Evelyn the Mermicorn Fairy Page 4

  “That’s funny,” said Rachel after a moment. “It’s not melting.”

  Kirsty took a step closer to the birdbath. “I think it’s getting bigger,” she said.

  The snowflake began to grow bigger and bigger. Then it popped like a snowy balloon, and the girls saw a tiny fairy standing in its place. She was as exquisite as the snowflake had been. Her blond hair flowed around her shoulders, and she was wearing a long blue gown, decorated with sparkling silver sequins. A furry cape was wrapped around her shoulders, and a snowflake tiara twinkled on her head.

  “Hello, Rachel and Kirsty,” said the fairy. “I’m Alicia the Snow Queen Fairy.”

  “Hello, Alicia!” said Rachel. “It’s great to meet you!”

  “What are you doing here in Tippington?” Kirsty asked.

  “I’ve come to ask for your help,” said Alicia in a silvery voice. “It’s my job to make sure that everyone stays happy in winter—in both the human and fairy worlds. I went to visit Queen Titania this morning, and when I came home I got a terrible shock. Jack Frost had gone into my home and taken my three magical objects. Without the magical snowflake, the enchanted mirror, and the everlasting rose, I can’t look after human beings or fairies this winter.”

  “Oh no, that’s awful!” Rachel exclaimed. “Is there any way that we can help you?”

  Alicia clasped her hands together. “Please, would you come to Fairyland with me?” she asked. “Queen Titania has told me so much about you. When I discovered that my objects were missing, I thought of you right away. Will you help me find out what Jack Frost has done with them?”

  Kirsty and Rachel nodded at once.

  “Of course we will,” Kirsty replied.

  “Then let’s go!” exclaimed Alicia, holding up her wand.

  Glittering snowflakes burst from Alicia’s wand like a fountain and landed on the girls.

  “They’re as light as butterfly kisses,” said Rachel, laughing.

  She and Kirsty had already shrunk to fairy size, and their glittery wings were fluttering, eager to fly. They felt a cool wind whirl around them, lifting them into the air. They were carried up toward the dark clouds with Alicia at their side.

  “I think the world’s getting even more gloomy,” said Kirsty, looking down.

  Sleet was driving down all over Tippington, and the girls were glad to be leaving the bad weather behind. Better yet, they were going to Fairyland!

  Rachel and Kirsty were secret friends with the fairies, and they always adored the magical adventures they shared.

  Swirling snowflakes surrounded them now, until all they could see was glitter. When the snowflakes cleared, they were standing beside a tall white tower, and they were wrapped in warm fluffy capes, just like the one Alicia was wearing. All around, as far as they could see, were tall blue mountains, topped with snow.

  “Welcome to my home,” said Alicia, smiling at the girls.

  The tower walls were not solid like the walls of the Fairyland Palace. Standing close to them, Rachel and Kirsty saw that they were made of swirling snow.

  “That’s amazing,” said Rachel.

  She reached out to touch the wall. It felt cold and coarse.

  “But where’s the door?” Kirsty asked.

  “There is no door,” said Alicia with a laugh. “You just need to trust me.”

  She took their hands and led them forward.

  “We’re going to walk into the wall!” Rachel exclaimed.

  But she remembered what Alicia had said, and she kept walking. Instead of hitting the wall, they all walked straight through it and into Alicia’s home!

  It was warm and welcoming, with thick rugs, a roaring fire, and big sofas covered in cozy, colorful throw blankets. Hundreds of tiny golden lights hung around the room in graceful loops. When the girls looked up, they saw that the walls of the tower were covered with twinkling lights all the way to the roof.

  “Why doesn’t the fire melt the tower?” Kirsty asked.

  “It’s a magical fire,” Alicia replied. “I know spells to make it easy to live in cold weather. I have lived here for a long time, you see.”

  “Where are we?” asked Rachel.

  “We are in the most remote part of Fairyland,” said Alicia. “I live among the Blue Ice Mountains, far beyond Jack Frost’s castle. He had no idea that I even lived here until this morning. His goblins drove his carriage the wrong way, and he arrived here while I was at the palace. I knew it was him because I saw goblin footprints in the snow. So he has my magical objects, and now both Fairyland and the human world are in danger.”

  “What do your magical objects do?” Kirsty asked.

  Alicia waved her wand, and three pictures appeared in the air in front of the girls—a snowflake, a mirror, and a rose.

  “The magical snowflake makes winter weather just right,” she said. “ The enchanted mirror helps everyone to see the difference between good and bad. The everlasting rose ensures that new life is still growing underground, and that flowers will appear again each spring. Without them, winter will be miserable for everyone, and my home will start to suffer, just like the rest of Fairyland.”

  With another wave of her wand, the pictures broke into tiny pieces and melted away to nothing.

  “What do you mean?” asked Rachel.

  “Come with me and I will show you,” said Alicia.

  She flew upward, and they followed her, higher and higher, until they passed through the roof and fluttered up into the snow clouds above.

  “It’s like flying through fluffy balls of cotton,” said Kirsty with a giggle.

  Alicia led the way, and the girls sped after her. Suddenly, there was a break in the clouds, and they saw that Jack Frost’s Ice Castle was directly below them. They were flying in the direction of the Fairyland Palace!

  Copyright © 2018 by Rainbow Magic Limited.

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc., Publishers since 1920. SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc. RAINBOW MAGIC is a trademark of Rainbow Magic Limited. Reg. U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and other countries. HIT and the HIT logo are trademarks of HIT Entertainment Limited.

  First published in the United Kingdom by Orchard U.K., Carmelite House, 50 Victoria Embankment, London EC4Y 0DZ.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First printing 2019

  Cover design by Angela Jun

  e-ISBN 978-1-338-56427-3

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