14 THE FIFTH EXPERIMENT

I set down all of my supplies, and I'd started to set up the container when Sassafras meowed and pawed at my science journal. "Good thinking, Sassafras." I ruffled his fur. "It won't take too long to write this down, and then I'll remember what I did." I started with my question:

I listed my materials and then moved on to my procedure:

I counted out 200 bips and put the lid on the container. "Please, please, please work," I whispered to the experiment. Then I opened the barn door to find Pip about to ring the doorbell. "Zoey! The first of the healthy forest roses is blooming. I checked with the hippogriff parents in the area, and they think the eggs will hatch later today or tomorrow. Have you figured it out?" It felt like I swallowed a rock. "Um, not yet Pip." His shoulders fell, and he looked at the ground. "But… it's time." "I know." I blinked quickly. I didn't want to start crying. I needed a distraction. "Here, I'll

show you my newest experiment. Hopefully it will do the trick?" Pip followed me into the barn, and all three of us skidded to a stop. "Whooooaaaa!" Pip said. "Is it supposed to be doing that?" The container with the smells was erupting with lots of quiet little bips and bursts of light were popping out like firecrackers. Sassafras stayed far away with his tail puffed, but Pip and I ran over to get a closer look.

"Sheesh, I could really use some sunglasses!" I narrowed my eyes to see where all the bips were. There were a few bipping over on the vanilla extract cotton ball. But a big pile of them were bipping away on the rose oil cotton ball. Wait. A big PILE? "PIP!!! That's soooo many more bips than were there a few minutes ago. It's working! Something in the rose oil is helping make a ton more bips!" Pip squinted and got down by the rose- scented cotton ball. He sniffed. "This doesn't smell nearly as good as a forest rose. Do you think if we got one of the real rose blooms, it would work even better?"

I thought for just a moment. "Yeah, I really do. But can we take a rose? I mean, we're already so short on roses for the baby hippogriffs that will be here any minute." "I know," Pip said, "but if this fixes all the forest roses, there will be plenty, right?" "True. OK, let's do it. But first I need to let Mom know where we're going." "Hurry, Zoey!" Pip called as I dashed to the house.