Sugar Cubes Restored!

The last of the shimmering sugar cubes, nestled in Sly’s grubby paws, was gently placed back into the velvet pouch. Lily let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, a little puff of relief that tickled Barnaby’s button nose. The fluttery panic that had seized the tea party guests moments before had evaporated like mist under a spring sun. Professor Hoot, his spectacles perched precariously on the end of his beak, let out a soft “Hoo-hoo!” of pure joy, which sounded remarkably like a contented chuckle. Mrs. Higgins, the badger, wrung her paws together, her whiskers quivering with delight. Even Bartholomew Bear, who had been looking decidedly glum, managed a wobbly smile.

“Oh, thank goodness!” squeaked Penelope Pig, her snout twitching. “I was starting to worry we’d have to have tea with only *plain* sugar. The very thought!”

Sly, ever the showman, puffed out his chest. “See? Told you we’d get ‘em back! Though I must admit, those butterflies were a right handful. Nearly lost one of the cubes when one of them tried to use it as a hat.” He winked at Lily, a flash of mischief in his bright, beady eyes.