Bluebell's Challenge
by Cordelia Carrier-Sydor
Roslyn and Max Margles Young Writers Contest
Honourable Mention - Grades 3 & 4
It was a beautiful, summer day in Space Serpent Town. The sun was shining and the streets were busy. Animals from far and wide loved visiting Space Serpent Town for summer vacation because there were a lot of amusement parks, restaurants and a huge shopping center called Mermaid Mall that was the biggest in all the land and was a very popular hang out for all creatures big and small.
Bluebell the unicorn's majestic pink and blue mane sparkled in the sunlight as she took in the sights and sounds of this new, exciting place. She was ecstatic to finally be on summer vacation with her great group of friends- Bella the bear, Caleb the chicken, Cleo the cat, Gael the goose, Peter the pig, and Stella the sheep. She had stayed up almost every night, counting down the days until their trip together, and now they were finally there.
This was not only Bluebell's first time visiting Space Serpent Town, but it would also be her first time meeting Daisy the deer. Daisy used to live in the Iceberg Forest before moving to Space Serpent Town, and Bluebell's friends were her good friends, too.
It was almost time to meet up with Daisy at Phoenix Park to have a picnic. It had been two years since the friends had last seen Daisy. When they arrived, there were cheers, applause and lots of fun festivities awaiting them. There were owls holding up a beautiful pink welcome sign with a rose pattern in each corner. There was a huge three-tiered, green cake that was covered with multicoloured flowers made of icing. The cake was topped with edible paper that read "Welcome", and there was an elegant, pink bow as the final touch. Daisy had paid attention to every detail and had worked very hard to make this party a memorable one for her friends.
All of the friends were delighted to see Daisy again. Bella was the first to run up and give Daisy a big bear hug. All of the friends soon joined in. Peter said, "Wow Daisy ! Everything looks so beautiful. It must have taken you a long time to prepare all of this."
"Nothing but the best for my friends," replied Daisy.
"Speaking of friends," said Cleo, "Daisy, I'd like you to meet Bluebell, and Bluebell, this is Daisy."
"Pleased to meet you, Bluebell," said Daisy.
"Pleased to meet you, Daisy," said Bluebell.
"Oh, where are my manners?" asked Daisy. "Today wouldn't have been possible without the help of my friends from Space Serpent Town- Braxton the bunny, Rosy the racoon, Tianna the tortoise, Felix the fox, Florence the frog, and Charlie the capybara."
Daisy then introduced all of her friends from Iceberg Forest. "Everyone I'd like you to meet my friends, Bella the bear, Caleb the chicken, Cleo the cat, Gael the goose, Peter the pig, and Stella the sheep."
"Let's not forget Bluebell," added Gael.
“What a lovely name that is", said Florence.
"Thank you," said Bluebell.
"You're very pretty!" said Tianna.
"Your mane is so sparkly and colourful, and the way that the sunlight hits your horn makes it look magical!". exclaimed Rosy.
"Oh, it is magical!" declared Stella. " Bluebell saved us last year from a rockslide with the magic from her horn!"
Daisy's friends from Space Serpent Town seemed intrigued; but just when Stella was about to continue her story of Bluebell's act of kindness, Daisy interrupted and said, "Come on, guys. You're going to make Bluebell blush if you don't stop talking about her! Besides there are so many fun things I have planned for today."
The friends spent the rest of the day dancing, singing and feasting on a meal of a big tasty salad with the finest dressing, frost flower smoothies and, of course, Daisy's delicious three-tiered cake. As the day went on, Daisy seemed to become more and more standoffish, and all of her friends, including Bluebell, had noticed.
As evening approached, the friends built a fire and sat around it with full bellies. Braxton asked Stella to continue her story about what had happened with the rock slide the year before. Stella picked up the story where she had left off earlier. Once Stella had finished telling the story, everyone seemed amazed. Everyone, that is, with the exception of Daisy who seemed to grow more and more agitated as the day went on.
Felix said, "Wow! You're like a superhero!"
Then Caleb added, "Felix is right! You are amazing! Thanks to you, we are safe and sound!"
Bluebell gushed, "Thank you all so much, but I am being serious. I am no different than any of you."
Daisy jumped up and said, "I think I'm going to head home now. I'm not feeling very well, and we have lots planned for tomorrow. I should probably get some sleep. Have a good night, everyone."
"Goodnight!" her friends answered.
The group of friends continued chatting for awhile before deciding to get some sleep themselves.
The next morning, everyone had planned to meet at Celestia's Café in Mermaid Mall for breakfast. Bluebell was the first to arrive. Within ten minutes everyone else was there, everyone, except Daisy. The friends waited and waited and waited, but Daisy never showed up. The friends finally ate their breakfast and were getting ready to leave when Daisy burst through the door.
"Oh,there you are Daisy! Where have you been? Is everything alright?" asked Cleo.
Daisy replied sarcastically, "Wow! Thanks for waiting."
Felix shot back, "We did wait for you. We waited for over an hour!"
Daisy screamed at the top of her lungs, "SOME FRIENDS YOU ARE! YOU KNOW WHAT? I DONT EVEN WANNA BE YOUR FRIEND ANYMORE! SINCE YOU'RE ALL SO IMPERESSED WITH BLUEBELL, WHY DON'T YOU JUST BE FRIENDS WITH HER AND LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Just then, a waitress with a large tray was passing by. On purpose, Daisy flipped the tray, flinging the food all over her friends before running out into the mall. Bluebell had an egg stuck on the top of her horn. Cleo and Braxton had Frostflower smoothies running down their faces, and Bella slipped in the mountain of food that now covered the floor and fell backwards into a Glowberry cake with a thud! It was a mess.
Shocked, Bluebell still managed to clean up with her magical horn and apologised to the waitress. The friends made their way out of the café and into the shopping mall. They followed Daisy' leading all the way to Fantasy Fashion, a big clothing shop. As they looked inside, they saw Daisy covered in hangers and clothes, and critters running towards the exit.
Charlie asked "Daisy why are you so angry?"
Daisy shouted "I SAID TO LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Everyone was surprised, and then Bluebell said kindly, "Please tell us what's wrong! Maybe we can help you!"
"BE QUIET YOU KNOW-IT-ALL! WHY DON'T YOU GO BACK TO ICEBERG FOREST!" was Daisy's answer. Everyone was shocked!
Braxton exclaimed, "Hey! Don't treat Bluebell like that! What's gotten into you?
Daisy replied, "WELL, I CAN'T HELP MYSELF!" Breaking down into tears, Daisy continued, "Everyone just loves Bluebell so much, and you're all just ignoring me."
Bluebell felt overwhelmed and her eyes welled with tears as she cried silently. Daisy looked up and saw tears streaming down Bluebell's face. It was as if a magical spell had been broken when without hesitation Daisy went to Bluebell's side.
"I'm sorry, Bluebell. I didn't mean to make you cry."
Bluebell responded, "It's okay, Daisy. You did hurt my feelings, but it's more than that. I know what it feels like to be excluded, and it doesn't feel nice. I'm sorry that we made you feel like that, even if it's not what we meant to do."
The group of friends surrounded Bluebell and Daisy and comforted both of them. The friends apologised to Daisy.
"We are sorry that you felt left out, Daisy. We all love you," said Caleb.
After the big hug the group of friends cleaned up trail of trash from Fantasy Fashion all the way to the Celestia's Café. With a little help from Bluebell's magical horn, they were done in no time. Daisy apologized to all the critters she had upset. The friends spent the rest of their time together having fun and exploring Space Serpent Town. Time seemed to pass very quickly; and before they knew it, it was time for the group of friends from Iceberg Forest to return home. Everyone had learned an important lesson, that it is not nice to exclude or ignore anyone. It was a summer they would remember forever filled with new lessons, places, experiences and best of all, new friends. And they all lived happily ever after.
Jury comments
The jury said that “Bluebell’s Challenge” by Cordelia Carrier-Sydor was a creative and well-developed continuation of a beloved character’s journey. They appreciated its strong writing, rich vocabulary, and described Bluebell as a true icon of positivity in the making.