As usual, the kingfishers all arrived at around eight o'clock, and when they did they found Bright Shimmer in front of the door with the comb still in her feathers. They immediately saw the source of the problem and decided to burn the comb, but they couldn't touch it without fainting. Monday even fell asleep without magic! They did eventually manage to get it out of Bright Shimmer's feathers and she awoke with a gasp.
"What happened?" she wondered, noticing that it was getting dark already.
"there is poison on that comb." Sunday informed her, "We removed it from your feathers and you woke up"
Bright Shimmer knew then that someone really wanted her gone.
The next day she thought of a plan to find out who it was and told it to Sunday first and then the rest of the kingfishers. They all agreed that it was a good plan and went on their way
Once again Bright Shimmer was on her own in the hut and it was getting to lunchtime when there came a knocking at the door of the burrow. She opened the door to see a middle-aged robin outside with a basket chock full of roses in her beak.
The robin set it down and said "Hello, would you like to buy a rose to brighten up your burrow? "she leaned down and picked up a beautiful rich red rose, "They're on a special sale! Buy four roses get a vase and another rose free!"
Bright Shimmer pretended to be interested, buying only one rose and putting it down as quickly as possible so it didn't prick her, but when the door closed she counted slowly to two hundred and very quietly opened the door. She saw the robin open her wings and take off so she too lifted into the air. She saw the robin reach into her satchel and pull out a beaker. The robin uncorked the beaker, made a face, and downed it, then the most surprising thing happened. The robin's red feathers slowly began turning black! Its head became bald, it's neck elongated, it's feathers became mated and bloody, and it's eyes became the cold dead eyes of the vulture. The vulture quickly chugged another potion that transformed it again. Feathers grew, turned black, straight, and glossy, the neck shortened and wingbeats became less frequent, but the eyes didn't change, and Bright Shimmer knew that her suspicions had been correct for there before her was her stepmother, still with the cold hard eyes of a vulture.