Read Lulu Bell and the Magical Garden Online
Authors: Belinda Murrell
Lulu Bell and the Magical Garden
Meet Lulu Bell. Where there's Lulu, there's family, friends, animals and adventures galore!
A summer storm has arrived, and the Bell family are eating their dinner and playing games by candlelight. What fun!
But the next morning a disaster is revealed. The school garden is ruined! Can Lulu and her best friend Molly save the day?
For Millie, who creates the most magical gardens in the world.
Sunny Sunday
It was a sunny, summery Sunday afternoon. The Bell family had spent the morning at the beach swimming, surfing and building sandcastles. Now Lulu, Rosie, Gus and Mum were in The Hidden Garden.
Lulu loved coming here. The Hidden Garden was a big walled nursery brimming with potted plants of all kinds.
Mum always took her time choosing which plants to buy. This left plenty of time for Lulu and her brother and sister to explore.
There was a pebbled path that led through the nursery. At the very end of the path was a pond filled with huge goldfish and croaky, green frogs. Yellow and pink waterlilies floated on the water. An aviary by the pond held brightly coloured parakeets that swooped and sang.
To the right was a shady jungle area, with towering palms and ferns. To the left were bushes of native plants, as well as a section of desert cactuses. On either side of the path, right through the middle, were rows and rows of sweet-smelling flowers in a rainbow of colours.
Dotted among the plants were statues of angels, cherubs, dragons and mermaids. A high wall ran right around the nursery, making the garden feel secret and hidden.
Mum and Lulu stood before a stand of herb and vegetable seedlings. They were choosing plants for the vegetable garden at home.
âWe need some lettuce and some spinach,' said Mum. She put the pots in the basket she held over her arm. âAnything else, honey bun?'
Lulu picked up a punnet of feathery green seedlings.
âCan we get some carrots? And some sweet corn?' asked Lulu. âThe corn we grew last year was the best.'
âOh, good idea,' said Mum. âAnd maybe some beans.' She put the punnets in the basket with the other vegetables.
Rosie and Gus were playing chasings along the pathways between the plants.
Millie, the owner of The Hidden Garden, was pushing a wheelbarrow down the main path. She grinned and swerved the barrow around the two children. A black labrador called Mo trotted after her.
He bounded up to Lulu and pushed his muzzle into her hand. Lulu stroked his back.
âHello, Mo. Have you been eating any socks lately?'
âNo socks, thank goodness,' said Millie, with a chuckle. âAlthough he did eat a box of crayons last week. He was doing multicoloured poos for days.'
Mo had a very bad habit of eating things he shouldn't. He was one of Dad's regular patients. Last Easter he had to visit the Shelly Beach Vet Hospital after eating three pairs of socks. Another time he had eaten a pair of spectacles and a whole cushion, bit by bit.
Lulu laughed and ruffled Mo's ears. âSilly boy. When will you learn not to eat everything you see?'
Mo looked up at her with his big doggie eyes, as if to say, âI didn't mean to be naughty.'
âWhat gorgeous sunflowers, Millie,' said Mum. Millie's wheelbarrow was filled with sunflower plants that were
taller than Rosie. The bright yellow flowers danced and bobbed on top of their stalks as if they were little suns.
âAren't they divine?' said Millie. âI think they're my favourite summertime flowers.'
Rosie and Gus came dashing back from their game of chasings.
âMum,' began Rosie, âcan we buy one to take home? Please?'
âWhy not?' said Mum. âIt will look gorgeous growing right in the centre of our veggie patch.'
Millie pointed out the tallest sunflower with a big yellow face. âHow about this one, Rosie? It's a good, strong plant. And it's so tall already!'
Rosie beamed up at Millie. âIt's beautiful. I'll water it every day.'
âMaybe just every third day,' said Millie, with a smile.
âMillie! Millie! Can we feed the
fishies
?' asked Gus.
âOf course, Gus,' said Millie.
Millie gave the kids a scoop of fish pellets from a jar on a shelf. Lulu, Rosie and Gus ran to the 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.
âYou might want to plant these tomorrow,' suggested Millie. She patted the cardboard box full of plants. âI think we're in for a wild summer storm this evening.'
Mum looked up at the sky. âI think you're right. There's a big bank of clouds rolling in.'
Lulu shivered. âAnd it suddenly feels colder.'
The air definitely felt a lot cooler than it had that morning at the beach.
âWe'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.
âLook at that wind,' said Mum. âI think it'll be a nasty southerly buster.'
The Storm
By the time they reached home, the wind was howling. Thunder boomed. Lightning crackled and flashed.
âI'd better put the car away in the garage,' said Mum. âWe 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.
âWe'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 plants
were 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.
âCome on, sweetie,' said Dad. âLet'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.
âLet's watch a movie,' said Mum. âThat will be a special treat.'
âWith popcorn?' asked Gus.
âSure, honey bun,' said Mum.
âLet's watch
Cinderella
!' cried Rosie.
âWe've seen that a thousand times,' objected Lulu. âWhy don't we watch something new?'
Rosie pouted.
Dad took a DVD from the pile. âLuckily, 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.
âIt'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. âA change of plan,' she said. âI think it's time to play some games.'
âHow about cards?' said Lulu. She fetched a pack of cards from the sideboard.
âSnap!' called Gus.
âGo Fish,' said Rosie.
âRissole,' said Lulu.
âWe can play them all,' said Mum. âIt could be hours until the electricity comes back.'
The whole family sat at the kitchen table and played cards. Mum found some more candles and popped them into jam jars. They cast a flickering warm light. It was fun to play cards by candlelight.
At dinnertime there was still no electricity to use to cook. Instead, Mum prepared a picnic of cheese, tomato, avocado and ham on crackers.
âNearly time for bed,' said Mum, when dinner was finished.
âI'll clean up,' said Dad.
Lulu, Rosie and Gus sat at the table and listened. Outside, the wind howled around the house. Rain pelted against the windows and doors. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. The storm sounded much louder with all the lights off.
âI'm
fwightened
,' said Gus. âIt's so loud.'
Lulu threw one golden plait over
her shoulder. âThere's nothing to be frightened of, Gus,' she said. âIt's just a storm.' Lulu tried to sound much braver than she felt.
âCan we sleep with you, Mum?' asked Rosie.
Mum smiled. âWhy don't you all get into your pyjamas and clean your teeth? Then I'll tuck you all up in my bed. We can read stories together until you fall asleep.'