Chapter 1 YOU'RE INVITED Lucy Lancaster just knew it was going to be a perfect day! After breakfast, she looked at the invitation she had received a few weeks ago. It had been rolled up and stuck into her mailbox, just like a secret message. You Are Cordially Invited to the Discovery Museum Finally, after a few very long weeks of waiting, Lucy was going to visit! And she wasn't going by herself. Her two very best friends, Heidi Heckelbeck and Bruce Bickerson, were joining her! Lucy studied the invitation for maybe the millionth time. The museum had a big indoor area with lots of hands-on activities. She hoped that meant she could get her hands messy with mud or clay. Or maybe even slime! There was a gigantic play area outside too. It had a pirate ship you could "steer" yourself. Pirates always reminded Lucy of one of her favorite books: Jolly Roger, the Pirate Puppy. Jolly Roger was such a brave dog. Lucy liked to think she was brave too. Of all the activities, Lucy was the most curious about one called the Ice-Cream Bike. What was an ice-cream bike? She was pretty sure it wasn't a bike made out of ice cream, because that would surely melt! Whatever it was, Lucy loved riding her bike, and she loved eating ice cream, so she was sure she'd love an ice-cream bike, too. Just then the phone rang. Lucy's mom answered it. "It's Heidi," she said, handing Lucy the phone. "Hi, Heidi!" Lucy said, bouncing up and down. "Are you as excited as I am?" "Um, I WAS," Heidi answered. "But sniff ... I have the sniffles." Lucy gasped. "Oh no!" she said. "My mom says I have to stay home," Heidi continued, "because my tummy is making lots of noise too. Here, listen." Lucy could hear rustling on Heidi's end, and then she heard a rumble that sounded like this: WHIRRRGLOOOSH . "Yikes," Lucy said. That didn't sound good. "I hope you feel better soon. I'll miss you." Lucy hung up the phone and sighed. In just a few minutes, all her excitement had turned into a big ball of disappointment. Excerpted from Lucy Lancaster and the Stormy Day by Willow Coven All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
