Esme the Ice Cream Fairy

  I have a plan to make a mess

  And cause the fairies much distress.

  I’m going to take their charms away

  And make my dreams come true today!

  I’ll build a castle made of sweets,

  And ruin the fairies’ silly treats.

  I just don’t care how much they whine,

  Their cakes and candies will be mine!

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  Ice Cream Emergency

  Enter Esme!

  A Cool Pool?

  Turning Green

  Splat!

  Trapped!

  Teaser

  Copyright

  “Bye, Aunt Helen,” said Kirsty Tate, hugging her aunt. “It was really nice to see you again.”

  “Thanks for all the candy,” added Rachel Walker, Kirsty’s best friend. She was staying with Kirsty over spring break.

  Aunt Helen smiled at them. “My pleasure,” she said. “I’m sorry they weren’t as good as usual, though.”

  Kirsty’s aunt had the best job in the world: She worked at Candy Land, the treat factory just outside of Wetherbury. She’d come to have lunch with the Tates that day, bringing a big bag of Candy Land goodies for everyone. Unfortunately, the candy had tasted terrible. Something had gone horribly wrong!

  The girls were disappointed — but their dismay had quickly turned to excitement when their friend Honey the Candy Fairy magically appeared in Kirsty’s bedroom. She told them that strange things had been happening at her Fairyland Candy Factory, and asked if they’d help her.

  Kirsty and Rachel hadn’t hesitated for a second. Of course they’d help — they loved going to Fairyland! And so they’d been swept up in another wonderful fairy adventure, this time with Honey and her team of Sugar and Spice Fairies. It had been the most perfect start to the week, Rachel thought, smiling to herself.

  The girls, Aunt Helen, and Kirsty’s mom were now standing outside Tracy Twist’s candy shop in Wetherbury, where Aunt Helen was catching the bus back to work.

  “I hope everything’s working the way it should at Candy Land again,” she said. “At least the lollipops were good.”

  “The lollipops were delicious,” Kirsty replied, with a secret wink at Rachel. Earlier that day, the two of them had met Lisa the Lollipop Fairy. They had a thrilling time tracking down her magic lollipop charm, which had been stolen by wicked Jack Frost. Lisa used her magic charm to make lollipops everywhere lickable, and while it was missing they had tasted horrible. Luckily, Kirsty and Rachel had helped Lisa get it back. Now all the lollipops were yummier than ever!

  “Good,” Aunt Helen said. “I left a special surprise for you back at your house, which I hope you like, too.” She grinned at the girls. “Ah, here comes my bus. Good-bye, all of you. Thanks for a lovely lunch!”

  “Bye!” chorused Kirsty, Rachel, and Mrs. Tate, waving to Aunt Helen as the bus drove away slowly.

  “I wonder what the surprise is,” Kirsty said once the bus was out of sight.

  “Knowing Aunt Helen, it’s something really good,” Mrs. Tate said with a smile.

  Rachel smiled, too, and felt a fluttery feeling inside at the thought of a surprise waiting for them. Whenever she and Kirsty got together, life was always full of surprises!

  They headed back toward Kirsty’s house. As they walked through the market square, Rachel found herself looking out for more fairies. Honey had a team of seven Sugar and Spice Fairies, who helped her create delicious treats using their special magic charms. Unfortunately, Jack Frost had decided that he wanted all their yummy treats for himself. He was planning to build a gigantic Candy Castle! He had ordered his goblins to steal the magic charms so he could make the best treats ever. Unfortunately, while the charms were away from their fairy owners, candy and treats didn’t look or taste as good as usual!

  Even worse, this had all happened just before the fairies’ annual Treat Day! This was the day when Queen Titania and King Oberon gave every fairy a basket full of treats as a special thank-you for their hard work all year. It looked like those baskets would remain empty — unless the girls could help the Sugar and Spice Fairies get their magic charms back from the goblins.

  Kirsty was scanning the market booths closely, too. “Mom, could we look around a little, please?” she asked. “We can meet you at home later, if that’s okay.” The Tates only lived a few streets away, and it was a safe walk back.

  “That’s fine,” Mrs. Tate said with a smile, and took her wallet out of her purse. “Here,” she went on. “Let me give you some spending money, just in case you see something you like.”

  “Thank you!” Rachel said.

  “We’ll be back in an hour,” Kirsty promised.

  The girls said good-bye and made their way through the square. It was lined with all kinds of booths, selling jewelery, toys, local vegetables, and brightly colored candles. Then they spotted an ice cream truck, and Kirsty licked her lips. It was a sunny day, and she could really go for a delicious, cool ice cream cone.

  “They look good,” Rachel said, studying the sign propped up near the truck. “Caramel Crunch — mmm, my favorite.”

  “Chocolate Swirl sounds yummy, too,” Kirsty said, her tummy rumbling. “Ooh, and Mint Chocolate Chip. How will we decide?”

  The man in the truck smiled. He was wearing a white uniform and hat, and had a name tag with CHARLIE printed on it. “Would you like to try a few flavors?” he asked. “It might help you make up your minds.”

  “Yes, please!” both girls replied.

  “No problem,” Charlie said. He gave them each a tiny spoonful of Strawberries and Cream, then another of Mint Chocolate Chip.

  Rachel put the pink strawberry ice cream in her mouth, expecting it to dissolve deliciously on her tongue. Instead, it felt like a flavorless lump of ice. “Oh!” she said in surprise.

  Kirsty was about to try the Mint Chocolate Chip, but before she had even put the spoon to her lips, the ice cream melted to liquid and dripped onto the ground. Strange!

  A horrible thought occurred to both girls at the same time. “This must be because of Jack Frost!” Kirsty whispered. “He’s even ruining ice cream!”

  Another customer approached the ice cream truck and began giving Charlie a long, complicated order. Kirsty and Rachel seized the chance to slip away for a minute.

  “Let’s look around the truck,” Rachel suggested in a low voice. “We might find another one of the Sugar and Spice Fairies.”

  “Good idea!” Kirsty agreed, feeling a flutter of excitement at the thought. Two fairy adventures in the same day would be a real treat!

  The girls searched eagerly around the truck, hoping to see a sparkle, which would mean that a fairy was nearby. But even though they looked at every part of the truck, from top to bottom and front to back, they spotted nothing unusual.

  They wandered around the front of the truck again, where the customer was just leaving. Her hands were full of ice cream cones, none of which looked very tasty.

  “Goodness!” Charlie exclaimed. “That lady cleaned me right out of Chocolate Chunk. Give me a minute, girls. I’ll just pop into the back to get some more.”

  Charlie vanished into the back of the truck, and the girls stood waiting at the counter.

  “I’m not sure I actually want an ice cream cone now,” Rachel whispered. “Should we go somewhere else?”

  Kirsty was just about to agree when an extra paper hat on the counter, like the one Charlie was wearing, caught her eye. “Look!” she cried. “That hat! It’s glowing!” />
  Rachel’s eyes widened in excitement. She carefully lifted the hat. Then she beamed as a tiny fairy fluttered out and landed on a stack of cones, her feet dangling over the edge. The fairy had long black hair and wore a pastel-striped top, bright yellow pants, and pink sneakers. The stripes on her shirt reminded Rachel of Raspberry Ripple ice cream!

  “Hello there,” said the fairy in a high, tinkling voice. “I’m Esme the Ice Cream Fairy! We met earlier, in Fairyland.”

  “Hello again, Esme. I’m Kirsty, and this is Rachel,” Kirsty reminded her.

  “And we’re really glad to see you,” Rachel said. She checked to make sure that Charlie wasn’t back before adding, “The ice cream from this truck is awful!”

  Esme nodded, looking serious. “It isn’t very good,” she agreed. “And it’s all because Jack Frost took my magic ice cream cone charm. I have a feeling that the goblins are somewhere in this market with my charm. Would you mind helping me look?”

  “Mind? Not a bit!” Kirsty said eagerly. “We’d love to!”

  “Here we go,” Charlie said just then, reappearing with a large tub of chocolate ice cream in his arms. He opened the freezer and popped it inside. While his head was hidden in the freezer, Esme leaped off the cones and fluttered into Rachel’s skirt pocket.

  Charlie lifted his head, looking confused. “That’s strange,” he said. “All my ice cream seems to have melted. How could that have happened?”

  “Oh, no,” Rachel said.

  “I’m sorry, girls,” he went on. “Maybe this freezer is broken. I’m afraid I’ll have to close the truck while I investigate.”

  “Thanks anyway,” Kirsty said. “I hope you can figure it out soon.” She glanced at Rachel as they turned away. “I hope we can figure it out, really,” she added in a whisper.

  Esme poked her head out of Rachel’s pocket, and the sun sparkled on her dark, wavy hair. “Let’s keep a lookout for anything unusual,” she said. “We have to stop Jack Frost and the goblins, or there won’t be any ice cream for Treat Day — the day after tomorrow!”

  The girls wandered through the market, watching carefully for anything strange going on. One lady selling jewelery had a hood hiding her face. Kirsty looked closely, wondering if she was a goblin in disguise. Then the lady gave her customer a beaming smile, and Kirsty glanced away. No — she definitely wasn’t a goblin. No goblin was ever that nice and friendly!

  Next was a booth selling wooden toys. Rachel narrowed her eyes suspiciously when she saw that the man there had a baseball cap pulled low over his face. Was that a goblin?

  Then he lifted his hat and scratched his head, and Rachel saw that his skin was pink rather than goblin-green. No — he wasn’t a goblin, either!

  “Maybe the ice cream just melted in the sun,” Kirsty said doubtfully. “Maybe Charlie’s freezer really did break.”

  Esme shook her head. “No,” she said. “I’m sure I can sense goblins around here somewhere. Let’s keep looking.”

  “Hey, Kirsty,” came a voice just then, and the girls turned to see two boys approaching.

  “Hi, Liam! Hi, Jamal!” Kirsty said. “This is my friend Rachel. Liam and Jamal go to my school,” she explained.

  Rachel said hi, and then her gaze locked onto the boys’ hands. Both of them were carrying enormous green ice cream cones!

  Jamal licked his, a blissful expression on his face. “This is the best ice cream cone I’ve ever tasted,” he said with a sigh. “The flavors sound really weird, but they taste amazing!”

  Rachel and Kirsty exchanged a glance. “Did you buy them from Charlie?” Kirsty asked, pointing at the truck behind them.

  “No,” Liam replied, “they’re from that truck over there — the bright green one. All of their ice cream is green, too!”

  Hidden in Rachel’s pocket, Esme gave a squeak of excitement. Both girls knew why. The green ice cream truck must be connected with the goblins!

  “Thanks,” said Kirsty. “Come on, Rachel. Let’s go there right now!”

  With a wave to the boys, the girls raced off. If they could find the goblins, maybe they could find Esme’s magic charm, too!

  There was a long line stretching back from the green ice cream truck, and the girls joined the end. Everyone walking away with their bright green ice cream cones was exclaiming how delicious they were.

  “Look — we were right,” whispered Rachel. “There are goblins in the truck!”

  Kirsty and Esme looked over. The three ice cream sellers in the truck were dressed in uniforms like Charlie’s, except they were bright green. They wore hats over their eyes. But even the hats couldn’t disguise what long noses they all had . . . and how green their skin was!

  “One of them must have my magic ice cream cone charm!” said Esme. “Girls, should we find a quiet place so that I can turn you into fairies? Then we can fly into the truck for a closer look without anyone seeing us.”

  “Yes, please,” Kirsty said at once. Being a fairy was always so much fun!

  Rachel and Kirsty left the line and hid behind a truck selling cups of tea and coffee. There, Esme waved her wand and murmured some magic words. A swirl of bright stars and sparkles flooded from her wand and whirled around the girls. They immediately shrank smaller and smaller until they were the same size as Esme! Then they fluttered off the ground with their very own shimmering, gauzy wings.

  “Thank you!” Rachel cried, twirling in midair.

  “Let’s investigate,” Kirsty said, zooming high. “Come on!”

  The three fairies flew above the crowd as they headed for the green ice cream truck. The back door was open, so they zipped inside and hid on a shelf behind a huge tub of green ice cream. Peeking out, they could see the three goblins working at the counter.

  “There you go,” said the first goblin to a customer, handing over two cones of green ice cream decorated with green fudge sauce. “Who’s next?”

  “This is the best job ever,” the second goblin said. He was making an ice cream sundae, decorated with green whipped cream. He paused to squirt whipped cream into his mouth. “Yum!” he said happily.

  “We shouldn’t use all the ice cream, remember,” the third goblin said bossily. “We have to keep enough for Jack Frost’s Candy Castle.”

  “That’s right — he’s going to fill his swimming pool with ice cream!” the first goblin said, adding green sprinkles to another cone. “How cool is that?” He chuckled suddenly. “Cool — ice cream. Get it?”

  The fairies exchanged glances as the goblins laughed.

  “I wouldn’t want to swim in ice cream,” Rachel whispered, shivering. “Think how cold it would be.”

  “And sticky,” Kirsty said, wrinkling her nose.

  Esme looked upset. “Ice cream isn’t meant for swimming in,” she said. “It’s for cones and sundaes and milkshakes. What is Jack Frost thinking?”

  “It’s such a waste, too,” Rachel agreed. “Especially when the fairies need ice cream for Treat Day. We need to find your magic charm fast, and stop all this craziness!”

  While the girls were talking, the goblins had started bickering. “The ice cream pool should be Spinach Swirl flavor,” the first goblin said.

  “No way — Broccoli Chunk is the best,” the second goblin argued, squirting more whipped cream into his mouth.

  “You two don’t know what you’re talking about,” the third added. “Cabbage Surprise is the tastiest. Imagine jumping off the diving board and landing headfirst in that!”

  “Diving board? There isn’t going to be a diving board,” scoffed the first goblin. “I heard Jack Frost was putting one of those superfast water slides in the pool. It’s going to be awesome!”

  While the goblins squabbled, Kirsty, Rachel, and Esme began quietly searching through the truck. It was stocked with lots of different flavors of ice cream (all green) plus green sprinkles, gre
en sauces, green cones, green cherries, and green chocolate flakes.Searching through everything was nerve-racking — especially since the goblins were so close and kept turning around to use different toppings and sauces! Both Kirsty and Rachel had to move very quickly more than once so that they wouldn’t be spotted.

  Unfortunately, after searching high and low, there was no sign of Esme’s magic ice cream cone charm anywhere.

  “I don’t understand,” Esme sighed as they fluttered back to the shelf. “We’ve looked everywhere! Where could it be?”

  “Maybe one of the goblins is wearing it on a chain around his neck,” Kirsty suggested. Each fairy flew to a different goblin, perched lightly on his shoulder, and peered carefully down his collar. They didn’t see any chains, though.

  “Do they have pockets on their uniforms?” Esme wondered. “Maybe one goblin has the charm hidden in a pocket.”

  It took only a moment for them to realize that the goblins didn’t have any pockets on their jackets, so the magic charm couldn’t be there, either.

  Just as they were starting to feel stumped,Rachel’s eye was caught by the goblins’ paper hats. She remembered how Esme had been hiding in one earlier. “Maybe the charm is underneath one of their hats,” she whispered. “But which one?”

  Kirsty thought for a moment. “I have an idea,” she said with a smile. “Follow me.”

  Kirsty flitted out of the back door with Esme and Rachel close behind, and explained her plan.

  “The goblins are arguing so much already, I bet we can persuade them to have a food fight with the ice cream. And then their hats are sure to be knocked off!” she said.