Lulu Bell and the Magical Garden by Belinda Murrell Page A

pond. They each sprinkled one pellet at a time into the water. It was fun to watch the goldfish as they thrashed and splashed about, gobbling up the food.

    After they had finished feeding the fish, Lulu, Rosie and Gus talked to the parakeets in the aviary. Then they went to the front counter, where Mum was chatting to Millie. They were packing up the plants.
    â€˜You might want to plant these tomorrow,’ suggested Millie. She patted the cardboard box full of plants. ‘I think we’re in for a wild summer storm this evening.’
    Mum looked up at the sky. ‘I think you’re right. There’s a big bank of clouds rolling in.’
    Lulu shivered. ‘And it suddenly feels colder.’
    The air definitely felt a lot cooler than it had that morning at the beach.
    â€˜We’d better get home before the rain starts,’ said Mum.
    Lulu helped carry the box of seedlings to the car. Mum lifted the tall sunflower in its pot. She slid it carefully into the back of the station wagon.
    The first plops of rain fell as they were driving home. The thick clouds on the horizon rolled in like gigantic black waves in the sky. The grey ocean churned and tossed with white froth. Trees bowed and thrashed their branches.
    â€˜Look at that wind,’ said Mum. ‘I think it’ll be a nasty southerly buster.’

Chapter 2
The Storm
    By the time they reached home, the wind was howling. Thunder boomed. Lightning crackled and flashed.
    â€˜I’d better put the car away in the garage,’ said Mum. ‘We don’t want it to get damaged.’
    Everyone ran from the garage to the house. Lulu carried the box of seedlings. Mum nursed the sunflower so that the stem didn’t snap in the wind. They put the new plants in the laundry, where they would stay until the weather was better for planting.
    Asha and Jessie came bounding up to the back door, keen to come inside. Lulu let them in and they cuddled up together on their dog bed.
    â€˜We’d better get the other animals in safely,’ said Mum.
    Lulu and Rosie ran outside to hunt for the cats. They were shivering together under a lavender bush. The girls carried them inside and put them in their basket.

    Lulu made sure that Mika the wallaby was hiding inside the shelter in her run. Then it was Flopsy the bunny’s turn. Lulu and Rosie took her from her hutch in the garden and locked her in the laundry. Lulu made sure the new plantswere safe up high on a shelf, away from a cheeky bunny.

    Lastly, Lulu helped Dad move the ducks safely into the garage. By this time, the rain was pelting down and the wind was blowing even harder. Lulu felt a little scared. Dad took her hand.
    â€˜Come on, sweetie,’ said Dad. ‘Let’s run for it.’
    Holding Dad’s hand, Lulu felt much braver. She imagined it to be a fun game, dashing through the garden back to the house.
    Inside, Mum had to turn on the lights. Even though it was the middle of the afternoon, it was nearly dark.
    â€˜Let’s watch a movie,’ said Mum. ‘That will be a special treat.’
    â€˜With popcorn?’ asked Gus.
    â€˜Sure, honey bun,’ said Mum.
    â€˜Let’s watch Cinderella !’ cried Rosie.
    â€˜We’ve seen that a thousand times,’ objected Lulu. ‘Why don’t we watch something new?’
    Rosie pouted.
    Dad took a DVD from the pile. ‘Luckily, I have just the thing: The Secret Garden .’

    Everyone cuddled up together on the lounge. Mum made some popcorn to eat. But the movie had barely started when the screen went black. All the lights went out, too.
    â€˜It’s very dark,’ whispered Gus.
    Mum scrabbled around in a drawer for some matches. She lit a candle. The flame flickered warm and bright. Mum smiled. ‘A change of plan,’ she said. ‘I think it’s time to play some games.’
    â€˜How about cards?’ said Lulu. She fetched a pack of cards from the