Holly and the Rose Garden

As soon as they got home, Holly hurried inside. On the kitchen table was a white tutu and a white headdress made of gorgeous feathers. She picked it up and ran upstairs. After changing into the costume, she got her red ballet shoes out of her bag and put them on. Walking over to the mirror, a sigh of delight escaped her. The costume was so beautiful! Holly touched the net of the tutu. Her arms crossed in front of her, she did an experimental plié and then moved with small light steps to the side.

Catching sight of herself in the mirror, she paused. Oh, Mum, she thought, if you were here with me, we could dance together and practise like we used to.

A wave of loneliness swept over her, but then Holly was distracted by a tingling in her feet. Glancing down she saw that her shoes were glowing.

The magic’s working! she realised feeling a thrill of excitement. I must be going to Enchantia again!

She started to spin round and round, and the next second she was whirled away in a cloud of glittering colours.

Holly’s feet touched down on solid ground and as the magical haze cleared, she saw that she was standing in a beautiful garden. There were roses everywhere – white ones, red ones, pink ones. Holly looked about her. Where was she? And where was her friend the White Cat? He was usually there to meet her whenever she arrived in Enchantia.

But just at that moment, Holly heard a loud shrieking cry.

“H-hello?” Holly called warily.

There was another loud shriek and out from behind a bush strode a peacock. His body was bright blue and he had golden eyes. On his head was a crest that looked almost like a little crown. His long tail of feathers trailed on the ground after him. Seeing Holly, he stared.

Holly stepped backwards uncertainly. The bird’s beak looked very sharp and he had sharp claws on his feet too.

He looked her up and down intently and then his eyes seemed suddenly to glitter with approval. “Well, hellllllo there!”

His tail feathers rose and snapped open, like an enormous fan. “And who might you be, my pretty little one?”

“I’m Holly,” she stammered.

The peacock stalked towards her. “Do you come here often?”

“Um…” Holly said. “Well…”

“No tail, but what fabulous feathers you have,” the peacock interrupted, examining her feathery headdress. “I like them!”

“Feathers!”

Holly’s hand flew to her head, as she realised that they must be confusing him into thinking she was a bird! “Oh, but they’re not real. I’m a girl you see, not a—”

The peacock cawed with delight. “And I am a boy! We shall be married!”

“Married!” Holly exclaimed. “But we can’t be! No!”

“No?” The peacock chuckled. “Of course we must, my sweetest swan-ling!” He lifted a claw and wagged it at her. “No one, but no one, would ever say no to Peregrine the peacock.”

Pulling a golden hand mirror out from under his wing, he admired himself. “Am I not the most handsome, most sophisticated, and most perfectly perfect peacock you have ever seen in the whole of Enchantia?”

Looking at himself smugly, he blew himself a small kiss before tucking the mirror away and turning back to Holly.

“You and I are the perfect match, even if you don’t have a tail. We shall live here, strolling through the roses, pecking at the insects, sharing the juicy worms. Together forever.”

He ran a claw through his crest and fixed her with an expectant look. “Well, what do you say?”

Holly backed away. “Look, I’m really very sorry, but you’ve got it wrong, I can’t marry you. I’m not a—”

A massive roar from behind her drowned out her words. “Beauty! You’re back!”

Peregrine screeched in alarm and Holly swung round. Behind her there was a huge man, with the head and shoulders of a giant beast!

The beast’s monstrous face was full of hope, but as she looked at him, his expression changed to one of anguish.

“No!” he growled despairingly. “You are not my Beauty!”

Holly stood, petrified with fear.

“Trespasser!” the beast roared. He marched down the slope and, picking her up as easily as if she was a doll, threw her over his shoulder.

Holly heard the peacock screech again. “My love! Peregrine will save you!”

He flew at the beast, but as he did so, the beast muttered a word.

For a moment, Holly thought she saw a flash of white fur behind the peacock, but then, in a swirl of light, she and the beast were whisked away…

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