Keira the Movie Star Fairy Page 4

  “I can’t seem to remember my lines,” muttered one of the actors.

  The blond woman shook her head.

  “What strange noises these old houses make,” she said, closing the door again.

  Rachel let out a sigh of relief.

  “That was close!” said Kirsty.

  “Come on!” Keira said, flying down the stairs after the goblins. “We have to keep them from causing any more trouble!”

  Downstairs, the director and his crew were back on set, still trying to make the cameras work. The girls flew into the room and hovered close to the ceiling, trying to spot the goblins.

  It was hard to see anything among all the runners, extras, and actors. But then Kirsty spotted one of Julianna’s large, frilly parasols. It was moving behind a red velvet sofa in the corner of the room. Four green feet poked out from underneath it.

  “There!” she cried, pointing.

  As they flew lower, they saw that the goblins were still fighting over the enchanted clapboard. Just then, the skinny goblin used it to tweak the plump goblin’s nose. He groaned in pain.

  “Listen to those creaks,” said a runner as he trailed a cable along the edge of the room. “Anyone would think this place was haunted.”

  “They’re going to break the clapboard!” said Keira in an alarmed voice. “We have to stop them!”

  “We can’t do anything with the movie crew in the room,” said Rachel. “We’ll be spotted.”

  Keira peeked down at the movie crew. Actors, runners, and camera operators were calling out to one another and rushing backward and forward, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

  A sound technician had wedged her microphone in the old ceiling beams, and three runners were trying to pull it free. The wardrobe woman was in a panic because half her costumes had gone missing, and the makeup artist’s brushes had fallen through the cracks between the floorboards. The poor director was sitting in the middle of it all with his head in his hands.

  “This is the last day of filming on location,” he groaned. “Mrs. Croft is coming back tomorrow. We have to get the wedding scene done by tonight.”

  The three friends stared at one another in alarm. They were running out of time!

  “We can’t stay here or we’ll be spotted,” said Kirsty. “Let’s hide on the mantelpiece.”

  “Good idea,” said Keira. “We can watch the goblins from there and wait for a chance to get the enchanted clapboard back.”

  They fluttered over to the fireplace. They had just darted behind a pretty porcelain figure when the director jumped to his feet.

  “Quiet!” he boomed.

  That made even the goblins stop fighting and stick their heads out from behind the parasol.

  “I cannot create movie magic in these conditions,” the director went on. “Get everyone in here! Let’s set up a screen and watch the dailies until the equipment can be fixed.”

  “What are dailies?” asked Rachel as the director’s team sprang into action.

  “They’re the scenes that were filmed the day before,” Keira explained. “The director always checks them to make sure nothing went wrong and needs to be re-shot.”

  The girls watched as two runners pointed a projector at the white wall above Mrs. Croft’s sideboard. A production assistant carefully lifted a large reel of film out of a black leather case. The room was soon packed full of actors, runners, camera operators, and assistants.

  “Let’s make it dark in here,” said the director.

  A runner with a clipboard pulled the curtains shut and turned off the lights. Then the production assistant pressed PLAY, and the scenes that had been filmed the day before were projected onto Mrs. Croft’s white wall.

  The room was dark and shadowy, but in the light from the dailies, Kirsty saw something moving behind the sofa.

  “I think the goblins are trying to see what’s going on,” she whispered.

  “Let’s get closer,” Rachel suggested.

  Under cover of darkness, the girls swooped quickly down from the mantelpiece and fluttered closer to the goblins.

  The goblins were watching the film scenes and scowling.

  “Look at that silly fairy stuff!” said the plump one, folding his arms. “Who wants to watch movies about pesky fairies, anyway?”

  “Jack Frost would make a much better movie,” the skinny goblin agreed, tucking the enchanted clapboard under his arm. “And I would be the star!”

  “No, I would be the star!” insisted the plump goblin.

  “No, me!”

  “Me!”

  “Me!”

  The skinny goblin jumped up on top of the sideboard, standing right in front of the projector screen. Everyone in the room gasped — it looked as if he had appeared in the middle of the movie scene!

  “See how wonderful I look on-screen?” he demanded.

  He struck a pose and put his hand on his hip . . . and the enchanted clapboard fell to the floor. The plump goblin made a dive for it.

  “Quick — grab it from him!” cried Keira.

  Kirsty, Rachel, and Keira reached the enchanted clapboard a second too late. The plump goblin clutched it tightly to his chest.

  “Give that back to Keira,” whispered Rachel. “It doesn’t belong to you.”

  “I’m not giving it to you!” the goblin squeaked.

  The director frowned at the skinny goblin who had appeared in the middle of his scene.

  “I certainly don’t remember filming this,” he said.

  “Yes, and who’s that ugly extra?” said Chad Stenning.

  “Who are you calling ugly?” squawked the goblin, blowing a noisy raspberry at the star. “I’m the best-looking goblin in the whole world!”

  “Oh, no you’re not!” snapped the plump goblin, jumping up beside him.

  “Who hired these extras?” demanded the director. “And where did they get those hideous costumes?”

  “They think the goblins are actors!” Rachel gasped.

  The plump goblin gave the skinny one a hard shove. The outlines of their bodies filled the white wall behind them.

  “I was born to be a star!” the skinny goblin yelled.

  “No you weren’t, I was!” the plump goblin squawked.

  He flung the enchanted clapboard down on the carpet in a huff.

  “Someone get those extras out of here!” roared the director.

  “This is our chance!” said Rachel.

  As a runner jumped up to remove the goblins from the room, the three friends zipped toward the enchanted clapboard. The crew was staring at the goblins, so no one saw the little fairy fly next to the enchanted clapboard and shrink it down to fairy-size with her touch.

  “I’ve got it!” she cried, lifting it up and then hugging it tightly to her chest.

  The runner was now chasing the goblins around the room, and everyone was shouting and pointing.

  “Come on,” cried Kirsty, yelling over the din. “Let’s fly out to the garden before the goblins realize that the enchanted clapboard is gone!”

  They fluttered toward a gap in Mrs. Croft’s curtains and swooped out through the open window. The afternoon sunbeams were dazzling compared to the dark cottage.

  “We did it!” declared Keira.

  The three friends shared a joyful hug. Just then, they heard Mrs. Croft’s front door open. The goblins stomped out of the cottage, scowling.

  “I’ve had enough of moviemaking!” the girls heard the plump goblin complain. “I don’t care what Jack Frost says!”

  The goblins disappeared into the woods, and Keira smiled at Rachel and Kirsty.

  “Thank you for all your help today,” she said. “Now filming can get back to normal. It’s time for your scene!”

  With a graceful swish of her magic wand, she returned Kirsty and Rachel to their normal size. Kirsty straightened her tiara, ready to go inside.

  “Our big moment has arrived at last!” Rachel smiled.

  “I’m going to take the enchanted
clapboard back to Fairyland,” explained Keira. “But I’ve got a feeling that The Starlight Chronicles is going to be a sparkling success. Break a leg!”

  “Break a leg!” called Kirsty and Rachel, waving happily.

  Keira twirled her wand in a tiny circle. Then she disappeared in a burst of golden light, leaving behind a shower of stars.

  A runner popped his head out of Mrs. Croft’s cottage.

  “Are you coming in, girls?” he called. “The cameras are working again and we’re ready for you.”

  Kirsty and Rachel hurried inside, their hearts fluttering with excitement. They arrived just in time to hear the director say some truly magical words.

  “Lights! Camera! Action!”

  Don’t miss any of Rachel and Kirsty’s other fairy adventures. Check out this magical sneak peek of

  Read on for a special sneak peek. . . .

  “We could not have planned it better,” Kirsty Tate told her best friend, Rachel Walker, in the backseat of the Tates’ car. “It’s the perfect weekend for you to visit. The Fall Festival at New Growth Farm is going to be so much fun!”

  Rachel nodded and gave Kirsty a bright smile. She could hardly get a word in! Ever since she had arrived at Kirsty’s house for the long weekend, her friend had been talking about the farm fund-raiser.

  “There will be apple picking, arts and crafts, and a giant leaf jump on the last day,” Kirsty explained, too excited to sit still. She fiddled with her seat belt and swung her feet.

  “Kirsty, dear,” Mrs. Tate said from the front seat of the station wagon, “I’m looking forward to it, too, but please stop kicking my seat.”

  Rachel giggled. It was funny seeing Kirsty so wound up.

  Kirsty decided to use her energy to tell Rachel more about the farm. “The best part is that my class has been going there on field trips,” she said. “We feed the chickens, and help water and mulch the plants. We’ve learned a lot from Kyra, the farmer.”

  Rachel nodded again.

  “I can’t wait for you to see the orchards, and the rows of vegetables, and the duck pond. I know you’ll love it all,” Kirsty told her friend.

  “It sounds like a magical place,” Rachel said. She gave Kirsty a sly grin. After all, the two girls knew a lot about magic! They couldn’t tell anyone, but Kirsty and Rachel were special helpers to Queen Titania and King Oberon, the rulers of Fairyland. The girls had worked with many of their fairy friends to outsmart Jack Frost and his tricky goblins. Most of all, they had kept the fairies a secret — if other humans found out about Fairyland, fairy magic would be in great danger.

  “I’ll tell you one thing we could have planned better,” Mrs. Tate said after a moment. “The weather.”

  It was true. It was supposed to be a Fall Festival, but it felt more like the peak of summer! The sun was blazing hot. It was a perfect day for swimming, but the pools had been closed for two months! It seemed like it was getting even hotter. The weather forecasters couldn’t explain it.

  “You can’t plan the weather, I guess,” Rachel said with a laugh, but Mrs. Tate just shook her head.

  “I hope the heat won’t keep people away from the festival,” Mrs. Tate worried out loud. “Kyra’s worked so hard to make it perfect.”

  “Look! We’re almost there,” Kirsty called out. “Just around this bend.”

  But as the farm came into view, Kirsty gasped. All the plants in the field looked dry and wilted. As they drove by, the girls could see piles of rotten fruit on the ground.

  “It doesn’t look like I expected,” Rachel said before she could stop herself.

  “No,” Kirsty agreed. “Something is terribly wrong.” She looked out at the dry fields. The cows couldn’t even find any grass to nibble on! She knew how much the weather affected farms, but Kyra’s farm had been thriving a week ago. Now it was a mess. Something wasn’t right.

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this,” Kirsty whispered to her best friend, “but I hope Jack Frost is up to his old tricks.”

  “Kirsty!” Rachel exclaimed in a hushed voice. “How could you hope that Jack Frost is causing trouble on the farm?”

  “That’s not exactly what I meant,” Kirsty replied. “I just know something is wrong. I feel awful about what’s happening here. But if it’s Jack Frost’s fault, we can do something about it.”

  Mrs. Tate was mumbling in the front seat. “It’s probably this awful heat. Or maybe there are beetles attacking all the plants,” she said to herself. She shook her head as she turned the car onto the farm’s long dirt driveway.

  Rachel thought about what Kirsty and her mom had said. If it was the weather or some kind of bug, there was no way the girls could fix that. But if it was nasty Jack Frost, Rachel and Kirsty knew just what to do!

  * * *

  As soon as the engine stopped, Kirsty hopped out of the car. “Come on, Rachel!” she called. “Let’s see how we can help!”

  Rachel was at her friend’s side at once. They could definitely help with the farmyard chores, but they might be able to do even more. “Let’s look for signs of Jack Frost and his no-good goblins,” she whispered. Kirsty smiled, happy they had the same plan.

  “Hey!” a voice called.

  Rachel looked up to see a tall woman in lace-up work boots taking long strides toward them.

  “You guys are real troopers, coming out in this heat,” the woman said. She had a long blond braid down her back and crystal-blue eyes. “You must be Rachel.”

  Rachel returned her smile. “Yes. I’m visiting Kirsty for the festival. We’re here to volunteer, if you need help getting ready.”

  “Yes, indeed,” the farmer said. “I can’t thank you enough. Suddenly, there’s a ton of work to do around here. I’m not sure what’s going on.”

  Rachel, Kirsty, and Mrs. Tate listened with concern. “Early this week, as the temperature got hotter, the fruit began to rot and the crops drooped,” Kyra explained. “I can’t seem to water them enough.”

  “Could it be some kind of bug?” Mrs. Tate asked.

  Kirsty was wondering the same thing. She kept hearing a loud buzzing sound. She noticed that Rachel was looking around, too. Did she hear the same thing?

  Just then, the buzzing became clearer. It was a whisper!

  “Rachel, Kirsty! Look down!” the whisper said.

  The girls locked eyes, then quickly dropped their gazes. They looked around the area near their feet.

  There, hidden under the yellow petals of a squash blossom, was a tiny fairy! She was waving her arms up at the girls.

  Kirsty quickly shifted her feet so that she was shielding the fairy from view. When her mom gave her a funny look, Kirsty put on a grin and pretended to listen to the adults’ conversation.

  “Come over here and look at the corn,” Kyra said to Mrs. Tate.

  As soon as the adults were behind the tall cornstalks, Rachel and Kirsty kneeled down.

  “Hello!” they both said.

  “Hello, Rachel and Kirsty!” the fairy said as she stepped onto the blossom’s stem. She was dressed in deep plum, golden yellow, and orange, with brown boots and long reddish-brown hair. She wiped teeny beads of sweat from her nose. “Excuse me,” she said with a sigh.

  “It’s just too hot. I prefer cooler weather. I guess that makes sense, since I’m Autumn the Falling Leaves Fairy.”

  Kirsty and Rachel smiled. They loved meeting new fairies!

  “The only problem is, unless you help me, there may not be any falling leaves this year,” Autumn said, shaking her head. “In fact, there may not be any fall at all!”

  “Oh, no!” Kirsty exclaimed. “No fall? Does it have anything to do with this strange heat wave?”

  “It has everything to do with the heat,” Autumn answered. “It’s a long story, but it starts with Jack Frost.”

  Rachel and Kirsty weren’t surprised. Jack Frost was always causing trouble! They listened closely to Autumn.

  “I’m sure you know that Jack Frost loves winter. The freezing-
cold weather fits his icy personality,” Autumn explained. “This year, he couldn’t wait for the cold weather, so he decided to try to trick nature and skip fall altogether.”

  “He wanted to go straight from summer to winter?” Kirsty asked, making sure she understood.

  “Exactly,” said Autumn. “And he knew just how to do it.”

  * * *

  “What did Jack Frost do this time?” Rachel wondered out loud.

  “He stole my three magical objects that get the fall season started,” Autumn answered. “He was very clever. I didn’t even realize that they were gone right away!” Autumn went on to list the three objects. She explained that the first, a scarf, brought the brisk breezes that were the first sign of fall. The second, a pumpkin, made the fall harvest extra magical.

  The third object was a beautiful ruby-red leaf. The leaf told the trees that it was time for their leaves to change color and fall to the ground.

  Rachel looked around. The leaves were still all green and on the trees.

  “When summer was almost over,” Autumn continued, “I went to get my three objects out of their hiding place. I always keep them in an old hatbox in my closet. But this time, they were gone!”

  “If Jack Frost stole your objects,” Kirsty thought out loud, “why isn’t it winter now?”

  “Because that’s not the way nature works,” Autumn told the girls. “The seasons follow a cycle. Summer leads to fall. Fall leads to winter, and so on. It isn’t natural to skip a season.” The fairy sighed again.

  “So Jack Frost messed up the cycle,” Rachel reasoned.

  “Yes, and now we’re stuck in summer until we can find my magical objects,” explained Autumn. “The one good thing is that Jack Frost didn’t want anyone to know he had the objects, so he hid them with a magical spell. I know that they are somewhere nearby. Now that I’m close, the goblins are trying to find them, too.” She sighed. “If they get the objects, Jack Frost will hide them all over again.”