The Rainbow Magic Holiday Collection Read online

  The king stepped forward, holding a golden bag. “This will help you defeat Jack Frost,” he said. He opened the bag and showed the girls a sparkling fairy crown. “It has powerful magic. If Jack Frost puts this on his head, he will immediately be brought here, where he will appear before me and Queen Titania.”

  Kirsty took the bag and put the strap over her shoulder.

  “Good luck, Rachel and Kirsty!” called the queen. She raised her wand and sent another shower of fairy dust whirling and swirling around the girls.

  “We’re back!” Rachel said as the sparkling clouds of fairy dust cleared. The girls were in the Walkers’ garage again.

  “And we’re back to normal size,” Kirsty added, brushing a speck of fairy dust from her jeans. “Poor Holly. I hope we can help her.”

  “We’ll find Jack Frost!” said Rachel. “But we’d better take these Christmas decorations inside now. Mom will wonder where we’ve been.”

  Kirsty dropped the tiny golden bag into her pocket for safekeeping. Then she helped Rachel carry the boxes into the house. Once the girls were inside, they started looking through the decorations.

  “I see what you mean about this star,” Kirsty said, holding up a big, tattered silver star.

  “Maybe Mom will let me buy something new for the top of the tree,” replied Rachel. “I’d love to have a fairy this year!”

  The girls spent the rest of the afternoon sorting through the decorations. Rachel’s dad got home from work at six o’clock, and then they all went to Hillfields Farm to pick out a Christmas tree.

  “It looks like everyone else had the same idea!” Rachel’s mom said as the car pulled up outside the farm. Lots of people were looking at Christmas trees.

  There seemed to be hundreds of trees in all shapes and sizes.

  “At least there are plenty of trees!” Kirsty laughed.

  “And we’ll find the perfect one,” Rachel added, climbing out of the car.

  The two girls hurried across the parking lot, and Mr. and Mrs. Walker followed with Buttons. The evening was cold and clear, and stars glittered in the dark sky.

  “Don’t pick one that’s too big,” called Mrs. Walker. “We’ll never get it through the front door.”

  Rachel and Kirsty wandered up and down the rows of trees. But they couldn’t seem to find one that was just right. They were all too big, too small, too bushy, or too skinny.

  Then Rachel’s eyes fell on a tree up ahead. The needles were so green and shiny they almost seemed to glow in the frosty air. That tree looks perfect, she thought as she went over to it. It’s not too big and it’s not too small. Suddenly, Rachel spotted a bright red glow, right in the middle of the tree. Then a tiny face peeked out at her.

  “It’s me!” Holly cried, waving her wand and sending sparkly red holly berries bouncing around the tree branches.

  Rachel laughed. “Kirsty, over here!” she called.

  Kirsty rushed over. “What are you doing here, Holly?” she asked. “Is Jack Frost nearby?”

  But before Holly could answer, there was a shout from Mrs. Walker. Buttons ran past the girls, his leash trailing along behind him. He was barking loudly.

  “Stop him, girls!” cried Mrs. Walker. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. He pulled the leash right out of my hand.”

  “We’ll catch him, Mom,” Rachel called. “Keep an eye on our tree.”

  Holly hopped inside Kirsty’s pocket, and then the girls ran after the excited dog. Buttons had left the farmyard and was racing toward an oak tree.

  Suddenly, Kirsty saw a shadow jump out from behind the tree and head for an old barn. Even though it was dark, she could just make out a pointed nose and big feet.

  “Oh!” she gasped. “I think Buttons is chasing one of Jack Frost’s goblins!”

  “I knew they were around here somewhere!” Holly cried. “Quick! After him!”

  Buttons was standing outside the barn, sniffing at the door.

  “The goblin must be inside,” Rachel whispered, grabbing the dog’s leash. Quickly, she hooked it over a nail in the barn wall, and gave Buttons a pat. “Wait here, Buttons,” she whispered. “We won’t be long.”

  “Let’s look inside,” Kirsty suggested. She pulled the barn door open and they all peeked in. A cold blast of icy air swirled around them. The girls and Holly could see across the barn to the big doors on the opposite side. Those doors were wide open, and a sparkling trail led out of the barn and up into the sky. They could just make out a glittering silver shape traveling very fast. It was Santa’s missing sleigh!

  “Jack Frost was here,” Kirsty said, looking disappointed. “We just missed him!”

  “That must be why it’s so cold,” Holly agreed with a shiver.

  The barn was full of bales of straw. Looking around, Rachel noticed that there was wrapping paper scattered all over them. “Jack Frost has been opening Santa’s presents!” she said. “Isn’t he awful?”

  “Shh!” Holly whispered. “Goblins!”

  Two goblins had just rolled out from behind one of the straw bales. They were fighting and yelling at each other.

  “It’s mine!” shouted one goblin with a wart on his nose.

  “No, it’s mine!” yelled the other.

  “Look,” Rachel said. She pointed at the present the goblins were arguing over. “It’s one of the three special presents that the queen asked us to look for!”

  “We have to get that present back,” said Holly.

  “The other two presents must still be on the sleigh,” Kirsty added. “I don’t see any more of that special gold wrapping paper anywhere.”

  The goblins were still fighting, rolling around on the floor of the barn.

  “Give it to me!” yelled the warty one. “There might be Christmas cookies inside, or fruitcake, or —”

  The other goblin licked his lips. “I’m going to eat them all!”

  “What are we going to do?” Rachel whispered. “How are we going to get the present back?”

  Kirsty frowned. “I have an idea,” she said. “That goblin seems to like Christmas cookies. Holly, could you use your magic to make it smell like cookies?”

  Holly’s eyes twinkled. “Of course,” she replied.

  “We’ll tell the goblins there’s a big plate of cookies in the hayloft,” Kirsty continued. “They’re so greedy, they’ll go and look. And they can’t climb the ladder and hang on to the present at the same time. We’ll be able to grab it!”

  Rachel and Holly beamed at her.

  “Great idea!” said Holly. “One magic Christmas cookie smell coming up!” She flew toward the goblins.

  Rachel and Kirsty watched anxiously as Holly fluttered over the goblins’ heads. They were so busy fighting, they didn’t even notice her.

  Holly waved her wand in the air. A few seconds later, the smell of freshly baked cookies wafted around the barn. Even Rachel and Kirsty, who were standing outside, could smell it.

  The goblins stopped fighting. They lifted their big noses into the air and sniffed.

  “Fresh cookies!” Holly called, pointing at the ladder to the loft.

  “Up in the hayloft. Help yourselves!”

  “Cookies! Yum!” shouted one of the goblins. He tossed the present to the other one and ran for the ladder.

  But the other goblin didn’t want to be left behind. He raced over to the ladder, too. As soon as he realized that he couldn’t climb up to the loft with the present in his arms, he threw it down on a pile of straw.

  Rachel and Kirsty laughed as they watched the goblins scrambling up the ladder, trying to push each other out of the way. Once they had reached the top, the girls dashed into the barn. Kirsty picked up the present.

  Suddenly, there was a shout from above. “There aren’t any cookies here! We’ve been tricked!”

  One of the goblins peered down into the barn. “Where’s that Christmas fairy?” he yelled.

  “Quick!” Holly gasped. “Let’s get out of here!”

  The
girls and Holly ran for the door as the goblins tumbled down the ladder. “After them!” the first goblin shouted.

  Outside of the barn, Rachel fumbled to free Buttons’s leash from the nail. The goblins appeared in the doorway and ran toward her. But Buttons began to bark loudly as soon as he saw them. The goblins looked frightened.

  “You get the present back!” the first goblin yelled, nudging the other.

  “No, you get it!” his friend shouted.

  Still barking, Buttons began pulling Rachel toward the goblins. Immediately, the two terrified goblins sprinted back into the barn and shut the door.

  “Good dog!” said Rachel, patting Buttons to calm him down. At the same time, Kirsty showed the present to Holly.

  “Hooray! We’ve found one special present.” Holly beamed. “I’ll get this back to Fairyland right away.” She waved her wand over the gift. The present disappeared in a magic cloud of sparkling red holly berries.

  “We’ll see you again soon,” Rachel called as Holly fluttered up into the sky.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I find out where Jack Frost is!” Holly promised.

  Rachel and Kirsty hurried back to the farmyard to find Mr. and Mrs. Walker. They had bought the tree Rachel had picked out and were tying it to the roof of the car.

  “Now, I think it’s time we all went home and had some Christmas cookies and hot chocolate,” said Rachel’s mom as they climbed into the car.

  Rachel and Kirsty grinned at each other.

  “Cookies would be great, Mom,” said Rachel, trying not to laugh.

  “I think Buttons deserves a cookie, too,” Kirsty whispered. “After all, he was the one who led us to the goblins and the first present.”

  Woof! Buttons agreed.

  “Yes, and our fairy adventures aren’t over yet,” Rachel whispered back, her eyes shining. “We’ll save the sleigh. This is going to be the best Christmas ever!”

  “Two days until Christmas!” Rachel said the next morning. She stood in front of the bedroom mirror, brushing her hair. The girls were getting ready to go Christmas shopping with Rachel’s mom. “Isn’t it exciting, Kirsty?”

  Kirsty nodded. “I can’t wait!” she said. “But I don’t want it to get here too soon. We have to find Jack Frost and Santa’s sleigh first.”

  “I know,” Rachel agreed. “Once we’re done helping our fairy friends, we can really enjoy Christmas.”

  “I need to buy a present for my mom,” Kirsty said. “Do you have many presents left to buy?”

  Rachel shook her head. “Only one,” she replied. “But the mall has great Christmas displays, so it’s fun to look around even if you don’t have much shopping to do.”

  “Girls, are you ready yet?” Mrs. Walker called up the stairs.

  “Coming, Mom!” Rachel yelled back.

  The girls ran downstairs, laughing and chatting. Mrs. Walker was waiting for them in the hall. “Don’t forget your scarves and mittens,” she said, picking up her car keys. “It’s freezing today, and the mall parking lot is big. We may have to walk a little after we park the car.” She opened the front door and went to get the car out of the garage.

  Rachel shivered as a blast of cold air swept through the open door. It rustled through the tinsel on the Christmas tree. “Brr!” she gasped, grabbing her coat. “Mom’s right. It is cold today.”

  “Doesn’t the tree look pretty?” asked Kirsty, pulling on her mittens. The Walkers had a big entrance hall, and they had put the tree in a corner near the stairs. Rachel and Kirsty had decorated it, and now the tree glittered with balls, tinsel, and garland.

  “It’s the nicest one we’ve ever had,” Rachel agreed. “But I’ll unplug the lights now, since we’re going out.”

  Kirsty watched as Rachel unplugged the Christmas tree lights. Then she noticed that something was different about the tree. Instead of the tattered silver star that she had placed on the top, there now sat a beautiful, sparkly fairy!

  Kirsty stared in surprise and realized that it was a real fairy.

  Holly was perched on top of the tree, glowing brightly and waving at Kirsty!

  “Holly!” Kirsty laughed. “What are you doing up there?”

  “I thought your tree was missing a fairy!” Holly grinned.

  Rachel looked up in time to see Holly fly down and land on Kirsty’s shoulder. “Hello, Rachel,” Holly sang. “I have a feeling something magical is going to happen today! Can I come to the mall with you?”

  “Of course,” Rachel replied happily. “But you’ll have to hide from my mom!”

  “No problem,” Holly winked at the girls and snuggled down inside Kirsty’s coat pocket, folding her wings away neatly. She popped out a second later and said, “Don’t forget the magic crown!”

  “It’s in my pocket,” Rachel assured her.

  Just then, they heard Rachel’s mom honk the car horn.

  “I hope something magical happens today!” Rachel whispered to Kirsty as they rushed outside. “Maybe we’ll get Santa’s sleigh and the two special presents back.”

  “I hope so!” Kirsty agreed with a smile.

  Even though it was still early in the morning, the mall was already crowded when they arrived. Mrs. Walker drove around the parking lot, and it took them a while to find an empty space.

  “Now, Rachel,” Mrs. Walker said as they all climbed out of the car, “would you and Kirsty like to go shopping on your own? I have to buy some presents that I don’t want you to see!”

  “Like what?” Rachel asked curiously. Her mom laughed. “If I tell you, then they won’t be a surprise, will they?” she said. “We’ll split up, and I’ll meet you and Kirsty in an hour by the glass elevators. Make sure you stay inside the mall, and stick together.”

  “OK,” the girls agreed.

  Mrs. Walker went up the elevator, while the girls stayed on the first floor. They walked around the mall, looking at Christmas displays in the store windows. Christmas songs were playing over the speaker system, and people were rushing all around, carrying lots of shopping bags.

  Before long, Rachel and Kirsty had finished their Christmas shopping. Kirsty bought some pretty silver earrings for her mom, and Rachel bought a book for her dad.

  “Are you OK in there, Holly?” Kirsty whispered, putting the earrings into her other pocket.

  Holly nodded. She was peeking out of Kirsty’s pocket to see what was going on. She was so small, nobody noticed her amid the hustle and bustle.

  “Let’s go see the Christmas display,” Rachel said to Kirsty. “It’s beautiful!”

  Kirsty nodded eagerly, and Rachel led the way to the big central area of the mall. There, right in front of them, was Santa’s workshop.

  “Wow!” said Kirsty, her eyes wide. “This is fantastic!”

  The workshop was a huge white tent covered in sparkling lights. They changed color, from white to blue to silver, and then back again. Long, glittering icicles hung from the roof. The tent was surrounded by fake snow, and there were huge toy polar bears and penguins that waved at shoppers. Next to the tent, there was a small ice rink. Boys and girls dressed as elves were skating back and forth. Some carried brightly wrapped packages, while others performed spins and jumps. A little bridge made of sparkling icicles led the way into the tent.

  “Isn’t it pretty?” Rachel asked as they moved closer to get a better look.

  There was a long line of children waiting to see Santa. Rachel and Kirsty were standing near the bridge, watching the elves on the ice rink, when a little girl ran out of the tent to join her mom. She seemed upset! Kirsty and Rachel couldn’t help overhearing what she said.

  “Did you have a good time, honey?” the mother asked.

  “Well, Santa’s sleigh was all sparkly,” the little girl told her breathlessly, “and the reindeer were furry and friendly. But Santa wasn’t very nice!” She stuck out her bottom lip as if she was about to cry. “He wouldn’t give me a present, even though he had lots and lots of them. And he was all cold and spi
ky!”

  Immediately, Rachel’s ears pricked up. That didn’t sound like Santa at all. But it did sound like someone else she knew — someone mean and tricky. They might have just found Jack Frost!

  “Kirsty!” Rachel said, pulling her friend to one side. She didn’t want their conversation to be overheard. “Did you and Holly hear that? I think Jack Frost might be inside the tent, pretending to be Santa!”

  Kirsty stared at Rachel. “You could be right!” she gasped.

  “Yes,” Holly piped up. “We’d better check it out.”

  “How are we going to get into the tent?” asked Rachel. “It’ll take forever if we have to wait in the line.”

  “She’s right,” Kirsty said. “Let’s try to slip in the back and see what’s going on.”

  The girls crept around the back of the tent, keeping an eye out for anyone who might try to stop them. But they found that the tent was tied down so firmly, they couldn’t sneak underneath.

  “Leave it to me!” Holly whispered. She waved her wand, and a shower of sparkling red fairy dust fell onto one corner of the tent. Immediately, the ropes loosened, and part of the canvas curled upward.

  “Thanks, Holly!” said Rachel. “Come on, Kirsty.”

  The two girls crept cautiously under the edge of the tent. Inside, there were lots of glittering ice-covered rocks. Rachel, Kirsty, and Holly hid behind them while they looked around.

  The tent was lit with rainbow-colored lanterns that glowed brightly. Long, gleaming icicles hung from the ceiling, and a big Christmas tree stood in one corner. It was decorated with shiny silver balls and multicolored fairy lights.