Shannon the Ocean Fairy Page 2

  Would they go in?

  To Kirsty’s relief, the goblins hurried inside the coral cave.

  “Let’s go!” Shannon whispered. She and the girls swam over to the mouth of the cave. Inside, the goblins were scrambling around on the sandy floor, looking for more coins.

  Shannon cleared her throat loudly, and the goblins yelped with surprise.

  “Please give me the Dawn Pearl,” Shannon said politely.

  “No way!” the goblins scoffed.

  “We’re not letting you leave until you do,” Rachel told them.

  “You silly little fairies can’t stop us!” the biggest goblin declared, moving toward the girls. His friends followed.

  Just as the girls were wondering what to do, they heard a snapping sound. Looking down, they saw an army of lobsters scuttling into the cave and snapping at the goblins’ ankles with their claws. The goblins screeched and backed away!

  “We can’t stop you,” Shannon said, “but my lobster friends can. They’ll snap at your ears — and noses, too — if you don’t give back the Dawn Pearl.”

  The goblins looked annoyed for a minute, but they couldn’t help squealing in fear when the lobsters scuttled toward them again. “OK,” the biggest goblin muttered. “It’s yours!”

  The goblins tossed the Dawn Pearl across the cave, and Shannon, Rachel, and Kirsty caught it between them.

  “Thank you,” Shannon called. “And thank you to my lobster friends, too.” She waved her wand. A burst of fairy dust swept Rachel and Kirsty out of the water in an instant!

  Blinking as the magic dust cleared, the girls realized that they were back on the beach in Leamouth.

  “We’re not even wet,” Kirsty said, looking down at her dry clothes.

  “That’s fairy magic!” Shannon laughed. She tapped the tip of her wand on the Dawn Pearl and it immediately shrank down to Fairyland size. Then another sparkling shower of fairy dust returned Kirsty and Rachel to their normal sizes again!

  “I need to take the Dawn Pearl back to Fairyland now,” Shannon said. “Thank you for all your help! We still have a hard task ahead of us. We have to find the two other enchanted pearls!”

  Rachel and Kirsty nodded and waved, ready for the challenge. Their fairy friend blew them a kiss, then disappeared with the Dawn Pearl in a whirl of fairy magic.

  “It’s another sunny day, Rachel!” said Kirsty. “What should we do?”

  It was the morning after their undersea adventure, and the girls were getting ready to go out with Kirsty’s gran.

  “Anything is fine with me,” Rachel replied. She glanced over at Gran, who was cleaning up the kitchen, and lowered her voice. “Maybe we helped make the day start so bright and sunny by finding the Dawn Pearl.”

  “Maybe,” Kirsty said, nodding. “I hope we get a chance to help Shannon look for the other missing pearls today.”

  “How about a walk to the pier this morning, girls?” Gran suggested.

  “That’s a great idea!” Kirsty exclaimed. “There’s a fairground at the end of the pier with a roller coaster that goes right out over the water!”

  “Ooh, fun!” Rachel said with a grin.

  Gran laughed. “Come on, then.”

  They set off along the water toward the pier.

  “Look at that big cruise ship out at sea,” Gran remarked, as they walked by the harbor.

  Rachel and Kirsty looked out across the water. They could see a huge white ship with black smokestacks in the distance.

  “It probably won’t be stopping in Leamouth,” Gran went on. “Those big ships never dock here.”

  “Look, Rachel, there’s the old lighthouse,” Kirsty said, pointing. “There are some really dangerous rocks around the harbor, so the lighthouse was built to guide ships in safely.”

  Rachel stared up at the white-and-red-painted lighthouse. It stood on a rocky outcrop at the entrance to the harbor. “Does it still work?” she asked.

  Gran shook her head. “No, modern ships have all sorts of high-tech equipment to guide them these days,” she replied. “There are plans to turn the lighthouse into an artists’ studio.”

  With that, they kept walking toward the pier at the other end of the beach.

  “I bet you girls want to explore,” Gran said as they reached the pier. “I’ll have a drink in the café and wait for you.”

  Gran led the way to The Starfish Café and sat down at a table that looked out over the sea. “A pot of tea for one, please,” Gran told the waiter.

  The man chatted while he wrote the order on his notepad. “See that big cruise ship out there?” he said to Gran and the girls. “It’s called the Seafarer. They just said on the radio that it’s going to dock right here in Leamouth!”

  “Really?” Gran asked, looking surprised. “That’s unusual.”

  “Yes, it sounds like the ship is having problems with its navigation systems. It needs to dock as soon as possible,” the man explained. “You’ll have a perfect view of it from this table, though it won’t be docking for an hour or so.”

  “It’ll be so cool to see the ship coming in,” Rachel said.

  Gran checked her watch. “Well, why don’t you girls go explore, and then come back to watch the ship dock?” she suggested. “I’ll sit here and read until you get back,” she added, pulling a book out of her purse.

  “Sure — see you later, Gran,” said Kirsty, as she and Rachel walked down the pier.

  “The sky looks really black over there by the harbor entrance, even though the sun’s shining,” Rachel noted, pointing out to sea.

  Kirsty nodded. “Maybe there’s a storm coming,” she replied.

  The girls walked by a small arcade. Suddenly, the lights on a machine by the entrance started flashing, and a happy tune rang through the air.

  Rachel stopped. “FREE PLAY,” she read aloud from the little screen.

  “Go ahead!” Kirsty urged her friend.

  “I’ve tried this kind of game before, but I’m no good at it,” Rachel admitted.

  The machine was full of stuffed animals in a glass case. A large metal claw hung above them. The claw was operated by a lever and was used to grab the toys. Rachel took hold of the lever and moved the claw downward. It swung around a bit, but Rachel finally managed to grab a fluffy dolphin.

  “Go, Rachel!” Kirsty cried, as Rachel carefully moved the dolphin over to the chute and released the metal claw.

  “You did it!” Kirsty laughed.

  Smiling, Rachel pulled back the panel to retrieve her prize. She gasped as a cloud of aquamarine sparkles burst out!

  “Hello, girls!” Shannon the Ocean Fairy cried. “I need your help to find the Twilight Pearl — and fast!”

  Rachel and Kirsty were excited to help.

  “You’ll have to be fairy-size,” Shannon said. “Quick, get out of sight.”

  Rachel and Kirsty ducked behind the machine. One flick of Shannon’s wand transformed them into fairies, complete with glittering wings!

  Like before, Shannon created invisible magic bubbles to help the girls breathe underwater.

  “Let’s go, girls,” Shannon said, flying off toward the end of the pier. Rachel and Kirsty zoomed after her.

  “Nightfall is already being thrown off in parts of the world because the Twilight Pearl is missing,” Shannon explained as they flew. “Last night, darkness didn’t fall at the South Pole at all. Luckily, only the penguins noticed!”

  “There aren’t any people living at the South Pole, are there?” asked Rachel.

  “No, there aren’t,” Shannon replied, “so no humans have noticed the problem yet. But if the Twilight Pearl isn’t returned to its usual place soon, there will be nighttime trouble everywhere!”

  “Where did the goblins take the Twilight Pearl?” Kirsty asked.

  “I think they’re underwater somewhere around here,” Shannon said, nodding. “It’s getting dark near the entrance to Leamouth Harbor. The Twilight Pearl must be nearby!”

  “Oh, that’s wh
y it’s so dark!” Rachel said, as they reached the end of the pier. “We thought there was a storm coming.”

  “Follow me!” Shannon called then. She flew downward and plunged into the sparkling blue sea below.

  Rachel and Kirsty dived beneath the waves, too. The sun filtered through the water, lighting up the golden seabed and rippling fronds of seaweed. A school of silvery fish flickered past them. The girls grinned in delight.

  “This way!” Shannon said, darting through the turquoise water.

  Rachel and Kirsty followed until Shannon stopped and turned to face them.

  “Look, girls,” she said. “Can you see how the color of the sea is changing here?”

  Rachel and Kirsty looked up ahead. Sure enough, the turquoise color of the water was deepening to a dark indigo.

  “This is happening because of the Twilight Pearl,” Shannon explained. She tapped her wand lightly on her hand, caught a sparkle as it fell, and fixed it to the tip of her wand. It glowed brightly. “We’ll use this to light our way. I just hope the goblins don’t see us coming.”

  Shannon swam more slowly this time, with Kirsty and Rachel close behind her. But even though Shannon’s glowing wand helped a little, the water around them was growing darker and darker. Kirsty wondered how they were ever going to find the goblins and the Twilight Pearl in the gloom!

  Suddenly, Shannon stopped again. She tipped her head to one side and listened. “There’s someone who can help us!” she said eagerly. “Wait here. I’ll be back in two shakes of a fish’s tail!” With that, she shot off into the darkness.

  Rachel and Kirsty waited hopefully. What was their fairy friend up to?

  Seconds later, Shannon returned. “Look who I found,” she announced, holding up her lighted wand. Rachel and Kirsty gasped. Behind Shannon, they could see a whole school of beautiful blue dolphins!

  The dolphins were very friendly. They swam around Rachel and Kirsty, squeaking and clicking in greeting, and nudging the girls gently with their long noses.

  “The dolphins know the oceans better than anyone else,” Shannon explained. “They’re going to take us to the goblins.” She waved her sparkling wand in the air.“Plus, the dolphins have offered to let us ride on their backs, so we’ll get there even faster!”

  “That’s fantastic!” Rachel exclaimed.

  “I’ve always wanted to swim with dolphins!” Kirsty grinned as one swam over to her and squeaked, inviting her to climb aboard. Kirsty clambered carefully onto its sleek back, as Rachel and Shannon jumped onto their own dolphins.

  “Make sure you hold on tight,” Shannon called, grabbing onto her dolphin’s fin. “When a dolphin swims fast, it’s really fast!”

  “I see what you mean!” Kirsty gasped as her dolphin took off like a rocket in the water.

  Chattering happily to each other, the rest of the dolphins followed. Rachel and Kirsty hung on tightly as they zipped through the darkening seas.

  “This is fun! Woohoo!” Rachel cheered as her dolphin leapt out of the water. It glided through the air in a perfect arc before plunging beneath the waves again.

  Soon it was so dark underwater that Shannon and the girls could hardly even see each other. Luckily, the dolphins were still sure of where they were going, so Rachel and Kirsty didn’t feel scared.

  Just then, the dolphins began to slow down. In the darkness, the girls could hear voices ahead.

  “Goblins!” whispered Kirsty.

  The dolphins began to circle the goblins while Shannon, Kirsty, and Rachel stayed very still, listening hard. The goblins sounded scared.

  “Oh, I don’t like the dark,” one whimpered. “Ack! What was that?”

  “Maybe it was a sea monster,” another moaned. “I can’t see.”

  “Something just swam past me,” cried a third. “I think it was an underwater Pogwurzel!”

  “HELP!” all the goblins shouted. “WE’RE LOST IN THE DARK!”

  Rachel and Kirsty could see Shannon fixing another sparkle to her wand. It fizzed like a firework, lighting up the ocean around them.

  The goblins stared in surprise at the circling dolphins.

  “It’s not a Pogwurzel,” one goblin sneered. “It’s just some dolphins — and those pesky fairies!”

  “Give the Twilight Pearl back, and we’ll rescue you from the dark,” Shannon offered. “We know you’re scared.”

  “No way!” the biggest goblin scoffed. “We’re not scared, and we’re not giving back the pearl.”

  “OK, then we’ll leave — and I’ll take my light with me,” Shannon said firmly.

  “NO!” all the goblins shrieked at once.

  “Please stay,” begged the biggest goblin, looking terrified. “But we can’t give the pearl back.”

  “Why not?” asked Rachel.

  “Well, it’s just that …” the big goblin said hesitantly.

  “We hid it somewhere really safe,” another goblin added.

  “And now we can’t find it!” said another, sheepishly.

  “But we know it’s under a really big rock,” added the largest goblin, trying to be helpful.

  Shannon whipped her wand through the water. It briefly lit up the sea around them.

  In that time, Rachel and Kirsty saw that the area was full of really big rocks!

  Suddenly, the booming sound of a ship’s horn echoed overhead. The goblins yelped with fear and clapped their hands over their ears.

  “I think that must be the Seafarer’s horn,” said Rachel. “It’s coming to dock in Leamouth because its navigation systems aren’t working.”

  Shannon turned pale. “The Seafarer won’t be able to find its way through the rocks. It’s too dark now that the Twilight Pearl is missing!” she exclaimed. “It might crash!”

  Rachel and Kirsty glanced at each other in alarm.

  Then Kirsty’s gaze fell on the glowing tip of Shannon’s wand. She started to get an idea. “The ship would be OK if it had a light to guide it, right?” she pointed out. “Shannon, could you use your magic to get the old lighthouse working again?”

  Shannon looked excited. “I think it could,” she said. “But we’ll have to hurry.” She glanced at the goblins. “Stay here and don’t make any more trouble!” she told them. “When I get the lighthouse working, it will be lighter down here, too.”

  She jumped off her dolphin, patted its nose, and then raced up toward the surface of the water.

  Rachel and Kirsty said a quick good-bye to their dolphins and followed. The three friends broke through the water and shot up into the air, then gasped in amazement.

  The Twilight Pearl had made night fall early. The sky around them was velvety-black and spangled with stars that sparkled like diamonds. It was beautiful!

  “There’s the Seafarer,” Kirsty shouted, pointing at the faint silhouette of the ship near the harbor entrance.

  “And look at all those rocks in its path!” Rachel added.

  “To the lighthouse, girls!” Shannon cried. She fluttered off at high speed through the blackness, and the girls zoomed after her.

  “How are we going to get inside?” Rachel asked when they reached the locked lighthouse door.

  “There’s a broken windowpane,” Shannon said, pointing upward.

  She led the way up to the window and into the dark lighthouse. It smelled dusty and damp as the fairies flew up the spiral staircase to the very top of the tower. Here was the huge lantern, surrounded by mirrors meant to reflect the light out to sea. “Look, the bulb’s broken!” Rachel exclaimed, pointing at the lantern.

  “The electricity has probably been turned off, anyway,” said Kirsty. “The lighthouse hasn’t been used in years.”

  “My fairy magic can fix it,” Shannon replied, pointing her wand at the lantern. “But my spell won’t last forever. I just hope it’s long enough for the Seafarer to dock safely.”

  Rachel and Kirsty watched as a stream of sparkles flew from Shannon’s wand and surrounded the lantern.

  With lots of l
oud creaks and groans, the lantern began to turn. Slowly, the broken bulb started to glow, getting brighter and brighter.

  “It’s lighting up the sea for miles!” Kirsty cheered. “Look, it’s showing all the rocks around the mouth of the harbor.”

  As the three friends watched, the Seafarer began to make its way into the harbor. Then Rachel noticed something strange: every time the lantern’s beam fell on a certain spot in the ocean, she could see a strange, silvery-gray shimmer in the water.

  “Thank goodness,” said Shannon, once the Seafarer had gotten past the rocks. “Now we’d better see what those silly goblins are up to.”

  She flew over to another window, and Kirsty followed. But Rachel hesitated, waiting for the light to fall on the same patch of water again.

  “Shannon, look over there!” Rachel cried, pointing as the sea glittered silvery-gray. “Could the Twilight Pearl be right there, underwater?”

  Shannon looked where Rachel was pointing and clapped her hands in delight. “It is the Twilight Pearl. I’m sure of it!” she declared.

  “Good job, Rachel,” Kirsty added.

  The three friends flew out of the lighthouse as fast as their wings would take them. They headed straight toward the glittering patch of water. As they plunged down into the water, the girls were bathed in an eerie silver light that shimmered all around them.

  “There it is!” Kirsty exclaimed, spotting the Twilight Pearl beneath a large rock. She gazed at it in wonder. The pearl’s silvery glow was truly magical.