One bright Saturday morning, Rosalie zipped up her pale blue hoodie, munched her last bite of toast, and shouted,

“Let’s go, Derbies! We’re going to Gravity!”

From every corner of her messy room—behind cushions, under the bed, tucked in laundry baskets—the Derbies tumbled out. Over fifty flying elephant toys, each with floppy ears and cheerful eyes, gathered around their leader, Derby, who wore her yellow hat just right and gave a proud flap of her wings.

“Form up, team!” said Derby. “It’s Jump Day!”

The family zoomed to Gravity in the car. Liv came too, already planning the dance moves they’d do on the trampolines. She wore sparkly socks and carried a speaker that quietly played their favourite beats.

Inside Gravity, the world was bouncy. The air smelled like slushies and sweaty socks. Rosalie squealed with excitement.

“Ready, Derby?”

“Always,” Derby winked.

WHOOSH! The first bounce sent them flying.

Rosalie and Liv flipped and twisted. The Derbies did mid-air spins. One landed in the foam pit with a plop!

“Sigma move!” giggled Rosalie.

Derby soared overhead, leading the tiny elephant crew in a game of Sky Tag. “You’re it!” she cried, booping Liv’s head with her trunk.

After an hour of flips, giggles, and noodle-snacking in the café, everyone was tuckered out.

At home, Rosalie brushed her teeth (with a reminder from Derby), pulled on her Dumbo PJs, and lay under her soft blanket while the Derbies snuggled around her like clouds.

“Did you see me do that twisty jump?” she asked sleepily.

“We did,” whispered Derby, flying down to perch on her pillow. “You were brave and brilliant.”

“Thanks for coming, Derby.”

“Always, Rosalie.”

The night air rustled the curtains, and from the deck outside, a soft hoot of an owl echoed. Derby gently touched Rosalie’s forehead with her trunk. “Close your eyes, little flyer. Tomorrow brings new adventures.” And as the stars blinked above the quirky wooden house in St Heliers, Rosalie dreamed of jumping higher than the moon—with Derby by her side.

Rosalie was sprawled across her bed in her pale blue hoodie, thumb hovering near her mouth but not quite in it. Her netball uniform—grass-stained and slightly sweaty—was flung over the desk chair. The Derbies were scattered across the floor like a soft toy army, and Derby herself was perched on the windowsill, watching the clouds.

“Rosie,” Derby said, fluttering her ears, “you scored five goals today. That’s practically magical!”

Rosalie grinned. “I know, right? I was like a netball ninja. Jasmine said I had ‘rizz’ on the court.”

Derby giggled. “You do have rizz. But you also have a messy room and a book Nana left for you that’s still under your bed.”

Rosalie groaned. “Reading is so boring. Can’t we just fly somewhere?”

Derby flapped her ears and lifted off the windowsill. “Only if you read one page. It’s a new story. About you. And netball. And me.”

Rosalie’s eyes sparkled. “Wait—I’m in the story?”

Derby nodded. “And Jasmine. And Freda. And a magical netball court in the clouds.”

Rosalie dove under her bed, pulled out the book, and opened it. The Derbies gathered around, squishing close. Derby snuggled beside her, trunk curled gently around Rosalie’s arm.

As Rosalie read aloud, the room shimmered. The words lifted off the page like glitter, and suddenly—

They were flying.

Above the clouds, a floating netball court sparkled with pastel lines and golden goalposts. Jasmine was already there, spinning in her skinny jeans, Freda barking happily beside her. The Derbies formed a cheer squad, waving tiny pom-poms.

Rosalie landed with a bounce. “Let’s play!”

And they did. Rosalie passed, dodged, and shot goals like a pro. Every time she scored, the clouds puffed pink and gold. Derby flew loops overhead, cheering, “Go Rosie!”

When the game ended, Rosalie flopped onto a cloud, breathless and happy.

“That was the best story ever,” she said.

Derby winked. “And you read it.”

Rosalie smiled. “My bad. Reading’s kinda cool… when it’s about me.”

Rosalie was sprawled across her bed in her Dumbo PJs, thumb halfway to her mouth, when Derby swooped in through the ranchslider, her yellow hat flapping in the breeze.

“Rosie!” Derby trumpeted. “The Whispering Bookshelf is calling!”

Rosalie groaned. “Is it calling me to read?”

Derby nodded solemnly. “But not just any reading. The books whisper secrets—only to those brave enough to tidy their room first.”

Rosalie glanced around. Dumbo toys were everywhere. A half-eaten bento bowl sat on her desk. Her hoodie was draped over a lamp. “Ugh. Fine. But only because I want to hear the secrets.”

As Rosalie tidied, the bookshelf began to shimmer. One by one, the books whispered:

“The soccer ball in Chapter Three scores the winning goal because the player brushed her teeth.”

“In Chapter Five, the hero defeats the villain with a noodle wand.”

“Chapter Seven reveals the truth about the flying elephant’s grandma!”

Rosalie’s eyes widened. “Wait—Derby, is this about your grandma?”

Derby winked. “Only one way to find out.”

Just then, Jasmine FaceTimed. “Rosie! I choreographed a new dance! It’s called ‘Sigma Skibidi Shuffle.’”

Rosalie giggled. “Can we do it after I read Chapter Seven?”

Jasmine gasped. “You’re reading?!”

“Yep,” Rosalie said proudly. “The bookshelf whispered. And I tidied my room. My bad for not doing it sooner.”

Derby beamed. “You’re growing up, Rosie.”

And as Rosalie opened the book, the Derbies gathered around, ears fluttering, ready for the next magical secret.

It all began on a Tuesday morning when Rosalie woke up and noticed something strange: Jokey-Derby was missing. No jokes, no giggles, no glittery trumpet sounds. Just silence. Derby the flying elephant zoomed in, panic in his googly eyes. Wordy-Derby was flipping dictionaries in distress. Even Nana paused her knitting. The world felt... too serious.

Rosalie declared, “We must find her! She could be anywhere!”

The Chase Begins

Clue #1: A banana peel in the shape of a smile.

They flew to Rio de Janeiro, where Jokey-Derby once giggled so hard she turned a samba parade into a conga line. No luck.

Clue #2: A trail of glitter leading to a kangaroo’s pouch.

Next stop: Australia, where Derby bounced through the Outback, asking every animal, “Have you seen a joke with legs?”

Clue #3: A postcard from Paris with lipstick kisses and a doodle of a snoring cloud.

In France, Wordy-Derby tried to charm the Eiffel Tower into revealing secrets. Still no Jokey.

Clue #4: A yak wearing sunglasses and humming a lullaby.

They trekked to the Himalayas, where Rosalie nearly mistook a sleeping marmot for Jokey-Derby in disguise.

The Twist

Back home, exhausted and giggle-deprived, Rosalie flopped onto her bed. Something creaked. She opened the bottom drawer...

There she was. Jokey-Derby. Curled up in a nest of socks, snoring softly, clutching a joke book titled “101 Ways to Vanish Dramatically.”

Rosalie gasped. “You were here the whole time?!”

Jokey-Derby blinked sleepily. “I was practicing my greatest prank ever: The Global Hide-and-Sleep!”

Everyone burst into laughter. Even Nana snorted tea out her nose.

One jiggly-jumpy jellybean day,

Rosalie rocked down a rainbow runway.

With Derby, Wordy, and Jokey-Derby too,

They zoomed through the sky in a glitter-glue-blue!

They loop-de-looped past marshmallow meadows,

Over pancake peaks and licorice shadows—

When *suddenly!*—from a donut-shaped tree,

Came a squawk and a squeak and a sniffly “ME!”

“HALT!” cried Rosalie. “What’s that sound?”

Derby did loop-de-loops back to the ground.

Beneath a bush of bouncing beans,

Was the sassiest sight you’ve ever seen:

A baby Derb with glittery ears,

Wearing sunglasses and shedding big tears.

His voice was small but full of flair—

“I’m lost and my sparkle’s out of repair!”

He huffed. He puffed. He flipped his trunk.

“I asked a frog, but he said I stunk.

I’m fabulous, fierce, and too cool to cry…

But I don’t know the way, and I don’t know why!”

Wordy-Derby spoke like a wise old owl:

“Your fabulous sass is a glittery growl.

But even the fierce must ask for aid—

We’re here for you, baby. Don’t be afraid.”

Jokey-Derby pulled out a pie.

“Feeling blue? Have whipped cream in your eye!”

The baby Derb snorted, then snickered, then snugged.

Rosalie giggled and gave him a hug.

We’ll take you home, don’t you fear,

Through clouds of cheese and skies so clear.

We’ll skip on stars and leap on light,

And tuck you in by giggle-night!”

So they danced through the day on a peppermint breeze,

Rode a carousel made of squeaky cheese,

Sang silly songs and shared snack stacks—

Even played hopscotch on unicorn backs!

At last they arrived where baby Derbs dwell—

A sparkly cave with a popcorn smell.

Mama Derb cried, “My darling sass-puff!”

And hugged him hard and sweet and fluff!

“Thank you, crew, for your daring dash,

Through sprinkle storms and bubble-splash.

For every sass needs care and grace,

And hugs and love (and glitter on face).”

Rosalie smiled and twirled her hair.

“Any time a Derb needs flair and care,

Just call on us—we’ll zoom and zip

With rhythm, rhyme, and a jellybean flip!”

And as the moon rose high and bright,

They zoomed away into the night—

Leaving behind a trail so sweet,

Of sparkles, sass, and rhyming beat.

The End… until the next adventure skips a beat!

Rosalie zooms with her Derby crew,

Through clouds that shimmer in marshmallow blue.

With Wordy and Jokey and glittery flair,

They juggle the moon and tickle the air.

Each twist in the sky is a spell come true—

Where magic and mischief stick like glue!