pick you up this afternoon, Charlie. Bye, girls!â
She got into her car and waved her hand out the window as she drove away.
When the car had disappeared over the drawbridge, Kirsty turned to Charlie with a big smile.
âWhat would you like to see first, Charlie,â she said, "the maze or the petting zoo?â
âOooh, I want to see the animals!â said Charlie, his eyes shining with delight. âI love animals!â
Rachel and Kirsty led Charlie to the playground behind the palace. Charlie gasped when he saw the tall climbing wall in the center.
âThatâs called Rapunzelâs Tower,â Rachel explained.
âI definitely want to explore that later!â Charlie declared.
They passed the Snow White playhouse, walked around the lake, and finally arrived at the little petting zoo. Charlie smiled happily when he saw the pigpen, the goat enclosure, and the rabbit hutches.
Rachel crouched down beside a fluffy white lop-eared rabbit. She saw a little bucket full of salad scraps, and picked out some lettuce for the rabbit.
âWould you like to feed him?â she asked Charlie.
Charlie crouched down beside her and held out the lettuce. But the rabbit turned around and hopped away!
Charlieâs smile faded a little.
âDid I do something wrong?â he asked.
âMaybe heâs not feeling very well,â Kirsty suggested. âWe should probably tell Jean, the animal keeper.â
She looked around for Jean, but the only people in sight were five boys who were peeking into the henhouse. They were wearing stylish riding jackets and breeches, with tall boots and velvety riding hats. The brims of the hats hid their faces completely.
âNo eggs in here!â one of the boys yelled.
Then Kirsty noticed something very strange.
âRachel, look!â she said. âThere are guinea pigs on top of the henhouse!â
Sure enough, several guinea pigs were now sitting on the henhouse roof. Kirsty and Rachel exchanged surprised glances.
Meanwhile, the boys had moved over to the rabbit hutches, and were trying to pet the rabbits. But every time they got close, the rabbits scattered.
âCome on,â said Kirsty, seeing that Charlie was disappointed. âLetâs visit the royal stables.â
The girls led the way to the stables. They were surprised to see a beautiful golden carriage in the cobblestone courtyard outside. In the sunshine, the gold sparkled and glimmered like fairy dust.
Kirsty and Rachel peeked inside the carriage and saw soft, cushiony red seats with wide padded armrests.
âIt looks magical,â Rachel whispered in delight.
âJust like Cinderellaâs carriage,â said Kirsty, smiling at her best friend.
Charlie was looking at some sacks of animal feed leaning against the wall. âHorse oats, chicken corn, and llama grain,â he said, reading the labels aloud. âEach animal has its own special food.â
Suddenly they heard a loud neighing and stomping.
âItâs coming from that stall over there!â said Rachel, after looking around. âCome on!â
The girls and Charlie raced over to the stall, which had a brass plaque on the door:
My name is Duchess.
I am a Shetland pony.
Charlie and the girls peeked around the stable door. Inside, Jean the animal keeper was standing beside a pretty Shetland pony holding a grooming brush.
âCalm down, Duchess,â Jean was saying. âIâm just trying to help you look your best.â
âHello, Jean!â said Rachel. âWe wanted to show Charlie the stables.â
âI love ponies,â said Charlie, running into the stall.
âBe careful!â warned Jean. âDuchess is in a very weird mood today.â
Just then, Duchess gave a loud snort and broke away from Jean. She dashed past Charlie, knocking him into a pile of straw, and charged out into the courtyard.
âDuchess, stop!â Jean cried.
But Duchess was
Yvette Hines, Monique Lamont