Mary the Sharing Fairy Page 2

  “There’s no way we can get close to the charm while he’s hitting balls at us,” said Mary, panting. “Maybe we should leave and try again later.”

  Kirsty shook her head, but before she could reply she saw another tennis ball heading directly toward her. She darted sideways to avoid it, but she wasn’t looking where she was going. Crash! She flew straight into the net that divided the tennis court!

  In a tangle of arms, legs, and wings, Kirsty struggled to free herself. Rachel zoomed down to help.

  “Are you OK?” Rachel asked, giving her a hug.

  “I’m fine,” said Kirsty, bubbling with excitement. “This has given me an idea that I really think might work!”

  She told Rachel and Mary her plan, and then the three of them took their positions. The other goblins were still arguing when Rachel and Kirsty flew toward the goblin with the charm.

  “I don’t think you can hit us with those tennis balls,” said Rachel in a loud voice. “Your aim isn’t good enough.”

  “My aim is perfect!” the goblin squeaked. “You’d better get out of the way or I’ll flatten you both like pancakes!”

  “Oh, no you won’t,” said Kirsty with a laugh. “You’re not quick enough.”

  Carefully, so that the goblin didn’t even realize it was happening, Rachel and Kirsty led him closer to the net. He flung more balls at them, but they dodged them all and laughed, until the goblin became so angry that his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

  “Stay still!” he hissed, stepping even closer to the net.

  Rachel glanced sideways and saw Mary hiding beside the net. The Sharing Fairy held up one finger, meaning that she needed the goblin to come just one step closer.

  Rachel and Kirsty fluttered backward.

  “I’ve seen tennis balls being hit much harder and faster than this,” said Rachel.

  With a yell of rage, the goblin took another step forward. Then Mary waved her wand, and the tennis net flung itself into the air and wound around the goblin, rolling him up in it like a mummy. Within seconds, all that could be seen of the goblin were his angry face and his enormous feet.

  “Grrr!” he said, baring his teeth at the fairies. “Let me go, you flying pests!”

  “You know what we want,” said Mary. “Give me my charm and I will let you go.”

  “I’ll share some tennis balls with you,” the goblin offered. “You can even use my racket.”

  “The charm,” said Rachel, folding her arms across her chest.

  “I’ll let you have all the tennis balls!” the goblin exclaimed. “And you can keep both rackets!”

  “None of those things are even yours to give away,” said Kirsty. “Give us the charm and Mary will set you free.”

  “I don’t believe you,” the goblin said, looking grumpy.

  “Kirsty and I never tell lies, and neither do the fairies,” said Rachel. “You can trust us to keep our promises.”

  “You can take all the other goblins prisoner!” shouted the goblin, sounding desperate now. “You can lock them in dungeons and feed them moldy bread!”

  “We don’t have dungeons in Fairyland, and I don’t want prisoners,” said Mary. “There is only one thing I want—the charm that you and Jack Frost stole from me. Give it back, and things will return to normal.”

  “What if I don’t like ‘normal’?” the goblin wailed.

  “Then change it,” said Kirsty. “You don’t have to do everything that Jack Frost says, you know.”

  The goblin closed his eyes and made a horrible face. Then he opened his eyes again.

  “Fine,” he said. “I guess you three don’t care how much trouble I’m going to get into for this.”

  The fairies didn’t reply, but they watched as the goblin wriggled and jiggled around. It wasn’t easy, because his arms were pressed tightly against his sides, but at last there was a tinkling sound as something fell out of the bottom of the tennis-net wrap.

  The fairies dove toward it and saw the precious yin-yang charm. The goblin had managed to unhook it.

  “At last!” said Mary, picking up the charm, which shrank to fairy size. “Oh, I was starting to worry that I would never get it back!”

  She hooked it to her bracelet and tapped the tennis net with her wand. Immediately, the net unwound itself at top speed, sending the goblin staggering dizzily across the tennis court toward the other goblins. He crashed into them, and they all fell down together like dominoes.

  The tennis net returned to its usual position, and the fairies saw the goblins start to bite their fingernails.

  “Jack Frost is going to be so angry with us,” said one.

  “That’s two magical objects that we’ve lost now,” said another. “He’ll be furious! What are we going to do?”

  The goblins looked so worried that the fairies felt sorry for them. Mary waved her wand, and magical red and white sparkles erupted into the air like a fountain.

  “Even if they steal and pout,

  I don’t like leaving people out.

  For I believe it’s only fair

  That everyone has treats to share.”

  In front of the goblins’ eyes, the red sparkles tumbled into a large bowl and became strawberries, while the white sparkles became whipped cream. The goblins were delighted! They forgot their worries as they tucked into the treat, gobbling so fast that bright red strawberry juice trickled down their chins.

  Laughing, the fairies turned to one another and shared a big, happy hug.

  “You two have been so amazing,” Mary told Rachel and Kirsty. “I’ve heard about what good friends you are, of course, but you’re even more wonderful than I could have imagined. You’re just like my yin-yang charm—you belong together.”

  As they hugged, the girls felt themselves growing and their wings disappearing. Then they were back to their usual size, and Mary was hovering in front of them.

  “Good-bye!” she said, waving and smiling at them. “I hope we’ll meet again soon!”

  She disappeared in a starry swoosh of fairy dust, and the girls reached for each other’s hands.

  “Come on!” said Rachel. “Let’s go and see how the others are getting along now that the charm is back where it belongs.”

  They raced back to the wall at the back of the tennis clubhouse and found Ginny, Jen, and the children gazing sadly at the mural. After all the arguments, paint splashes, and goblin interference, the wall was a mess.

  “What are we going to do?” asked Amy.

  Eric bent down and picked up the book of ideas. It fell open to a colorful page, and a little smile appeared on his face.

  “Look at this, everyone,” he said, holding out the book so that they could all share it. “I think we might be able to fix it if we try this.”

  “Oh yes, what a good idea!” said Ginny. “It might work really well with the idea on page fifty.”

  They turned to the right page and agreed on exactly what they would do. Then, working together and sharing the paint and paintbrushes between them, the children repainted and decorated the word friendship on the wall. Kirsty painted one of the letters with Oscar, while Rachel painted with Lara.

  “It’s fun sharing friends, isn’t it?” said Lara.

  Rachel smiled back at her, feeling happy that Lara was back to her normal, friendly self.

  While they painted, the girls noticed Ginny and Jen chatting about what to do with the tennis racket. They had been arguing about it earlier, but now they were full of smiles.

  “You should have it, Ginny,” said Jen. “You deserve it more than I do.”

  “No way,” said Ginny. “It’s all yours.”

  Kirsty grinned at Rachel and then leaned over to the teenagers.

  “Why don’t you share it?” she suggested. “You could take turns using it to play, or bouncing a tennis ball on it!”

  They exchanged a glance and nodded.

  “That’s the perfect solution,” said Ginny. “Why didn’t we think of it?”

 
; Kirsty and Rachel knew why! But, of course, they could never tell anyone about their fairy adventures, so they just shared a secret smile.

  Later, when the mural was finished and looked amazing, the children helped Ginny and Jen clean all the brushes and put away the cans of paint. It was hot working in the sunshine, but everyone was glad to help.

  Rachel and Kirsty said good-bye to the others and headed back to the bed and breakfast. On the way, they passed the Rainspell Island ice cream stand, which was run by a friendly lady named Heather.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Rachel asked her best friend with a grin.

  “Definitely!” said Kirsty.

  They bought an ice cream cone to share and took turns licking it as they walked along.

  “Sharing is something we do all the time as best friends,” said Rachel as Kirsty caught a drip of strawberry ice cream with her tongue. “I’m so glad that we found Mary’s magical charm.”

  “Me, too,” said Kirsty, handing the cone to Rachel. “Now all friends will remember to share. But friendships aren’t quite safe yet. We have to find the two other missing magical objects for the Friendship Fairies. I hope we get the chance to help them very soon.”

  “Tomorrow is a brand-new day,” said Rachel, smiling at Kirsty. “And I’m sure that it’ll bring us a brand-new adventure with our fairy friends!”

  Kirsty Tate was spinning her way across the park, her arms outstretched as she soaked up the early morning sunshine. It was making the dew sparkle on each blade of grass, and it was shining on the golden hair of Kirsty’s best friend, Rachel Walker.

  “I wonder what Jen and Ginny have planned for us today,” said Rachel, skipping along beside Kirsty.

  It was their third day on Rainspell Island, the beautiful place where they had first met—and where they’d had their first fairy adventure! They were attending the Summer Friends Camp, a day camp for children staying on the island on vacation. The camp was held in the park every morning.

  “We’ve already played soccer, had a water-balloon fight, and painted a mural,” Kirsty remembered. “I’m so glad we’ve been going to camp.”

  They reached the tent where the camp was based and stepped inside. Oscar and Lara, two of their newest friends, dashed over to them.

  “Good morning!” said Lara, a big smile on her face.

  “Do you know what we’re doing today?” Oscar asked.

  “We have no idea,” said Rachel with a grin. “But I think we’re about to find out!”

  Jen and Ginny, the teenage best friends who ran the camp, were beckoning everyone to gather around them. They looked as if they were about to burst with excitement.

  “Today we have something really fantastic for you all to enjoy,” said Ginny. “We’re going to watch a special performance by Mr. Twinkle himself!”

  Everyone gasped and squealed. Mr. Twinkle was the funniest, most famous magician on TV. Like all the others at the camp, Rachel and Kirsty watched his show every week.

  “I can’t believe we’re actually going to see him in real life!” Oscar said in a breathless voice. “When I grow up, I want to be just like him and make everyone laugh!”

  “Where’s the performance going to be held?” Kirsty asked.

  “Right here in Rainspell Park,” said Jen with a smile. “We have to wait for him on the steps of the fountain square. I thought you could all race one another to see who gets there first. Ready? Set? Go!”

  Everyone sped out of the tent and sprinted across the grass to the fountain in the middle of the park. A girl named Anouk won the race, and everyone gathered around to congratulate her.

  Copyright © 2016 by Rainbow Magic Limited.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. RAINBOW MAGIC is a trademark of Rainbow Magic Limited. Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and other countries. HIT and the HIT logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  ISBN 978-1-338-15768-0

  First edition, July 2017

  Cover design by Angela Jun

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-15128-2

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