The Sports Fairies Collection Read online

  Cover

  Map

  Poem

  The Sports Fairies #1: Helena the Horse-riding Fairy

  The Sports Fairies #2: Stacey the Soccer Fairy

  The Sports Fairies #3: Zoe the Skating Fairy

  The Sports Fairies #4: Brittany the Basketball Fairy

  The Sports Fairies #5: Samantha the Swimming Fairy

  The Sports Fairies #6: Alice the Tennis Fairy

  The Sports Fairies #7: Gemma the Gymnastics Fairy

  Also Available

  Copyright

  Magic Message

  Burglars Break In!

  Girls on the Case

  A Sweet Idea

  A Ride to the Rescue

  Helena Helps!

  “There,” Rachel Walker said, pulling back her hair. “I’m ready. Are you?”

  Kirsty Tate buttoned her riding pants and smiled at her best friend. “Yes,” she said. “I can’t wait!”

  It was the first day of the spring vacation, and Kirsty had come to stay with Rachel’s family for a week. In a few minutes, they would be heading out for a riding lesson at the Tippington Stables, and both girls were looking forward to it. They always seemed to have the most fun when they were together — and the most exciting adventures!

  Kirsty was just about to open the door, when something caught her eye. Rachel’s music box was open on her dresser, even though it had been closed just a minute before. “Rachel!” she said, pointing. “Look!”

  She and Rachel ran over excitedly. They had each been given matching music boxes by the king and queen of Fairyland, as thank-you presents for helping the fairies. The two girls had been friends with the fairies long enough to know that the open, tinkling music box could only mean one thing: Something magical was about to happen!

  Kirsty held her breath as she peeked in the music box. She gasped when she spotted a piece of paper tucked inside. As the girls watched, sparkly gold writing appeared on the paper, letter by letter.

  “It’s a message,” Rachel whispered, her heart pounding.

  We … need … your … help! the golden letters spelled.

  “The fairies must be in trouble!” Kirsty cried. “Do you think Jack Frost has been up to more mischief?”

  “There’s only one way to find out,” Rachel said, and Kirsty nodded.

  Both girls opened the golden lockets around their necks, and took out pinches of fairy dust.

  “Let’s go to Fairyland,” said Kirsty, flinging the fairy dust over herself.

  “To Fairyland!” Rachel echoed, doing the same. The two girls were immediately swept up in a magical whirlwind of rainbow-colored sparkles. As they were whisked away, they felt themselves shrinking to become fairy-size. Kirsty smiled as she glanced over her shoulder and saw a pair of delicate wings on her back, glittering with magic.

  Seconds later, they were set down gently in Fairyland, in front of an unfamiliar building. It was very grand, with white marble walls and glittering golden pillars in the front.

  King Oberon and Queen Titania stepped forward to greet the girls. Behind them were seven other fairies that Rachel and Kirsty didn’t recognize.

  “Thank you for coming,” the king said.

  “Yes, thank you,” the queen added. “We called you because our Sports Fairies really need your help.” She gestured to the fairies who stood nearby. “This is Helena the Horse-riding Fairy, Stacey the Soccer Fairy, Zoe the Skating Fairy, Brittany the Basketball Fairy, Samantha the Swimming Fairy, Alice the Tennis Fairy, and Gemma the Gymnastics Fairy.”

  Each fairy smiled and said hello, looking happy to see Rachel and Kirsty.

  “Hello,” Rachel said, curtsying to the king and queen and smiling at the Sports Fairies. Then she looked around curiously. “Um … where are we? I don’t recognize this part of Fairyland.”

  “This is the Fairyland Arena,” Helena explained, “where all the sporting events take place.”

  “Come and see,” the queen said, waving at the golden doors. They swung open immediately, and Kirsty and Rachel followed the fairies through to a large stadium. There were rows of white seats surrounding a soccer field of the greenest grass the girls had ever seen.

  “Wow,” Kirsty breathed. “My dad would love this!”

  “That’s not all,” Samantha told them. “If we need to change it for a different sport, we just do this …” She waved her wand and a stream of sparkly fairy dust billowed out. The soccer field gleamed bright gold, and a rainbow-colored mist covered it. Then the mist cleared, and where the grass had been seconds before was now a swimming pool! Its turquoise water shimmered in the sunshine.

  Rachel blinked. “That’s amazing!” she said with awe.

  The queen smiled. “Our Sports Fairies help make sports fun and exciting, both in Fairyland and in the human world,” she explained.

  “And we also make sure sporting events run smoothly, and that everyone plays fairly,” added Zoe.

  “How do you do that?” Kirsty asked.

  “With our magic objects,” Stacey told her. “I have a magic soccer ball, Samantha has magic goggles, Alice has a magic tennis racket …”

  “Not anymore, though,” Alice added sadly. “Because our magic objects have been stolen!”

  “Stolen?” echoed Kirsty. “What happened?”

  “Well,” Brittany began, “when we’re not using our magic objects, we keep them in our lockers here at the arena. But when we came to pick them up this morning, the lockers were empty!”

  “So who could have taken them?” Rachel asked. Then she sighed. She already knew the answer.

  Gemma nodded, as if reading Rachel’s mind. “Yes,” she said. “Jack Frost and his goblins. We have special keys that open our lockers.” She showed the girls a tiny bow-shaped key that she wore on a silver chain around her neck. “We think that Jack Frost used his special ice magic to make copies of them.”

  “Then he sent his goblins to break into our lockers and steal our magic objects,” Zoe went on.

  “Let’s go to the seeing pool,” Queen Titania suggested. “Then we can watch how it happened.” She waved her wand. They were all whisked up in a sparkly magical whirlwind that took them to the edge of a clear blue pool in the palace garden. The queen waved her wand once more, and the pool rippled with color.

  The girls watched as images appeared on the water. They could see the seven Sports Fairies flying toward the arena at dawn, the sun painting the sky orange and red. Down below were several goblins. One stumbled as he kicked a soccer ball; two others tried to pass a basketball to each other, but missed every time; and others fell over as they practiced handstands and cartwheels. Kirsty and Rachel watched as the Sports Fairies flew down toward the goblins.

  “We always try to help if someone is struggling at a sport,” Stacey explained.

  “But it was all a trick.” Gemma sighed. “The goblins were just trying to distract us, and keep us away from the locker room!”

  The water in the pool rippled and the image changed again. Now Rachel and Kirsty could see seven goblins, dressed in black with ski masks on their heads. They were climbing up the arena wall with a rope. They kept slipping and stepping on one another but, eventually, they all scrambled into the arena through the window.

  “That’s the window of the locker room,” Samantha told the girls. “Our locker room!”

  Once inside, the tallest goblin shouted, “Get the ice keys ready!” Each goblin took an icy key from his pocket and tried it in the locker in front of him.

  There was all kinds of confusion at first. None of the goblins could find the lock that matched his key, but they finally figured it out.

  As the last key went in, all seven doors opened, reveali
ng the magic objects inside: a riding helmet, a soccer ball, a skate lace, a basketball, swim goggles, a tennis racket, and a hoop — all sparkling with fairy magic.

  Each goblin eagerly grabbed one of the magic objects.

  “Now, remember what Jack Frost told us,” the tallest goblin said. “If we’re going to win the Fairyland Olympics, we need to practice our sports with the other goblins. But make sure you keep the magic objects hidden while you practice in the human world. We don’t want the fairies to find them! Then, in a week, we’ll come back to Fairyland … and win the Olympics!”

  The other goblins cheered, and they all sprinted back to the window. Rachel couldn’t help noticing how much more athletic they seemed now that they had the Sports Fairies’ magic objects. The goblin with the gymnastics hoop even did a series of back handsprings across the floor!

  Then the scene in the pool faded, and the water became clear again.

  “The Fairyland Olympics start in seven days,” King Oberon explained. “Jack Frost knows that when the magic objects are away from the Sports Fairies or their lockers, sporting events will be ruined everywhere. Nobody will be able to enjoy sports like they usually do.”

  The queen nodded. “He also knows that the magic objects are so powerful that they make anyone near them perform very well at sports,” she added. “He wants his goblins to win the Olympics, so that he can get his hands on the prize.”

  “What is the prize?” Kirsty asked.

  “The Fairyland Olympics Cup,” the queen replied. “It’s filled with luck — which would mean Jack Frost could get away with all kinds of new mischief!”

  “Can the Olympics be postponed until the magic objects are found?” Rachel suggested.

  “No.” The king sighed. “The Fairyland Olympics are linked to the human Olympics. If we postpone our Olympics, it would cause tremendous troubles for the ones in your world.”

  “That’s right,” Zoe said. “But as long as our magical objects are missing, nobody will be able to play well.”

  “Nobody will enjoy sports very much, either,” Stacey added.

  “We’ve just got to get our objects back,” Brittany cried. “Otherwise both of the Olympic Games, and all sports, will be ruined!”

  “We’ll help you in any way we can,” Rachel said at once.

  “Thank you,” Helena replied gratefully. “We know the goblins will be practicing their new skills, so they’ll probably turn up in places connected with each magic object.”

  “We’re going riding today,” Kirsty remembered. “Maybe the goblin with your magic riding helmet will be there, Helena.” In her green riding jacket, tan riding pants, and boots, Kirsty thought Helena was dressed perfectly for riding — except that she was missing the special riding helmet that all riders need!

  Helena looked excited. “I’ll come with you in case he is,” she said. “Let’s go back to your world right away!”

  The girls had just enough time to say good-bye to the fairies before Helena waved her wand and whisked them away to Rachel’s room. The girls turned back to their normal sizes once more.

  “Are you ready, girls?” they heard Mr. Walker calling.

  Helena tucked herself into Kirsty’s pocket as the girls hurried downstairs. Rachel’s dad was waiting to drive them to the stables. Both girls felt tingly with excitement as they got into the car. It was wonderful to be starting a new fairy adventure!

  It was only a short ride to Tippington Stables, and soon Mr. Walker was parking the car.

  “Have fun,” he told the girls as they jumped out. “I’ll come and pick you up at the end of your lesson.”

  “Bye, Dad!” Rachel called. She turned to Kirsty. “Our instructor is named Vivian,” she said. “Let’s go and find her.”

  As the girls walked toward the stables, Helena peeked out of Kirsty’s pocket. “I can sense a lot of confusion here,” she said anxiously. “I wonder what’s going on.”

  Rachel and Kirsty walked around to the riding ring and stared in horror at the chaos that greeted them. Horses and ponies were trotting back and forth without riders, and the stable hands were running around trying to catch them. One girl was attempting to mount, but the girth on her pony hadn’t been tightened. The saddle slipped, dumping the rider straight onto the ground.

  Kirsty helped the girl to her feet. Luckily she was unhurt. She quickly thanked Kirsty before going back to her horse.

  A lady with red hair hurried over, and Helena ducked into Kirsty’s pocket again.

  “Hi, Vivian,” Rachel said to the red-haired lady. “Is everything all right?”

  Vivian sighed. “I’m afraid it’s kind of hectic today, girls!” she said. “I’m trying to sort everything out before your lesson. You’re going to ride Shadow, Rachel, and your friend will be on Brandy. Why don’t you go and tack up? I’ll be with you as soon as I have everything under control.”

  “OK,” Rachel said, as she and Kirsty headed off to find their ponies. They’d hardly taken a step when a rider went trotting past — facing backward on her pony!

  “Oh no!” Vivian cried, rushing to help. “I’ll meet you in the ring, girls!” she called over her shoulder.

  Helena peeked out again. “This is awful,” she said, looking worried as she peered around the stables. “And it’s all because my magic riding helmet is missing. If I had that, then none of this would be happening!” Suddenly she frowned, deep in concentration. Then her tiny face brightened. “It’s here,” she said. “My magic riding helmet is here — I can sense it.” She stared in dismay as another horse trotted past without a rider on its back. “But we’ve got to find it soon,” she added, “before things get any worse!”

  Rachel and Kirsty went to tack up, keeping an eye out for any goblins that might have Helena’s magic riding helmet.

  “Good boy, Brandy,” Kirsty said, patting her toffee-colored pony as she adjusted her stirrups. Brandy tossed his head impatiently as Kirsty attempted to get the stirrups even, but one of the stirrup leathers just wouldn’t go any shorter.

  “Ah!” said Helena, flying onto Kirsty’s shoulder. “It’s only because my helmet is missing that you’re having this much trouble, but I know a trick that might help. If you twist the strap around the stirrup, it’ll make it a little shorter. Watch!” Helena waved her wand. Kirsty watched with delight as the stirrup leather came undone, looped itself through the stirrup, and then buckled itself again, making the stirrups perfectly even.

  “Thank you, Helena!” Kirsty smiled.

  Meanwhile, Rachel was having trouble getting Shadow to take the bit in his mouth.

  “Everything’s more difficult because my helmet’s missing.” Helena sighed. “Let me try, Rachel.” She hovered close to Shadow’s left ear and spoke gently to him. Rachel couldn’t hear what she said, but Shadow was suddenly happy to take the bit.

  “Thanks,” Rachel said gratefully. “Vivian said we should meet her in the ring, didn’t she? Let’s go over there now.”

  The girls led their ponies through the stable yard and out to the riding ring. When they arrived, they were surprised to see that a boy on a gray horse was already there. He was cantering in a circle, riding confidently. He was having much more success than anyone else they’d seen that day!

  The girls stopped and watched closely. As the gray horse jumped over a fence, the boy’s helmet lifted up ever so slightly. Kirsty gasped. The boy had a pointy green nose!

  “He’s a goblin!” she whispered to Rachel and Helena.

  “And he’s wearing my helmet!” Helena exclaimed, annoyed.

  Rachel frowned. “But it’s so big,” she said. “The helmet, I mean. I was expecting it to be the same size as it was in Fairyland.”

  “Oh no,” Helena said. “Our magic objects adjust their size to fit whoever is holding them.”

  “So how are we going to get it back?” Kirsty wondered aloud. “If the goblin sees us coming after his helmet, he’ll just ride away.”

  Rachel thought hard. “Helena, w
hat do horses like to eat more than anything else?” she asked.

  “Most horses love sugar cubes,” the little fairy replied. “Why?”

  Rachel smiled. “Could you use your magic to conjure some?” she asked.

  Helena nodded. “Of course,” she said, waving her wand. Immediately, a pile of sparkling white sugar cubes appeared in Rachel’s hand.

  “Great!” Rachel declared. “Now, how about we try tempting that horse over to us with a trail of sugar cubes? Then we might be able to persuade the goblin to give us back the helmet!”

  “Good idea,” said Kirsty.

  Helena waved her wand again, and a flurry of horseshoe-shaped fairy dust swirled all around the pile of sugar cubes. One by one, the cubes jumped down from Rachel’s hand and started bouncing along the grass, lining up to make a trail from the girls toward the goblin’s horse.

  It didn’t take long for the gray horse to notice the sugar cubes. She had been cantering but, at the sight of her favorite treat, she slowed down. She immediately dropped her head to eat one of the cubes.

  The goblin seemed a little confused by the appearance of the sugar, and he looked around. Then he noticed the girls in the corner of the riding ring, and frowned. “What are you doing here?” he asked. A suspicious look came over his face and he touched the helmet protectively. “Hey — you haven’t seen any fairies around here, have you?”

  Rachel and Kirsty exchanged glances and gulped. How were they going to answer that question truthfully … without scaring the goblin away?

  Rachel thought quickly. “Fairies? I don’t see any fairies,” she replied. It was true — since Helena was now hiding at the bottom of Kirsty’s pocket.