Hello, Invisible Friends.  Love Pig here.

I am so excited.

It makes my little wings flutter in joy just thinking about it, and my curly tail twirls with giddy delight.

In a few days, it’ll be Valentine’s Day–the day of love, of pink and hearts and kindness and romance.  The day I get to sing my Love Ode and shoot all the Pond creatures with Love arrows.

Can’t you see my wings fluttering, my tail twirling with joy?

For now, I’ll restrain myself by reading Miss Pickles.  For previous editions of Miss Pickles, check out the Neverending stories archive.

For the original Miss Pickles tale that started it all, check out the Blond Duck’s published book here.

Now if you excuse me, I’ve got some reading and fluttering and twirling to do….ah, love!

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“We’re here!” Miss Pickles sang, leaping off the boat onto the pure white sand.  With her enormous hoop earrings swinging and the parrot squawking on her shoulder, she jammed her hands on her hips and grinned.  “Ah, it’s going to be a fabulous day!”

“How so?” Don grumbled, his hands permanently welded to his ears.

“Is there a place to stop for lunch?” Ralph eyed the thick palm trees and foliage dubiously.

“Where does the medicine woman live?” Mason asked, his gaze skimming the thick brush.  “Is it far?”

The children all began to ask questions, a cloud of excited voices buzzing around Miss Pickles.  Shooting up her arms, she shouted, “Arg!  One question at a time, duckies!”

As the Ladybug lumbered behind her, having securely docked the boat, Miss Pickles began to answer questions one by one.

“The medicine woman lives somewhere around here.  I believe there might be a charming cafe by Black Parrot Cove”–

“It went out of business,” the Ladybug interrupted.  “Health inspections.”

Miss Pickles made a face.  “Well, we didn’t want to eat there anyway.”

“How do we find the medicine woman?” Mason asked, following Miss Pickles as she lead the group into the jungle.  “If she’s so reclusive, how can we find her and get Ladybug back to her party?”

“Because we have our own human detector!” Miss Pickles beamed, pointing at Don.  “Tell us, ducky–which way does she live?”

“If everyone would shut up, I could concentrate,” Don muttered, pressing his lips together.  His eyes were bright with pain and focus as he tried to ignore the giggling drilling into his skull.  Squeezing his eyes shut, he hummed under his breath.

“Is there any other place to eat?” Ralph asked Ladybug.  She shook her head and he pouted, falling into a glum silence.

Mason watched as his friend grew pale, his face pinched tighter and tighter.  Suddenly, with his eyes still closed, he vaulted to the left.  Rushing through trees and brush taller than he was, Don barreled through the jungle.

“Follow him, duckies!” Miss Pickles cried, whipping her pink sword with a glittering jeweled handle from the pink sash around her waist.  “Arg!  Follow him, follow him!”

Dutifully, the children rushed after Don, several glancing nervously as the brush swallowed them up.  This deep into the jungle, not even the smell of salt air or a glimpse of the boat tied them to the beach.  Dodging a hanging snake and leaping over a rotted log, Mason rushed after Don.  With his hands clamped over his ears and his eyes shut, Don ran as if on auto-piolet, ducking under vines and branches as if he had always known about them.

“How is he doing that?” Mason shouted, whipping his head back to look at Miss Pickles.  She was bouncing giddily through the forest on her pogo sticks, her hoop earrings swinging by her chin as the parrot on her shoulder gripped on tightly, shrieking with every bounce.  She shrugged, her gold tooth glistening in the sunlight dappling through the jungle trees.

“It’s like how deaf people can hear rhythm,” Ladybug murmured, running along side him as they followed the speck Don had become.  “Whatever he’s listening to is guiding him like a map, but it’s taking his full concentration.  All we can do is follow him.”

Panting, Mason glanced up at her.  “Will this woman hurt us?”

The Ladybug shook her head.  “She shouldn’t.  I can’t make any guarantees, because I’ve never met her.  But she’s supposed to be kind and fair.”

“Why does she live out in the forest by herself?” Mason asked, pulling a branch out of his path.  It snapped back to smack Ralph in the stomach, who turned an alarming shade of green.  Ignoring Ralph’s yelp of protest, Mason pressed on.

The Ladybug shrugged.  “All her herbs and remedies grow here.  It’s where she loves.”

Biting his lip, Mason dug his feet into the ground and ran harder.  After a few more minutes of rushing through brush and thick green trees, they reached a small clearing under an enormous palm tree.  A small lagoon lay nearby with a tiny trickling waterfall.  Inside the base of the tree, a tiny thatched house had been carved.  Don was banging on the small door at the base of the tree.

“Don, no!” Mason cried.  “Wait!”  Gasping for breath, he sprinted towards Don just as the door creaked open.  Skidding to a stop behind his friend, his mouth dropped open and he stared.

The low, throaty voice behind the door laughed.  “I was wondering how long it would take you to find me.”

Stay tuned, Invisible Friends!  Tomorrow we have more whimsy and Wednesday, a new pet shop story!  Then we have a delicious recipe and a new Dallas Jean, along with our Valentine’s celebration Saturday! Stay tuned!