One morning, Olivia woke up to find her room bathed in a strange, sparkly light. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. Her window, usually showing her backyard in Charlotte, now looked out onto a towering stone castle with colorful flags fluttering in the breeze!
"Wow!" she gasped. She rushed over to her pet bunny, Lily. "Lily, look! We're at Enchanted Castle!"
Lily twitched her nose and hopped closer to the window. "Enchanted Castle? That’s where Dr. Hoot lives! He's the best animal doctor in the land!"
Olivia frowned. "Doctor? But I feel fine!"
Just then, a tiny voice squeaked, "She's right, you know! Going to the doctor is important, even if you feel good!"
Olivia looked down and saw a fluffy white rabbit with a little doctor's bag, looking up at her.
“Did you just…talk?” Olivia asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
The rabbit chuckled. “Of course! I’m Dr. Floof, and I need your help! Someone stole all the carrots from the castle gardens, and without them, my patients can’t get better!”
Olivia loved animals and knew how important it was to visit the doctor, so she was eager to help. "We'll help you find those carrots, Dr. Floof!"
The castle was even bigger up close! Olivia, Lily, and Dr. Floof hopped onto a passing turtle (who was surprisingly fast!) and rode him to the castle gates. The guards, two friendly squirrels wearing shiny helmets, led them to the garden.
The garden was a disaster! Carrot tops lay scattered everywhere, but the yummy orange parts were gone!
Olivia put on her thinking cap. "Lily, you love carrots. Do you smell anything unusual?"
Lily sniffed the air. "I smell...chocolate!"
Dr. Floof gasped. "Chocolate? That’s terrible for bunnies! We need to find those carrots before someone feeds them to the wrong animal!"
They followed Lily's keen nose through a maze of rose bushes, past a bubbling fountain, and finally to a group of grumpy-looking hedgehogs huddled around a pile of…carrots!
"Excuse me," Olivia said politely. "Those look like the missing carrots from the castle garden."
One of the hedgehogs, munching on a carrot, mumbled, “They were just lying on the ground. Finders keepers!”
"But carrots aren't good for hedgehogs," Olivia explained. "And Dr. Floof needs them to help his patients!"
The hedgehogs looked at each other, ashamed. They had been so busy enjoying their tasty find that they hadn't thought about who they might be hurting.
“We’re sorry,” one hedgehog squeaked. “We didn’t know.”
Olivia smiled. "It's okay! Everyone makes mistakes."
Working together, Olivia, Lily, and the hedgehogs carried the carrots back to the grateful Dr. Floof. Olivia even helped him make sure none of the hedgehogs accidentally ate any chocolate.
Suddenly, Olivia woke up. Her room was bathed in the familiar morning sunlight streaming through her window. It had all been a dream!
She ran to Lily's cage. "Lily, did we really visit Enchanted Castle and help Dr. Floof find the missing carrots?"
Lily twitched her nose and gave a happy hop. Maybe it was a dream, but Olivia knew one thing for sure: even though she didn’t *need* to see the doctor, it was always a good idea to make sure everyone, especially furry friends, were happy and healthy!
