Joy the Summer Vacation Fairy (Rainbow Magic)

  Contents

  The Curly Twirly Shell

  The Fairy Footprint

  A Sudden Storm

  Where Did All the Sand Go?

  Jack Frost’s Palace

  The Magic Shell

  The Sea Breeze Shell

  What Happened to the Wind?

  The Goblin Regatta

  Jack Frost

  Sally’s Tunnel

  Escape!

  The Magic Scallop Shell

  No Donkey Rides!

  Summer Magic

  Trapped!

  A Friend’s Help

  The Underwater Cave

  “Have you finished packing yet, Rachel?” Mrs. Walker called up the stairs. “Kirsty and her parents will be here soon.”

  “Almost done!” Rachel Walker shouted back. It was the beginning of summer vacation and, in just a few hours, she and her parents would be back on Rainspell Island! Even better, Kirsty Tate, Rachel’s best friend, was going to be staying there with her parents, too. The two girls had met on that same island the summer before. It had been a magical time!

  Very magical, Rachel thought with a smile. She and Kirsty shared an amazing secret. They were friends with the fairies! They had first met the fairies when the king and queen of Fairyland asked for their help rescuing the Rainbow Fairies. Since then, Rachel and Kirsty had had many more fairy adventures.

  I wonder if we’ll see any fairies this summer, Rachel thought. She touched the golden locket she always wore around her neck. Kirsty had one just like it. They had been gifts from the Fairy Queen, and were filled with magical fairy dust!

  Rachel only had two things left to pack — her toothbrush and her favorite T-shirt. She hunted through her drawers. Where was it? Just then, she glimpsed the corner of a sleeve sticking out from under her bed.

  “Oh, no!” she groaned, pulling the shirt out. There was a big ketchup stain on the front.

  Upset that she hadn’t asked her mom to wash it earlier, Rachel went to the bathroom to get her toothbrush.

  When she came back, she gasped. The T-shirt was neatly folded on the bed, and the big stain had nearly disappeared! There was just one little mark on the sleeve. Rachel leaned in to take a closer look. It wasn’t just a mark. It was … a tiny, sandy footprint!

  A ray of sunshine shone through the window, and the sleeve of her T-shirt glowed.

  “Fairy dust!” Rachel breathed.

  But the magical moment was interrupted when a car beeped outside.

  “Hurry up, Rachel!” Rachel heard her mom’s footsteps on the stairs. “Kirsty’s here.”

  Rachel shoved the T-shirt in her suitcase and hurried downstairs.

  “Hi, Rachel!” Kirsty cried, running through the front door. Her dark hair was in pigtails, and she was wearing shorts and a pink T-shirt.

  “Sorry, we’re a little late!” Mrs. Tate, Kirsty’s mom, said as she and Mr. Tate walked in, behind Kirsty. “The car had a flat tire when we got up this morning.”

  “Or at least I thought it did,” Mr. Tate added. “But by the time I’d gotten my tools out, the tire wasn’t flat anymore. Very strange.” He laughed. “Almost like magic.”

  Rachel and Kirsty exchanged looks. Magic!

  Rachel wanted to tell Kirsty about the fairy footprint, but she couldn’t say anything in front of their parents. “Um, Kirsty, do you want to come and see my new comforter before we leave?”

  “Sure,” Kirsty replied.

  They ran upstairs. Kirsty seemed to realize that the comforter had just been an excuse. She glanced quickly at it. “It’s beautiful,” she said before turning back to Rachel, her eyes shining. “So, do you think my dad’s tire was fixed by magic? It was really weird. I was with Dad when he went back with his tools and I thought I heard some music — it was like the bells on an ice cream truck.”

  Rachel couldn’t hold her news in any longer. “I bet it was magic!” she said. “A fairy’s been here, too.”

  “Really?” Kirsty gasped.

  Rachel nodded and told Kirsty about her T-shirt. “There was a tiny, sandy footprint on it,” she said. “It must have been made by a fairy.”

  “Let’s look around!” Kirsty exclaimed. “Maybe the fairy’s still here!”

  Rachel and Kirsty had just started looking when Mr. Walker opened the door. “Come on, you two. If we don’t leave now, we’ll miss the ferry.”

  The girls took one last look around Rachel’s bedroom, then followed Mr. Walker downstairs. They piled in Rachel’s dad’s car and set off for the ferry.

  The girls couldn’t talk about fairies with Mr. and Mrs. Walker sitting in the front seat, but it was fun just to be together again.

  “I can’t wait to get to Rainspell Island,” Rachel said, grinning.

  “Me, neither,” agreed Kirsty. “I want some of Rosie’s Rainspell ice cream.”

  “Yum!” Rachel sighed happily. Rosie sold delicious ice cream from her truck near the harbor. “I can’t wait to go swimming at the beach.”

  “And wade in the tidepools,” Kirsty said.

  They grinned at each other. Their vacation was going to be so much fun!

  As they got on the ferry, Mr. Tate looked up at the blue sky. “It should be a very calm trip,” he commented.

  “Good,” said Mrs. Walker. “I don’t want to feel seasick!”

  While the ferry chugged across the flat blue water, Rachel and Kirsty watched eagerly for a glimpse of Rainspell Island.

  “There it is!” Kirsty exclaimed as a rocky island appeared on the horizon. Suddenly, she shivered. “ Brrr. The sun went behind a cloud!”

  The girls looked up. Big black clouds were racing across the sky.

  “The sea’s getting rougher,” Rachel said.

  “Wow, what a quick change in the weather!” Mr. Tate exclaimed.

  “Do you think it’s magic?” Rachel whispered to Kirsty.

  “Maybe it has something to do with Jack Frost,” Kirsty whispered back. The ferry lurched over a wave, and she grabbed on to her seat.

  “I don’t feel very well,” Mrs. Walker said, looking green. “I think I’d better go inside. Are you coming, girls?”

  “No, we’ll stay out here,” Rachel said. The waves were really choppy now and the wind was freezing, but she wanted to talk to Kirsty alone.

  “OK, but if it gets any rougher I want you both to come inside,” replied Mrs. Walker.

  “It has to be magic!” Kirsty said to Rachel as soon as their parents had left.

  “I bet Jack Frost is up to something,” Rachel replied.

  The waves got rougher and rougher.

  “I think we should go inside,” said Kirsty, looking worried.

  Rachel nodded. Holding on to nearby seats, they staggered toward the door.

  Suddenly, a big wave tossed the boat upward. Kirsty stumbled and fell, landing next to a pile of ropes.

  Fighting to keep her balance, Rachel hurried after her friend. “Are you OK?”

  Kirsty nodded. “Yes, thanks.”

  As she started to get up, Rachel grabbed her arm. “What’s that?”

  “What?” Kirsty asked.

  “That noise,” said Rachel. “Listen!”

  They both listened. They could hear a tiny groaning sound coming from somewhere nearby. And one of the coils of rope looked a little glittery, even though the sun wasn’t shining.

  “It’s coming from over here!” Kirsty said. “It’s …” She broke off with a gasp. “Oh!”

  There was a fairy lying under the rope! She had shoulder-length honey-blond hair and was wearing a bright top and a matching skirt. She had a necklace made out of tiny, white shells. Her skin was pale und
er her freckles. She groaned and clutched her stomach.

  “Hello,” Rachel said softly.

  The fairy jumped. For a moment, she looked scared, but then she smiled. “Oh, hello! Aren’t you Rachel and Kirsty?” she asked.

  “Yes!” Rachel replied. She felt a thrill of excitement that the fairy knew who they were.

  “I’m Joy the Summer Vacation Fairy,” the little fairy told them. “I make sure that summer vacations are special. I …” She broke off with a moan.

  “Are you OK?” Kirsty asked.

  “No, I feel awfully seasick!” said Joy. “It’s all Jack Frost’s fault. He turned the sea rough.”

  Kirsty looked at Rachel. “We thought it was Jack Frost!”

  “He’s been doing all sorts of bad things on Rainspell Island,” Joy said weakly.

  Rachel frowned. “Like what?”

  Joy moaned again. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you right now. I feel too sick! If I didn’t feel so bad, I could use my magic seaweed to calm the waves.”

  “Can we help?” said Kirsty.

  Joy nodded and opened her fairy-size beach bag, which was covered with tiny embroidered shells. She pulled out a strand of seaweed that glittered with green sparkles. “Slide this over the top of the waves, and the water will calm down.”

  Rachel and Kirsty hurried to the side of the ferry. Rachel leaned over the railing, but the waves still looked far away.

  “It’s not going to reach,” Rachel said in dismay, dangling the piece of seaweed from her hand. Then she gasped. “Kirsty, look!”

  The sparkly seaweed was growing!

  “Wow!” Kirsty exclaimed.

  The seaweed stretched down and down until it brushed the top of the waves. With a whoosh, a burst of green-and-gold sparks fizzed across the water. Almost immediately, the waves began to calm.

  “It’s working!” Kirsty cried.

  They pulled up the seaweed and ran back to Joy. The little fairy was smoothing down her wavy hair. “Thank you so much,” she said. “I’m feeling better already!” She grinned at them. “Did you notice that I was at your houses today?”

  “You cleaned my T-shirt!” Rachel said.

  “And fixed my dad’s tire!” Kirsty added.

  Joy nodded.

  “I was trying to make sure Jack Frost didn’t keep you from getting to Rainspell on time. I really need your help. The goblins have been wrecking everyone’s vacations because Jack Frost wants Rainspell Island all for himself.”

  Her wand suddenly made a tinkling sound, like the bells on an ice cream truck.

  Kirsty nudged Rachel. “That’s the noise I heard when my dad’s tire was being fixed!”

  “Oh, goodness!” Joy exclaimed, looking at her wand. “There must be a new problem on the island. I’ll tell you all about Jack Frost later. Thanks for helping me!”

  She flew into the air in a burst of golden dust. The next second, she was gone.

  Rachel beamed at Kirsty. “It looks like we’re going to be having a fairy adventure this summer after all!”

  When the ferry arrived at Rainspell Island, the sky was blue again and the waves lapped gently in the harbor.

  Rachel skipped off the boat in excitement. Even if Jack Frost was causing trouble, it was still wonderful to be back on the island.

  Kirsty was feeling the same way. “This is going to be the best vacation ever!” she declared.

  But they soon noticed that something was very wrong. Usually, everyone on Rainspell Island looked happy, but now everyone was very glum. Even the seagulls were sitting gloomily on the harbor wall, instead of swooping joyfully through the sky.

  “I wonder why everyone looks so sad,” said Mrs. Walker.

  As soon as they reached the beach, they found out.

  There was no sand! Instead of the soft golden beach, there were just dull gray pebbles and sharp rocks.

  “What happened?” exclaimed Mrs. Tate.

  “All the sand just disappeared,” said a man passing by. “A storm came through and, when it was over, the sand was all gone.”

  Kirsty and Rachel exchanged horrified looks. Was this Jack Frost’s work?

  “Oh, dear,” Mrs. Walker said. “I guess you won’t be building any sand castles today, girls.”

  “Never mind,” said Mr. Tate, trying to be cheerful. “It’s not the end of the world. I’m sure everything else on the island will still be perfect. Let’s go and get some ice cream.”

  But when they reached the ice cream truck, they saw a big sign on it that said CLOSED.

  A woman with curly red hair was locking the truck. “Rosie!” Kirsty called, recognizing the ice cream lady from the summer before.

  The girls ran over to Rosie. “Are you about to open the truck?” Rachel asked.

  Rosie shook her head. “I don’t have any ice cream,” she said. “It’s been melting as soon as I make it, and I can’t figure out why. A few people tried drinking it like soup, but it tasted horrible — all salty, like seawater.” She sighed. “I don’t know what’s wrong, but nothing I’ve tried has made any difference.”

  “Oh, goodness!” Mrs. Walker exclaimed. “No sand, no ice cream. This isn’t going to be much of a vacation.”

  Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other. They couldn’t believe it!

  “We’ll be fine,” said Rachel’s dad, seeing the girls’ faces. He pointed to a flyer on a nearby lamppost. “Look, there’s a sailing regatta in a few days. That should be fun!”

  “I guess so,” Mrs. Walker agreed, cheering up a little.

  But Rachel and Kirsty weren’t so sure. If Jack Frost was really determined to spoil everyone’s vacation, who knew what he’d do next?

  As soon as they’d gone to their cottages and finished unpacking, Rachel and Kirsty went for a walk on the beach. It was quiet and lonely! There were no people sunbathing or playing games.

  Kirsty looked for a flat stone to skip across the water. As she picked one up, a shower of golden dust flew into the air.

  “Oh!” Kirsty and Rachel gasped as Joy twirled up into the sky.

  “Hi, there!” called the fairy. “I was just helping a hermit crab. The shell on its back got whisked away by Jack Frost’s magic. It didn’t have anywhere to live. Look!”

  A sad-looking hermit crab was shuffling sideways toward a little hut built out of twigs.

  “I built it a house,” Joy explained. “But I think it would rather have its shell back.”

  “Has Jack Frost taken all the shells?” Kirsty asked.

  Joy nodded.

  “Why?” Rachel said.

  “I’ll show you.” Joy raised her golden wand, and a cloud of glittering fairy dust and tiny shells swirled down. It smelled like sunscreen and ice cream. As the fairy dust landed on Rachel and Kirsty, they felt themselves shrinking.

  “We’re fairy-size again!” they cried happily.

  Kirsty and Rachel fluttered their new fairy wings and soared up into the sky with Joy. Fairy dust glimmered in the air behind them.

  “This way!” Joy said.

  Rachel and Kirsty followed her as she swooped over the forest to the other side of the island. “There’s the maze!” Rachel exclaimed as they flew over some green hedges laid out in a twisty pattern.

  “And the ruined tower!” Kirsty pointed to a crumbling stack of stone. The girls remembered it well from last summer.

  “Almost there!” Joy called.

  At a place where the forest met the beach, she dived down and landed.

  Rachel and Kirsty stared. Half-hidden at the edge of the trees was the most enormous sand castle they had ever seen. It was decorated with thousands and thousands of shells. A large moat had been built around it, and four ugly goblins with long noses and big feet stood guard.

  “So that’s where all the sand and shells have gone!” Kirsty said, looking at the castle’s shell-studded walls in surprise.