Ppuppu's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Ppuppu had invited every creature in the forest to her tea party, and now she had nowhere to put them. She was a small triceratops, green as new leaves, with rosy cheeks and three white horns. All morning she had counted guests on her stubby claws. Rabbits, beetles, foxes, owls, a whole family of hedgehogs. The clearing by her home could hold maybe twenty. She had invited two hundred. The party was tomorrow. She trotted across the meadow, looking for a wider spot. Every clearing was too small or too bumpy. One field dipped into mud. Another was choked with brambles. Ppuppu sat down in the grass and let out a long, discouraged breath. The grandest tea party Etimreticus had ever seen could not happen in a swamp. A friendly voice called out behind her. "You look like somebody lost her dessert." Ppuppu turned. It was Stella, the pink stegosaurus, her magenta plates catching the sun. Stella had helped Ppuppu drag chairs and fold napkins for a week, never once complaining. She plopped down beside Ppuppu with a grin. "I have two hundred guests and no place to seat them," Ppuppu said. "Every clearing is too small." Stella tilted her head. Then she pointed one claw across the road. "What about there?" Ppuppu followed the point. At the far edge of the meadow stood a tall, grand cafe. White columns framed its wide front. Round tables filled the big arched windows. Through one window, Ppuppu saw a guitar resting on a little stage. The place looked big enough for two hundred guests and then some. "The tea cafe," Ppuppu whispered. Her heart thumped. "Do you think they would let us use it?" "Only one way to find out," Stella said, already getting up. They crossed together and pushed open the heavy door. A warm smell of tea rolled out. Ppuppu explained her party to the owner, claws twisting nervously. The owner listened, smiled, and swept an arm toward the rows of tables. "Two hundred friends?" the owner said. "We can fit them. The stage is yours too." Ppuppu nearly cried with relief. She had her spot. It was wider and lovelier than any clearing in the whole forest. Stella bounced on her toes and squeezed Ppuppu's shoulder. Then a thin, high whine cut through the room. Something swooped past Ppuppu's horns and landed on a table. It was huge, with long legs and glassy wings. And its face. Its face was a cat's face, whiskers and all, grinning at her. The mosquito cat flicked its tail-thin body. It crept toward the sugar bowls on the counter. The owner gasped. "That pest has been scaring off customers all week," the owner said. "If it ruins tomorrow, I can't let you host here." Ppuppu stared at the strange creature. She had just won the perfect place for her party. Now she had to get rid of a cat-faced mosquito, or lose it all.