Molly the Goldfish Fairy

  Fairies with their pets I see

  and yet no pet has chosen me!

  So I will get some of my own

  to share my perfect frosty home.

  This spell I cast, its aim is clear:

  To bring the magic pets straight here.

  The Pet Fairies soon will see

  their seven pets living with me!

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  Gnome, Sweet Gnome

  Gnomes Alive

  Flash Has Some Fun

  Kirsty’s Challenge

  Tug-of-war

  Winner Takes All

  Teaser

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “Slow down, Dad,” Kirsty Tate called. “You’re leaving us behind!”

  “Sorry,” Mr. Tate stopped and waited for Kirsty, Rachel, and Mrs. Tate to catch up. “I’m hungry, and you know how good the Wainwrights’ barbecues always are. In fact . . .” He sniffed the air. “I think I can smell the food cooking from here!”

  “We’re still two blocks away!” Kirsty said, grinning and shaking her head. Her best friend, Rachel, burst out laughing.

  Mr. and Mrs. Tate walked on ahead and the girls followed.

  “The barbecue will be fun,” Kirsty said, smiling. Rachel was staying with her over spring vacation. “The Wainwrights have a huge yard.”

  “Cool!” Rachel said eagerly. Then she lowered her voice. “But don’t forget, we have to keep our eyes open for fairy pets, too!”

  Kirsty nodded. “The fairies are depending on us,” she whispered.

  Rachel and Kirsty had never told anyone else their special secret. They had become friends with the fairies! Now, whenever their magical friends were in trouble, the girls always tried to help.

  Jack Frost caused a lot of problems in Fairyland. This time, he had stolen the seven magic animals belonging to the Pet Fairies. But the mischievous pets had managed to escape from Jack Frost and his goblins. Now all the pets were in the human world! Rachel and Kirsty were determined to find the pets and return them to their fairy owners before the goblins could take them back to Jack Frost.

  “We’ve found five pets so far,” Kirsty went on as they turned onto the Wainwrights’ street.

  “Yes, we just have the goldfish and the pony left to find,” Rachel said thoughtfully. “The goldfish will be tricky, though. It’s the smallest pet we’ve had to look for!”

  “Here we are,” Mrs. Tate announced, opening a little white gate up ahead. “The Wainwrights said to go around to the backyard.”

  Rachel and Kirsty could smell the food cooking as they walked around the side of the house. It made their mouths water!

  “Hello!” Mrs. Tate called as they entered the backyard. “We’re here!”

  A grill stood on the patio next to the house. Smoke curled up from it as sausages sizzled. A tall man wearing a blue apron turned to grin at them all.

  “Hello, everyone,” Mr. Wainwright said, waving a fork.

  “Oh!” Rachel gasped as she walked onto the patio. “What a beautiful yard!”

  The yard was very long and wide. The emerald-green grass was dotted with bushes and colorful flowers. Stone paths wove in and out of the flowerbeds. One of them led to a large fish pond, half-hidden by weeping willow trees.

  Mr. Wainwright grinned. “You must be Kirsty’s friend Rachel,” he said.

  Rachel nodded. “Your yard is so pretty,” she told him eagerly.

  Mr. Wainwright looked pleased. “Thank you!” he said. “Has Kirsty told you about my prize-winning collection?”

  “Your what?” Rachel asked, confused.

  Kirsty laughed. “Mr. Wainwright collects garden gnomes,” she explained. “There are lots of them hidden around the yard. When I was little, I used to spend ages looking for them.”

  “Come and see my newest addition!” Mr. Wainwright led the girls over to the picnic table and pointed at the rocks nearby. “Isn’t it a beauty?”

  A rosy-cheeked gnome sat at a little table among the rocks. It looked deep in thought, stroking its white beard as it stared at a tiny chessboard in front of it.

  “It’s so cute!” said Rachel.

  “And it looks just like Mr. Wainwright does when he’s thinking!” A voice came from behind them, followed by a laugh.

  The girls turned to see that Mrs. Wainwright had just come out of the kitchen.

  “Hello, everyone,” she said, smiling. “It’s nice to meet you, Rachel. I’m sure Kirsty will show you around the yard, so that you can see our other gnomes.”

  “Oh, yes!” Kirsty said eagerly. “I’ll show Rachel the fish pond, too.”

  “We just bought a new goldfish named Rusty,” Mr. Wainwright added. “So we have five fish now.”

  Mr. and Mrs. Tate began to help the Wainwrights with the food, while Kirsty led Rachel across the yard.

  “Can you spot the gnomes?” Kirsty asked, pointing.

  “There’s one with a kite over there,” Rachel laughed. “There’s one on a motorcycle by the shed. Ooh, and there’s one in that flowerbed that’s holding a tennis racket. They’re everywhere!”

  Kirsty nodded, grinning. “There are even more by the pond,” she said, heading in that direction. “Let’s go look at the fish.”

  Rachel followed her friend and peered into the water when they reached the pond.

  “The black fish is named Shadow,” Kirsty explained, “and the white one with red spots is Clown.” She leaned over the water and pointed. “Can you see the red fish with white dots? That’s Flame. And the little speckled one is Spots.”

  Rachel nodded. “That’s four,” she counted. Then she noticed a bright orange fish. “That must be the new fish, Rusty,” she added.

  Kirsty nodded, but then Rachel blinked. For a minute, she thought she’d seen a sixth fish! Rachel bent over the pool and looked more closely. There it was again: a beautiful golden fish that seemed to shimmer as it swam through the water — almost as if it was sparkling with fairy magic!

  “Kirsty!” Rachel gasped, hardly able to believe her eyes. “Did you see that?”

  “What?” asked Kirsty. She’d been watching Flame and Spots, and hadn’t noticed a thing.

  “A sixth fish!” Rachel said, pointing.

  Kirsty looked confused. “Mr. Wainwright said there were only five fish,” she murmured, frowning. But suddenly, she spotted the golden fish, too. Its shining tail moved gracefully in the water.

  “Look!” Rachel exclaimed. “See how it’s shimmering?”

  Kirsty’s eyes opened wide. The fish seemed to cast a golden light across the surface of the pond.

  “Fairy magic!” Kirsty breathed excitedly. “Rachel, do you think this could be Molly the Goldfish Fairy’s pet?”

  Rachel nodded, grinning widely. “I’m sure it is!” she declared.

  “What do we do now?” asked Kirsty, keeping a close watch on the magical fish. “Should we catch it?”

  “Maybe Molly’s not too far away,” Rachel said, turning to look around the yard.

  Just then, Kirsty saw something move out of the corner of her eye. Sitting on a rock at the side of the pond was a garden gnome, dipping a fishing net into the water. As Kirsty looked, she thought she saw the gnome’s arm move. Then, to Kirsty’s amazement, the gnome suddenly jumped to its feet!

  Kirsty blinked a few times. Was she seeing things? “Rachel,” she whispered urgently. “I think the gnome by the pond is alive!”

  Rachel turned to lo
ok. Sure enough, a gnome was bending over the pond, chuckling to itself. But then Rachel’s heart skipped a beat. This was no ordinary garden gnome. This gnome was green all over, with a pointy nose and very big feet!

  “That’s not a gnome,” Rachel hissed. “It’s a goblin!”

  Kirsty stared at the gnome and realized that her friend was right. “Oh, no!” she gasped.

  So far, the goblin hadn’t noticed the girls because they were half-hidden by a large bush. Rachel pulled Kirsty farther out of sight, and then the girls peeked between the leaves.

  Suddenly, the goblin gave a gleeful cackle. “I caught the magic goldfish!” he called, lifting his fishing net out of the water.

  Rachel and Kirsty stared in dismay. The goblin tipped the contents of the net into a jar of water. The jar glowed with golden light as the fairy pet splashed into the water and began swimming in circles.

  “Ha, ha!” the goblin chuckled, picking up the jar and dancing around with it. “I’m the smartest goblin of all! Jack Frost will be so happy with me!”

  Rachel and Kirsty jumped as another goblin suddenly popped out of a bush nearby.

  “Let me see the magic goldfish!” he cried. He was also disguised as a garden gnome. He looked like a golfer, carrying a little bag of golf clubs!

  “Me, too!” called another goblin appearing by the pond.

  “Let me hold the jar!” demanded yet another.

  Kirsty and Rachel could hardly believe their eyes. Goblins disguised as gnomes came running toward the pond from every direction! One had a wheelbarrow, one held a spade, and two were wearing kilts and carrying bagpipes! But they all dropped whatever they were holding and crowded around the jar.

  “They’ve been hiding in the yard, disguised as gnomes!” Rachel whispered.

  Kirsty nodded. “We have to get Molly’s goldfish back quickly,” she said. “Come on, Rachel!”

  Looking determined, Rachel and Kirsty stepped out from behind the shrub.

  The golfer goblin spotted them first. “It’s those pesky girls again!” he shouted.

  “Put that goldfish back in the pond!” Kirsty said firmly, marching toward the goblins. Rachel was right behind her.

  “No way!” the goblin said, holding the jar behind his back and glaring at the girls. “We’re taking it to Jack Frost.”

  “So there!” added the goblin with the wheelbarrow. He stuck out his tongue at the girls, and the other goblins roared with laughter. Then, before Rachel and Kirsty could say anything else, all the goblins turned and ran away.

  “Let’s follow them, Kirsty!” Rachel exclaimed.

  But just then, the girls heard a tiny, silvery voice above them cry, “Wheeeee!”

  Rachel and Kirsty looked up. Molly the Goldfish Fairy was swooping through the air toward them! She wore a turquoise skirt and top, and her long red curls were held back by a band of blue roses. A sparkling glass fishbowl full of water swung from her arm like a tiny handbag.

  “Molly!” Kirsty said excitedly.

  Molly hovered in front of the girls. “I’m so glad to see you,” she declared, beaming at Rachel and Kirsty. “I have a feeling that Flash is around here somewhere. Have you seen him?”

  “The goblins captured him!” Rachel said, pointing to the very edge of the yard. The goblins were standing by the fence, arguing about how they were going to climb over it while holding the jar.

  “They scooped Flash out of the pond, and now he’s trapped in that jar,” explained Kirsty.

  To the girls’ surprise, Molly laughed. “That’s not a problem for Flash,” she said. “Watch.” She fluttered up into the air again. “Flash!” she called. “Here, boy!”

  Rachel and Kirsty saw a sparkling shimmer swirl up inside the jar.

  The next moment, Flash leaped out of the jar and began to swim toward them — through the air!

  “That’s amazing!” Rachel gasped.

  “I know!” Molly laughed. “Isn’t he cool? Of course, real fish have to stay in the water. But because Flash is magic, he can swim in the air, too!”

  “Hey!” The goblin holding the jar suddenly noticed that it was empty. “Where’s the fish?”

  “He’s getting away!” another goblin shouted as he spotted Flash swimming through the air. “After him!”

  The goblins chased Flash across the yard, stumbling over their feet as they ran.

  The golfer goblin was faster than the others. He caught up with Flash and made a grab for the little goldfish.

  “I’ve got him!” he yelled.

  “No, you don’t!” the other goblins taunted, as Flash wriggled out of the goblin’s grasp and swam on.

  “He’s too slippery,” the golfer goblin grumbled.

  “You’re too slow!” the fishing-net goblin retorted. “Watch me catch him.” He jumped into the air and grabbed Flash. But once again, the goldfish slipped easily through his fingers.

  “You two are useless!” roared one of the other goblins. “Out of my way!” He elbowed them aside and leaped at Flash.

  For a moment, he held the fish in his hands. Then Flash slithered free once again. The goblin made another grab, but this time he only managed to hit himself on the nose. “Ow!” he wailed.

  Rachel and Kirsty grinned at Molly, who winked. “This way, Flash!” she called, holding out the sparkling fishbowl.

  Flash headed straight toward the bowl. As he swam, he magically changed in size and shape until he was fairy-pet size again. Then he swam right into his bowl.

  “Good boy!” Molly cried happily.

  Rachel nudged Kirsty. “What are the goblins up to now?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know,” Kirsty replied, frowning.

  The goblins were all huddled together, whispering to one another. Then, all of a sudden, they rushed toward the pond. Confused, Molly and the girls watched as the golfer goblin grabbed the fishing net. He bent over the pond, dipping the net in the water. The other goblins crowded around him.

  One of the goblins took off his hat and began dipping that into the pond, too.

  “What are they doing?” Kirsty asked. But then the goblin lifted his hat up out of the water and emptied it into the jar.

  “Oh, no!” Kirsty gasped. A white fish with red spots tumbled out of the hat and into the jar. “They caught Clown!”

  “Look, we’ve got this teeny-tiny fish,” one of the goblins in a kilt shouted. He waved the jar at Molly and the girls. “And we’re not giving it back — unless you hand over Flash!”

  The girls and Molly stared at one another. Now what?

  “They want us to trade Flash for Clown!” Rachel whispered.

  Flash was swimming in circles inside his fishbowl, looking very anxious. He rose to the surface of the water, opened his mouth, and a stream of magical, multicolored bubbles poured out. Molly listened closely.

  “Flash wants us to hand him over,” she said, biting her lip. “He says it’s his job to make sure that poor Clown is safe.”

  “There must be another way to get back Clown,” Rachel said.

  Meanwhile, Kirsty was thinking hard. She knew it didn’t take much to get the goblins to start arguing. All of a sudden, an idea popped into her head.

  “There’s another way!” Kirsty whispered excitedly. She marched over to the pond. The goblins glared at her and immediately formed a circle around the goblin with the jar.

  “Look, we’re all stuck,” Kirsty said boldly. “You won’t give up Clown —”

  “No, we won’t!” the goblins agreed.

  “And we’re not handing over Flash!” Kirsty went on firmly.

  The goblins frowned.

  “So let’s have a competition to settle this,” Kirsty said. “How about a tug-of-war? You goblins against us girls and Molly. The winning team gets both fish!”r />
  The goblins stared uncertainly at Kirsty.

  Then, as she walked back to Rachel, Molly, and Flash, they began whispering again.

  “A tug-of-war?” Rachel asked, looking at Kirsty in confusion. “Do you really think we can win, Kirsty?”

  Kirsty nodded. “The goblins will start arguing, just like they always do,” she whispered. “They won’t work together as a team, so they won’t win!”

  Molly brightened immediately. “I like it!” she said, beaming. Flash popped up out of his fishbowl and sent a stream of colorful bubbles toward Kirsty.

  “Flash likes it, too!” Molly told her.

  The golfer goblin stepped forward and scowled at Kirsty. “A tug-of-war isn’t fair,” he snapped. “We’re all different sizes.”

  “No problem,” Molly said breezily. “I can use my magic to make us all the same size — if you goblins will agree to keep still, so that I can wave my wand over you.”

  Kirsty glanced at Rachel. They both knew that the fairies could only cast spells on goblins if they were standing completely still.

  The goblins looked interested. They started whispering again. This time, they were so excited that Rachel, Kirsty, and Molly could hear what they were saying!

  “It’ll be five of us against three of them,” the golfer goblin said confidently. “We can’t lose!”

  “He’s right,” chuckled one of the kilt-wearing goblins. “We’re much stronger than a fairy and two silly girls. Let’s do it!”

  “We accept the challenge,” the golfer goblin said, glaring at Molly and the girls. “But no tricks! You must shrink us all at exactly the same time.”

  “No tricks,” Molly agreed. “Put the jar down on that rock.”