Mara the Meerkat Fairy

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  A Very Tricky Task

  Bunny Bother!

  On Guard Against Goblins

  Missy Makes Mischief!

  Trapped!

  Rabbit Lineup

  Teaser

  Copyright

  “So, all we know about today’s job is that it’s going to be especially tricky!” Kirsty Tate remarked to her best friend, Rachel Walker, as they made their way along a path through the woods.

  The two girls had volunteered to spend a week of summer vacation working as junior rangers at Wild Woods Nature Reserve. “What do you think we’ll be doing, Rachel?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to finding out when we meet Becky in the meadow!” Rachel replied with a grin. Becky was the head of the nature reserve. “I hope it’s something we can do really well—and then we might earn another badge.”

  “I love getting badges,” Kirsty said happily. She swung her backpack off her shoulders so she could proudly sneak a peek at the badges pinned to the pockets. This was the girls’ third day at Wild Woods, and they’d already earned two badges because they’d successfully completed their tasks on the previous two days.

  The girls heard a rustling noise in the undergrowth, and a little red squirrel scampered out of the bushes. He stopped in front of Rachel and Kirsty and gave them a mischievous glance.

  “I heard what you were saying,” the squirrel told them breathlessly. “And, you’re right: You’ll have a very difficult job to do today!” Then, giggling, he bounded away.

  “Good luck!” chirped a voice from above. The girls looked up and saw a pair of goldfinches sitting on a branch side by side. “Like the squirrel said, you’ve got a very tricky task today.”

  “Very tricky!” the other goldfinch agreed. Then the two birds soared up into the blue sky.

  “It’s such amazing fun being able to talk to animals!” Rachel exclaimed. “We couldn’t do it without the Baby Animal Rescue Fairies’ magic.”

  Kirsty nodded. “I just wish we hadn’t been given this magic for such a serious reason.” She sighed. “We need the power to talk to animals so we can save wildlife everywhere from scary Jack Frost and his goblins!”

  Rachel and Kirsty were in the middle of another thrilling fairy adventure. On their first day at Wild Woods, they’d met Bertram, a frog footman from Fairyland who was visiting relatives at the nature reserve. At Bertram’s invitation, the girls had been taken on a tour of the Fairyland Nature Reserve where they’d met the Baby Animal Rescue Fairies. These seven fairies were responsible for protecting animals in both the human and the fairy worlds. They all wore special animal key chains clipped to their clothing, and they used the magic in the charms to help them.

  Then Jack Frost and his goblins had arrived to spoil the girls’ special day! Jack Frost had declared that he liked all the animals so much, he was going to collect one of each for his private zoo. He’d used his icy magic to steal the key chains. The girls had been horrified when Jack Frost had then thrown the charms to his goblins and sent them to the human world, ordering them to bring back animals for his zoo.

  The seven fairies were very upset, and the girls had offered their help. Immediately, the fairies had combined their magic, giving Rachel and Kirsty the ability to talk to animals.

  “So far we’ve met a baby panda and three tiger cubs,” Rachel reminded Kirsty as they approached the meadow. “I wonder if we’ll meet another wild animal today?”

  “There’s Becky,” Kirsty said, peering across the meadow. “Look, Rachel, she has a wheelbarrow with her.”

  Becky saw the girls and waved.

  “Becky’s not alone in the meadow!” Rachel said with a grin, and she pointed at a rabbit hopping across the grass.

  “There’s another rabbit over there!” Kirsty exclaimed. “And there’s another—and another!”

  By the time Rachel and Kirsty had climbed over the fence into the meadow, they’d already spotted eight rabbits hopping around. Quickly, the girls ran to join Becky. She was standing next to the wheelbarrow and they saw it was full of carrots, lettuce, and cabbage leaves.

  “Good morning, Rachel and Kirsty,” Becky said, her eyes twinkling. “Your job for today is to count rabbits!”

  Rachel looked at Kirsty with alarm. That did sound like a difficult job!

  “I know it sounds silly,” Becky went on, “but it’s very useful for us to know the size of the rabbit population at Wild Woods. It helps us take care of the environment and the animals properly.” She handed clipboards and pens to the girls. “Every time you see a rabbit, write it down,” Becky went on. “You can use these veggies in the wheelbarrow to tempt the rabbits out of their burrows.” She pointed to the holes that the rabbits had dug in the meadow.

  “We’ll do our best,” Kirsty promised.

  “Good luck!” Becky told them. “I’ll be back later to see how you’re doing.” She hurried off.

  “There are lots of rabbits here!” Rachel remarked as a big brown bunny hopped past them. “They’re all different sizes and colors.”

  “Some are just babies, too,” Kirsty added. “I’ve got a feeling this is going to take us all day! Should we count the bunnies in the field first?”

  “Good idea,” Rachel replied.

  The girls ran around the meadow, counting all the rabbits they could see, keeping a tally on their clipboards. It was hard work because the rabbits wouldn’t stay still, and kept hopping all over the place.

  “I wonder how many rabbits are in the holes,” Rachel panted as she and Kirsty set the carrots, lettuce, and cabbage leaves on the grass in front of the burrows. Then the girls stood by, clipboards at the ready. Soon furry heads began popping out of the holes, and rabbit after rabbit came hopping out, heading straight for the tasty vegetables.

  “Ten, eleven, twelve!” Kirsty gasped as yet another rabbit scampered out of the burrow next to her. “There are tons of them, Rachel! And look—more are coming out of those holes that are a little farther away.”

  “I’ll count those,” Rachel suggested. “It’ll be easier.” And she hurried off, muttering, “Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen …”

  Kirsty didn’t have a second to spare as she frantically counted the bunnies and then marked the number down on her clipboard. A short distance away, Rachel was doing the same. The vegetables were running out now, so Kirsty raced over to the wheelbarrow to grab some more.

  The rabbits were munching away contentedly and Kirsty was counting under her breath when a small brown bunny hopped over to her.

  “Excuse me,” the bunny squeaked. “But have you counted me yet?”

  “Yes, I just did.” Kirsty laughed.

  “Oh, dear!” The rabbit sighed. “Your friend counted me already.”

  “Are you sure?” Kirsty asked, her heart sinking.

  “Yes, she said I was number thirty-five!” the bunny replied.

  Two more rabbits looked up from their lettuce leaves. “Your friend counted me already, too,” one said.

  “And me!” the other added.

  “Oh, no!” Kirsty groaned. She’d added these rabbits to her clipboard just a moment ago!

  “Rachel?” Kirsty called, looking worried. “Some of the rabbits are telling me we both counted them!”

  “Yes, a rabbit has just told me the exact same thing,” Rachel replied, rushing over to Kirsty.

  The girls were disappointed, but they couldn’t help giggling.

  “This isn’t just a tricky task!” Kirsty laughed. “It’s impossible!”

  “Should we start all over again?” asked Rachel.

  “I think the same thing will happen agai
n,” Kirsty replied. “Maybe we need a better plan.”

  The girls watched the rabbits for a few moments, wondering how they could count them without getting confused. Kirsty focused on one baby bunny who had a cute, fuzzy bit of fur sticking up on top of his head. The baby rabbit disappeared down a nearby hole. Then, just seconds later, Kirsty gasped when the same rabbit popped out of a different hole a little farther away.

  “Rachel, I know why we’ve been getting confused!” Kirsty exclaimed. “I think the rabbits are going down one hole and then popping out of another. That’s why we’re counting them twice.”

  “I saw a TV show about meerkats once, and they lived underground in a maze of tunnels,” Rachel said thoughtfully. “I bet these holes lead to lots of tunnels under the meadow, and that’s how the bunnies can run around and pop in and out of different holes so easily.”

  Kirsty nodded. “We need a different way of counting them,” she said, staring down at the rabbit burrow. That’s when she noticed a misty golden glow around the entrance of the hole.

  “I think I see fairy magic!” Kirsty announced excitedly, pointing at the glowing light.

  The two girls raced over to investigate. As they reached the rabbit hole, a fairy fluttered out to greet them.

  “You’re Mara the Meerkat Fairy!” Rachel gasped.

  Mara’s anxious face broke into a smile. The little fairy wore a maroon and orange polka-dot dress with a narrow brown belt, leggings, and purple Mary Jane flats.

  “Girls, I desperately need your help to protect a colony of my meerkats!” Mara cried. “The meerkat guards have spotted goblins near their burrow.”

  “Let’s go right away!” Kirsty said. Quickly, she and Rachel put their clipboards in their backpacks. Mara was ready with her wand, and one sprinkling of magical fairy dust instantly whisked the three of them away from the nature reserve.

  Just a few seconds later the girls found themselves standing on top of a huge sand dune, the burning sun beating down from a cloudless sky. A vast desert of dazzling orange sand stretched out around them, and the only objects Kirsty and Rachel could see were some half dead, leafless trees in the distance.

  “I can’t see any meerkats!” Rachel began, turning around to look. But the sand was slippery underfoot, and she lost her balance. Rachel gasped as she fell backward. The next thing she knew, she was sliding down the slope on her back.

  “That’s one way to get down the sand dune, I guess!” Mara laughed, fluttering after her.

  Once Rachel had gotten over the shock, she started enjoying herself as she tumbled down, sending sand flying around her. Kirsty laughed as she sat down, and then slid along the sandy slope behind Rachel.

  Giggling, the girls landed in a heap at the bottom of the dune.

  “That was a lot of fun!” Rachel panted, standing up. “But now I’m really hot and thirsty.”

  “We have water in our backpacks,” Kirsty reminded her. “And sunscreen.”

  “You’ll need both to stay safe in this heat, girls,” said Mara.

  The girls drank some water, then they covered themselves with the sunscreen.

  “That’s better,” Rachel remarked. “But I still don’t see any meerkats!”

  Mara laughed. “The desert is full of them,” she replied. “Just use your eyes!”

  The girls glanced around. They both caught sight of something moving in a hole in the sand and crept closer. Then a furry little head popped out.

  “It’s a baby meerkat!” Kirsty exclaimed.

  “Oh, she’s so cute!” Rachel whispered in awe, staring at the meerkat’s black-ringed eyes and tiny black ears.

  Suddenly, the baby meerkat was pulled gently back down the hole, and two adult meerkats scampered out. Immediately, they sat up on their back legs and began scanning the desert all around them. Then the girls saw the baby meerkat poke her head out again. She waved and smiled at Rachel and Kirsty, her dark eyes bright and playful. The girls were enchanted.

  “Isn’t she gorgeous?” Kirsty said as she and Rachel smiled and waved back.

  “Girls, meet Missy, short for Mischief!” Mara said, pointing her wand at the baby meerkat. “These other two are our brave meerkat guards.”

  “We’re glad to see you, Mara,” one of the guards squeaked. “There have been some very strange green creatures with big feet wandering around the desert.”

  Rachel glanced knowingly at Kirsty. Goblins!

  “The other meerkats are staying underground out of sight until those funny green animals leave,” the other guard added. “We really don’t like them!”

  Just then the girls heard noises in the distance. The meerkat guards heard them, too, and their whiskers started twitching nervously.

  The noises were coming closer, and Kirsty could make out the sound of loud, gruff voices.

  “Goblins!” She gasped.

  Squeaking with anxiety, the meerkat guards dove for the hole and disappeared down it with Missy.

  “Girls, let’s try to keep the goblins from coming any closer,” Mara whispered, flying to hide beneath Kirsty’s sun hat.

  Swiftly, Rachel and Kirsty hurried across the sand in the direction of the voices. Then they saw three goblins wearing bright green shorts, shirts, and large sun hats stagger over the top of a nearby dune. They all looked sweaty and exhausted.

  “I’m too hot!” the smallest goblin wailed miserably.

  “Stop complaining!” the biggest goblin retorted. “We can go as soon as we find a meerkat to take with us.”

  “But where are the meerkats?” asked the third goblin, who had extra-large ears. “We haven’t seen any yet.”

  As the girls approached the goblins, Rachel gasped and clutched Kirsty’s arm. “Look at the biggest goblin’s shorts!” she whispered.

  Kirsty stared at the side pocket of the goblin’s shorts, and Mara peeked out from her hiding place to take a look, too. They could see a small, furry meerkat charm sticking out.

  “That’s my magic key chain!” Mara murmured with a smile.

  “Good! Now we know exactly where it is,” Kirsty said. “But how do we get it back?”

  Mara frowned and crossed her arms. “I’m not sure, but we have to think of something quickly!”

  The goblins trudged on through the sand, grumbling loudly about the heat. When they reached the girls, they stopped.

  “Are there meerkats around here?” the smallest goblin asked hopefully.

  Kirsty laughed. “There are no meerkats in the desert!” she replied with a grin.

  “The only meerkat around here is that cute little toy,” Rachel remarked casually, pointing at Mara’s key chain poking out of the goblin’s pocket.

  The biggest goblin groaned and took off his hat to wipe his sweaty green brow. The other two did the same, and that gave Kirsty an idea.

  “It’s really hot, isn’t it?” she said sympathetically. “Don’t you have any water to cool down?”

  “We did, but we drank it all,” the smallest goblin replied.

  “Well, Rachel and I have plenty,” Kirsty said. She took a bottle of water from her backpack, and so did Rachel. The goblins stared greedily at the bottles, licking their lips. “We’ll trade you a drink of our water for that toy you have in your pocket. Deal?”

  “Deal!” the biggest goblin agreed instantly. He grabbed the water from Kirsty and began gulping it down. Rachel handed her bottle to the smallest goblin, who took a long drink.

  “My turn!” the big-eared goblin hollered, snatching it from him.

  A few moments later the goblins finished drinking and, looking much happier, they gave the bottles back to the girls.

  “Now let’s go and find some meerkats!” the biggest goblin shouted.

  “Wait!” Kirsty said firmly. “What about our deal? You promised us your little toy meerkat.”

  “We can’t give it to you,” the biggest goblin snapped. “No way! We need it to catch a meerkat for Jack Frost.”

  “He’ll be very angry with us if
we don’t bring him one for his zoo!” the smallest goblin added.

  Rachel and Kirsty exchanged frustrated glances.

  “I told you, there aren’t any meerkats in the desert,” Kirsty said. “You’re wasting your time.”

  The goblins looked uncertain.

  “Maybe she’s right,” the biggest goblin murmured. “After all, we haven’t seen any meerkats yet and we’ve been walking for hours!”

  “I don’t think you’re looking in the right place,” Rachel remarked, straight-faced. “Don’t you know meerkats are cats? They’ve probably climbed those trees to hide!” She pointed at the trees in the distance.

  “Yes, everyone knows meerkats are cats!” The smallest goblin sneered.

  The girls tried not to smile.

  “Come on!” the big-eared goblin yelled, and the three of them hurried off toward the trees.

  “Well done, girls,” Mara whispered from under Kirsty’s hat. “You got them to head away from the meerkats. Now let’s follow them and try to get my key chain back.”

  But just then the biggest goblin accidentally caught his foot in one of the meerkat holes. He yelped and tripped, ending up flat on his face. Then, horrified, Kirsty saw Missy peek out of another hole very close to the goblin who had fallen.

  “Oh, no!” Kirsty said anxiously.

  The girls waved their hands at Missy, trying to warn her to stay out of sight. They didn’t want to call out and attract the goblins’ attention.

  But the biggest goblin had already spotted the baby meerkat. His eyes lit up.

  “Come back!” he yelled to the other goblins, who were ahead of him. “I found a meerkat!”

  Rachel and Kirsty were full of dismay as the other two goblins scurried back to join their friend. But before the goblins reached him, Missy popped out of sight again. The girls breathed heartfelt sighs of relief.