Bella the Bunny Read Free Page A

about to turn and hop back when a ray of sunshine lit the path ahead. The trees thinned as she hopped into a clearing.
    Bella came to a halt, her heart beating fast. There was a ring of bright red toadstools in the clearing.
    â€œWhy have you stopped?” Lexi asked.
    Bella raised her ear so that Lexi could see the toadstools.
    â€œMushrooms?” Lexi said. “How can mushrooms help us?”
    â€œThey’re not mushrooms. They’re toadstools !” Bella explained.
    Lexi was very puzzled.
    â€œIt’s a magic toadstool ring!” Bella whispered. “A place where wishes come true!”
    And without another word, she hopped out of the trees and flew straight to the middle of the ring.

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
    Magic Toadstools
    It was very quiet in the middle of the toadstool ring. There were no birds singing, and even the leaves in the trees had stopped rustling. Bella gave a little shiver, but she knew she must be brave. She raised her ear right up.
    â€œCome and sit beside me,” she whispered to Lexi.
    â€œWhy?” Lexi asked.
    â€œWe need to close our eyes,” Bella explained. “Then I’ll make a wish for you to have some spots.”
    â€œOh, I hope it works,” breathed Lexi.
    Bella closed her eyes tight and thought for a moment. As soon as the words came into her head, she began to sing.
    Lexi’s only got one spot,
    Which makes her feel so sad.
    But grant my wish, kind toadstools,
    And she’ll be very glad!
    Bella stopped singing and listened. There was still no sound. Not even the faintest breeze or quietest birdsong. But then … swoosh!
    Something ruffled against her.
    â€œWhat’s that?” Lexi squeaked.
    Swish! Swoosh!
    There it was again. It felt as if a big, soft brush was stroking Bella’s fur.
    â€œDon’t move!” Bella whispered to Lexi. “It’s the magic. You have to keep your eyes closed.”
    Suddenly, the swooshing stopped. Everything was quiet.
    Bella opened one eye and saw the ring of toadstools. Then she opened her other eye.
    â€œOh no!” she gasped when she saw Lexi.
    â€œOh no!” squeaked Lexi when she saw Bella.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” they both said at exactly the same time.
    â€œYou’ve got spots!” Bella said. “But—”
    â€œSo have you,” interrupted Lexi. “Big white ones!”
    Bella stared at the ladybug. “Yours are white, too!”
    â€œThey can’t be!” Lexi cried.
    â€œIt’s true,” Bella said. “Let’s go look in that puddle over there.”
    They fluttered over to look at their reflections in the water.
    â€œIt is true!” Lexi said. “I’ve got lots and lots of white spots. But they should be black .”
    Bella gazed at her friend. The ladybug did look strange, with one big black spot and lots of little white ones. Then Bella leaned over to look at her own reflection.
    â€œOh my!” she exclaimed. There were big white blobs all over her silky gray fur. She didn’t look like her usual self at all.
    Lexi started to cry. Tiny trails of tears glimmered as they trickled down her face. “I c-can’t go to Sports Day like this! What are we going to do?”
    â€œDon’t worry,” Bella said. “This toadstool ring is definitely magic, but I must have sung the wish wrong. Let me try again.”

    Bella started flying back toward the ring, but Lexi stayed where she was.
    â€œWhy aren’t you coming?” Bella asked.
    â€œThe magic might go wrong again,” Lexi replied. “I might end up with purple spots. Or spots every color of the rainbow. And that would be even worse!”
    â€œI’m sure that won’t happen,” Bella said, flying back over to Lexi. “I just have to get the wish right. That’s all.”
    Lexi gave a little nod and fluttered back to the toadstool ring.
    When they were both in the ring again, they closed their eyes.