Eleanor the Snow White Fairy Read online

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  A Surprise Reflection

  Too Many Dwarves

  The Magic Comb

  The Vainest of Them All

  The Prettiest in the Land

  A Fairy Tale Picnic

  Teaser

  Copyright

  The Fairy Tale Fairies are in for a shock!

  Cinderella won’t run at the strike of the clock.

  No one can stop me—I’ve plotted and planned,

  And I’ll be the fairest one in all of the land.

  It will take someone handsome and witty and clever

  To stop storybook endings forever and ever.

  But to see fairies suffer great trouble and strife,

  Will make me live happily all of my life!

  When Kirsty Tate opened her eyes, for a moment she couldn’t remember where she was. She gazed up at the canopy that hung over her four-poster bed. A spring breeze had pushed open the gauzy curtains, and the sun lit up the white dressing table with its gold and silver swirls. On the dressing table lay a book with a sparkling cover—The Fairies’ Book of Fairy Tales.

  A smile spread across Kirsty’s face as she remembered everything that had happened the day before. She sat up and looked across to where her best friend, Rachel Walker, was still fast asleep.

  “Rachel, wake up,” she said in a gentle voice. “It’s our second day at Tiptop Castle!”

  Rachel opened her eyes and gave Kirsty a sleepy smile. They were staying in a beautiful old castle on the outskirts of Tippington, where the Fairy Tale Festival was being held. Their bedroom was at the top of a tower of the castle, and the girls had agreed that it was fit for a princess—or two!

  “What are you going to wear today?” asked Kirsty, hopping out of bed and opening the big wardrobe where they had hung their clothes.

  “How about our fairy dresses?” suggested Rachel, swinging her legs out of bed. “It will be fun to join in with everyone else.”

  The day before, all the festival organizers had been wearing fairy tale costumes. Kirsty clapped her hands together.

  “That’s a great idea,” she said, “especially after our Fairyland visit yesterday!”

  As they pulled on their beautiful fairy dresses, they talked about the adventure they had shared with Julia the Sleeping Beauty Fairy.

  After they had met Hannah the Happily Ever After Fairy in the reading room of the castle, she had whisked them to Fairyland and introduced them to the Fairy Tale Fairies. The seven fairies had presented them with the beautiful The Fairies’ Book of Fairy Tales.

  When Kirsty and Rachel opened the book, the pages were blank. Jack Frost had stolen the fairies’ magic objects, and now he had the power to rewrite the fairy tales to be about him and the goblins. The fairy tale characters had fallen out of their stories and were lost in the human world, along with the magic objects.

  “I’m so happy that we managed to help Julia the Sleeping Beauty Fairy get her magic jewelry box back,” said Rachel.

  “And Sleeping Beauty and her prince are back in their story,” Kirsty added. “But we have to do the same for the other fairies. They need their objects to look after their fairy tales.”

  She smiled as Rachel pulled on her mini backpack with its glittery fairy wings. It was funny to wear fake wings because they knew how it felt to have real ones!

  “I wonder if we’ll meet any of our fairy friends today,” said Rachel. “Maybe they’ve already managed to find their magic objects.”

  She walked over to the nightstand and picked up The Fairies’ Book of Fairy Tales. They had read it together last night, and the pink ribbon bookmark was still in the first story—Sleeping Beauty.

  When Julia had got her magic jewelry box back, the first story had returned to the sparkly covered book. Kirsty peered over Rachel’s shoulder as she turned to the second story, Snow White. But the pages were still blank.

  “It looks as if Jack Frost still has the other six magic objects,” said Kirsty, as Rachel flipped through the blank pages of the rest of the book.

  “Then we just have to get them back before the Fairy Tale Festival is ruined,” said Rachel in a determined voice. “But first we need to do each other’s hair, right?”

  “Right!” said Kirsty with a giggle.

  They decorated each other’s hair with glittery headbands, hair combs, and barrettes.

  “The perfect finishing touch to our fairy outfits,” said Rachel, looking at Kirsty with a smile. “Is there a mirror? I want to show you what I’ve done!”

  She looked around and saw a hand mirror lying on the nightstand. Carvings of birds and butterflies decorated the dark-wood frame and handle, and the glass was old but beautifully polished. Rachel held it up so that Kirsty could see her reflection.

  “How do you think I look?” Kirsty asked.

  Rachel opened her mouth to reply, but before she could speak a silvery voice came from the mirror.

  “Although you are pretty and ever so sweet,

  Snow White’s the most beautiful princess you’ll meet!”

  The girls stared at the mirror in amazement.

  “It’s a talking mirror,” said Kirsty. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

  “But you’ve read about it,” said Rachel, suddenly excited. “We both have—in the story of Snow White!”

  She turned the mirror around and looked into it. Her reflection gazed back at her. Feeling a little shy, Rachel cleared her throat.

  “How do I look?” she asked.

  At once, the silvery voice spoke again.

  “Although you’re much fairer than many I’ve seen,

  Snow White has more beauty than you or the queen.”

  Rachel and Kirsty laughed and gazed into the mirror together.

  “I’d love to see the real Snow White,” said Kirsty. “She must be incredibly beautiful.”

  “She is,” said a tinkling voice behind them.

  “Look!” Rachel exclaimed.

  In the mirror they could see the reflection of a tiny fairy fluttering behind them.

  “It’s Eleanor the Snow White Fairy!” said Kirsty, whirling around. “Hello, Eleanor!”

  Smiling, Eleanor flew over to land on the table. Her swishy lilac dress swirled out around her and her pretty dark hair was set off perfectly by her yellow headband.

  “Good morning, Rachel and Kirsty,” she said. “I see you’ve found the magic mirror.”

  “Is it really the one from the fairy tale?” Rachel asked.

  “Yes, and I’m very glad to know where it is,” said Eleanor, giving the mirror a little pat. “But all the characters are still lost, and the story will be ruined forever if I don’t get back my magic jeweled hair comb.”

  “We’ll help you to find Jack Frost and the goblins,” Kirsty promised. “Hide in my backpack and we’ll go downstairs and start searching.”

  Eleanor flew into Kirsty’s backpack while Rachel tucked the magic mirror inside hers. Then they left their room at the top of the tower and hurried down the winding stairs toward the main castle. Halfway down, they saw a girl dressed as Little Red Riding Hood.

  “Hello!” called the girls as they dashed past her.

  Little Red Riding Hood waved, but Rachel and Kirsty had already disappeared around the next bend. Next they saw a boy dressed as Jack from Jack and the Beanstalk.

  “Morning!” called the girls as they clattered down the remaining steps and reached the hall.

  The boy just stared after them with his mouth open. Kirsty and Rachel giggled as they ran past him.

  “Why did he look so surprised?” asked Kirsty.

  “Maybe he’s ne
ver seen a fairy before,” said Rachel, pointing at her wings with a laugh.

  Just then, they heard loud noises of clattering, clanging, and shouting.

  “It’s coming from the castle kitchens!” Kirsty exclaimed. “Come on, let’s go and find out what’s wrong.”

  It didn’t take them long to reach the kitchens. They burst through the doors and stared at the colorful scene in front of them. A beautiful young woman was trying to pack a picnic, surrounded by dwarves. They were juggling with boiled eggs, bowling with apples, and trying to balance sandwiches on their noses.

  “Please, dwarves,” said the young woman in a gentle voice. “You’re really not helping—don’t you want a nice picnic?”

  “Yes—we want it right now!” said one of the dwarves.

  He rammed some grapes into his mouth and chewed them with his mouth open.

  “What bad manners!” Rachel exclaimed.

  “They’re not normally so rude to me,” said the young woman, sounding upset. “We share a little cottage and they’re usually very sweet.”

  “Oh my goodness,” said Kirsty. “Are you Snow White?”

  “Yes, how did you know?” Snow White asked.

  “There’s only one beautiful princess who shares a cottage with lots of dwarves,” Kirsty replied, smiling. “But I thought there were only seven of them?”

  “That’s right,” said Snow White, sounding surprised.

  “But there are more than seven dwarves here,” said Rachel. “Excuse me, everyone, would you all line up so that we can count you?”

  After a lot of shoving, shuffling, and grumbling, the dwarves were standing in a very uneven line. Kirsty, Rachel, and Snow White walked along and counted them.

  “Eleven,” said Kirsty.

  “There can’t be!” said Snow White. “Let’s count them again.”

  But halfway down the line, one of the dwarves stuck out his foot and Rachel tripped over it. She landed on her knees and let out a cry.

  “Ha ha! Did you have a good trip?” asked the dwarf.

  Kirsty looked down and saw that the dwarf who had tripped her up had enormous feet. So did the dwarf next to him—and the next two as well. They were all snickering, and Kirsty recognized the sneering sound very well.

  “Those aren’t dwarves!” she cried, pulling Rachel to her feet. “They’re goblins!”

  “RUN!” yelled the goblins.

  They burst out through the kitchen door into the garden, and Kirsty ran after them, dragging Rachel behind her. They raced along gravel paths, past tall hedges and statues. Eleanor peeked out of Kirsty’s backpack as they sprinted along.

  “They’re heading toward the forest!” she cried. “You’ll never catch them on foot. Let me turn you into fairies—it’ll be quicker if we can all fly!”

  Panting, the girls darted behind a high hedge and Eleanor sprang out of the backpack. She held up her wand and waved it over Rachel and Kirsty. There was a dazzling flash of silver light, and when the sparkles cleared, Rachel and Kirsty were hovering in the air beside Eleanor.

  Their pretend wings had disappeared and been replaced by real gauzy fairy wings, and their fairy dresses were floating around them.

  “The goblins have already gone into the forest,” said Eleanor. “Come on—we can catch them if we hurry!”

  Together, they zoomed into the forest and zipped through the trees, but there was no sign of the goblins. Eleanor swooped down and the girls followed her, looking for any sign that the goblins had passed that way. Then Rachel saw something on the ground.

  “Look—a print!”

  She pointed down at a large footprint in the mud.

  “That’s definitely a goblin footprint,” said Kirsty, looking at the wide spaces between the toes. “Are there more? Maybe we could track them.”

  “Yes, over here!” called Eleanor, spotting another one.

  The fairies flew on, following the trail of footprints through the muddiest part of the forest floor. After a few minutes, they heard voices—cackling, arguing voices.

  “Those are goblins,” said Rachel. “We must be close.”

  “I think there’s a clearing up ahead,” said Eleanor, who was in the lead. “Let’s be careful.”

  They flew slowly and hid behind a bushy plant before peeking out into the clearing. Sure enough, the four goblins were there—still disguised as dwarves. They were standing beside a large pile of logs, looking upset and confused.

  “Look—there’s Jack Frost!” exclaimed Kirsty.

  The villain was sitting on a stool beside a small pond. He was combing his hair and beard, and admiring his reflection in the water. As the fairies watched, he half turned and glared at the goblins.

  “Why are you all standing there like lumps?” he asked. “Get on with it! I want a cottage and I want it NOW.”

  “But we’ve never built a cottage before,” wailed the tallest of the goblins. “We don’t know how!”

  “That’s not my problem,” said Jack Frost. “I want it to look just like Snow White’s cottage, only better. Stop being so lazy and start building!”

  “Let’s get closer,” whispered Rachel.

  She flew out of the plant and up to the leafy branches of a tree above the pond. Kirsty and Eleanor followed her, and they all looked down through the leaves at Jack Frost.

  “I’m the prettiest in the land,” Jack was saying to himself in a singsong voice. “There’s no one as pretty as I am, not even Snow White!”

  Suddenly, Eleanor gasped and almost fell off her branch. She had to flutter her wings to steady herself.

  “What is it?” Kirsty asked in a low voice.

  “Look what he’s using to comb his hair,” Eleanor whispered. “It’s my magic jeweled comb!”

  The girls peered down at the delicate comb in Jack Frost’s hand. It was shaped like a tiny silver bow, and decorated with shimmering pearls.

  “We’ve found it,” said Rachel with a relieved sigh. “Now we just have to figure out a way to get it back.”

  They all thought hard as Jack Frost continued to smile and nod at his watery reflection.

  “There’s no one as pretty as I am,” he murmured. “Everyone is jealous of me, as they should be!”

  “I’ve got an idea,” said Kirsty. “He’s more pleased with himself than anyone I’ve ever met. I think we could use that to help us get the comb back. Eleanor, could you turn me and Rachel into goblins?”

  Eleanor nodded, and the three friends fluttered down to hide behind the tree. Rachel handed Eleanor the magic mirror, and then a swift flick of her fairy wand transformed Rachel and Kirsty into warty goblins. They couldn’t help but giggle as they looked at each other. They looked so funny!

  “Let’s go,” Kirsty said. “We have to convince Jack Frost to hand over the comb, and I think I know how!”

  In their goblin disguises, Rachel and Kirsty stomped across the clearing toward Jack Frost. He scowled when he saw them.

  “Go and help the others build my cottage,” he demanded.

  “But we just wanted to tell you something,” said Kirsty quickly.

  “Well?” Jack Frost snapped. “What is it?”

  “Just that you are so handsome,” said Kirsty. “Your hair is beautifully spiky and your beard is as icy and shiny as fresh snow.”

  Jack Frost couldn’t help but smile proudly. He stroked his beard and puffed out his chest.

  “I am magnificent,” he agreed. “Carry on. More praise!”

  “No one could look more wonderful than you,” said Rachel. “Oh please, may we have the honor of combing your beard for you?”

  “No way,” said Jack Frost, tightening his grip on the comb. “Goblins always tug too hard. You’ll pull my hair out by the roots!”

  “We’ll be careful,” Kirsty promised.

  But Jack Frost shook his head.

  “I can comb it better myself,” he said. “You two can’t make it look pretty enough.”

  Rachel and Kirsty exchanged worried look
s. Then a different idea popped into Rachel’s head.

  “I know where’s there’s a wonderful mirror,” she said in a boastful voice. “You could see yourself much better than in the pond reflection. I could get it for you—if you’d let me have the comb as a reward.”

  “I want that mirror, but I’m not giving you the comb,” Jack Frost said.

  “Get me the mirror! Don’t be so greedy!”

  Rachel and Kirsty didn’t dare to argue with him anymore. They backed away, and Jack Frost returned to gazing at his own reflection. The girls hurried behind the tree in their goblin disguises, and found Eleanor waiting for them.

  “I’m sorry,” said Kirsty with a frown. “I really thought my idea would work.”

  “It’s OK,” said Eleanor. “It was a good try. We’ll just have to think of something else.”

  They all stared at each other, but they couldn’t think of a single plan.

  Then they heard the sound of branches cracking and plants being crushed underfoot. A shrill voice was shouting something, and they all listened hard as the noise grew louder. Someone was crashing through the forest toward the clearing, and they sounded very angry. After a few seconds, the fairies were able to make out the words.

  “Where’s my magic mirror?” the high-pitched voice was shouting. “Give me my magic mirror!”

  The voice sent shivers down the girls’ backs.

  “Who could it be?” asked Kirsty in a whisper.

  “It’s the wicked queen,” said Eleanor. “She’s Snow White’s stepmother, and she’s obsessed with staring into the mirror because she’s so terribly vain. She always asks it the same question.”

  “She wants to know ‘Who is the prettiest of them all?’ doesn’t she?” asked Rachel, remembering the story. “And one day the mirror starts saying ‘Snow White,’ and the wicked queen is furious.”