Georgia the Guinea Pig 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

  Farmyard Fun

  Magic in Midair!

  Goblins Undercover

  Trapped!

  Girls and Goblins Agree

  Odd One Out

  Teaser

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “This must be one of the cutest animals at Strawberry Farm!” Rachel Walker declared, her eyes shining. She stroked the woolly lamb in her arms. “It’s so cuddly!”

  “And hungry, too,” her best friend, Kirsty Tate, added. She tilted up the bottle of milk she was using to feed the lamb, as a farmhand watched. “It almost finished this already!”

  “Just watching it is making me thirsty!” her mom said as the lamb drained the last few drops.

  Rachel was staying with Kirsty’s family for a week. This afternoon, they were having a great time at Strawberry Farm! They had already seen a troop of tiny ducklings heading out for their first swim on the pond. They took a pony ride on a little brown Shetland named Conker. And now they had the chance to hand-feed some of the lambs!

  Rachel put the lamb down carefully, and both girls watched it teeter off to join the other lambs in the field.

  “I saw a sign for the Pet Corner over there,” Rachel said, giving Kirsty a meaningful look. “Should we go there next?”

  Kirsty smiled at her friend. The two girls shared a wonderful secret: They’d been helping the Pet Fairies all week! Mean Jack Frost had kidnapped the Pet Fairies’ seven magical pets, but the pets had managed to escape into the human world.

  Yesterday, Rachel and Kirsty had helped Bella the Bunny Fairy find her lost rabbit. And the day before, they’d reunited Katie the Kitten Fairy with her missing kitten. So Kirsty knew exactly what Rachel was hoping: maybe today they’d find another magical pet in the Pet Corner!

  “That sounds great, but I think I’ll grab a coffee while you two go ahead,” Mrs. Tate said. “I’ll meet you both back here at four o’clock.”

  “Sounds good,” Kirsty replied, trying not to seem too enthusiastic. She loved her mom, but she and Rachel always had their very best adventures when they were alone! “See you later.”

  Mrs. Tate left for the coffee stand, and the two friends headed for the Pet Corner.

  “Here we are,” Rachel said as they entered an area surrounded by a small fence. “Keep your eyes peeled for magical pets!” she added in an excited whisper.

  The girls began looking at all the rabbits and guinea pigs in the hutches. Every animal had a little sign outside its cage, telling visitors its name and favorite food.

  “This rabbit is called Albie, and he likes carrot tops and brussel sprouts,” Kirsty read aloud, peeking in at the fluffy gray rabbit. “Hello, Albie!”

  “Rosie the guinea pig likes sunflower seeds and lettuce leaves,” Rachel read on another hutch. “Millie, her sister, likes sliced apples. And Carrot, Rosie’s baby, likes carrots . . . Oh!”

  Kirsty looked up. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  Rachel was crouching down and peering into one of the hutches. “There are supposed to be three guinea pigs in here — Millie, Rosie, and baby Carrot,” she told Kirsty. “But the baby guinea pig is missing!”

  Kirsty hurried over.

  “Oh no, look,” she said. “The cage door is open — Carrot must have escaped!”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel spotted a flash of fur behind the hutches. She turned to see a small orange-and-white guinea pig squeezing under the wooden fence. “That must be Carrot over there!” she cried.

  Kirsty shut the cage door firmly, then jumped up to look. “Oh, no — he’s heading for the field of sheep!” she said, pointing.

  Rachel ran off after the little guinea pig, looking worried. “He’s too young to be out on his own,” she said. “We have to rescue him, Kirsty!”

  Kirsty and Rachel climbed over the wooden fence surrounding the field of sheep, and hurried after the guinea pig. Carrot was scampering toward a tree on the far side of the field. When the guinea pig reached the base of the tree, both girls stopped and stared in disbelief. Instead of swerving around the tree, the little animal simply ran straight up the trunk!

  “I didn’t think guinea pigs could do that!” Kirsty gasped. “I’ll go after him, in case he gets stuck.”

  Kirsty clambered up the tree, picking her way from branch to branch until she was within arm’s reach of the little guinea pig. Carrot watched her curiously.

  “Hello,” Kirsty said in a soft voice, reaching out toward him. As she did, the guinea pig twitched its nose and backed away playfully.

  Kirsty stretched out her hand a little further. “Come here, little Carrot,” she said. Again the guinea pig backed away, and Kirsty thought she glimpsed a mischievous little smile on its face!

  “I’m imagining things now,” Kirsty said to herself. She inched further along the branch and then leaned out, trying to reach the guinea pig. Just as her fingertips were about to touch Carrot’s fur, he jumped right off the branch . . . and scampered away through the air!

  Kirsty nearly fell out of the tree in surprise. “Rachel, look!” she cried excitedly, scrambling back down to the ground.

  Rachel felt a thrill as she realized what was happening. “That’s not Carrot, the farm guinea pig,” she laughed. “It’s Georgia the Guinea Pig Fairy’s magic pet!” She and Kirsty had met all of the Pet Fairies in Fairyland. “I wonder where Georgia is.”

  At that very moment, the girls heard the sound of cheerful singing above them. They looked up to see Georgia swooping toward them on the back of a blackbird!

  “Georgia!” Rachel cried, waving at the pretty fairy.

  Georgia waved back cheerfully as the blackbird perched above the girls on a tree branch. She had short black hair and wore a yellow top and suede skirt, both fringed with turquoise beads and tassels. She smiled as she slipped off the blackbird’s back and thanked it for the ride. The blackbird sung a merry reply and fluttered away.

  Georgia flew over to Rachel’s shoulder. Her gauzy wings shimmered in the sunlight. “Hello, girls,” she said, in a bright, friendly voice.

  “We were looking for a lost guinea pig named Carrot,” Kirsty explained eagerly. “But we found your magic pet instead, Georgia!”

  Georgia twirled excitedly when she heard the good news. “I thought he was somewhere near here!” she declared, looking around. “Oh, Sparky, hello!” she called, seeing the little orange-and-white guinea pig trotting along in midair. “I’ve missed you so much!” Rachel smiled as Sparky squeaked happily to his fairy owner and began scampering toward her.

  Georgia listened to Sparky’s eager squeaks. “He says that he’s been looking for Carrot, too,” she told the girls. “And —”

  But before Georgia could translate any more of Sparky’s message, one of the sheep that had been grazing nearby suddenly stood up on its hind legs. To everybody’s amazement, the sheep had a butterfly net. It swept the net through the air and captured Sparky!

  “Hey!” Kirsty cried. “What’s going on?”

  “That’s not a sheep,” Rachel called out in horror. A long green nose poked out from t
he creature’s face. “It’s a goblin in disguise!”

  A gleeful cackle rang through the air. The goblin ran across the field with Sparky trapped in the butterfly net.

  “Oh, no!” Kirsty cried. “What are we going to do now?”

  “I’ll turn you into fairies so we can all fly after him,” Georgia said quickly, waving her wand over the girls. A stream of glittering turquoise sparkles swirled from the tip of her wand and whirled around Kirsty and Rachel. In an instant, both girls shrank down into tiny fairies.

  Rachel fluttered her shimmering wings, feeling light as she floated off the ground. Being a fairy was the best thing in the whole world! But now, the girls had work to do.

  “Let’s follow that sneaky goblin!” Rachel cried, zooming through the air after him.

  “Don’t worry, Sparky, we’re coming!” Kirsty called out, following Rachel.

  But as they flew over the field, several more sheep jumped up on their back legs and began swiping at Kirsty, Rachel, and Georgia with butterfly nets. There were more goblins in sheep disguises!

  “Now they’re chasing us!” Rachel warned, looking over her shoulder. The goblins raced after them with nets in their hands and nasty grins on their faces.

  “Fly higher,” Georgia urged the girls. “Don’t let them catch you, too!”

  Kirsty, Rachel, and Georgia flew out of reach of the goblins. The goblin who had caught Sparky ran into a big, old barn and the girls zipped in after him.

  It was very dark inside, and at first the three friends couldn’t see very much in the gloom. But then Georgia muttered a few magical words. The turquoise tip of her wand glowed brightly, like a glittering blue torch.

  “Sparky, where are you?” she called softly, fluttering over to look behind a stack of hay bales. Kirsty and Rachel were also flying around the barn, hoping to catch a glimpse of the guinea pig.

  Suddenly, Sparky gave a couple of high-pitched squeaks. Kirsty, Rachel, and Georgia flew toward the sound at once.

  The magic pet’s squeaks seemed to be coming from somewhere near the barn door.

  Unfortunately, just as the girls and Georgia approached the door, the other goblins ran into the barn. They cackled with delight to see the three fairies caught off-guard and hovering in front of them.

  “Catch them!” one of the goblins yelled, swinging his net around in an attempt to capture the fairies.

  “Oh, no, you don’t!” Georgia cried. She and the girls soared upward, away from the goblins.

  Kirsty managed to dodge one goblin who made a grab for her, but the tallest one had her in his sights.

  Kirsty flew up just as the goblin swished his butterfly net down — she was trapped!

  “Help!” she cried, beating her wings frantically.

  “Ha!” the tall goblin smirked, putting a warty green hand over the top of the net. “You’re my prisoner now!”

  Georgia grabbed Rachel’s hand. She pulled her up to a small, broken window above the barn door just as the goblins swung the door shut with a thump.

  “What are we going to do?” Rachel asked Georgia. Her heart was beating wildly as they squeezed through the hole in the window. “The goblins are holding Kirsty prisoner!”

  Georgia’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry, we’ll free her,” she vowed. “We just need to think of a way to rescue Kirsty and Sparky — fast!”

  Rachel and Georgia fell silent as they thought about what to do. They could hear the goblins hooting triumphantly inside the barn.

  “A guinea pig and a fairy,” one of them crowed. “What a day!”

  “Jack Frost is going to be happy with us today,” another added smugly.

  Then Rachel and Georgia heard a scraping noise as the goblins slid the bolt across the barn door, locking it.

  “We’ll sit tight until those two fairies have gone,” one goblin muttered. “Then we’ll take this fairy and the guinea pig back to Jack Frost’s castle.”

  Rachel thought it was horrible to hear the goblins gloating. She perched on the window frame, thinking hard. “Georgia, do you think Sparky might be able to turn himself into an elephant and knock the door down?” she asked.

  Georgia shook her head sadly. “Sparky won’t be able to use any magic,” she told Rachel. “None of the magic pets can use magic when they’re afraid.” She frowned, concentrating. “We’ll have to make the goblins leave the barn somehow,” she went on. “Maybe we could tempt them out with something to eat?”

  Rachel grinned as an idea suddenly popped into her head. “Or we could scare them out,” she said eagerly. “Georgia, do you think you could use magic to create the sound of an angry bull?”

  “Of course,” Georgia replied. Then she grinned as she realized what Rachel had in mind. “Of course! The sound of an angry bull that has been woken by noisy goblins will be just the thing to drive them from the barn!” she whispered with a chuckle.

  Rachel nodded happily. “The goblins will never know that it’s only fairy magic they are hearing,” she added.

  Georgia and Rachel grinned at each other, then fluttered down to the ground.

  “Let’s give it a try,” Georgia said. “The sooner we free Kirsty and Sparky, the sooner we can find little Carrot.”

  She waved her wand, sending more turquoise sparkles swirling around Rachel.

  In an instant, Rachel grew back to her usual size.

  Then Georgia pointed her wand at the barn doors. They shimmered for a few seconds with magical turquoise light. “There,” she whispered to Rachel. “I’ve used magic to hold the doors shut. Even if the goblins unbolt them, they won’t be able to come out until we let them.”

  Rachel smiled. “And we’ll only let them out when they promise to hand over Kirsty and Sparky,” she whispered back. “It’s a great idea, Georgia!” Then, with a wink at the smiling fairy, Rachel raised her voice. “Beware of the bull?” she said, as if she were reading aloud from a sign. “I wonder if those goblins know they’re stuck in the barn with Farmer Tom’s mean old bull? It’s got a bad temper — it’s way too crazy to be out in the fields.” She laughed loudly. “I wouldn’t want to be in there when the bull wakes up!”

  Rachel glanced up at Georgia, who was hovering outside the window above the barn door. With a wave of her wand, the little fairy sent a stream of magic all the way into the darkest corner of the barn.

  Snort! Grunt! CRASH! A terrible commotion started where Georgia’s magic had landed. There was a thunderous, hoof-stamping sound.

  Georgia flew back down to perch on Rachel’s shoulder. She tried not to laugh out loud at their clever trick.

  Rachel pressed her ear to the barn door to listen to the goblins.

  “Whose stupid idea was it to come in here, anyway?” one of them hissed nervously.

  “Farmer Tom’s crazy b-b-bull sounds really a-a-angry!” another goblin stuttered.

  Rachel and Georgia heard the sound of the bolt being pulled back. Then one of the goblins tried to push the door open, but Georgia’s magic held the door firmly shut.

  “You’re trapped in there,” Rachel called, “with Farmer Tom’s crazy bull!”

  “Maybe the bull will make a nice pet for Jack Frost,” Georgia suggested sweetly.

  “Hey, let us out right now!” a goblin demanded, thumping on the door.

  “I don’t think so,” Georgia replied in her silvery fairy voice. Then she zoomed up to the window and waved her wand again, sending more magic into the barn.

  Immediately, the roar of an angry bull started up again, but this time it sounded even louder!

  “Oh, all that shouting seems to have made the bull even angrier!” Georgia remarked.

  The goblins hammered on the door in panic. “Let us out right now!” they cried.

  “You let Kirsty and Sparky go, and then we’ll let you out of the barn!
” Rachel shouted to the goblins.

  There was a minute of silence. “We can’t tell Jack Frost that we’ve let another of those pesky pets slip through our fingers,” Rachel heard one goblin whisper.

  “First we messed up the kitten kidnap, then the bunny bagging. If we come back today without the guinea pig —”

  “We can’t go back without the guinea pig,” another goblin interrupted. “But how about if we . . .”

  Rachel pressed her ear as close to the barn door as possible, but the goblins were talking so quietly now that she couldn’t hear what they were plotting.

  “The fairy can go, but the guinea pig’s staying with us!” a goblin voice announced after a moment.

  Rachel looked at Georgia sadly. She hadn’t been expecting that response! “What do we say?” she whispered.

  “Let’s agree, and then at least we’ll know that Kirsty’s safe,” Georgia replied. “Maybe one of you will be able to grab Sparky as the goblins come out of the barn.”

  Rachel nodded. “OK,” she said reluctantly. Then she turned back to the barn door. “It’s a deal,” she shouted to the goblins. “Set Kirsty free!”

  A moment passed while Rachel and Georgia waited to see if the goblins were plotting a trick of their own. Then Kirsty zoomed out of the window and flew down to join them, smiling with relief.

  Georgia waved her wand and turned Kirsty back into a girl.

  Rachel hugged her tightly. “Are you all right? Were they mean to you and Sparky?” she asked.

  “I’m fine,” Kirsty said. “And so is Sparky. He’s being very quiet, but he isn’t hurt.”