care what you say,” said Honey, “I don’t want to have nightmares. I’m going to stick with my Care Fairies magazine. You’ll wish you’d done the same when you’re too spooked to sleep!”

  “Well, I think the creepy books sound brilliant!” announced Sweetpea. “I’ll read The Highwayman poem out loud. It’ll totally freak you out.”

  “That takes us to ‘The Witching Hour’,” cackled Poppy, grabbing her Halloween hat from her dressing-up box. “Sleep if you dare!

  “And in the morning,” she continued, “my dad is going to take us on a nature walk in Wildspice Woods. He thinks we might even see some deer if we’re lucky.”

  “Cool. I love the woods!” exclaimed Honey.

  Chapter Two

  THE GIRLS GOT to work on their posters, and chatted and laughed their way through the beauty treatments, which made a terrible mess, then practised their dance routines and songs. Later on Poppy’s mum brought them a delicious, very healthy supper, which was balanced out by Sweetpea’s treats.

  Poppy’s parents did have to tick the girls off a couple of times for making too much noise and disturbing Poppy’s baby brother and sister, Angel and Archie, but apart from that they were allowed to do as they wished for the whole evening, which they all thought was utter bliss!

  Once the girls had changed into their night clothes, they sat nibbling on fudge and sipping creamy hot chocolate while listening to spooky stories. Poppy had asked Mum if she could light scented candles, which Mum had agreed to as long as Dad lit them and blew them out. Honey and Abigail put on earphones and listened to CDs instead, flicking through their own non-spooky magazines.

  “Time to settle down now, girls,” said Mum as she popped her head round the door. “And don’t forget to brush your teeth.”

 
; “Aww, ten more minutes, Mum,” complained Poppy.

  “Five!” Mum said firmly. “Then I’m sending Dad in to put out the candles.”

  When the candles were out and the lights were off, none of the girls felt ready to go to sleep. They were having way too much fun and they didn’t want the sleepover to end. Ever. So they carried on whispering and giggling in the moonlight that shone through a chink in the curtains.

  Suddenly Sweetpea sat up and pointed at the window. “Look out there. I think it’s snowing. Wow!”

  Poppy pulled the curtain right back to get a better look. Sweetpea was right. The garden of Honeysuckle Cottage was covered with a thick layer of snow and more was falling. The girls couldn’t believe their eyes. Surely it was much too late in the year for snow.

  “It’s amazing,” said Honey sleepily.

  “Let’s go out and dance in the snow,” said Poppy. “We’ll be the first people to step in it. We can make a snow princess with a tiara and beads and a feather boa.” “But it’ll be freezing out there,” said Abigail.

  “Just layer up – I’ve got lots of hats and scarves and socks. We can put our coats on over our nighties. We won’t be out for long. Come on, it’ll be fun,” pleaded Poppy.

  The girls stirred from their lovely cosy sleeping bags and flung on as many warm things as they could find in Poppy’s wardrobe. Then they sneaked out into the garden as quietly as possible so as not to wake up Poppy’s mum and dad or the twins.

  “Let’s be snow princesses!” said Poppy as she ran out into the fresh sparkly snow.

  Soon the girls were rolling about making snow princess shapes and throwing snowballs at each other. Just as Poppy was forming the body of a snow princess, Mum stormed out into the garden in her dressing gown and slippers with a huge woolly scarf round her neck. She looked very cross.

  “Poppy Cotton! What are you thinking of, bringing your friends out here in the freezing cold? You’ll all catch chills. I’m responsible for everyone, you know. Your parents won’t thank me if I send you home ill. Come on in, girls. I’ll make some hot drinks to warm you up and sort out your hot-water bottles – then you must go to sleep. It’s very late. Honestly, Poppy.”

  As the friends reluctantly trooped inside, they noticed that it was snowing even harder now. What luck! They couldn’t wait until morning.

  Chapter Three

  THE NEXT DAY Mum came to shake the girls awake.

  “Time to get up – breakfast’s nearly ready!” she said as she pulled back the curtains. “Look, there’s been even more snow!”

  The girls looked sleepy at first, rubbing their eyes and scratching their heads, but as they began to focus, they all sat up and stared out of the window in disbelief. The snow was so deep that the whole garden was white and it was still snowing.

  “It’s as pretty as a picture, just like a Christmas card!” exclaimed Mimosa.

  “It looks so fresh and clean!” said Sweetpea.

  “It reminds me of whipped cream!” observed Abigail.

  “I can’t wait to go and play in it!” added Poppy.

  “It does look lovely, I know,” agreed Mum, “but it’s so inconvenient. I was planning to go shopping today. Never mind, I expect it will stop soon. Now, why don’t you all get washed and dressed and then come down to the dining room for a lovely big breakfast.”

  “Yippee!” cried Poppy.

  The girls got ready as fast as they could, chatting and giggling as they did so. They were all very excited about going to Wildspice Woods in the snow with Poppy’s dad.

  Mum put more logs on the dining-room fire and brought slices of hot buttered toast through, along with tumblers of freshly squeezed orange juice and steaming bowls of porridge. Dad appeared after a bit of a lie-in, looking very tired and dishevelled. He’d had a busy week at work, as usual.

  “Morning, girls!” he said as he came and pinched a piece of toast from Poppy’s plate. “I’m afraid we’re not going to be able to go to the woods today. Ted, the postman, just rang. Apparently the snow is really deep and getting worse, so he’s asked me and a few others to help him clear and grit the paths and doorways around the village – otherwise people will be stuck in their houses. This is the worst weather I’ve ever seen here. It could really bring things to a standstill. We’ll do the walk another time – when this snow has thawed.”

  The girls were disappointed – they’d really been looking forward to their nature walk in the woods – but playing in the snow would be a good substitute.

  “I think we should get you lot back to your own homes before the snow settles any deeper too,” Dad continued. “You don’t want to be stuck here for ever, now, do you?”

  “We don’t mind staying, Mr Cotton,” chorused the girls. “We love it here.”

  “Well, that’s very nice to know and we love having you, but I think your parents would probably like you back at some point!” Poppy’s dad smiled at them.

  After breakfast Mimosa, Abigail and Sweetpea went off to pack their things and wrap up warm for the journey home while Poppy and Honey helped Mum to clear up. Honey didn’t have to go home because Granny Bumble worked at Bumble Bee’s Teashop on Saturdays so she always spent the day with the Cottons.

  While Poppy and Honey bustled around the kitchen, making more mess than they were clearing up, Dad turned to Mum.

  “Lavender, can you call the girls’ parents and tell them that we’re on our way? I think we’ll go to Sweetpea’s cottage first, then Abigail’s house, and then I’ll drop Mimosa off. After that I’ll go and help Ted and the others. Maybe you should get Grandpa over here. You know he never heats that house properly. We don’t want him to catch a chill. Not at his age.”

  “James, there’s no need to panic. It’s just a bit of snow. I know it’s annoying but I don’t think it’s a disaster! I’ll make the phone calls while you get wrapped up for your great expedition. Me, Poppy, the twins and Honey will pop over to see Grandpa while you’re out.”

  A few minutes later Dad emerged from the cupboard under the stairs wrapped up like an Inuit! He was wearing several sweaters, a thick quilted jacket, woolly gloves, a multi-coloured stripy scarf and a long pompom hat with a furry trim.

  Everyone laughed. Poppy’s dad was making such a fuss about the snow while everyone else was just desperate to go out and play in it!

  “I’m not sure if you’ll be able to move in that lot!” said Mum, hiding a smile.

  “Laugh all you like,” said Dad. “I’m the one who’s been listening to the news, not you. The Met Office is predicting that this will continue for days. You might all be glad of an outfit like this later!”

  Mimosa had a fit of the giggles. “Mr Cotton, it’s more like a bedcover than a jacket, and that hat is like Scrooge’s nightcap!”

  “Tee-hee-hee!” grumped Dad as he filled a backpack with supplies and went off to find a spade.

  Mum made sure that all Poppy’s friends were really cosy before they set off.

  “Bye!” called Poppy. “Sorry the plans have all gone wrong. Hope you liked the sleepover!”

  “It was really good fun, thanks!” called the girls as they disappeared into the bright white light. “Thank you for having us, Mrs Cotton.”

  Chapter Four

  “RIGHT,” SAID MUM. “Shall we go over and see Grandpa to make sure he’s OK?”

  “Yes please,” said Poppy. “He can help me and Honey make snow princesses in the garden.”

  Poppy and Honey wrapped up in all their warmest clothes. Honey had to borrow some as all her really cosy things were at home. Mum put on her winter coat and a big fluffy hat – one of her own creations – and then she dressed the twins in adorable little all-in-one snowsuits with matching moon boots. They set off together towards Forget-Me-Not Cottage, swinging the twins between them since the snow was much too deep for Angel and Archie to manage on their own. Progress was slow, with the bitter wind blowing against them and snow falling faster and faster.

  They pushed open the ba
ck door and found Grandpa sitting at his kitchen table reading the paper. He was wearing a woolly jumper, a big scarf and his famous fingerless gloves. He turned down the radio.

  “Hello!” he said cheerfully, delighted to see his family.

  “Grandpa, it’s freezing in here!” exclaimed Poppy. “Aren’t you cold?”

  “Oh, I like to save my logs for when it’s really bitter out,” explained Grandpa.

  Mum laughed. “Dad, I’d say today pretty well falls into that category. Anyway, we’ve got a lovely fire going at home and I’ve baked your favourite Victoria sponge. Why don’t you come and stay with us until this snow thaws. James tells me that it could be like this for days.”

  “Oh, that would be lovely!” said Grandpa, who was always happy to spend time with his family, especially his grandchildren. “Thank you!”

  “And Grandpa, will you help us make a snow princess in the garden?” asked Poppy.

  “Of course I will. Just wait while I pack a bag and we can all head back together,” he said. “A game of Operation by the fire might be in order too!”

  After a tiring spell of snow-building in the garden of Honeysuckle Cottage, Grandpa left Poppy and Honey to it and settled down in front of the fire in the sitting room with a cup of tea and a slice of cake.

  “Dad, since you’re going to be staying with us for a few days, would you mind if I borrowed a basket of logs from you?” asked Mum. “I was expecting a delivery today but I’m not sure it’s going to make it through in this snow and we’re a bit low.”

  “Of course you can, dear. Take as many as you like. I’ll listen out for the twins for you,” said Grandpa, settling even deeper into the big, comfortable armchair.

  Mum came back from Forget-Me-Not Cottage with a fresh supply of logs and immediately set to stoking the fire. She hoped the twins would have a good long nap as she had a lot to do. As soon as she was happy that the fire was roaring she went upstairs to prepare Grandpa’s room. Then she looked through the cupboards to see what she could make for lunch and supper. Luckily she found all sorts of things she’d forgotten all about. The cupboard wasn’t nearly as bare as she’d thought. She made some lovely pea and ham soup for supper and an apple crumble too.