Friends Forever Read Free Page A

fields.
    â€˜All right,’ she murmured. ‘I don’t know where you are, or how I can help you – but I’m going to try!’
    Taking a deep breath, she flew towards the wood as fast as she could.
    The wood seemed to grow darker and more forbidding the nearer she got to it. Twink stopped on its edge, biting her lip. How was she ever going to find one wasp in a wood this size?
    Help! Help me!
    .

    .
    Twink turned in the air, listening hard. Yes, he was that way! She dived into the wood, flying fast, darting around trees and undergrowth.
    The voice led her to the very deepest, darkest heart of the wood. Suddenly Twink remembered what Bimi had said, and her wings felt cold. Had the wasp lured her to this remote spot for some treacherous reason?
    Help me!
    Twink spun about, peering at the trees and bushes around her. It was coming from under that fallen log! She swallowed, staring at the dark space. Did she dare? What if her friends were right?
    Then she heard it: a tiny sobbing sound. Twink’s eyes widened. The wasp was crying!
    Sympathy rushed through her. She swooped towards the fallen log, landing neatly in front of it. ‘Hello, are you there?’ she called. ‘Please stop crying! I’ve come to help you!’
    There was a soft snuffling noise, and a rustling. Suddenly Twink saw it crawling towards her in the moonlight: a little baby wasp with a broken wing.
    â€˜Oh!’ gasped Twink. She knelt beside the wasp. ‘You poor thing!’
    The wasp nuzzled at her hand, humming slightly. Twink could feel his relief as clearly as if it were her own. And in that moment, she knew she had lost her heart completely. The wasp was her responsibility now, and she would never let it down.
    â€˜But what am I going to do with you?’ she whispered, stroking his head. ‘I can’t just leave you here!’ She glanced at the sky. It was lighter now. She had to get back to school before everyone woke up!
    â€˜I’ll hide you somewhere close to school,’ she told the wasp. ‘I think I know just the place. Then I’ll see what I can do about healing your wing.’
    .

    .
    How could she heal him on her own, though? She was only a First Year! Pushing aside her doubts, Twink wrapped her arms around the wasp and picked him up.
    He gave a buzz and clung to her with his spindly legs, flapping his good wing in alarm. ‘Shush!’ Twink told him. ‘It’s OK. I just have to get you back to school.’
    The wasp quietened, and Twink took off, skimming quickly back the way she had come. When she reached Glitterwings, she saw with relief that the school’s windows were still dark.
    Shifting the wasp in her arms, Twink flitted around to the back of the school. There was a small dell here, with an abandoned tree stump that she and Bimi had found one day. It used to be a caretaker’s cottage, but no one had lived there for years.
    The tree stump was half-hidden by long grasses. Pushing her way through them, Twink flew through the doorway.
    Inside it was dark and run-down, but dry, and cosy enough. With a sigh of relief, Twink placed the wasp on the mossy bed in the corner. ‘There!’ she said. ‘You’ll be all right here, won’t you?’
    The wasp curled up contentedly, humming to himself. Looking around, Twink saw an old walnut-bucket. ‘I’ll be right back!’ she told the wasp.
    She grabbed the bucket and flew hastily down to the pond. Filling it with water, she returned to the stump and placed it beside the wasp. He drank gratefully for a long time, flapping his good wing, and then curled up again with a satisfied buzz.
    â€˜Right,’ said Twink. ‘Let’s look at your wing!’
    She inspected it carefully in the faint light, and her spirits sank. It was badly broken. The wasp watched her anxiously as she gently poked and prodded.
    â€˜Oh, I’m sure I can fix that!’ said Twink, trying to hide how