The Rainbow Magic Holiday Collection Page 4
“What’s going on?” shouted a gruff voice ahead of them. Rachel and Kirsty saw the goblin who had been warming his toes by the fire, standing in the middle of the path. Like the other goblins, he had heard the noise and had come outside to see what was going on.
“Stop them!” shouted the goblins behind the girls.
“They’ve stolen the magic star!” The goblin held up his hand. “STOP!” he roared.
But Rachel and Kirsty didn’t stop. They dashed past the goblin, one on either side of him. The goblin was spun around like a top. He landed on his back in the snow.
“Oh!” he howled. “I’m frozen!”
“Come on, girls!” Stella urged. She had caught up with Rachel and Kirsty, and now she hovered over their heads as they ran down another path.
Kirsty was trying desperately to think of an escape plan. If Stella turns us into fairies, we can fly away! she thought, but then she realized that it wouldn’t work. The star was too big for a fairy to carry, and they couldn’t leave it behind.
Suddenly, she noticed that they were running back into the middle of the village. Both girls skidded to a stop by the Christmas tree.
“We ran around in a great big circle!” Rachel groaned.
“And here come the goblins!” Kirsty panted, her face pale.
The goblins were rushing toward them from all directions.
“Now we’ve got you!” one yelled, and the others cheered.
Kirsty turned to Stella. “Stella, if Rachel and I were fairy-size, do you think the three of us could carry the star together?” she asked urgently. “Each of us could hold a corner of it.”
“I don’t know,” Stella replied doubtfully. “It’s awfully heavy.”
“We’ll have to try!” Rachel gasped, laying the star carefully on the ground. “It’s our only chance!”
As the goblins surrounded them, Stella raised her wand.
“There’s the star!” one of the goblins shouted. “Grab it!”
But before the goblins could move, Stella’s magic fairy dust drifted over Rachel and Kirsty. Immediately, the goblin green faded away and the girls shrank down to fairy-size. Both girls couldn’t help shivering with fright as they gazed around at the angry goblins, getting closer and closer. They looked much bigger and scarier from a fairy’s point of view!
“Quick!” Kirsty shouted, as the circle of goblins began to close in on them. “Grab a corner of the star and fly up — as fast as you can!”
A moment later, Rachel, Kirsty, and Stella shot up into the sky, lifting the star with them.
“We did it!” Rachel cried joyfully.
The goblins couldn’t believe their eyes. They were so surprised, they couldn’t stop themselves from colliding with the Christmas tree — and each other — as they rushed forward. They all bumped their knobby knees and long noses, and fell into a tangled heap on the ground, groaning loudly.
“Watch out for the Christmas tree!” one of them shouted.
Hovering high above the ground, Stella, Rachel, and Kirsty watched as the huge Christmas tree tottered and swayed from side to side. Slowly, it toppled over.
There were shrieks of rage as some of the big goblins were covered with tree branches, tinsel, and other decorations. A group of goblin children who were watching laughed so hard that they fell over, too!
Stella turned to Rachel and Kirsty, a big smile on her face. “Let’s get back to Fairyland right away!” she said. “It’s almost dark, and Santa will want to start delivering his presents soon!”
Carrying the star, Stella, Rachel, and Kirsty flew to Fairyland as fast as their wings would take them. When they arrived, they found every single fairy in the land waiting for them around the Christmas tree, along with King Oberon and Queen Titania. All the fairies gasped with delight as they spotted Stella and the girls flying toward them with the magic star.
“The star!” the fairies shouted excitedly. “Christmas is saved!”
“You’re just in time,” King Oberon declared, beaming at Stella, Rachel, and Kirsty as they landed clutching the star. “Santa Claus is about to set off !”
“Thank you so much,” added Queen Titania gratefully. “Now, would you put the star back on the tree where it belongs?”
Stella, Rachel, and Kirsty flew to the top of the tree and carefully lowered the star into place.
The star immediately shot dazzling swirls of magical silver fairy dust from every point, as if it knew it was home again.
“Girls, we all thank you from the bottom of our hearts!” the king declared, as Rachel and Kirsty flew down to stand before him. “We can never repay you fully, but we can promise you an extra-special Christmas!”
All of the fairies laughed and clapped, and Kirsty and Rachel looked at each other in delight.
“Thank you for your help, girls,” Stella said, kissing them both lightly on the cheek. “I hope you get everything you want for Christmas!”
“Now, we mustn’t keep you any longer,” the queen added. “You have to be home in time to enjoy your own Christmas, after working so hard.”
“Merry Christmas, everybody!” Kirsty and Rachel called, as Stella lifted her wand to send them home.
“Merry Christmas!” the fairies replied. They all waved their wands in farewell. Kirsty and Rachel were swept gently off their feet in a whirl of sparkling magic.
As the mist of fairy dust faded away, the girls found themselves back in Kirsty’s snowy backyard. It was getting dark, and the lights were on in the Tates’ house.
“Look!” Rachel pointed up at the sky. “The stars are out!”
Kirsty glanced up and saw that the stars were twinkling brightly, like tiny diamonds. “What’s that over there?” she asked, pointing at a large shape moving swiftly across the sky.
Rachel squinted and tried to make out what the shape could be. “It looks like a … sleigh,” she said slowly.
Kirsty’s eyes opened wide. “It’s Santa Claus!” she gasped.
The two girls watched in wonder as Santa’s sleigh, pulled by his magic reindeer, zoomed across the sky, leaving a trail of golden sparks behind it.
“Oh!” Kirsty cried suddenly. “The sparks behind the sleigh spell out a message!”
Rachel caught her breath, her heart pounding with excitement. She and Kirsty stared up at the dark sky. There, against the inky blackness, they could clearly read the words, ‘Merry Christmas, Rachel and Kirsty!’ written in dazzling golden sparks.
As he passed over the Tates’ house, Santa Claus looked down and gave the girls a friendly wave, grinning cheerfully at them. Then the sleigh picked up speed and disappeared behind a cloud.
“He waved to us!” Kirsty laughed.
“That was amazing!” Rachel agreed, her eyes shining as she watched the golden letters fade away into the darkness.
“Girls!” Mrs. Tate called from inside the house. “Rachel’s parents are here to pick her up.”
“I think it’s going to be a very merry Christmas, Rachel,” Kirsty said with a grin, as she and Rachel ran toward the house.
“Yes. Merry Christmas, Kirsty!” laughed Rachel. “And a merry Christmas to everyone in Fairyland!”
Santa’s Missing Sleigh
A Magical Mistake
Christmas Chaos
Buttons on the Loose!
Grumpy Goblins
Holly’s Magic Trick
A Narrow Escape
Christmas Shopping
Santa’s Workshop
Not the Real Santa!
The Chase Is On!
The Great Escape
The Night Before Christmas
Winter Wonderland
The Ice Castle
Caught!
A Magical Journey
A Fairy Merry Christmas
“Only three days to go!” Rachel Walker said, sighing happily. She was attaching Christmas cards to long pieces of red ribbon, so that she could hang them on the living room wall. “I love Christmas! Don’t you, Kirsty?”
Rachel and Kirsty laughed, and touched the golden lockets they both wore around their necks. The two girls shared a wonderful secret. No one else knew it, but they were friends with the fairies! Kirsty and Rachel had visited Fairyland several times when their fairy friends needed help. The first time, they had rescued the Rainbow Fairies after they were cast out of Fairyland by nasty Jack Frost. Then Jack Frost and his goblin servants had stolen the magical tail feathers from Doodle, the rooster that controlled the weather in Fairyland. The girls had helped the Weather Fairies get all of Doodle’s feathers back.
In return, the Fairy King and Queen had given Rachel and Kirsty each a gold locket. The lockets were full of magical fairy dust. The girls could use it to take them to Fairyland whenever they needed help from the fairies.
“Thanks for inviting me to visit,” said Kirsty, cutting another piece of ribbon. “Mom says she and Dad will pick me up on Christmas Eve.”
“We might get some snow before then!” Rachel said, smiling. “The weather’s getting much colder. I wonder what Christmas is like in Fairyland.”
Just then, the door opened and Mrs. Walker came into the room. She was followed by Buttons, Rachel’s friendly, shaggy dog. He was white with gray patches and had a long, furry tail.
“Oh, girls, that looks great!” Rachel’s mom exclaimed when she saw the cards hanging on the wall. “We’ll go over to Hillfields Farm and pick out a Christmas tree tonight.”
“Hooray!” Rachel cried. “Can Kirsty and I decorate it?”
“We were hoping you would!” Mrs. Walker laughed. “You can get the decorations out of the garage after lunch.”
“Buttons seems to love Christmas, too,” Kirsty said, smiling. The dog was sniffing around the cards and ribbons.
“He does,” Rachel replied. “Every year, I buy him some doggie treats and wrap them up. And every year, he finds them and eats them before Christmas!”
Buttons wagged his tail. Then he grabbed the end of a ribbon in his mouth and ran off, trailing red ribbon behind him.
“Buttons, no!” Rachel yelled. She and Kirsty ran after him to get the ribbon back.
When the girls had finished hanging the Christmas cards, they had some hot soup for lunch. Then Rachel took Kirsty out to the garage to find the boxes of decorations.
“It’s getting colder,” Kirsty said, shivering. “Maybe it will snow!”
“I hope so,” Rachel replied. She switched on the garage light. “The decorations are up there.” She pointed at a shelf above the workbench. “I’ll stand on the stepladder and hand the boxes down to you.”
“OK,” Kirsty agreed.
Rachel climbed up the ladder and began to pass the boxes down. They were full of silver stars, shiny tinsel, and glittering balls in pink, purple, and silver.
“I hope you have a fairy for the top of the tree,” Kirsty joked as Rachel handed her a box.
“No, we don’t!” Rachel laughed. “We’ve always had a silver star, but it’s getting old now. Be careful, Kirsty,” she continued, lifting another box off the shelf. “This one has all sorts of things sticking out of it.
“Oh!” Rachel gasped in surprise.
The gold locket around her neck had caught on a tiny, sparkling wreath made of twigs. The locket burst open, scattering both girls with fairy dust.
“Oh, no!” Rachel cried, scrambling down from the ladder.
“What should we do?” Kirsty asked.
But they didn’t have time to do anything. Suddenly, both girls were caught up in a swirling cloud of fairy dust that swept them off their feet. The sparkles whirled around them, glittering in the pale winter light.
“Kirsty, we’re shrinking!” Rachel cried. “I think we’re on our way to Fairyland!”
The girls weren’t scared. This had happened to them before! But as they whirled through the clouds toward Fairyland, Rachel felt a little embarrassed. She hadn’t meant to use her magic fairy dust at all — it was an accident!
“Don’t worry,” called Kirsty, noticing the look on Rachel’s face. “It will be great to see our fairy friends again.”
Soon the girls spotted the red-and-white toadstool houses of Fairyland below, and then the silver palace with its four pink towers. As Rachel and Kirsty drifted closer to the palace, they could see a crowd of fairies waving at them. There was King Oberon and Queen Titania with the Rainbow Fairies and all of the Weather Fairies, too.
Even Doodle, the fairy rooster, had come to greet them. “Hello!” called Ruby and Sunny. “It’s wonderful to see you!” cried Pearl and Storm. As the girls landed on the ground, the fairies crowded around them.
Rachel quickly tried to explain. “I’m sorry,” she gasped. “We didn’t mean to come. It was an accident.”
The queen smiled. “No, it wasn’t an accident!” she said in her silvery voice. “Fairy magic made your locket open. I’m afraid we need your help again, girls!”
The two friends turned to look at each other in surprise, their eyes wide.
“Is it Jack Frost again?” Kirsty asked.
“We’ll tell you all about it,” replied the queen. “But first …” She waved her wand at Rachel’s locket. It filled with fairy dust again and swung shut.
“Now,” the king said, turning to the fairies. “Where is Holly the Christmas Fairy?”
Kirsty and Rachel watched eagerly as Holly came forward. They had never met the Christmas Fairy before! She had long dark hair, and wore a red dress that was exactly the same color as a holly berry. Her dress had a hood with fuzzy white trim. Even though Holly was the Christmas Fairy, she looked awfully sad.
“Holly is in charge of putting the sparkle into Christmas,” Queen Titania explained.
“That’s right,” Holly said, sighing. “I organize Santa’s elves and I teach the reindeer to fly. It’s my job to make sure that Christmas is as sparkly and happy as possible.”
“But this year, Jack Frost is causing trouble,” the king told them. “He had said he was sorry for everything he’d done and promised to behave.”
“But now, he’s up to his old tricks again,” Queen Titania added.
“What happened?” Rachel asked.
“Well, Jack Frost sent a letter to Santa Claus asking for presents,” the king revealed. “But he got a letter back! It said that he’d been so naughty, he wouldn’t get any presents at all this year!”
“We’ll show you what Jack Frost did next,” said the queen. She waved her wand over a small pool of blue water on the ground. The water bubbled and fizzed, and then became smooth as glass.
Pictures appeared on the surface. Kirsty and Rachel could see a big log cabin at night. It was surrounded by deep snow, and icicles hung from the wooden roof. The cabin was full of toys! There were dolls, puzzles, bikes, games, and books, all lying around in huge piles. Kirsty and Rachel had never seen so many toys.
“Oh!” Kirsty gasped. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Rachel, look!”
In the corner of the cabin stood a beautiful wooden rocking horse. Someone was painting gold patterns onto the rockers. He was dressed in red and white, and had a jolly face with a long white beard.
“It’s Santa Claus!” Rachel cried happily.
Then the picture changed to show the outside of the cabin again. There, the girls could see Santa’s sleigh. It was silver and white, and sparkled with magic. Eight reindeer were harnessed to the sleigh. They were all waiting patiently, shaking their antlers every so often.
Lots of little elves wearing bright green scurried around the sleigh, filling it with presents. The bells on the tips of their hats tinkled merrily as they rushed back and forth with armfuls of presents.
Kirsty and Rachel were so excited, they almost forgot why they were watching. But then, just as the sleigh was filled with presents, Jack Frost appeared.
As Kirsty and Rachel watched
, Jack Frost peeked out from behind the log cabin. When the elves had left the sleigh, he ran over to it and jumped in. Grabbing the reins, Jack Frost shouted a spell to make the reindeer obey him. And then, the sleigh lifted off the ground and zoomed off into the starry night sky.
As soon as the elves saw what was happening, they chased Jack Frost. But the magic sleigh was much too fast for them to catch.
“Oh, no!” Kirsty cried. “He stole Santa’s sleigh!”
“So now you see why we need your help,” said Queen Titania as the pictures faded away. “Holly has to find Santa’s sleigh and return it before Christmas Eve. Otherwise, Christmas will be ruined for children around the world!”
“We think Jack Frost has taken the sleigh to your world,” Holly added. “He loves parties, so he won’t want to miss Christmas. Will you help me track him down?”
“Of course we will,” Rachel and Kirsty replied together.
Holly smiled. “Thank you!” she cried, giving both girls a hug.
“Where should we start?” asked Rachel.
“Like usual, the magic will come to you,” Queen Titania said with a smile. “You will know when you’re on the right track. And Holly will help. But there is just one more thing you need to know….” The queen waved her wand over the pool again. The girls watched as an image of three presents appeared in the water. They were wrapped in beautiful golden paper and tied with big bows that glittered in every color of the rainbow.
“These three presents were on the sleigh when Jack Frost took it. They are very special,” the queen explained. “Please try to find them all!”
“We’ll do our best,” said Kirsty, while Rachel nodded.