Fern he Green Fairy

  Cold winds blow and thick ice forms,

  I conjure up this fairy storm.

  To seven corners of the human world

  the Rainbow Fairies will be hurled!

  I curse every part of Fairyland,

  with a frosty wave of my icy hand.

  For now and always, from this day,

  Fairyland will be cold and gray!

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  The Secret Garden

  Where Is Fern?

  Lost in the Maze

  Fairy Fireworks

  Hedgehog Help

  Flying High

  Teaser

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “Oh!” Rachel Walker gasped in delight as she looked around her. “What a perfect place for a picnic!”

  “It’s a secret garden,” Kirsty Tate said, her eyes shining.

  The two girls were standing in a large garden. It looked as if nobody else had been there for a long, long time. Pink and white roses grew all around the tree trunks, filling the air with their sweet smell. White marble statues stood here and there, half hidden by green ivy. And right in the middle of the garden was a crumbling stone tower.

  “There was a castle here once called Moonspinner Castle,” Mr. Walker said, walking up behind them. He was reading from his guidebook. “But now all that’s left is the tower.”

  Rachel and Kirsty stared up at the ruined tower. The yellow stones glowed warmly in the sunshine. They were spotted with soft, green moss. Near the top of the tower was a small, square window.

  “It’s just like Rapunzel’s tower,” Kirsty said. “I wonder if we can get up to the top somehow?”

  “Let’s go see!” Rachel said eagerly. “I want to explore the whole garden. Can we, Mom?”

  “Go ahead.” Mrs. Walker smiled. “Your dad and I will get the food ready.” She opened the picnic basket. “But don’t be too long, girls.”

  Rachel and Kirsty rushed over to the door in the side of the tower. Kirsty tugged at the heavy iron handle. But the door was locked.

  Rachel was disappointed. “Oh, that’s too bad,” she said.

  Kirsty sighed. “Yes, I was hoping Fern the Green Fairy might be here.”

  Rachel and Kirsty had a secret. During their vacation on Rainspell Island, they were helping to find the seven Rainbow Fairies. The fairies had been sent out of Fairyland by evil Jack Frost, and Fairyland had lost all its color without them. Fairyland would only be bright and beautiful when all seven fairies returned home again.

  “Fern,” Rachel called in a low voice. “Are you here?”

  Here . . . Here . . . Here . . .

  Her words echoed off the stones. Rachel and Kirsty held their breath and waited. But they couldn’t hear anything except leaves rustling in the breeze.

  “This is such a special place,” Kirsty said. “It feels like there’s magic close by.” Then she gasped and pointed. “Rachel, look at the ivy!”

  Rachel stared. Glossy green leaves grew thickly on the wall, but in one place the stones were bare, in the shape of a perfect circle.

  Rachel’s heart began to beat faster. “It looks just like a fairy ring!” she said. She had heard that when plants grew in a circle, it was the work of fairy magic. Rachel ran around the tower to take a closer look and almost tripped over one of her shoelaces.

  “Careful!” Kirsty said, grabbing Rachel’s arm.

  Rachel sat down on a mossy stone to retie her shoe. “There’s green every­where,” she said, looking around at the thick grass and the leafy trees. “Fern must be here.”

  “We’d better find her quickly, then,” Kirsty said with a shiver. “Or else Jack Frost’s goblins will find her first!”

  Jack Frost had sent his goblin servants to Rainspell Island. He wanted them to stop the fairies from getting home to Fairyland. The goblins were so mean that they made everything around them turn cold and icy.

  “Where should we start looking?” Rachel asked, standing up again.

  Kirsty looked at her friend and laughed. “You’ve got green stuff all over you!” she said.

  Rachel twisted around to look. The back of her jean skirt was green and dusty. “It must be the moss,” she grumbled, brushing it off.

  Dust flew up into the air. It sparkled and glittered in the morning sun. As it fell to the ground, tiny green leaves appeared and the smell of freshly cut grass filled the air.

  Rachel and Kirsty turned to each other. “It’s fairy dust!” they cried together.

  “Fern is here!” said Kirsty.

  “Thank goodness I sat down on that fairy dust!” Rachel said.

  The girls walked all around the tower, looking under bushes and inside sweet-smelling flowers. As they walked, they softly called Fern’s name. But the Green Fairy was nowhere to be found.

  “You don’t think the goblins have already caught her, do you?” Rachel asked. She was worried.

  “I hope not,” replied Kirsty. “I’m sure Fern was here, but now it seems like she’s somewhere else.”

  “Yes, but where?” Rachel looked around the garden helplessly.

  “Maybe there’s magic around to help us,” Kirsty said.

  She looked down at the tiny leaves. Some of them fluttered across the garden. “I know, let’s follow the fairy dust!”

  The bright green leaves floated over to a narrow path. The path led into a beautiful orchard. Rachel could see apples, pears, and plums growing on the trees.

  “It’s a magic trail!” Kirsty breathed.

  “Quick, let’s keep following the fairy dust,” Rachel said.

  Rachel and Kirsty set off down the path, which twisted and turned through the fruit trees.

  Suddenly, the path led them into a large clearing. Kirsty’s eyes opened wide when she saw what was in front of them. “It’s a maze!” she cried.

  The thick, green hedges loomed above them, their leaves rustling in the breeze.

  Rachel nudged Kirsty. “Look!” She pointed. “The fairy trail leads right into the maze!”

  “We’ll have to take that path,” Kirsty said bravely.

  The two girls followed the floating fairy leaves through the narrow maze entrance. Kirsty felt a little bit scared as the fairy dust led them one way, then another. What if the trail ran out and they got lost in the maze?

  “Maybe there will be another clue in the middle of the maze,” Rachel said hopefully.

  “Or maybe Fern will be there!” Kirsty added.

  They turned one more corner and, suddenly, the hedges parted to reveal the middle of the maze.

  An oak tree stood in the very center. The fairy dust led right to the bottom of the tree, then stopped.

  “Fern must be here!” Rachel said excitedly.

  Kirsty frowned. “Yes, but where?” she asked, looking around.

  Tap! Tap! Tap!

  The two girls jumped.

  “What was that?” Rachel gasped.

  There it was again. Tap! Tap! Tap!

  Kirsty’s eyes opened wide. “It’s coming from over there.” She pointed to the oak tree.

  “I hope it isn’t a trap set by the goblins,” Rachel whispered.

  Tap! Tap! Tap!

  The noise was louder now. Slowly, Rachel and Kirsty walked around the tree. At first, they didn’t see anything unusual.

  Then Rachel pointed at the tree trunk. “What’s a window doing in a tree?” she asked.

  There was a small, hollow knot h
alfway up the trunk — and it was covered by a glass window!

  Kirsty put out her hand and touched the window. It was very cold and wet. “It’s not glass,” she whispered. “It’s ice!”

  Both girls looked more closely. Suddenly, something moved behind the icy window. Kirsty could just barely see a tiny girl dressed in glittering green.

  “Rachel, we’ve found her!” she said happily. “It’s Fern the Green Fairy!”

  Fern waved to the girls through the sheet of ice. Her mouth opened and closed, but Rachel and Kirsty couldn’t hear a word she was saying. The ice was too thick.

  Rachel looked worried. “Fern must be freezing in there,” she said. “We’ve got to get her out.”

  “We could smash the ice with a stick,” said Kirsty. Then she frowned. “But Fern might get hurt.”

  Rachel thought hard. “We could melt the ice,” she said.

  “How?” Kirsty asked.

  “Like this,” Rachel replied. She reached up and pressed her hand firmly against the window of ice. Kirsty did the same. The ice felt freezing cold, but they kept pressing against it with their warm hands.

  Soon, a few drops of water began to trickle down the window.

  “It’s melting!” Rachel said. “I think we can make a hole in it now.” She gently poked the middle of the window with her finger, and the ice began to crack.

  “Don’t worry, Fern,” said Kirsty. “You’ll be out of there very soon!”

  There was a sudden crack as the ice split open. A flash of sparkling fairy dust shot out, leaving behind the smell of cut grass. And then Fern the Green Fairy pushed her way out of the tree trunk, her wings fluttering limply. She wore a bright green top and stretchy pants, with pretty leaf shapes around her waist and neck. She had small acorn-colored boots on her tiny feet, earrings, and a pendant that looked like a little green leaf. Her long, brown hair was tied in pigtails, and her thin, emerald wand was tipped with gold.

  “Oh, I’m s-s-so c-c-cold!” the fairy gasped, shivering all over. She floated down to rest on Kirsty’s shoulder.

  “Let me warm you up a bit,” said Rachel. She scooped the fairy up and held her in her cupped hands. Then she blew gently on her.

  The warmth of Rachel’s breath seemed to do the trick. Fern stopped shivering, and her wings straightened out. “Thank you,” she said. “I feel much better now.”

  “I’m Rachel and this is Kirsty,” Rachel explained. “We’re here to take you to the pot at the end of the rainbow.”

  “Ruby, Amber, and Sunny are waiting for you,” Kirsty added.

  Fern’s green eyes lit up. “They’re safe?” she exclaimed. “That’s wonderful!”

  She flew off Rachel’s hand in a burst of green fairy dust and twirled happily in the air. “But what about my other sisters?”

  “Don’t worry, we’re going to find them, too,” Kirsty told her. “But how did you get stuck behind that ice window?”

  “When I landed on Rainspell Island, I got tangled up in the ivy on the tower,” Fern explained. “I managed to untangle myself, but then Jack Frost’s goblins started chasing me. So I flew into the maze and hid in the oak tree. It was raining, and when the goblins passed by, their evil magic turned the rainwater to ice. So I was trapped.”

  Suddenly, Rachel shivered. “It’s getting colder,” she said. She glanced up at the sky. The sun had disappeared behind a cloud, and there was a sudden chill in the air.

  “The goblins might be close by!” Kirsty gasped, looking scared.

  Fern nodded. “Yes, we’d better get out of this garden right away,” she said calmly. “You know the way, don’t you?”

  Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other.

  “I’m not sure,” Kirsty said with a frown. “Do you know, Rachel?”

  Rachel shook her head. “No,” she replied. “But we can follow the fairy trail back to the beginning of the maze.”

  Kirsty looked around. “Where is the fairy trail?” she asked.

  An icy breeze was blowing all around them now. The green fairy leaves were drifting away and disappearing.

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

  Suddenly, they heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming through the maze toward them.

  “I know that fairy is in here somewhere,” grumbled a loud, gruff voice.

  Fern, Rachel, and Kirsty looked at one another with wide eyes.

  “Goblins!” whispered Rachel.

  Rachel, Kirsty, and Fern listened in horror as the goblins came closer. As usual, they were arguing with each other.

  “Come on!” snorted one goblin. “We can’t let her get away again.”

  “Stop bossing me around,” grumbled the other one. “I’m going as fast as I can. OW!”

  Just then, there was a loud THUD! It sounded like someone had fallen over.

  “If your feet weren’t so big, you wouldn’t trip over them,” jeered the first goblin.

  “They’re big enough to give you a good kick!” the other goblin snapped.

  “Let’s hide in the tree,” Fern whispered to Rachel and Kirsty.

  “I’ll make you fairy-sized so we can all fit under a leaf.”

  Quickly, she shot up into the air and sprinkled the girls with fairy dust.

  Rachel and Kirsty gasped as they felt themselves shrinking, down and down. It was so exciting!

  Once they were small enough, Fern took the girls’ hands. “Let’s go,” she said, and the three of them fluttered up into the air and landed on a branch. Fat brown acorns grew on the tree, as big as beach balls. Even the thinnest twigs looked like tree trunks to the tiny girls! Fern lifted up the edge of a leaf, which was as big as a tablecloth, and all three of them crept underneath.

  A moment later, the goblins rushed into the clearing.

  “Where can that fairy be?” one of them grumbled. “I know she came this way!”

  They began to search around the bottom of the tree.

  “How are we going to get back to the pot?” Rachel whispered to Fern. “Kirsty and I aren’t very good at flying. The goblins will catch us if we try!”

  Fern laughed. “Don’t worry! I think I know someone who can help us.” She pointed behind them.

  Rachel and Kirsty turned to look. A gray, furry face was peeking shyly around the tree trunk. It was a squirrel.

  “Hello,” Fern called softly.

  The squirrel jumped and hid behind the trunk. Then he peeked out again, his dark eyes curious.

  “Maybe he’d like an acorn,” Kirsty suggested.

  There was a big, shiny nut growing right next to her. She wrapped her arms around it, but she couldn’t pull it off the twig. It was too big! Rachel and Fern came to help. All three of them tugged at the acorn until it came off the branch with a crack.

  Fern held the acorn out to the squirrel. “Mmm, a yummy nut!” she said.

  The squirrel ran lightly along the branch, his long, furry tail waving. He took the acorn and held it in his front paws.

  “What’s your name?” asked Fern kindly.

  “I’m Fluffy,” squeaked the squirrel, between nibbles.

  “I’m Fern,” said the fairy. “And these are my friends Rachel and Kirsty. We need to get away from the goblins. Will you help us?”

  Fluffy shivered. “I don’t like goblins,” he squeaked.

  “We won’t let them hurt you,” Fern promised, stroking his head. “Can you give us a ride on your back? You can jump from hedge to hedge much better than we can! We have to get out of this maze.”

  “Yes, I’ll help you,” Fluffy agreed, finishing the last piece of his acorn.

  Rachel, Kirsty, and Fern climbed onto the squirrel’s back. Kirsty thought it felt like sinking into a big, soft blanket.

  “This is
great,” said Fern, snuggling down into the squirrel’s fur. “Let’s go, Fluffy!”

  The squirrel turned and ran along the branch. Rachel, Kirsty, and Fern clung tightly to Fluffy’s thick fur as he jumped out of the tree, right over the goblins’ heads! He landed on the closest hedge. The goblins were so busy arguing, they didn’t even notice.

  Fern leaned forward to whisper in the squirrel’s ear. “Well done, Fluffy. Now, the next one!”

  Rachel gulped when she saw how far away the next hedge was. “Maybe Fluffy needs some fairy magic to help him,” she said.

  “No, he doesn’t,” Fern replied, her green eyes twinkling. “He’ll be fine!”

  Fluffy leaped into midair. He sailed across the gap and landed safely on top of the next hedge. Rachel and Kirsty grinned at each other. This was so exciting! It was a bit bumpy, but Fluffy’s fur was like a soft cushion. The squirrel was moving so fast, it wasn’t long before they had left the goblins far behind.

  “We made it!” Fern said at last, as Fluffy reached the edge of the maze. “Now, which way do we go, girls?”

  Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other in dismay. “This isn’t how we came in,” Rachel said. “I don’t know the way back to the pot from here. Do you, Kirsty?”

  Kirsty shook her head.

  Fern looked worried. “But I have to get back to the pot!” she said. “That’s where my sisters are!”

  “Oh!” Kirsty had an idea. “Rachel, what about looking in our magic bags for help?”

  “Good idea,” Rachel agreed.

  Titania, the Fairy Queen, had given Rachel and Kirsty two special magic bags, for whenever they needed help rescuing the fairies. The girls took the bags with them everywhere, just in case.

  Kirsty opened her backpack and looked inside. One of the magic bags was glowing with a silvery light. “I wonder what’s inside,” she said, reaching in.