Freya the Chocolate Rabbit Girl has won first prize at the Sylvanian Village school art contest.
“Congratulations, Freya!” says Ralph the Walnut Squirrel Boy. He is very happy for her, and now he has an idea. “I know!” he says. “Let’s have a party at my house to celebrate!”

Freya is very good at entertaining her friends, and she always has wonderful parties for them.
Ralph would also like this party to be a way of saying thank you to her. He decides to make different things she will like and put them all around his house.

As it happens, Ralph’s father is famous throughout the village as an inventor. He is always thinking up new devices and machines that everyone enjoys. Ralph wants to imitate his father, and that way make Freya happy.
His friends all think this is a fine idea.
“When she comes in, we’ll have a light shine on her,” says Ralph.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if flower petals rained down on her?” says Tiffany the Silk Cat Girl.
“How about having a plate on the table move, and bring the cake toward her?” says Oliver the Milk Rabbit Boy, and the children keep having more and more ideas.

Then they all go to work moving the furniture and setting everything up.
When everything is ready, it’s time for a test run.
But...

“First, when Freya comes in here, the light will shine on her,” says Tiffany, but when she opens the door, nothing happens.
They wait for petals to come floating quietly down from the ceiling, but a lot of flowers just fall suddenly from above their heads, and nobody can see anything.
The plate on the table is supposed to move slowly, bringing out the cake. But it goes too fast, the cake goes flying off, and Rebecca the Milk Rabbit Girl ends up covered in cream.

Suddenly a light goes on in the corner of the room, revealing Piers the Bear Boy stuffing candy into his mouth.
“Nothing works!” wails Ralph. Everyone is disappointed.

Suddenly a light goes on in the corner of the room, revealing Piers the Bear Boy stuffing candy into his mouth.
“Nothing works!” wails Ralph. Everyone is disappointed.

And now Freya comes over.
“I heard that everyone’s here getting ready for the party,” she says. “Can I help?”
But this is a surprise party for her.
“No, no, we’re fine!” says Ralph quickly.
“But you’re all here helping...”
“We can do it by ourselves.”
“Well, all right, then,” says Freya, and turns to go, but she looks lonely as she walks away.

“Oh, I wish I hadn’t said that,” thinks Ralph. “Freya’s going to think she’s being left out, and she might not want to come to the party. What can I do to make her happy now?”
He thinks hard, and soon he has another idea. He gets everyone to help, and they gather lamps from all over the village.

On the evening of the big day, it’s time for the party to begin. But just as Ralph had feared, Freya doesn’t feel like going.
Tiffany goes to call on her, and when Freya opens the door she gets a big surprise.
Leading off down the street from her house into the distance is a row of lights. Ralph and his friends have lined up all the lamps they collected along the road.

“That’s so beautiful!”
Freya and Tiffany follow the line of lamps. It leads to Ralph’s house, which is all lit up.
“I’ve never been led anywhere so nicely before,” says Freya happily.

But it’s not over yet.
As soon as Freya opens the door, all the lights go out, leaving all in darkness.
And then in the next second a light comes on, shining on Freya alone.
“Congratulations on winning first prize at the art show!” everybody calls out. Freya is surprised.
The lights go on, and now petals come floating down. On the balcony above are all her friends, smiling and waving.
On the table a plate starts to move. On it is a big cake, with a picture of Freya carved in it.
This time all the things Ralph and his friends have devised work perfectly.

“I’m sorry about the other day,” Ralph says to Freya. “We wanted to get thing ready without you knowing.”
Freya is deeply moved. “This is wonderful!” She says. “Thank you all!”
And so the party begins at Beechwood Hall.

THE END