Mae the Panda Fairy

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  A Visitor from Fairyland

  Animal Thief!

  Lost!

  The Bamboo Forest

  A Daring Rescue

  A Panda Present

  Teaser

  Copyright

  Kirsty Tate gazed happily at the rows of bushes, her bare arm resting on the open window as the car traveled along the bumpy country road. Pretty red, yellow, and pink flowers were tangled among the green leaves. She could smell the tangy aroma of cut grass and the earthiness of freshly turned soil.

  “We’re almost there, girls,” said Mrs. Tate from the driver’s seat. “Look!”

  She slowed the car and pointed at a sign at the side of the winding road.

  2 MILES—WILD WOODS NATURE RESERVE

  Kirsty smiled at her best friend, Rachel Walker, who was sitting beside her.

  “I’m so excited,” said Rachel. “The sun’s shining, we’ve got the whole summer vacation stretched out ahead of us, and a whole week to spend here at the reserve with the animals.”

  It was the start of summer vacation, and Kirsty and Rachel were on their way to Wild Woods, their local nature reserve. Rachel was staying with Kirsty, and their parents had arranged for them to spend every day that week at the reserve as volunteers. As the car turned up a rough, narrow road, their hearts raced with anticipation.

  “I can’t wait to help out as a junior ranger,” said Kirsty.

  “It will be so cool to see the animals!”

  At the end of the road was an archway, printed with green words:

  WELCOME TO WILD WOODS NATURE RESERVE

  Mrs. Tate drove through the archway and stopped the car next to a small wooden hut. The door of the hut opened and a tan woman with dark brown hair came out. She was wearing khaki shorts, a white shirt, and hiking boots. She waved at them and smiled.

  “Look, there’s Becky,” said Mrs. Tate. “She’s the head of Wild Woods.”

  Rachel and Kirsty jumped out of the car, and Becky walked over to them.

  “It’s great to see you,” said Becky, shaking their hands. “I’m really glad that you’ll be spending the week with us. It’s great to meet young people who are interested in conservation.”

  “We can’t wait to get started!” said Rachel excitedly.

  “I thought you could begin by exploring the reserve on your own a little,” said Becky. “It’s the best way to get a feel for it. I’ll meet you back here this afternoon and give you your first task.”

  “That sounds great!” Kirsty cheered.

  “A real adventure!” Rachel added.

  “These two love adventures!” said Mrs. Tate with a laugh.

  The girls exchanged a secret, happy glance. Kirsty’s mother had no idea how many adventures they had already had! They were friends with all the Rainbow Magic fairies, and had often visited Fairyland and helped foil Jack Frost’s evil plans.

  They grabbed their backpacks and some supplies for the day.

  “Do you have everything?” asked Mrs. Tate kindly.

  Kirsty peered into her backpack. “Camera, notebook, raincoat, pens, binoculars, sunscreen …” She grinned at her mother. “Yes, I think I’ve remembered everything!”

  Mrs. Tate kissed her and gave Kirsty a hug. “Have a fantastic time,” she said.

  Rachel and Kirsty waved good-bye and hurried down a winding path into the reserve. As soon as they were out of sight, Kirsty paused and took a deep breath of fresh air. “I feel as if there’s no one else for miles and miles,” she said.

  “It’s wonderful!” Rachel smiled, turning around slowly on the spot. “I can see dragonflies, bumblebees, and even a kingfisher!”

  They were standing beside a large pond, which was surrounded by catttails. Everywhere they looked, they saw animals. Hares peeked at them, ducks paddled nearby, and otters slipped into the water. Kirsty fumbled in her backpack and pulled out her camera.

  “This place is incredible,” she said, taking picture after picture.

  “Look over there,” said Rachel, pulling out her camera, too. “The frog on that lily pad looks just like my stuffed animal at home.”

  “He does look familiar,” Kirsty agreed, looking through her camera lens and zooming in. “Hang on—that’s no ordinary frog! It’s Bertram!”

  Their friend, a royal frog footman from Fairyland, waved and came hopping over to them. Rachel and Kirsty knelt down beside the edge of the pond and smiled at him.

  “Hello, Rachel and Kirsty!” he said in a surprised voice. “I didn’t expect to meet you two here!”

  “We didn’t expect to see you, either,” said Rachel with a giggle.

  “I have relatives in the human world,” Bertram explained. “I just visited them.”

  “We’re here helping out at the nature reserve,” Kirsty explained. “We’re taking a little tour.”

  “Yes, this is a very nice nature reserve,” said Bertram. “Not as good as the one in Fairyland, of course.”

  “I didn’t know there was a nature reserve in Fairyland,” said Rachel.

  “Oh, yes. It’s wonderful there,” said Bertram. “Would you like to visit?”

  “Yes, please!” said Rachel.

  “We’d love to!” Kirsty exclaimed. “But how can we get there without fairy magic?”

  “Should we use our lockets?” asked Rachel. “They still have a little bit of fairy dust inside them.”

  “There’s no need for that,” said Bertram with a smile. “I have a little magic of my own!”

  There was a far-off sound like leaves rustling in the wind, and then a silvery starburst surrounded them. The girls felt wings growing on their backs as they shrank to fairy-size. When the sparkles cleared, they were standing in a magical, green clearing next to Bertram.

  They heard a squeak of surprise and saw their old friend Fluffy the squirrel staring at them in astonishment.

  “Rachel! Kirsty!” he exclaimed. “Welcome to the Fairyland Nature Reserve! I didn’t know you were visiting Fairyland today.”

  “Neither did we!” said Rachel with a laugh. “Bertram asked if we’d like to see the nature reserve.”

  “You’re always welcome here,” said Fluffy. “Follow me and I’ll give you a guided tour.”

  The girls said good-bye to Bertram and then set off after Fluffy. He scampered down a winding path. Moments later, they were flying through a snowy Antarctic scene, surrounded by penguins. Kirsty and Rachel still had their cameras around their necks, and they snapped photo after photo of the playful black-and-white animals.

  Around the next corner was a jungle habitat. Fluffy leaped through the high trees, calling out to the mischievous monkeys who were swinging from the branches. Click! Click! Click! Rachel’s and Kirsty’s cameras were filling up with photos.

  “I wonder if these photos will come out all right when the cameras return to human-size,” said Kirsty.

  “If they do, let’s promise to keep them a secret,” said Rachel.

  Fluffy paused to talk to a red-and-gold parrot, and the girls landed on a branch and linked their little fingers in a special best friends’ promise. Then they shared a happy smile. They hadn’t expected their nature reserve trip to be this exciting!

  Fluffy scampered down a tree and into a spring meadow, filled with buttercups and daisies. Rachel and Kirsty followed.

  “It’s wonderful how we can travel from one habitat to another so quickly,” said Kirsty happily.

  On the far side of the meadow was a fluttering cloud of butterflies. Rachel pointed at them in delight and lifted her camera to take a picture.

  “They’re coming this way,” she said.

  “Hang on,” sa
id Kirsty. “They’re much too big to be butterflies. They’re fairies!”

  The girls started waving, and the seven pretty fairies flew toward them, smiling with excitement.

  “You’re Rachel and Kirsty, aren’t you?” asked a dark-haired fairy with a pretty patterned top. “We weren’t expecting such important visitors today! We’re the Baby Animal Rescue Fairies, and we look after all the baby animals in the Fairyland Nature Reserve. I’m Kimberly the Koala Fairy.”

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” said Rachel with a bright smile.

  The other fairies introduced themselves as Kitty the Tiger Fairy, Mara the Meerkat Fairy, Savannah the Zebra Fairy, Mae the Panda Fairy, Rosie the Honey Bear Fairy, and Nora the Arctic Fox Fairy. The girls noticed that each fairy had an animal key chain clipped to her clothes, to match the animal she looked after.

  “I hope you don’t mind us taking a few photos,” said Kirsty.

  “Of course not,” said Kimberly. “I hope you get some good pictures. All the animals are friendly, as long as you don’t get too close or startle them.”

  Suddenly, there was a gigantic roar and the ground started to shake. The fairies clutched at one another in fear.

  “What is it?” cried Nora.

  “An earthquake!” Savannah exclaimed.

  They saw Bertram hopping toward them, shouting and waving. The noise grew even louder. All around the meadow, birds flew into the air, petrified. Terrified woodland animals raced back and forth in the grass, not knowing which direction to choose. The girls turned around and gasped. An enormous ice-blue monster truck was hurtling toward them at a fast speed!

  The truck screeched to a halt inches from where they were standing. When the engine was turned off, the roar died down. Then Jack Frost opened the door and jumped out, followed by several goblins. Bertram arrived beside the girls, looking very angry.

  “Your truck scared all the animals!” he cried.

  “Don’t be silly,” snapped Jack Frost. “I love animals! That’s why I’m here! I want one of every kind of animal in the world in my own private zoo.”

  “But that’s wrong,” said Rachel. “Animals are living creatures. You shouldn’t just collect them.”

  “Whatever!” Jack Frost hissed. “It’s none of your business.”

  “No, it definitely is our business,” said Mara, stepping forward. “We’re the Baby Animal Rescue Fairies. If you won’t listen to our friends, maybe you’ll listen to us.”

  “Fat chance!” cackled one of the goblins standing behind Jack Frost.

  “Nanny nanny boo-boo, stinks to be you,” said another goblin rudely, putting his thumb to his nose and wagging his fingers.

  Jack Frost just curled his lip and lifted his wand.

  “You’ll never stop

  my selfish joys!

  You silly fairies,

  I’ll take your toys!”

  He waved his wand and there was a blinding bolt of ice-blue magic. In a flash, Jack Frost was holding all seven of the fairies’ animal key chains!

  The fairies cried out and Jack Frost laughed, throwing the key chains into the air and juggling them like toys.

  “Give those back!” Rachel demanded.

  “What, these?” asked Jack Frost, holding them out to her.

  Rachel reached out to take them, but he snatched them away, cackling with laughter. He threw them to his goblins, who dropped them all.

  “BUTTERFINGERS!” Jack Frost roared. “Pick them up NOW, and round up every animal in this silly nature reserve. I’ll take them all!”

  “Yes sir, right away, sir!” babbled the goblins, gathering the key chains in their arms.

  “We have to stop them!” Kirsty exclaimed, looking worried.

  Fluffy raced forward and squeaked at the goblins as loudly as he could. The cowardly goblins screamed and ran away, still clutching the key chains. Jack Frost watched them disappear among the distant trees, and shook his fist after them. Then he turned to face the fairies. His eyes narrowed to mean slits.

  “Fine,” he said. “FINE! If I can’t have these Fairyland animals, I’ll just take animals from the human world instead!”

  He jumped back into his truck and it roared to life. A huge cloud of blue smoke puffed into the fairies’ faces. Then the truck zoomed away and disappeared from sight.

  “What are we going to do?” asked Rosie. “Without our magic key chains, we can’t protect the animals in the human world!”

  Kitty turned to Rachel and Kirsty with tears in her eyes.

  “We have to stop him and save the animals,” she said. “But how?”

  “We’ll help,” said Rachel at once.

  “We’ll do everything we can,” said Kirsty. “I don’t know where we’re going to start, though.”

  Mae the Panda Fairy threw her arms around the girls. “Thank you so much,” she said. “The other fairies have told us how kind you are. And I think I have an idea that might help.”

  She whispered something to the six other Baby Animal Rescue Fairies, and then they all lifted their wands together and waved them in unison. Colored fairy dust swirled from the tips of their wands and spun together in the air, forming a small sparkling cloud. It moved over the heads of Rachel and Kirsty, and then sprinkled down on them.

  Instantly, the noises around them seemed to change. The air had been full of the squawks of birds, but now the squawks sounded more like voices. Adding to the noise, there were soft, squeaky voices from below their feet.

  “Where’s my nest? I’ve lost my nest!”

  “Whose feet are these?”

  “What’s that? Is it food?”

  “Who said that?” asked Rachel in amazement.

  The fairies laughed.

  “We just gave you the ability to communicate with animals,” said Mae. “It should help you find our magic key chains.”

  Rachel and Kirsty shared a thrilled smile, holding hands. They slid their cameras into their backpacks.

  “I want to visit my panda friends in the human world,” said Mae. “I need to warn them that Jack Frost might be coming. Will you come with me?”

  Rachel and Kirsty nodded eagerly, and Mae lifted her wand above her head.

  “Let Rachel and Kirsty come and see where pandas wander wild and free.”

  Instantly, the meadow around the girls vanished. They were standing beside a beautiful pagoda at the top of a mountain, and they were human-size again. A dense forest of bamboo covered the mountain. Mae fluttered next to them, looking around in delight. It was obvious that she loved this place.

  Even though it was warm, it was also raining. The girls pulled their raincoats out of their backpacks and put them on. Mae tucked herself inside Rachel’s hood.

  “Come on, let’s go,” she said. “Keep an eye out for the pandas!”

  They pushed their way between the tall bamboo stems, and raindrops pattered down on their hoods. They hadn’t gone very far before Kirsty heard a rustling sound. She reached out her hand and held Rachel’s arm.

  “Listen!” she whispered.

  Rachel suddenly felt as if it were Christmas Eve and Santa was on his way. Could they really be about to see a real-life panda in the wild? They crept toward the sound, treading as softly as they could. Then they heard a soft voice calling through the forest.

  “Pan Pan, where are you?”

  “Who’s that?” Rachel asked Mae in a low voice.

  The soft voice was sad and urgent. “Come back to Mama,” it said.

  Then Kirsty spotted a giant panda in a tree above them. “We can understand animals now,” she said. “Remember the fairies’ spell?”

  “Of course!” said Rachel. “Wow!”

  Kirsty waved at the beautiful panda.

  “Hello,” she called. “I’m Kirsty, and this is my friend Rachel.”

  The giant panda’s eyes widened, but she didn’t reply. She just stared down at them, looking confused and scared.

  Mae flew out of Rachel’s hood and zoomed up to hover b
eside the giant panda. The girls couldn’t hear what she was saying, but after a long pause, the panda began to climb down the tree. She moved quickly and gracefully. When she reached the ground, she turned and sat down beside the girls.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t answer you at first,” she said. “I didn’t know if I could trust you. My baby, my little Pan Pan, has disappeared!”

  “I’m so sorry,” said Rachel, putting her hand on the mother panda’s paw. “Will you tell us about it? We might be able to help you.”

  “Pan Pan is only seven months old,” she said. “He’s just started eating bamboo, so I went to find him some extra-juicy shoots. When I came back, he was gone!”

  Rachel and Kirsty exchanged a suspicious glance.

  “Do you think that the goblins might have taken Pan Pan for Jack Frost?” asked Kirsty.

  “We need to have a good look at the place where you last saw Pan Pan,” said Rachel to the mother panda. “Can you take us there?”

  She led them deeper into the bamboo forest, until they reached a big clearing. “This is where I last saw Pan Pan,” she said sadly.

  Rachel and Kirsty looked around, and then Rachel shouted.

  “Over there. Look!” she cried.

  They could see huge footprints in the mud. Whoever had made them had large, flat feet and long, spread-out toes.

  “Goblins!” said Kirsty. “I knew it! I bet that if we follow these footprints, we’ll find Pan Pan.”

  “It’ll be easier to follow them if we can all fly,” said Mae.

  She flicked her wand, and there was a small explosion of silver fairy dust that made the mother panda jump. The silver sparkles swirled around the two girls. As they shrank to fairy-size, they felt their wings growing on their backs.

  “We’ll be back as soon as we have news of Pan Pan,” Kirsty promised the mother panda.