A Glittering Gallop (2 page)

“I know how he feels!” Zoe muttered, rolling her blue eyes.

Despite herself, she began swinging her arms as she trudged down her
grandmother’s endless garden. It was hard to stay grumpy on such a beautiful day. Bees flew back and forth over the colorful flower beds. There was a lovely smell of warm grass cuttings and by the time she reached the sturdy, wooden chicken house Zoe had cheered up quite a bit.

She looked curiously at the bantams. They were about half the size of normal chickens. Some of them had bright, glossy feathers and delicate legs, and others were fat and fluffy and looked like they were wearing baggy, feathery trousers.

A handsome black cockerel ran out toward the wire mesh of the outside run that surrounded the chicken house. His bright red crest was raised and
there was a fierce glint in his beady red eyes.

“Hi, Cocky,” Zoe said.

The cockerel snapped his beak and flexed his strong clawed feet.

“Okay, I get the message!” Zoe backed away. She went around the chicken house and opened the nest box on the other side. “Wow! Look at these! I thought eggs were only white or brown!” The bantams’ eggs were all shades of pale green, blue, and gray. There were even pink ones with little brown freckles.

Zoe filled the basket with eggs and then decided to take the long way back to the house, past the chickens and the greenhouse into the orchard.

As Zoe wandered toward the
greenhouse she noticed that the door was open. Inside she glimpsed a jungle-like mass of plants with tomatoes, peppers, and lots of stuff she didn’t recognize.

Suddenly, from among all the plants, there was a flash of bright white light. “What was that?” A little nervously, she crept inside.

At first Zoe couldn’t see anything odd as she walked between the rows of plants and flowers, but just as she was about to turn back, she noticed something glowing faintly at the very back of the greenhouse.

Zoe went forward slowly. As she got closer, she saw a big pile of old flowerpots in a corner, and on top of them there crouched what appeared to be a tiny kitten. In the light its fluffy coat seemed to sparkle all over. Zoe blinked hard. How did a kitten get in here?

When Zoe looked again, the sparkles seemed to have faded. The kitten was really cute, with white fur and ginger and black markings and the brightest emerald eyes Zoe had ever seen.

“What are you doing in Nana’s greenhouse?” Zoe said aloud.

The kitten pricked up its tiny ears and looked straight at her. “I am hiding from my uncle, who wants to kill me,” it mewed.

“Oh!” Zoe dropped the basket of eggs and her hands flew to her face in complete shock.

Zoe stared at the calico-colored kitten in utter amazement. “Did…did you just speak?” she stammered.

The kitten nodded and lifted its tiny chin proudly. “Yes, I did. My name is Prince Flame, heir to the Lion Throne. What is yours?”

“I’m…Zoe. I’m staying here with my nana,” Zoe answered, her mind whirling.

She couldn’t believe this was happening, but her curiosity was beginning to get the better of her shock. Bending down, she made herself seem much smaller, so she didn’t frighten the little kitten away. “You’re a prince? And did you say that someone was trying to kill you?”

“Yes. My uncle Ebony. He has stolen my throne and rules in my place. One
day I will return and regain my throne,” Flame mewed, his bright emerald eyes glittering with anger.

“But aren’t you much too small to rule anyone?” Zoe asked gently. Flame said nothing, but his calico fur began to sparkle all over. He jumped off the flowerpots, and Zoe was blinded by a bright silver flash.

“Oh!” Zoe rubbed her eyes. When she looked again, she saw that the fluffy kitten had gone. In its place stood a magnificent young white lion.

Zoe gulped. Eyeing the huge paws and sharp teeth, she began to back away slowly.

“Do not be afraid. I will not harm you,” the lion rumbled in a deep, velvety roar. There was another flash of light,
and Flame reappeared as a tiny calico kitten.

“Wow! You really are a lion prince!” Zoe said, relieved and amazed at the same time.

“Yes. I am in disguise,” the tiny kitten mewed, trembling from head to toe. “I must hide from my uncle’s spies. Can you help me, Zoe?”

Zoe felt a second of doubt at the thought of Flame’s evil uncle. But then she looked at the cute kitten. Flame was majestic as his real self, but in his kitten disguise he looked so helpless and frightened that her generous heart melted.

“Of course I will!” Zoe crooned. She bent down and picked Flame up. “I’ll take care of you. Don’t you worry about
your horrible old uncle. I bet he’s no match for my nana! Just wait until I tell her about you!”

Flame squirmed. He reached up a tiny white, ginger-tipped paw and stroked Zoe’s cheek. “You must tell no one that I am a prince! It must be a secret!”

Zoe frowned. She knew her nana could be trusted.

“You must promise,” Flame insisted. He blinked at her with wide, trusting eyes.

Zoe felt a bit guilty that she couldn’t tell her nana, but if it would help keep Flame safe, she was prepared to agree. “Okay, I promise.”

Flame rubbed the top of his fluffy head against her chin. “Thank you, Zoe.”

“No problem. Let’s go into the house. I imagine you’re hungry,” Zoe said.

Flame purred eagerly.

Zoe picked up the basket of eggs. Amazingly, none of them had broken. She held Flame close with her free hand as she went out of the greenhouse and headed toward the garden.

She could still hardly believe that she
had found a magic kitten. With Flame to take care of, it looked as if staying with Nana was going to be exciting after all!

“What an absolutely gorgeous kitten—and I love his name!” Zoe’s nana said as soon as Zoe had introduced Flame. “Where did you find him?”

Zoe told her about finding Flame in the greenhouse.

Joy Swann frowned. “Strange. I wonder how he got into the garden. A tiny kitten like that couldn’t have climbed the wall.”

“Maybe he crawled under the back gate,” Zoe suggested hurriedly. “Can I keep him, Nana? I promise I’ll look after him. He can live in my room with me. If you let me keep him I’ll feed the
chickens, collect the eggs every day, and even be nice to the bantams!”

Her nana chuckled and gave Zoe’s shoulder an affectionate squeeze. “I’m glad to see that you’ve cheered up at last. That long face you’ve been wearing since you arrived would have turned milk sour! Of course Flame can stay. But I’ll let the local shelter know, and you’ll have to be prepared for his owner to claim him.”

Zoe nodded. “I will. Thanks a million, Nana.” She didn’t think anyone would claim this particular kitten!

While Nana made a quick phone call, Zoe took a can of sardines from the cupboard and forked them into a dish. “There you are, Flame.”

Flame purred as he gobbled the sardines hungrily and then sat and licked his whiskers clean.

A few minutes later, Zoe’s nana came back into the kitchen. “Now—about all those chores you’ve promised to do,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

“Yes?” Zoe said brightly, determined to show that she meant what she’d said.

“I was about to go and pick some raspberries…”

“Flame and I will do it.” Zoe jumped up at once and took a plastic bowl from a shelf. “Come on, Flame!” she called.