Layla the Cotton Candy Fairy Read online

  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

  Wheeee!

  A Sticky Situation

  Chasing Rainbows

  Mirror, Mirror

  Boing!

  Cotton Candy Capture!

  Teaser

  Copyright

  Kirsty Tate smiled as she began climbing the steps up the giant slide with her best friend, Rachel Walker. Today she felt like the luckiest girl in the whole world! Not only was it her birthday, but she was at the Wetherbury Park Fair with Rachel — and the sun was beaming down, too. Best of all, she and Rachel were in the middle of another wonderful magical fairy adventure. This time, they were helping the Sugar and Spice Fairies!

  “It’s a long way up,” Rachel commented from behind Kirsty as they climbed the steps. “We’ll be able to see for miles from the top.”

  “Yes,” Kirsty agreed. Then she lowered her voice. “We might even be able to see a fairy from up there!” She crossed her fingers hopefully at the thought. Meeting another fairy would make her birthday absolutely perfect!

  It was spring break and so far it had been a very exciting couple of days. At the beginning of the week, Honey the Candy Fairy had surprised them by appearing in a pile of candy in Kirsty’s bedroom. She needed the girls’ help to stop Jack Frost, who was up to his terrible tricks again. This time, he’d stolen the Sugar and Spice Fairies’ magic charms! He was using them to help build himself an enormous Candy Castle.

  The seven Sugar and Spice Fairies worked very hard to make sure that candy and treats in Fairyland and the human world tasted scrumptious. Without the fairies’ magic charms, sweet things didn’t taste good at all. Even worse, today was the annual Treat Day in Fairyland. The fairy king and queen wouldn’t be able to give their traditional treat baskets to the other fairies unless all seven charms were safely returned.

  Kirsty and Rachel had been helping the Sugar and Spice Fairies track down their magic charms. So far, they’d found five: the lollipop, ice cream, cupcake, cocoa bean, and cookie charms. Now there were just two fairies missing their charms — Layla the Cotton Candy Fairy and Nina the Birthday Cake Fairy. And with Kirsty’s birthday party planned for that afternoon, she really hoped they could help both fairies before it was too late!

  Just then, Kirsty reached the top of the steps and let out a gasp. “Wow!” she said. “You can see the whole fair from up here!”

  Wetherbury Park was usually a quiet, calm place, full of dog-walkers and joggers, but today it was full of bustle and noise. It seemed like the whole village had come to the fair today!

  “There’s the teacup ride,” Rachel said, pointing it out. “Oh, and the ball toss is right next to it.”

  “I can see my mom and dad!” Kirsty cried, waving excitedly. “Look, they’re over by the cotton candy stand. I hope that means we can have some when we meet up with them.”

  “Ooh, yes,” Rachel agreed. “And there’s the mirror maze, I love those,” she added. “But I don’t see any fairies. Or goblins . . .”

  Kirsty’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the crowds of people and the booths and attractions below, looking for a flash of green. The goblins were Jack Frost’s helpers, and they were always causing trouble. But, like Rachel, she couldn’t see a single one at the fair today.

  “Ready when you are,” said the man running the giant slide. “Are you girls riding together, or separately?”

  “Together!” the girls cried, then grinned. Everything was more fun when they did it together!

  They squeezed onto a long, scratchy mat. Rachel sat behind Kirsty with her arms around Kirsty’s waist. Then they pushed off and went zooming away down the twisty slide.

  “Wheeee!” cried Rachel happily, her hair streaming out behind her.

  “I feel like I’m flying!” Kirsty laughed, the air rushing past her face.

  Rachel blinked as she spotted a tiny glowing object in the air beside them. She rubbed her eyes and peered closer, then beamed. “Well, someone here really is flying,” she said, pointing out the sparkling figure at their side. “Look, Kirsty, it’s Layla the Cotton Candy Fairy!”

  Layla was a very pretty little fairy. She had blonde hair with pink-tipped ends, as if it had been dipped in strawberry sauce. She wore a bright pink, flowery dress with a pale pink leather jacket and matching pink polka-dot shoes. Even her cute ankle socks were pink!

  “Hello there,” she said, fluttering over to land on Kirsty’s hand, “and a very happy birthday to you, Kirsty!”

  “Thank you!” replied Kirsty breathlessly, as they hurtled around another corner. “I’m sure it’s going to be an even better birthday now that you’re here. Have you found your magic cotton candy charm yet?”

  “No,” Layla said, darting into Kirsty’s pocket, “but I’m sure it’s somewhere at the fair. Would you two mind helping me look for it?”

  Neither Rachel nor Kirsty could reply for a moment as they zipped off the end of the slide. They staggered to their feet, giggling and feeling a little dizzy.

  “That was so much fun!” Rachel said. “And of course we’ll help you, Layla.”

  “Thank you,” Layla said, her eyes twinkling as she peeked out of Kirsty’s pocket. “That was fun, wasn’t it? Almost as good as flying.” Then her little nose twitched. “Ooh, I smell cotton candy,” she said happily. “The best smell in the world!”

  “There’s my mom and dad,” Kirsty said, waving as she spotted them nearby. “And look what they’re holding!”

  “Cotton candy,” Rachel said with a laugh. “Perfect!”

  “Hello there,” Mrs. Tate said as Kirsty and Rachel ran up. “That looked exciting.”

  “We thought you might like to share this,” said Mr. Tate, passing Kirsty a huge stick of cotton candy. It was pale pink and glittering with sugar.

  “Thank you,” Kirsty said, trying not to giggle as she thought about Layla hiding in her jacket pocket. “I was just thinking I’d like some yummy cotton candy! You must have read my mind!”

  “We’re going to get a cup of coffee now,” Mrs. Tate went on. “Should we meet you back here in half an hour?”

  “Sounds perfect,” Rachel replied. “See you later. And thanks for the cotton candy!”

  “Yum,” Kirsty said, as her parents walked away with a wave. “This looks delicious.”

  Layla popped her head out and eyed the cotton candy. “It looks great, but remember, it might not taste that way,” she said. “Without my magic cotton candy charm, I’m not sure how good it’ll be. Maybe I should test it first?”

  “Okay,” Kirsty agreed. “I’ll break a piece off for you.” She pinched the top of the cotton candy, expecting a bit to pull away easily in her fingers. But instead, it felt as hard as a rock. “That’s strange,” she said, pulling again. “It’s really hard.”

  Layla bit her lip. “That doesn’t sound good,” she said.

  Rachel also tried to snap off a clump of cotton candy, but she couldn’t manage to do it, either. “We’ll break our teeth if we bite into this,” she said with a frown. “And so will anyone else who buys it!”

  “Oh, dear,” Layla said. She pointed her wand at the cotton candy and murm
ured a few magic words. The cotton candy sparkled all over with pink and silver light. Then a fairy-size piece of it broke away, flew through the air, and landed in Layla’s hand. She nibbled at it carefully and then wrinkled her face in disgust. “Yuck! It tastes horrible,” she cried. “Jack Frost ruined it!”

  Rachel and Kirsty felt sorry for Layla. She looked so upset! Then Rachel spotted three boys on the teacup ride nearby. They were all digging into enormous sticks of rainbow-striped cotton candy, and they seemed to be eating it just fine. “Look! Not all of the cotton candy is ruined,” she said, pointing out the boys to Kirsty and Layla. “Maybe the stick your parents bought was just a bad one.”

  Layla peered thoughtfully at the rainbow cotton candy. “It does look good,” she agreed. “Soft, fluffy, sticky, and delicious. Just the way cotton candy should be. And they’re certainly enjoying it!”

  The boys’ faces were hidden by the huge sticks of cotton candy, but just then their teacup spun around. The girls were able to see them more clearly. Rachel, Kirsty, and Layla all gasped as they noticed how green the boys’ skin was, and what pointy noses they had, too.

  “Goblins!” they cried.

  Once the three friends had spotted the first group of goblins, they suddenly began seeing them all over the place! There were goblins at the ring toss, tripping over their own big green feet as they clumsily threw the rings. There were goblins trying and failing to win a big teddy bear at the hook-a-duck game. And there were goblins lining up for the haunted house, looking nervous at the screams and yells coming from inside. But the best part was that every single one of the goblins was carrying a huge stick of fluffy, rainbow-striped cotton candy.

  “Where are they getting them all from?” Kirsty wondered aloud.

  “Someone is obviously making yummy cotton candy somewhere,” Rachel replied, glancing around.

  “And I bet whoever it is has my magic charm,” Layla added. “If we can just get it back, then I could make all the cotton candy taste good again.” She fluttered out of Kirsty’s pocket. “Maybe we’ll be able to look around the fair more quickly if you two are both fairies. What do you think?”

  “Ooh, yes! Definitely,” Kirsty said right away. She felt giddy with excitement as she and Rachel ducked behind a popcorn stand so that nobody would see them. She loved being a fairy. What a fun birthday treat!

  Layla waved her wand, and a stream of glittery pink fairy dust swirled out. It looks just like tiny clouds of cotton candy, Rachel thought with a smile as the sparkly dust shimmered around her and Kirsty. In the next moment, the girls felt themselves shrinking smaller and smaller until they were fairy-size, too, with glimmering wings on their backs.

  With just a few flutters, they were sailing up into the air. Both girls had huge grins on their face. Being able to fly was way better than any giant slide!

  “Now,” said Layla, peering down eagerly at the fair below. “Keep your eyes peeled for signs of anyone making or selling the rainbow-striped cotton candy.”

  The three fairies began searching all around the fair. There was so much to see and so many people that they had to look very carefully! “Well, there’s the pink cotton candy stand,” Kirsty said, pointing down at it. “That must be where my mom and dad bought the horrible cotton candy for us.”

  The stall was deserted. “At least nobody’s buying anything from there now,” Layla said with a little shudder. “I would hate for anyone else to find out how awful it tastes.”

  But she’d spoken too soon. Just then, a customer walked up to the stand.

  “Oh, no!” said Rachel. “Do you think we should warn him somehow?”

  “We can’t let anyone see us,” Layla reminded her. “But let’s fly closer and see what happens. I might be able to use some fairy dust to make his cotton candy taste a little better.”

  The three friends fluttered down and landed on the top of the cotton candy stand. They could see that the customer was wearing a bright green clown suit complete with a curly wig, enormous shoes, and a bright green round nose.

  Moments later, the clown walked away with two big pink sticks of cotton candy.

  “Oh, no,” Kirsty said. “He’s in for a horrible surprise now. Poor clown!”

  Layla raised her wand. “Maybe I can quickly work some magic on that cotton candy,” she murmured. “Now, let me see . . .”

  But before Layla could come up with a spell, something very strange happened. The cotton candy began to transform all by itself! It went from the hard, pink cotton candy that the clown had bought into fluffy, rainbow-striped cotton candy!

  “Wow,” Rachel said, impressed. “Your magic worked so fast, Layla. That was great!”

  Layla looked startled. “I didn’t do anything,” she said. “Either that clown has magic powers, or —”

  She stopped talking and looked at the clown in surprise. He’d just taken an enormous bite of the soft, sweet cotton candy. And as he did, his clown nose had popped off and fallen to the ground! The fairies couldn’t help noticing how green and pointy his real nose was.

  “He’s a goblin!” Kirsty gasped.

  “Yes, and if he’s able to make the bad cotton candy taste good, he must have my magic charm,” Layla realized. Her eyes grew wide with excitement. “So that’s where all the cotton candy is coming from!”

  Just then, the three fairy friends heard excited voices.

  “Look, it’s a clown!”

  “And he has some of the rainbow cotton candy!”

  Rachel, Kirsty, and Layla peered down to see a group of kids approaching. They all stared at the clown with wide eyes. A boy in a red T-shirt stepped forward.

  “Excuse me,” he said politely, “we were just wondering . . .”

  The clown looked annoyed to be disturbed. “Go away,” he snapped. “Can’t you see I’m busy?”

  “But we’ve been looking everywhere for the rainbow cotton candy,” a girl with braids piped up. “We just wanted to know where you bought yours.”

  “I’m not telling,” the clown snapped. “And I’m not sharing, either, so don’t ask. Now, get lost!”

  The kids looked disappointed. “But we only wanted to know —” the boy tried again, but the clown had turned on his heel and stomped away.

  “Wait!” called a girl in a purple shirt. “Come back, please!”

  The kids followed the clown, who made an impatient growling sound when he realized they were behind him.

  “Go away!” he said. “Leave me alone!”

  He dashed into the nearby mirror maze, clearly hoping to lose them.

  “Come on,” Layla said as he vanished. “We can’t let him get away. Let’s follow him.”

  The fairies fluttered into the mirror maze, making sure they flew up near the ceiling so they wouldn’t be spotted. The three kids ran after the clown, but quickly lost their way in the confusing maze.

  “Where is he?” the fairies heard the boy cry.

  “We just wanted to buy some cotton candy!” one of the girls said. “Why did he run away like that?”

  The fairies zipped through the maze until they caught up with the clown. He was muttering angrily to himself. “Annoying children!” he complained. “They’re as bad as the other goblins, pestering me all the time for more cotton candy. The goblins know I’m supposed to be taking it back for Jack Frost’s Candy Castle.”

  Layla, Kirsty, and Rachel froze in midair at the mention of Jack Frost. They all listened carefully as the goblin kept grumbling to himself.

  “He wants to use it for cotton candy hedges in the shape of his head, he says. But as fast as I get the cotton candy, it gets eaten. There’ll just be tiny cotton candy bushes at this rate,” he muttered. “And here I am, working nonstop! This magic charm is more trouble than it’s worth. Just my luck!”

  “Jack Frost wants to use my delicious cotton candy to make hedges,” Layla hisse
d, looking indignant. “Honestly!”

  “Well, now we know the goblin definitely has the charm, at least,” Rachel whispered. “So all we have to do is get it back.”

  “Maybe we could —” Kirsty began, but she broke off as they heard the kids approaching again.

  “He must have gone this way,” the boy was saying.

  “Come on, we have to find him,” a girl added. “He can’t be far away.”

  Hearing the kid’s voices, a look of panic appeared on the clown goblin’s face. “Oh, great,” he grumbled, rushing forward. Unfortunately, he ran straight into a mirror! He had reached a dead end.

  “Oh, no!” he moaned, as the kids’ voices grew louder. Any moment now, the kids would track him down, and he would be trapped!

  Rachel had an idea. She bravely flew down, right in front of the clown’s face. “Hi,” she said cheerfully. “I have a suggestion to make.”

  The clown jumped when he saw Rachel and all her fairy reflections in the mirrors. “Go away!” he hissed, swatting at her with his sticks of cotton candy. “Children . . . fairies . . . Why can’t you all just buzz off?”

  “I can help you,” Rachel insisted, darting out of reach. “We can all help you.”

  Kirsty and Layla flew down then, too, dancing lightly through the air in front of him.

  The clown looked fed up. “Why did I ever come into this silly maze?” he complained as he searched for an escape.

  “I have no idea why you came in here, but I can tell you why we did,” Layla retorted, quick as a flash. “To get my cotton candy charm back!”

  “Never,” the clown snarled. “It’s mine now! Jack Frost said so.”