Vacation Dreams
Authors: Sue Bentley
To Daisy, cute and fluffy, lop-eared
childhood friend—SB
GROSSET & DUNLAP
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Text copyright © 2010 Sue Bentley. Illustrations copyright © 2010 Angela Swan. Cover illustration © 2010 Andrew Farley. First printed as
Holiday Dreams
in
Great Britain in 2010 by Puffin Books. First published in the United States in 2013
by Grosset & Dunlap, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group,
345 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014. GROSSET & DUNLAP
is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
ISBN: 978-0-698-14390-6
Vacation Dreams
SUE BENTLEY
illustrated by Angela Swan
Arrow looked around at Moonglow Meadow. Many of his fellow magic rabbits were hopping around on the dry patchy ground while others were nibbling wilted plants. He had returned just in time.
The tiny gold key he wore on a chain around his neck glowed brightly and a cloud of crystal dust rose into the
air. It sprinkled down gently and a lush carpet of fresh grass and brightly colored wildflowers appeared and spread until it covered the whole meadow.
The hungry rabbits began to eat. Some of the younger ones rolled over and over, getting the scent of the dewy grass on their fur.
An older rabbit hopped toward Arrow. He had a dark gray muzzle and wore a wise expression.
“Strike!” Arrow bowed his head in greeting before the leader of the warren.
“It is good to see you again, Arrow,” Strike said in a deep velvety voice. “We chose well when we made you keeper of our magic key.”
Arrow felt a surge of pride at the leader’s praise. He knew that he would
guard the key with his life.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the far side of Moonglow Meadow and Arrow saw a group of rabbits rushing toward them.
“The-the dark rabbits are coming!” one of them squealed, wide-eyed with panic.
Arrow flattened his silver-tipped ears nervously. The dark rabbits lived nearby in a deep gully. The land had become so dry that nothing grew there and they were hungry, but the dark rabbits had refused Strike’s invitation to live with them in Moonglow Meadow.
“They are coming to steal our magic key,” Strike rumbled, “and use it to make their gully green and beautiful again.”
“But without the key’s power, Moonglow Meadow will become a desert!” Arrow gasped.
“That is why you must go to the Otherworld once more,” Strike said gravely. “Hide there so the dark rabbits cannot find the key!”
Arrow felt very young and scared, but he knew the warren was relying on him. “I will do it!”
Strike gave a soft but piercing cry.
Every rabbit in the warren came speeding toward them and formed a circle around Arrow. Suddenly, the golden key hanging from Arrow’s neck glowed very brightly.
The light slowly faded and where the pure white-and-silver magic rabbit had been now stood a tiny pale coffee-colored
bunny with fluffy fur and huge brown eyes that twinkled with tiny rainbows.
“Go now! Use this disguise,” Strike said. “Only return when Moonglow Meadow needs more of the key’s magic. And watch out for the dark rabbits!”
Arrow held up his tiny fluffy head. “I will!”
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The rabbits began thumping their feet in time. Arrow felt the magic building and a cloud of crystal dust shimmered around him as Moonglow Meadow grew fainter and fainter…
Becky Hodge woke early with a feeling of excitement. “Yay! It’s vacation!” she cried, thinking of all the things she could do with her friends—tennis, swimming, maybe even horseback riding. She flung back the covers, almost falling out of bed in her eagerness to get up.