The Music Fairies Collection Read online

  “My MP3 player’s not working,” a teenage boy complained to his mom, pulling the headphones out of his ears.

  “Even the car horns are honking off-key,” Kirsty remarked as they went outside again.

  “And the birds are singing out of tune!” Rachel pointed out.

  The girls hurried down High Street, trying not to listen to the awful noises all around them. But suddenly they heard something else — a sweet, pure melody wafting toward them on the breeze.

  Poppy gasped. “That’s my piano!”

  Rachel and Kirsty headed straight toward the clear, beautiful sound of Poppy’s piano.

  “It’s coming from the music store!” Kirsty announced breathlessly.

  She and Rachel peeked through the display window, expecting to spot a goblin. But to their surprise, they saw the strangely-dressed boy from the park.

  He was sitting on a stool in front of Poppy’s piano, playing a very difficult piece of classical music.

  “Look, my piano’s full-size again!” Poppy whispered, peeking out of Kirsty’s pocket. “Remember the wand the goblins had at the school? Jack Frost must have given them the power to change the size of our musical instruments. We can do that with our fairy magic, but usually the goblins can’t.”

  The boy’s fingers were flashing across the keys in a blur. He finished the piece with a flourish, swept off his floppy hat, and stood up to take a bow.

  Kirsty and Rachel stared at him in disbelief.

  “He is a goblin!” Kirsty exclaimed, peering at the boy’s pointy ears and nose.

  “But he’s not green!” Rachel said, looking confused. “Oh!” Suddenly her eyes opened wide. “Remember Jack Frost’s spell?

  “Goblins stand out because they’re green,

  But I don’t want them to be seen.

  I cast this spell so they’ll blend in,

  Then girls and fairies will not win!”

  Rachel grinned. “The goblins aren’t green anymore. Jack Frost took the green out of their skin!” she declared.

  “But they still look like goblins,” Kirsty added. “They still have pointy noses and big feet and huge ears, so the spell didn’t work completely!”

  “And he has my piano!” Poppy said, staring longingly through the window. “How are we going to get it back?” They all looked at the goblin, who was flexing his fingers, ready to play another tune.

  “I have an idea,” Rachel said slowly. “Maybe we should use the goblin’s disguise against him.”

  “How?” asked Kirsty.

  “I can pretend to be a goblin, too!” Rachel replied. “I’ll tell him Jack Frost wants to see him, so he can promote him to lead singer of the Gobolicious Band!” She stared through the store window. “Kirsty, you hide behind those big speakers and I’ll get the goblin to come toward you.”

  “Then I’ll think of a way to keep him busy while Poppy uses magic to send her piano back to Fairyland,” Kirsty finished. “Great idea!”

  “And guess what?” Poppy said, her eyes twinkling. “I can make your nose and ears a bit bigger, Rachel, so that you’ll look more like a goblin!”

  Poppy immediately flew out of Kirsty’s pocket and showered Rachel with fairy dust. Kirsty watched closely. She could hardly believe her eyes when Rachel’s nose began to grow to a long point. At the same time, Rachel’s ears grew bigger and bigger until at last she looked remarkably like a non-green goblin with wavy golden hair!

  “How do I look?” Rachel asked, studying her reflection in the display window.

  “Just like a goblin!” Kirsty replied. She grinned at Rachel and hurried into the music store. Rachel and Poppy waited for a moment until Kirsty had hidden herself safely behind the tall speakers. Then Poppy flew behind Rachel’s hair, and they went into the store.

  First, Rachel checked that the shopkeepers were busy with customers before she headed over to the goblin. She knew she had to act quickly. Poppy’s magic would wear off soon, and her nose and ears would shrink back to their normal size.

  But as Rachel got closer to the goblin, he saw her coming. Frowning, he whipped a wand out of his pocket.

  It’s the wand the goblins used at the school! Rachel thought, alarmed. I’d better stop him before he shrinks Poppy’s piano again and runs off with it! The goblin lifted the wand.

  “Wait!” Rachel called. “I’m a goblin, too!” she added in a low voice.

  The goblin stared suspiciously at her.

  “How do I know you’re a goblin?” he asked.

  “Look at our reflections,” Rachel told him, bending over the shiny piano top. She was really glad that Poppy had altered her features with fairy magic!

  “We both look human, don’t we?”

  The goblin nodded, still suspicious.

  “Well, you look human but you’re actually a goblin,” Rachel went on. “And I look human, too, so I must be a goblin like you, right?”

  The goblin looked very confused. Rachel desperately hoped that he wouldn’t think too carefully about what she’d just said. She was relying on the fact that goblins weren’t very smart!

  “Right,” the goblin agreed at last, and Rachel tried not to sigh with relief. “We’ve got the same ears and the same nose. But …” He frowned at Rachel’s jeans and T-shirt. “My human clothes are much nicer than yours!”

  “Oh, they’re very nice and bright,” Rachel assured him, trying not to giggle.

  “Yes, I like the clothes, but my skin is awfully plain,” the goblin grumbled. “I miss being green. Green is such a beautiful color!”

  Rachel tried to hide her smile.

  “I miss being green, too,” she replied. “But you know how the Gobolicious Band is entering the National Talent Competition? Well, Jack Frost wants to see you right away. I think he’s planning to promote you to lead singer!”

  “Me?” Looking tremendously excited, the goblin bounced up and down on the piano stool. “He’s right — I’d be a great lead singer! My good looks are wasted behind this piano!”

  This time Rachel had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

  “Jack Frost is waiting for you over there,” she said, pointing at the speakers where Kirsty was hiding.

  “Hooray!” the goblin whooped. He jumped up and rushed across the store.

  Anxiously, Rachel glanced at Poppy, who was already peeking out from behind her hair. Would Kirsty be able to stall the goblin long enough for them to send the piano back to Fairyland?

  Behind the speakers, Kirsty was waiting. Her heart thumped. She still hadn’t decided how to stop the goblin from rushing back to the piano when he realized it was all a trick.

  But suddenly, she spotted a stand holding a microphone that had a long cord attached to it.

  Carefully, Kirsty removed the microphone from the stand and took the cord in both hands. Peeking around the speakers, she saw the goblin dashing toward her.

  Here goes! Kirsty thought.

  As the goblin rushed around the side of the speakers, Kirsty was ready with the microphone cord. Before the goblin realized what was happening, she’d wrapped the cord tightly around him, once, twice, then a third time. “Hey!” the goblin yelled, looking very confused. “Where’s Jack Frost?”

  “That’s what we’d like to know!” Kirsty replied, whizzing around and around the goblin several more times until he was completely wrapped up in the microphone cord, like a package tied with string.

  By this time, the goblin realized he was trapped. He shrieked with rage and tried to get free, but Kirsty held on tightly to both ends of the cord.

  Suddenly, a sweet melody filled the air. Kirsty stepped out from behind the speakers and saw Poppy flying across the keyboard of her piano. Dazzling fairy dust fell from her wand onto the keys. The magic sparkles made beautiful music!

  “Give me my piano!” the goblin squealed furiously. He lunged forward so forcefully that he pulled the cord from Kirsty’s hands. But it was too late. With a final tinkling melody, the piano vanished in a swirl of
fairy magic. Poppy smiled happily at Rachel and Kirsty.

  “Thank you, girls!” she said gratefully.

  Looking sulky, the goblin was untangling himself from the microphone cord.

  “Does this mean I don’t get to be lead singer?” he demanded.

  “I’m afraid not,” Poppy replied.

  The goblin snorted in disgust. “I could have been a megastar if it weren’t for you mean girls!” he muttered as he stomped off.

  Poppy laughed. “I hope you’ll be able to help the other Music Fairies find their musical instruments, girls,” she went on. “A world without music would be no fun at all, would it?” She waved at Rachel and Kirsty. “Good-bye — and good luck!”

  “Good-bye, Poppy,” the girls chorused as their fairy friend disappeared in a puff of glitter and a swirl of tinkling piano music.

  “Poppy’s right,” Rachel said, gazing around at all the instruments in the store. “The world wouldn’t be the same without music.”

  “Then we have to stop Jack Frost from winning the competition!” Kirsty replied in a determined voice. She grinned at Rachel. “Besides, I don’t think the human world is ready for Frosty and his Gobolicious Band!”

  Guitar Star!

  A Goblin in Disguise?

  Making Music

  A Goblin Trap

  Splat!

  Catch That Guitar!

  Rachel Walker smiled across the breakfast table at her best friend, Kirsty Tate. “Yesterday was a really great start to school break, wasn’t it?” she said. “I love spending our vacations together. We always have the best adventures!”

  Rachel was staying with Kirsty’s family for the whole week of break. The two girls had been friends for a long time, and just yesterday they had made some new friends — the Music Fairies!

  Kirsty nodded. “It was so exciting meeting Poppy the Piano Fairy, and helping her get her magic piano back from the goblins. I loved it when —” She stopped suddenly. “Did you hear something?” she asked.

  The two girls sat in silence for a moment, listening. Nobody, not even their parents, knew about their fairy friends, and the girls were careful to keep it that way. It was their most special secret! The two of them had been to Fairyland many times now, helping many kinds of different fairies and having some very magical adventures.

  Kirsty and Rachel could both hear footsteps approaching — and another noise, too.

  “It sounds like bells,” Rachel said in surprise. “Or a tambourine!” Her eyes lit up as she turned to Kirsty. “Do you think it’s a magic musical instrument?”

  Yesterday, the girls had discovered that Jack Frost, a very mischievous fairy, had stolen all seven of the Music Fairies’ magic musical instruments. He wanted to form a pop group with his goblins — Frosty and his Gobolicious Band. Jack Frost was hoping his band would win the National Talent Competition that was being held in Wetherbury at the end of the week, but the fairies couldn’t let that happen. If he did win, it wouldn’t take long for people to figure out that he wasn’t human. And once the world knew that fairies really existed, all of Kirsty and Rachel’s magical friends would be in danger of being discovered by nosy, meddling humans!

  Kirsty, Rachel, and Poppy had managed to find the magic piano yesterday, but there were still six other missing magic instruments that had to be tracked down.

  “I don’t remember there being a magic tambourine,” Kirsty replied in a low voice, looking puzzled. Then the kitchen door opened, and her face broke into a grin. “Dad — it’s you!”

  Mr. Tate came into the room, shaking a tambourine enthusiastically. “Morning, girls!” he said cheerfully. He went over to the table, grabbed a piece of toast, and waved good-bye with his tambourine as he walked back to the door.

  “Do you have band practice now?” Kirsty asked.

  Mr. Tate grinned. “I sure do,” he said. “Your uncle John’s already out there warming up on the drums, and Dave just arrived, too.” He smiled at Rachel. “Your ears are in for a treat, girls!”

  Kirsty laughed as he left the room. “I wouldn’t call it a treat,” she told Rachel. “They’re not very good. And now that the fairies’ instruments are missing, Dad’s band is going to sound even worse than usual!”

  The two girls had learned yesterday that the Music Fairies used their magic musical instruments to help make playing music fun. The instruments also ensured that music sounded harmonious all around the world. Ever since the goblins had taken the magic instruments, music was sounding flat and tuneless everywhere. It was far less enjoyable to play — and to hear!

  “Your dad’s band can’t be that bad,” Rachel said, getting to her feet. “Let’s go and listen.”

  The two girls left the kitchen and went out to the barn that stood a short distance from the Tates’ house. They peeked around the door to see Mr. Tate playing an electric keyboard with one hand and shaking a tambourine with the other. Kirsty’s uncle John was pounding on the drums, and a third man was taking off his jacket. A guitar case was propped up next to him.

  “What a mess!” Kirsty whispered to Rachel. “We’ve got to find those other missing instruments. This is one band that really needs help!”

  Rachel had to agree. “I know the fairies always say that we shouldn’t go looking for the magic because it will come to us,” she replied. “But if we bike into Wetherbury, we might find another one of the magic instruments.”

  “Good idea,” Kirsty said. “The bikes are in the barn. Follow me!”

  The girls pushed open the heavy barn door, and the band stopped playing as they came inside.

  “What do you think?” Mr. Tate called to them. “Think we have a chance at winning the National Talent Competition?”

  “You never know,” Rachel said with a smile.

  “We won’t win anything if we can’t keep time,” Kirsty’s uncle grumbled, setting down his drumsticks with a sigh. “Sorry, guys. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today. I totally lost the beat there.”

  The two girls exchanged glances. They knew why John was struggling — it was all because of the missing magic instruments. They had to find the rest of them — and fast!

  “Don’t worry,” Kirsty’s dad said. “Let’s practice an easier one next. How about … ?” He shuffled through a stack of paper, and the men started discussing lyrics and chord changes.

  Kirsty went to get the bikes and accidentally bumped into Dave’s guitar case. It fell to the ground with a thud, and popped open. “Oh no!” Kirsty cried, bending down.

  The men were so engrossed in their discussion that they hadn’t even noticed.

  Kirsty was about to pick up the guitar when the hole in the middle started glowing. Rachel walked over to take a closer look. “Is it broken?” she whispered anxiously.

  But before Kirsty could reply, there was a faint strumming sound — and out flew Ellie the Guitar Fairy!

  The girls recognized the little fairy from when they’d met all of the Music Fairies the day before. They were excited to see her again! Ellie was wearing a short blue skirt with sequins on the waistband. She also had on a striped tank, leggings, and sporty high-tops. Her dark hair bobbed around her face as she flew up to the girls.

  “Hello there!” she said cheerfully.

  Kirsty glanced over her shoulder to where her dad and his friends were still talking. She didn’t want them to notice Ellie! “Hi,” she said in a low voice. “We’d better get you out of here before anyone sees you.”

  “Of course,” Ellie agreed. She flicked her wand at the guitar case, which quietly closed itself. Then she fluttered under Rachel’s hair.

  Kirsty and Rachel walked quickly out of the barn. “I heard some awful music — that’s why I came,” Ellie explained. “And now that I’m here, I have a strong feeling that my magic guitar is somewhere nearby.”

  “We’ll help you look for it,” Rachel said, gazing around.

  “But your magic guitar might not even be enough to make my dad’s band sound better,” Kirsty sai
d, grinning. “That was the awful music you heard.”

  “Oops,” Ellie said, with a tinkling laugh. She fluttered off Rachel’s shoulder and hovered in midair, her beating wings a blur of shimmering color. “Let’s start looking anyway, all right? Where would a goblin have hidden my guitar?”

  The three friends were just about to start searching in the yard when a short, stocky man came up the front walk. Kirsty gazed at him with curiosity. He was wearing a cowboy hat, a long leather coat, and enormous sunglasses.

  Ellie darted behind the girls as the man walked up.

  “Where’s the band practicing?” he asked in a high, squeaky voice. “I’m the lead singer.”

  Kirsty’s heart thumped. The man was very short — could he be a goblin? With his hat and sunglasses it was hard to tell. Kirsty pointed to the barn, too shocked to speak.

  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Rachel whispered as the man moved out of earshot.

  Kirsty nodded. “I’ve never seen him before,” she replied. “He might be a goblin!”

  Ellie raised her eyebrows, unbelieving. “No!” she said. “Goblins are green. You two should know that by now!”

  Rachel shook her head. “We found out that Jack Frost has cast a spell over the goblins to make them blend in with the humans,” she told Ellie. “The goblin we saw yesterday wasn’t green at all.”

  “He still had big goblin ears and feet,” Kirsty said, “and a long, pointy nose. That was how we knew he wasn’t really human.”