Hello, Invisible Minions.  Queen Bitty here.

I’m here to invite you to the Grand Christmas Tree Ball at the Pond tomorrow.

The one that the Fuzzy Duck is hosting.

We’ll have dancing and singing, caroling and feasting, cookies, cakes, pies, barbecue…

Performances of the “Nutcracker” and “A Christmas Carol”…

And of course, plenty of heavenly ‘tocks.

Until then, you can keep yourself amused reading the new edition of Miss Pickles.

For those still looking for last minute Christmas gifts, check out the first Miss Pickles book….

Or the Blond Duck’s book of Christmas tales!

And now, for a new edition of The Return of Miss Pickles….

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Mason squeezed his eyes shut as they barged through a fluffy white cloud.  Instead of feeling like cotton candy, as he always imagined, the cloud felt like tiny ice crystals clutching at his skin.

“Where are we going?” he shouted, wiping his wet cheeks on his sleeve.

“To the Queen Ladybug,” the Ladybug replied, her voice implying he was either daft or not a good listener.

“Why is she not on the island with the rest of you?”  Mason asked.  He didn’t dare look down, keeping his eyes focused on the Ladybug’s face.

“Well, she is, technically,” the Ladybug admitted.

“What do you mean technically?” Mason asked, his voice cracking with fear.

The Ladybug laughed.  Fluttering her wings so pale wisps of clouds wrapped around them like chilly scarves, she pointed to the distance.  “That’s what I mean.”

Mason felt his mouth open, but nothing came out.  He blinked several times, rubbing his eyes.

“Yes,” the Ladybug answered his unspoken question.  “It’s real.  That’s the Ladybug Castle.”

Mason could only bob his head and stare.  From the island below, a enormous curling tree trunk shot into the clouds, twisting and curling into the air like a demented vine.  Nestled in a explosion of leaves sat a wooden castle.  Each turret was topped with a acorn lid, the windows carved to look like flower petals bursting open.  The castle gleamed, sparkling in the sun, with golden flecks shimmering in the polished wood.  It was larger than any castle Mason had ever seen on television or in history class.  Ladybugs scampered around the sunny grounds, cheerfully shuttling bushels of apples and fresh green sprouts from one side of the castle to the other.  A bumble bee played a lute while a dragonfly carved a stained glass window out of warm honey.

“How long has this been here?” he whispered.  “Why has no one ever heard of it?”

The Ladybug shook her head.  “We must keep it a secret,” she shouted, speeding towards the castle.  “Can you imagine what would happen if your kind got ahold of something like this?”

“How do you keep planes or satellites from seeing this?” Mason asked, glancing upwards into the sky.  “Or a ship?”

The Ladybug smiled demurely and didn’t reply.  Her wings shaking with fatigue, she coasted over the gates of the intricate wooden castle and settled to the ground.  Immediately, two green insects clutching wooden swords rushed up to them, their yellow eyes bulging.

“Who goes there?” the first bug demanded.

“What be your business here?” the second snarled, poking Mason in the chest with his wooden sword.

The Ladybug rolled her eyes.  “Leaf, Gnat, don’t even pretend you don’t know who I am.  This is Mason.  He must talk to the Queen immediately.”

“What about?” the first bug growled.  Mason wasn’t sure if he was Leaf or Gnat, but he was quite curious how his yellow eyes stayed in his head without popping out.

The Ladybug leaned forward, turning her head left and right.  “A Giggler,” she whispered.

“A Giggler?” the first bug gasped.

“Be serious,” the second bug demanded, his green face consdierably paler.

“Do you think I would have dragged a human child to see the Queen if I didn’t think it was serious?” the Ladybug questioned, her eyebrows nearly shooting off her forehead.

The bug guards looked at each other, their faces tight.

“She’s in the Grand Hall,” the first said grudgingly.

“Mixing up raspberries for the Parfait party,” the second admitted, licking his lips.

“The Queen cooks?” Mason asked, shrinking back as two sets of bulging eyes fixed on him.

“Of course the Queen cooks!” the first bug snapped.

“Only she can create the magical pastries!” the second bug lectured.

“For every grand event, the Queen creates magical desserts,” the Ladybug explained.  “When her subjects eat them, they gain eternal life in exchange for eternal devotion to Ladybug Island.  She doesn’t cook every day.  Most days she arranges treaties with other nations, solves problems, skies through the clouds, flies around, things like that.”

“It all began hundreds of years ago, when the first Ladybug Queen became royalty by eating an enchanted berry,” the first soldier lectured.  “And when our current Queen decides to give up her crown, she will spend two years tending the enchanted berry patch and bake a magnificent pie.  Whoever gets the slice with the golden berry becomes Queen.”

“So anyone can be Queen?” Mason asked.

“No,” the second bug replied, glaring at him.  “Just the one who happens with the golden berry.”

“Oh,” Mason said, his head swimming.  “So how is she going to help me with the Giggler?”

The two bug soldiers winced.  “Don’t say that name!” the first one hissed.

“Not very loudly, anyway,” the second bug advised.

“Why?” Mason asked.

The two soldiers glared at the Ladybug.  “You didn’t tell him?”

She ducked her head, scuffing her black foot along the ground.  “I was hoping the Queen could do that for me.”

The first bug soldier sighed, rolling his eyes. “You’re such a wimp.”

“You want to trade insults, I got a whole arsenal,” Ladybug warned, her pleasant features twisting into a scowl.

“Why is everyone scared of…” Mason trailed off, glancing up at them.

“Because, the Giggler is a beast,” the first soldier whispered, glancing around furtively.

“He’s a burden,” the second soldier confirmed.  “A pest, a obnoxious occurrence.”

“What’s so bad about a pest?” Mason asked.

“Have you ever tried to get rid of a pest?” the first soldier asked.  “No matter what you do, they never go away.”

“They burrow in your mind, mess with your pysche,” the second soldier added, shuddering.  “And in the Giggler’s case, his shrieks of laugther drive you mad.”

“He follows you wherever you go, for hours and hours,” the first soldier whispered, the wooden sword shaking in his hands.  “In the light, in the shadows of the night.  All you hear is his laughter, playing in your brain for eternity.”

“Soon, you get the giggles,” the second soldier warned.  “And then you get the chuckles.  And then you laugh and chortle and shriek with hilarity–without it ever ending.”

“It doesn’t seem that terrible,” Mason said cautiously.  “I mean, surely you could stop whenever you wanted, if you really tried.”

“That’s the thing, Mason,” the Ladybug replied gently.  “Once the Giggler has chosen, he’ll follow you for eternity.  Eventually, you’ll go mad.  There’s no cure, no medicine.  And after awhile, you’ll simply become another Giggler, looking for someone else to follow.”

Mason shuddered.  “Could we see the Queen now, please?” he asked.  “I’d prefer not to giggle forever.”

“We’ll escort you,” the first bug soldier replied, charging forward and fluttering his wings.

“It’ll be safer that way,” the second soldier added, watching warily from behind.

With the overzealous green bug leading the way with his blunt wooden sword, the four burst into the Ladybug castle.  In the grand hall, a Ladybug with a crown of leaves and flowers sat kneading dough.  Dropping some glittering berries in the center of the dough, she beamed up at them.

“Granddaughter!” she shouted.  “How lovely to see you!”

Mason gaped at Ladybug.  “You’re the Queen’s granddaughter?” he murmured.

Ignoring him, the Ladybug curtsyed.  “Hello, Grandmother.  You know Leaf and Gnat.  May I have the pleasure of introducing Mason”–

“The one with the Giggler affliction,” the Queen interrupted.  “I know.  How do you do, Mason?  You must excuse me, we have a Parfait Party in a few days to celebrate.  I must finish the magic parfaits for my subjects.”

“What are you celebrating?” Mason asked.  “And how do you know me, your Majesty?”

The Queen grinned as a familiar voice answered.

“Well, ducky, that’s a long story….”

To be continued…

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  We have the Grand Pond Christmas Tree Ball tomorrow and Wednesday, a delightful Christmas Tale!  Thursday we have a delicious new recipe for Christmas cookies and Friday, a new Dallas Jean Lee!  Stay tuned!