The Music Fairies Collection Read online

  Fiona and the girls glanced at one another.

  “Does this blob have a big nose?” asked Kirsty.

  “And pointy ears?” said Rachel.

  “And big feet?” Fiona added.

  “Yes,” the fox said. “And it’s carrying a shiny stick.”

  “It’s the goblin!” Rachel laughed.

  “Can you take us to your home?” Fiona asked the fox. “We might be able to get it back for you!”

  The fox nodded eagerly and trotted off across the clearing. He led Fiona and the girls over to a large, sturdy oak tree and pointed his paw at a hole under its trunk.

  “Look!” the fox said. Rachel, Kirsty, and Fiona couldn’t help laughing. There, sticking out of the entrance to the fox’s den, were two large, dirty goblin feet!

  “Does the den have a back door?” asked Kirsty.

  The fox trotted around the side of the tree and showed Fiona and the girls another entrance.

  “Wait here,” said Fiona to the fox. Then she, Rachel, and Kirsty flew inside.

  The goblin was hunched inside the fox’s den, groaning to himself. It was much too small for him! He looked cramped and uncomfortable.

  “What are you pesky fairies doing here?” he demanded with a scowl.

  “We’ve come to ask you to leave the fox’s den, please!” said Fiona.

  “It isn’t nice to go into someone’s house uninvited,” added Rachel.

  “I would leave if I could, but I can’t!” the goblin replied. “I came in here to hide from you, but now I’m stuck — and my pretty dress is ruined!”

  “We’ll help you get out if you give us your piece of the flute,” Kirsty offered, trying not to laugh.

  The goblin frowned. “But it plays such pretty music!” he said. Suddenly he began to squirm around and giggle. “That fox is nipping at my feet again,” he chuckled. “It tickles. Make him stop!”

  “Only if you give us the mouthpiece,” Rachel said firmly.

  “Hee, hee!” the goblin laughed, wriggling around. “All right.”

  With a little effort, he managed to lift his arm and pass the mouthpiece to Fiona.

  “Thank you!” said Fiona. “Now we’ll try to get you out.”

  The three friends flew out of the den again. With a sprinkle of fairy dust, the mouthpiece shrank immediately and Fiona attached it to the rest of her flute.

  “As good as new!” she said, giving it a kiss.

  “Could you stop nipping at the goblin’s feet?” Kirsty asked the fox. “If he stops wiggling around, maybe we can get him out of your den.”

  “I’m sure we can,” Fiona added. “Girls, if I make you human-size again, you can pull him out by his feet!”

  Rachel and Kirsty nodded. With one wave of Fiona’s wand, they instantly zoomed back to their normal size.

  Just as the girls were about to take hold of the goblin’s feet, the other two goblins suddenly wandered into the clearing. They burst out laughing when they saw feet sticking out of the fox’s den.

  “What’s he doing?” the biggest goblin snickered.

  “He’s stuck, and we’re just about to pull him out,” Kirsty explained.

  The goblins laughed even louder. “Here goes!” Rachel said, grasping one of the goblin’s feet. “Oh, what is that horrible smell?”

  “It’s the goblin’s stinky feet!” Kirsty groaned, holding her nose with one hand as she pulled on his other foot.

  “I heard that!” the goblin in the den shouted angrily.

  The girls pulled as hard as they could, but the goblin didn’t budge. The other goblins thought it was hilarious. They danced around the tree, singing:

  “Goblin in a den,

  and he can’t get out.

  Jack Frost will be angry.

  He’ll scream and shout!”

  Fiona lifted her flute to her lips. “I think it’s time for some musical magic!” she exclaimed.

  Fiona began to play her flute. As the sweet, soothing notes drifted around the clearing, some of the woodland animals popped out of their homes to listen. Even the goblins fell silent.

  Just then, Kirsty noticed that the oak tree was shaking and shuddering. She nudged Rachel. “Look at the tree!” she whispered.

  “It’s dancing!” Rachel gasped, her eyes wide.

  The tree was swaying its branches in time to the music. As it did, it rose up a few inches, almost as if it were standing on tiptoe.

  “Pull, Rachel!” Kirsty cried, grasping one of the goblin’s feet tightly.

  When the tree lifted up a little, the fox’s den became slightly bigger. Both girls pulled as hard as they could on the goblin’s feet. Suddenly, he shot out of the den like a cork from a bottle.

  Fiona stopped playing and the tree’s trunk dropped down again. Meanwhile, the goblin climbed to his feet and scowled at his friends.

  “I heard you laughing at me!” he snapped.

  “Where’s your piece of the flute?” the big goblin demanded.

  “I had to give it to those pesky fairies to get me out of the den!” the other goblin muttered.

  “You fool!” the two goblins yelled.

  “Well, where are your pieces?” the first goblin demanded, brushing off his dress.

  The other two looked embarrassed.

  “She’s got them!” they exclaimed at once, pointing at Fiona.

  “So who’s the fool now?” the goblin in the dress argued.

  And the three goblins stomped off, squabbling all the way.

  “Thank you for your help,” the fox said happily, sitting down in the doorway of his den.

  Fiona smiled and played another short burst of the magical melody on her flute. “My music will make sure you and your family will always be happy in your den,” she explained.

  Then she turned to Rachel and Kirsty. “Girls, thanks to you we have another one of our precious magic musical instruments back where it belongs!” she said happily. “I must take my flute to Fairyland now, but I know you’ll do your very best to find the other instruments. We just have to stop Jack Frost from winning the talent competition!”

  “We will!” Rachel and Kirsty promised. Then, in a dazzle of glitter, Fiona vanished. She left a faint, sweet melody behind her. Whistling Fiona’s tune, Rachel and Kirsty hurried back to High Street.

  “Everything’s back to normal,” Rachel said, watching people going in and out of the stores.

  “Yes, but imagine how much chaos there’ll be if Frosty and his Gobolicious Band win the talent competition!” Kirsty pointed out. “Even if he only has one of the magic instruments, Jack Frost will still win.”

  “Then we’ve just got to find the other four instruments before this weekend,” Rachel said seriously. “And then we can make sure that music is fun and harmonious again — for everyone!”

  Extra-Exciting

  And … Action!

  Good-bye, Goblin!

  Where’s Danni?

  A Small Surprise

  Off to Goblin Grotto!

  “Bye, girls. I’ll see you later,” said Mrs. Tate. “Have fun!”

  “We will,” Kirsty Tate replied, smiling. She leaned through the car window to kiss her mom good-bye. “Thanks for the ride. Bye!”

  “Good-bye!” echoed Rachel Walker, Kirsty’s best friend.

  Both girls waved as Mrs. Tate drove away. Kirsty looked up at the warehouse building they were standing in front of, and grinned at Rachel. “What are we waiting for?” she said. “Let’s get inside!”

  Rachel’s eyes were bright as she slipped an arm through Kirsty’s. “I can’t believe we’re actually going to be in a music video!” she said happily. “As if this vacation wasn’t already fun enough!”

  The two girls walked through tall glass double doors into the warehouse, feeling bubbly with anticipation. Rachel was staying with Kirsty’s family for a week over school break, and on the very first day the girls had found themselves in another one of their wonderful fairy adventures. This time, they were helping the Musi
c Fairies find their magic musical instruments, which had been stolen by Jack Frost and his goblins.

  So far, the girls had helped the Music Fairies find three of the instruments, but there were still four missing. They had a lot of work to do!

  Today, Kirsty and Rachel were in for a very different kind of adventure, though. Kirsty felt dizzy with excitement as she thought about it. She and Rachel were so lucky to be there. They were both big fans of Juanita, the pop star who’d rocketed to fame last year when she’d won the National Talent Competition. And now Juanita was making a video for her new song right in Wetherbury! Not only that, Mrs. Tate’s friend, Mandy, had been hired as the makeup artist for the video shoot … and she’d asked Kirsty and Rachel if they’d like to appear in the video as extras! Both girls were so excited. They had been practicing the routine at home as much as possible.

  Kirsty’s and Rachel’s legs were trembling as they walked into the warehouse. They found themselves in a stylish lobby, with a reception desk plus a couple of bright red sofas. A sign on the far wall read VIDEO SHOOT THIS WAY, with an arrow pointing along a long hall.

  “That’s us,” Rachel said, nudging Kirsty as she read the sign. There was a friendly-looking woman behind the reception desk, who smiled at the girls as they approached. “Hi,” Kirsty said. “We’re here as extras for the video.”

  “Great,” the woman said, passing a visitors’ book to them. “If you could just sign in, I’ll get someone to take you to the dressing rooms.”

  Kirsty and Rachel wrote down their names while the receptionist made a call. Then a woman in a purple minidress stepped out of the hallway and smiled at them. “Hi, I’m Anna. Are you my extras?” she asked. “Come with me, girls, and I’ll show you your outfits.”

  Anna led Rachel and Kirsty to the wardrobe area, chatting as they walked. “We’re having a bit of a nightmare today, but it’s nothing for you two to worry about,” she said. “It’s just that the instruments don’t seem to be working properly. We wanted to practice for the shoot with the musicians actually playing, but we’ve had to tell them to just pretend, instead.”

  Kirsty and Rachel exchanged glances. They knew why the instruments weren’t working — it was because some of the fairies’ magic instruments were still missing! The Music Fairies made sure that all music in Fairyland and the human world was fun to play, and sounded harmonious. But when the fairies didn’t have their magical instruments, music didn’t sound as good. In fact, it was all out of tune!

  Jack Frost knew this — and he also knew that whoever did have the instruments would be able to make fantastic music! The fairies had told Kirsty and Rachel that this was why he’d taken them in the first place. He’d formed a band, and wanted to win next week’s National Talent Competition. If Jack Frost’s group, Frosty and his Gobolicious Band, won, it wouldn’t take anyone long to figure out that Jack Frost and the goblins weren’t human. And then, once the world discovered that Fairyland existed, all of Kirsty’s and Rachel’s fairy friends would be in terrible danger from curious humans!

  “Here we are!” said Anna, opening a door and leading the girls into a room filled with clothing racks. There were all kinds of colorful clothes and accessories hanging up, and shelves of shoes, too.

  Anna pulled out a glittery silver dress for Kirsty and gave a sequined dress to Rachel, then found them both some shiny pink boots. Next, she rummaged in a large trunk full of bright scarves and hats, and came up with two pairs of headbands with star-shaped antennae for the girls to wear. “Funky, huh?” Anna laughed. “The song’s called ‘Cosmic Craze,’ so that’s why everyone’s looking all space-age.”

  The girls quickly changed their clothes, then Anna took them to Mandy’s makeup room. It was brightly lit, with a huge mirror on one wall, and two stools set up in front of it. “Hello!” Mandy smiled. “Take a seat, and I’ll turn you into little alien girls.”

  Kirsty and Rachel both sat down and Mandy went to work. She dabbed some glitter in their eyebrows and painted silvery swirls on their cheeks. “Very cute,” she said. “Just a little sparkly face powder, and you’ll be done.”

  She took out a silver tin of powder and was about to lift the lid, when an anxious man put his head around the door. “Mandy? Could you touch up Juanita’s lipstick on set, please?”

  “Sure,” Mandy said at once. She passed the silver tin to Kirsty. “Would you mind dusting some of this over each other’s faces, please? I’ve got to go.”

  She rushed out of the room and Kirsty lifted the lid off the tin. As she did, Danni the Drum Fairy burst out in a cloud of silver sparkles!

  “Oooh!” Kirsty said in surprise. Then she smiled at the little fairy. “Hello again,” she said. She and Rachel had met all of the Music Fairies at the beginning of the week.

  Danni had long blond hair swept off her face. She wore a short pink dress with a wide silver hem and neckline, as well as black leggings and sleek pink flats.

  “Hi there,” she said, fluttering her wings to shake off the sparkly face powder. She gave a dainty sneeze as the powder floated all around her. “I’m here to look for my magic drums. I’ve got a feeling they’re somewhere nearby.”

  “Hi, Danni,” Rachel said. “We’ll help you look for your drums!”

  “Girls, you’re wanted on the set!” came another voice, and Mandy walked back into the room. Danni had to make a quick dive under Kirsty’s ponytail so she wouldn’t be seen. Kirsty could feel the little fairy’s wings tickling the back of her neck as Mandy led her and Rachel to where the music video was being filmed.

  There was a stage area at the back of a large room, where a guitarist, keyboard player, and drummer were positioned, with bright lights shining down on them. Glowing stars and planets dangled above their heads, and they all wore silver robot costumes. In the center of the stage was Juanita, wearing a shimmering turquoise dress, her long black hair flowing down her back.

  “Wow,” Kirsty breathed, staring at the singer in awe. It was amazing to think that Kirsty and Rachel were going to be sharing a stage with such a famous person!

  The nervous man they’d seen earlier told the two friends where to stand and when to begin performing the dance routine they’d been practicing. When he left, the girls headed to the back of the stage. Danni peeked out from behind Kirsty’s hair to look at the drums that had been set up in front of the drummer. “They’re not mine,” she whispered in disappointment.

  “And … ACTION!” called the director. The backing music began, and Kirsty and Rachel started dancing. They couldn’t help noticing how the drummer was flailing around wildly behind the drum set. He did not look convincing at all.

  “Cut!” the director shouted, striding over to the drummer. “What on earth are you doing?”

  “I can’t see out of this robot helmet,” a muffled voice replied.

  “Well, take it off then,” the director ordered. “We’ll get someone from the makeup team to paint your face alien-green instead.”

  Rachel nudged Kirsty as the drummer removed his helmet. She’d noticed that the drummer had very pointy ears. They looked suspiciously like a goblin’s! The girls were finding it harder than usual to spot the goblins, because Jack Frost had cast a spell on them to take the green out of their skin. But there was no mistaking those pointy ears and nose!

  “He’s got big feet, too,” Kirsty said, bending down to take a quick look. “He’s definitely a goblin!”

  Mandy hurried on- stage and began dabbing bright green stage makeup all over the goblin’s skin. Kirsty and Rachel had to struggle not to giggle at the goblin’s expression as his face changed color. Jack Frost’s spell didn’t matter now!

  “I don’t know about ‘alien-green,’ ” Kirsty whispered. “It looks more like goblin-green to me!”

  Danni was smiling. “If a goblin is here, it means my magical drums are somewhere close by, too,” she whispered excitedly. “Now all we need to do is find them!”

  “And … ACTION!” cried the director a few min
utes later. The music started up again, but this time the girls heard a second drumbeat. Kirsty and Rachel stared at the goblin behind the drum set. They knew that all of the musicians were supposed to be pretending to play while the video was being filmed. They should not be making any sound. But the girls could definitely hear the goblin’s drumsticks hitting the cymbals and drums!

  “He’s taken off the muffle pads,” Danni whispered. “No wonder we can hear what he’s doing.” Kirsty and Rachel could see some muffle pads on the ground, right where the goblin had thrown them.

  “Cut!” came an impatient shout.

  “Here comes the director again,” Rachel murmured, “and he doesn’t look very happy.”

  “Put those back on,” the director snapped at the goblin. “We’re never going to finish this video with you goofing around!”

  The goblin scowled, but did as he was told.

  “And … ACTION!” the director called a third time.

  The goblin picked up his drumsticks and began playing again. Now that the muffle pads were back on, there was almost no noise coming from the drums, but the girls could tell that the goblin was playing well and keeping perfect time. Danni began dancing to the rhythm on Kirsty’s shoulder, and Rachel could see that she was tapping imaginary drumsticks in excitement.

  “He’s good,” Danni whispered. “My drums must be very close by. I’m sure they’re helping him play so well.”

  Kirsty agreed. The magic musical instruments were full of such powerful magic that anyone who was near became very talented at playing that particular instrument. So the magic drums had to be very close to the goblin — but why couldn’t the girls and Danni see them?