Cheryl the Christmas Tree Fairy Read online

  “Dancer . . . Prancer . . . Vixen . . .” Kirsty read aloud. “This is where the reindeer live — but where are they now?”

  “They’re out on a sleigh ride,” said a voice behind them.

  The girls whirled around and saw the man who had let them into the workshop.

  “I’m sure you’ll see them another time,” he said. “But this door is supposed to be kept closed.”

  The girls smiled at him, apologized, and went back into the workshop.

  “That’s a relief,” said Rachel. “The barn must have been empty when the goblins got there.”

  “But where did they go next?” asked Kirsty.

  “I think I know!” said Cheryl, flying out from under Kirsty’s hair. “Look at that.”

  She pointed at the floor. There were a few strands of straw leading away from the barn door.

  “Ooh, let’s follow them,” said Rachel.

  Cheryl fluttered ahead of the girls as they followed the trail of straw. While they hurried along, they heard a hum of chatter that grew louder and louder. The straw trail ran out, but by then they could follow the sound of the voices.

  They turned a corner and saw another group of angry-looking people staring at a big red and gold machine. The goblins were dancing on the edge of the machine!

  “Come down here now!” the head carpenter demanded. But the goblins kept jumping around, sticking their tongues out at the workers surrounding them.

  Suddenly, one of the goblins wobbled, shrieked, and clutched at the other. They both lost their balance — and tumbled into the machine!

  The machine let out a series of whistles and beeps. There were even some loud clunks.

  “Oh, no!” cried Rachel. “We have to rescue them!”

  “What kind of machine is that?” Kirsty asked the head carpenter.

  “It’s an automatic wrapping machine,” he replied. “It can wrap any present, any size.”

  “Will they be all right?” asked Rachel.

  “They’ll be fine,” said the head carpenter, looking angry. “Just a little shocked. Maybe it will teach them a lesson!”

  A large chute opened at the base of the machine, and two goblin-shaped presents popped out. They were wrapped in shiny Christmas paper!

  Rachel and Kirsty hurried over and tore the paper at the end of each present. Angry green goblin faces appeared.

  “Let us go!” they demanded, struggling in the wrapping. “It’s not funny!”

  “It is pretty funny,” said Rachel, stifling a giggle.

  “We’re not letting you go until you’ve listened to what we have to say,” said Kirsty as the elves all wandered off.

  The goblins grumbled and wriggled, but they couldn’t get away. Rachel and Kirsty kneeled down in front of them, and Cheryl fluttered onto Rachel’s knee.

  “I should have known,” muttered the first goblin when he saw her. “Pesky fairies!”

  “Listen,” said Rachel. “We want to help you. We overheard you saying that you want a bigger decoration for the top of your tree. Cheryl will make one for you, if you’ll swap your star for it.”

  The goblins narrowed their eyes suspiciously.

  “Why would you do that?” asked the second goblin.

  “Because we like your star,” said Kirsty truthfully. “And it’s Christmas. People are supposed to be extra nice to one another at Christmastime.”

  “I could make you the very best tree decoration you’ve ever seen,” said Cheryl.

  The goblins looked at each other and nodded.

  “All right,” they said. “Show us!”

  Rachel and Kirsty tore away the rest of the wrapping paper, while Cheryl waved her wand. Golden fairy dust streamed from the tip of her wand and zigzagged into the shape of a large gold star. Red, blue, and yellow jewels sparkled in the center. It hung in the air in front of the goblins, and their mouths fell open in wonder.

  “Well?” asked Rachel, holding her breath.

  “It’s the most beautiful decoration I’ve ever seen!” cried the first goblin.

  The second goblin lifted his hat, took out the magic Christmas star, and handed it to Cheryl. She waved her wand again and returned the Christmas star to its fairy size.

  “I don’t know how to thank you girls,” she said, smiling at Rachel and Kirsty.

  “Just return the star to the magic Christmas tree,” said Kirsty. “Then everyone will start feeling helpful and kind!”

  “And that’s what Christmas is all about,” Cheryl said.

  She blew them a kiss and disappeared in a flurry of fairy dust.

  Moments later, the girls felt a warm glow all around them. It gave them a wonderful happy feeling. They just wanted to smile at everyone!

  “That must mean that the magic Christmas star is back where it belongs,” said Rachel.

  Nearby, the first goblin tucked the huge star under his arm and rubbed his hands together.

  “Time to get back to the Ice Castle,” he said.

  “Wait a minute,” said the second goblin. “Maybe we should stay here and help the elves clean up.”

  “Oh,” the first goblin said. “You’re right. We did make an awfully big mess.”

  Rachel and Kirsty watched in amazement as the goblins hurried off to help the elves.

  “Well,” said Kirsty, finding her voice at last, “I guess the magic Christmas star must have affected the goblins, too.”

  “And that’s what I call powerful magic!” Rachel said, giggling.

  News from Fairyland

  A Snowy Disguise!

  Jack Frost’s Mistake

  A Magical Invitation

  The Perfect Christmas

  “Could you pass me the gold ribbon, please?” Rachel asked Kirsty. “I want to make Mom’s present look extra special.”

  It was Christmas Eve, and the girls were busy wrapping presents in their room at Christmas Cabin. It was dark, but they hadn’t closed the curtains yet. Christmas lights twinkled in the window, and snowflakes were falling outside.

  “Christmas here is almost as magical as Fairyland,” said Kirsty, handing the gold ribbon to her best friend and staring out the window.

  “I hope that Christmas will be magical,” Rachel said, tying the ribbon around the little box of perfume. “It will be ruined here and in Fairyland if we can’t find Cheryl’s magic Christmas gift.”

  The girls and their families were on a Christmas vacation in the country, but as soon as they arrived, Jack Frost and his goblins had started causing trouble. They had taken Cheryl the Christmas Tree Fairy’s special magical items! With Kirsty and Rachel’s help, Cheryl had found the Christmas tree and the beautiful Christmas star — but the magic Christmas gift was still missing.

  “The Christmas gift helps make sure that everyone enjoys the holiday festivities,” Kirsty remembered. “Oh, Rachel, I hope Jack Frost doesn’t ruin Christmas day — or the midnight caroling concert!”

  “Me, too,” said Rachel, wrapping up her dad’s present, which was a new bike helmet. “It’ll be so much fun!”

  Rachel and Kirsty were very excited about Christmas day and the outdoor concert that evening. There were going to be carols, and the girls would be allowed to stay up late to sing!

  “Somehow we have to find that magic Christmas gift, no matter what!” said Rachel, determined.

  Suddenly, Kirsty gasped and pointed at the silver wrapping paper that Rachel was using. Golden sparkles were dancing around the edges of the paper.

  “Those are fairy sparkles!” Kirsty exclaimed.

  “You’re right!” cried Rachel, letting go of the paper.

  The girls watched in delight as the paper wrapped itself around the bike-helmet box. Silvery ribbons curled around it and tied themselves into beautiful bows.

 
Then there was a puff of golden fairy dust, and Cheryl appeared in the midst of it! She flew into the air, until she was hovering face-to-face with the girls.

  “Hi, girls,” she said quietly. “I know where the magic Christmas gift is.”

  “That’s wonderful!” said Rachel, clapping her hands together in excitement.

  “So, where is it?” asked Kirsty eagerly.

  Both girls thought it was strange that Cheryl didn’t seem happy about the news. Her eyes looked worried, and she wasn’t smiling.

  “I’ve been searching high and low in Fairyland,” she said. “Everyone has joined in — even the king and queen. We’ve looked under every toadstool and investigated every bird’s nest. No one has been able to find the magic Christmas gift.”

  “Does that mean it’s here in the human world?” asked Rachel.

  Cheryl shook her head. “I would know if it had left Fairyland because of my strong connection with it,” she said. “This morning we finished our search, and Queen Titania said that there is only one place it could be . . . the Ice Castle.”

  Rachel and Kirsty exchanged worried looks. They had been in Jack Frost’s chilling castle before, and it was cold and dangerous.

  “Will you help me again, girls?” asked Cheryl, clasping her hands together. “I know it’s a big favor, but I can’t do it without you. Will you come and search the Ice Castle with me?”

  Rachel and Kirsty didn’t hesitate. There was only one answer they could give.

  “Yes!” they said together.

  Cheryl waved her wand, and a burst of golden fairy dust exploded from it like a tiny firework. It coiled around the girls’ ankles and spiraled up around their bodies until they were glimmering with gold sparkles. Delicate wings sprouted from their backs as they shrank to fairy-size.

  The golden sparkles became whirling hoops of light, spinning around them. Their bedroom vanished in a blur, and when the light disappeared, the girls found themselves standing in the forest outside Jack Frost’s Ice Castle.

  “Wow!” said Kirsty. “I think that was the fastest trip to Fairyland ever!”

  “We have to be quick,” said Cheryl in an urgent whisper. “There are only a few hours of Christmas Eve left. If midnight strikes before I have the magic Christmas gift back, it will be too late — and no one will enjoy Christmas day!”

  “But how are we going to get inside the castle?” asked Rachel. “There are bound to be guards on duty, and they won’t let us just fly in.”

  Kirsty looked up into the darkening sky. Snowflakes were drifting down.

  “I have an idea!” she said, her eyes sparkling. “Cheryl, could you disguise us as snowflakes? Then we could fly right into the central courtyard, and the goblin guards wouldn’t suspect a thing!”

  “That’s a great idea!” said Cheryl.

  The three friends zipped up into the sky and hovered above the snowy courtyard in the center of the castle. Sure enough, there were several goblin guards on duty. They were marching back and forth across the courtyard, looking very important.

  Cheryl tapped Rachel and Kirsty with her wand, and then touched it against her own head. Instantly, they all shrank to the size of snowflakes. They were coated in white from head to toe, with sparkly crowns on their heads!

  “We look like someone’s wrapped us in white lace!” Rachel giggled.

  The girls flew downward, making sure that they moved at the same speed as the snowflakes around them. Rachel couldn’t help remembering the time they had visited the castle with Belle the Birthday Fairy. She shivered but tried to stay brave.

  “Head toward that hallway,” she whispered, pointing at a dark archway in the courtyard wall. “That leads to the Great Hall — we can start our search there.”

  They landed under the archway. The goblin guards were still marching around the courtyard. They were wearing colorful hats and scarves to protect them from the cold.

  “Come on, before they notice us!” whispered Cheryl, her breath hanging in the icy air.

  As the three friends fluttered into the corridor, their snowflake disguises melted away and they returned to fairy-size. They flew quickly to the Great Hall, but the doors were wide open — and it was empty.

  “We have to keep looking,” Kirsty whispered.

  They flew farther along the hallway, deep into the castle. At last, they reached another set of large double doors. The words THRONE ROOM were carved above them.

  “Listen!” said Rachel, putting her ear to the door.

  Someone was speaking in low, grumbling tones.

  “I’d know that voice anywhere!” Rachel said.

  Kirsty nodded firmly. “It’s Jack Frost!”

  Cheryl tapped her wand on the door and it slowly creaked open. The girls peered around it.

  “There he is!” Cheryl gasped.

  Jack Frost was sitting with one leg hooked over the arm of the throne and his spiky chin resting on his hand. He was staring at a small, sad-looking Christmas tree. Its only decorations were some big icicles and the huge star that Cheryl had made for the goblins.

  “That poor little Christmas tree is so unloved,” said Cheryl with a sigh.

  “But look what’s underneath it!” Rachel whispered in excitement.

  Under the drooping branches of the tree was the magic Christmas gift!

  “Those silly goblins have ruined my Christmas again,” Jack Frost was muttering to himself. “Can’t they do anything right? They lost the magic Christmas tree, gave away the magic Christmas star, and now they’ve done something to the magic Christmas gift to stop it from working. I’m sick and tired of them!”

  “What is he talking about?” asked Kirsty in a low voice. “The magic Christmas gift looks OK to me.”

  “I don’t know,” said Cheryl, lifting her chin bravely, “but I’m going to find out.”

  Before the girls knew it, Cheryl fluttered into the middle of the Throne Room. Rachel and Kirsty took deep breaths and flew close behind her. Jack Frost was still staring at the tree, his eyebrows knitted together in an icy frown. He hadn’t spotted them.

  “Jack Frost!” said Cheryl loudly.

  Jack Frost’s head whipped around to face them, and his eyes widened when he saw the three fairies.

  “You!” he snarled. “How did you get into my castle?”

  “We’re here to ask you to return the magic Christmas gift,” said Rachel bravely.

  “It’s no use to you,” Kirsty added.

  “Tell me how to make it work!” Jack Frost roared, leaping to his feet.

  Cheryl looked at the girls in confusion, and Jack Frost gave a howl of rage.

  “No fairy tricks!” he shouted.

  He pointed his wand and a stream of ice bolts came hurtling toward them!

  “Duck!” cried Cheryl.

  The three girls scattered, and the ice bolts just missed them.

  “Make it work, or I’ll turn you all into tiny ice sculptures and use you as ornaments!” Jack Frost snarled.

  “The magic Christmas gift can only do its job when it’s in the Fairyland Nursery, underneath the magic Christmas tree,” Cheryl explained, looking confused.

  “You’re lying!” Jack Frost hissed. “You just want to keep all the presents for yourself!”

  “Fairies don’t lie,” said Cheryl indignantly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. The magic Christmas gift doesn’t bring presents.”

  Jack Frost sat down on his throne with a heavy thump, and his mouth fell open.

  “What?” he said in disbelief.

  “I think I understand what happened,” said Rachel. “Jack Frost thought that the magic Christmas gift would bring him lots of presents — that’s why he wanted it.”

  Cheryl fluttered closer to the throne.

  “Tha
t’s not what the magic Christmas gift does,” she said gently. “You made a mistake. Its job is to make sure that everyone has a happy time on Christmas day.”

  “Then it should give me hundreds of presents!” Jack Frost shouted.

  “Presents can’t make you happy,” said Cheryl. “It’s the magic and warmth of Christmas that does that.”

  Rachel and Kirsty fluttered closer.

  “Please give back the magic Christmas gift,” said Kirsty. “Then everyone can have a merry Christmas.”

  Jack Frost looked suspicious.

  “Even me?” he asked.

  “Yes,” said Cheryl. “I promise that if you give me the magic Christmas gift, you’ll have the jolliest Christmas you’ve ever had.”

  The girls held their breath. Would Jack Frost agree? He raised his wand and Rachel clutched Kirsty’s arm. What was he going to do?

  Muttering a spell, Jack Frost pointed his wand at the magic Christmas gift.

  It rose into the air and floated toward Cheryl, shrinking as it moved. By the time it landed in her arms, it was back to fairy-size. Jack Frost lowered his wand.

  “Thank you!” said Cheryl, beaming. “I’ll return the magic Christmas gift to its rightful place under the magic Christmas tree. Then you will see how wonderful Christmas can be!”

  “All right,” Jack Frost growled. “But just in case you’re lying to me, those other two can stay here until you get back.” He pointed at Kirsty and Rachel.

  “That’s not fair!” Cheryl gasped. “I told you, I’m not lying!”