The Petal Fairies Collection Read online

  “Oh, thank you,” Rachel said eagerly. She loved fairy magic!

  Olivia hugged them good-bye and then waved her wand over them. Immediately, the girls were surrounded by a cloud of glittering blue and purple fairy dust. When it cleared a moment later, they found themselves at the entrance to the arboretum, where they were supposed to meet their parents.

  As the last few sparkles vanished at their feet, Kirsty caught sight of her mom and dad strolling along the path to meet them. “Just in time!” she said under her breath to Rachel.

  Rachel laughed, then waved at her mom and dad as well. “Hi! How was the arboretum?” she called, bending down to pet Buttons, who had bounded excitedly over to her. Mr. Walker looked disappointed. “Well, it wasn’t quite as good as I’d hoped,” he replied.

  “I thought the lilac trees would be flowering by now, but there wasn’t a single blossom.”

  Rachel glanced at Kirsty, guessing it was because the orchid petal had been missing. Hopefully, Olivia would be back in Fairyland with it soon, and then the blue and purple flowers — including the lilacs — would start blooming.

  “We found a nice little café where we can go for lunch, though,” Mrs. Tate said. “It’s just inside the arboretum.”

  “That sounds great.” Kirsty smiled. “I’m starving!”

  The two families began walking through the arboretum toward the restaurant. As they did, Rachel and Kirsty spotted some flowering lilac trees and a purple climbing flower that was growing all over an old brick wall.

  “Look! The lilacs are blooming here!” Mr. Tate said, surprised.

  “And those are beautiful,” Mr. Walker said, pointing at the flowers on the wall. “I can’t believe we didn’t notice them before.”

  Rachel and Kirsty grinned at each other as they walked along. Olivia’s orchid petal was already working its magic with beautiful results!

  “Hooray for petal magic!” Rachel said in a whisper.

  Kirsty nodded, smiling. “That’s five petals we’ve helped send safely back to Fairyland,” she said happily. “I hope we can find the other two before our vacation is over.”

  Rachel smiled back. She knew they would do their best!

  A Mysterious Message

  Daisy, Daisy

  Step By Step

  Danielle in Trouble

  A Helping Hand

  Daisy Delight

  “Oh!” Rachel Walker panted as she hiked up the steep hill. “I’m really out of breath.”

  “Me, too,” Kirsty Tate, Rachel’s best friend, agreed. “Even Buttons looks a little tired, and you know how he always bounces around.”

  Buttons, the Walkers’s shaggy dog, was trotting along next to Rachel with his pink tongue hanging out.

  “It’ll be worth it when we get to the top, girls,” called Rachel’s dad. He was walking behind them with Mrs. Walker and Kirsty’s parents. “The view will be fantastic. And so will the food,” he said patting a large straw picnic basket.

  A few moments later, Rachel and Kirsty reached the top of the hill. Both girls gasped as they gazed around.

  “You were right, Dad!” Rachel smiled.

  “It was worth it,” Kirsty added.

  The sun was shining, and the countryside that spread out below them looked beautiful. Lush green fields stretched in every direction. Nestled in a little valley, the girls could see the thatched-roof cottages of Blossom Village.

  “Blossom Village almost looks Fairyland-size from here!” Rachel whispered to Kirsty.

  Kirsty laughed. She and Rachel knew more about fairies than anyone else! The fairies were their special friends, and the girls had visited Fairyland many times.

  “Look, there’s Blossom Hall,” said Mr. Tate, pointing at a bigger building beyond the village. The Tates and the Walkers were spending their spring vacation in the old mansion that was now a country hotel. “Even that looks small from up here!”

  Kirsty and Rachel shared a smile as they gazed at Blossom Hall. Their stay at the old hotel had led to a whole new fairy adventure. On their first day at the hall, they had met Tia the Tulip Fairy in the beautiful gardens. Tia had whisked them off to Fairyland, where King Oberon and Queen Titania had explained that Jack Frost and his goblins had tried to steal the Petal Fairies’ seven magic petals. The petals were very important. Their magic made sure that all flowers were healthy and beautiful! In a battle of spells between the fairies and Jack Frost, the petals had whirled away and become lost in the human world. Jack Frost had sent his goblins to get them back. Now Rachel and Kirsty were trying to help the fairies find the magic petals before the goblins did.

  “Where should we have our picnic?” asked Mrs. Tate. She glanced up at the sky, where dark clouds were threatening to cover the sun. “Oh, I hope it isn’t going to rain. The weather forecast said it might.”

  “Well, I brought a big umbrella, just in case,” Mr. Walker replied, “but let’s hope it holds off until we get back to Blossom Hall.”

  “Look, there’s a nice spot over there by the stream,” Kirsty said, pointing to the other side of the hill. “That might be a good place for our picnic.”

  “Good idea,” Mr. Walker agreed.

  The stream was narrow but long. The girls could see that the crystal-clear water bubbled and flowed over rocks and pebbles, running all the way down to the other side of the hill.

  “Look, Rachel,” Kirsty said in a low voice as their parents unpacked the picnic basket. “The daisies all around us are wilting!”

  “I know,” Rachel whispered back. “I noticed when we were walking up the hill. I hope we find Danielle the Daisy Fairy’s magic petal today!”

  “Yes, we’ve found five petals already, but we need all seven,” Kirsty added.

  Rachel nodded seriously. Both girls knew that they had to return all the petals to Fairyland. It was the only way the petal magic would work and keep flowers everywhere blooming brightly.

  “This is a perfect spot,” said Mrs. Walker, as she poured water into Buttons’ bowl. “I hope you all worked up an appetite on that long walk.”

  Rachel and Kirsty nodded enthusiastically as Mr. Tate opened the picnic basket and began handing out wrapped sandwiches and bags of chips. As they ate, Buttons munched on some dog treats.

  “We have blueberry muffins for dessert,” Mrs. Tate said with a smile, pulling a large plastic container out of the basket.

  “Yum!” said Rachel happily.

  “That’s just what I was going to say!” Her dad laughed.

  Kirsty and Rachel ate their sandwiches, enjoying the view. As Kirsty was finishing off her chips, she gazed at the little stream bubbling its way down the hill toward a patch of trees. I wonder where it ends up? she thought.

  Suddenly, to Kirsty’s amazement, she saw a beautiful cloud of silver fairy dust rising from the trees.

  Kirsty almost choked on the last bite of her sandwich! As she watched, the silvery sparkles began to drift through the air toward her.

  Kirsty knew she and Rachel had to make sure their parents didn’t spot the fairy dust. Quickly, she nudged Rachel, who was sitting next to her. Rachel glanced up, and her eyes widened.

  “Look, everyone!” Rachel said quickly, pointing in the opposite direction. “There’s the big field of sunflowers in Leafley village.”

  Everyone except Kirsty turned to look where Rachel was pointing. Meanwhile, Kirsty watched as the silvery sparkles began to form themselves into words. They seemed to float right in front of her:

  Look around, there’s more to see.

  A fairy friend says: follow me!

  Then the cloud of sparkles streamed away and disappeared on the breeze.

  Still tingling with excitement, Kirsty turned to her mother. “Mom, is it OK if Rachel and I go exploring before we eat our muffins?” she asked eagerly. Mrs. Tate nodded.

  “Don’t go far, though,” added Mr. Walker, “and be back in half an hour.”

  Rachel and Kirsty scrambled to their feet and hurried off, following
the stream toward the woods.

  “The sparkles spelled out a message, Rachel!” Kirsty told her friend, her eyes shining. She repeated the little poem.

  “One of the Petal Fairies must have sent it,” Rachel guessed, her face bright with excitement.

  The girls soon reached the trees. As they stood on the edge of the little forest, wondering where to go next, they heard a soft whooshing sound. Suddenly, tiny silver sparkles began shooting out from behind an oak tree.

  The girls hurried over.

  “Hi, girls!” Danielle the Daisy Fairy called, peeking out from behind the tree trunk and grinning at them. “I’ve been waiting for you!”

  Danielle danced out from behind the tree as Kirsty and Rachel glanced at each other, grinning. The little fairy looked very daisylike in a bright yellow top and a white skirt with pink trim. Her wings were pink-tipped, too, and a daisy-shaped barrette held back her long blond hair.

  “It’s great to see you, girls,” Danielle said. “I really need your help. One of Jack Frost’s goblins has found my magic daisy petal, and until I get it back, daisies and all the white flowers in the world will be in trouble!”

  “Oh!” Rachel gasped. “Is the goblin in these woods?”

  Danielle nodded. “Follow me,” she said. “But remember, girls, the goblins have a wand with Jack Frost’s icy magic to help them. So we have to be careful!”

  Danielle flew off, and Kirsty and Rachel followed the tiny, sparkling fairy deeper into the woods. After a few moments Danielle stopped behind a large oak tree with a thick gnarled trunk. She motioned to the girls, putting a finger to her lips.

  Kirsty and Rachel peeked around the tree trunk. In front of them was a large clearing, and the green grass was spotted with wilting daisies. A goblin sat on a rock in the middle of the clearing, making a daisy chain. He had collected a bunch of the flowers, ready to add to the chain. The daisies were in a pile next to him.

  “Look at those daisies the goblin has collected,” Danielle whispered.

  Rachel and Kirsty stared at the pile of daisies and immediately noticed that they looked fresh and healthy. Their centers were a bright and sunny yellow. The girls knew that meant the magic petal must be very close by!

  The goblin’s chain was growing quickly, and he was singing a silly made-up song as he threaded the daisies together.

  “Daisy, daisy, I’m not lazy, ” he sang loudly, twirling a daisy in his knobby green hand. “Daisy, daisy, I’m not crazy! I just love my daisies! ”

  Kirsty clapped her hands over her ears. “He’s all out of tune!” she complained.

  “The other goblins can’t be far away,” Rachel said in a low voice. “Jack Frost told them to stick together this time, remember?”

  “This one doesn’t have the wand, either,” Danielle pointed out. “Let’s try to get my petal back before the others show up.”

  But before they could do anything, they heard noises from the other side of the woods.

  A minute later, a large group of noisy goblins burst into the clearing. Rachel, Kirsty, and Danielle glanced at one another in dismay. Danielle let out a little groan when she saw the icy wand in the hands of the smallest goblin.

  “What are you doing?” demanded a big goblin, going over to the one with the daisies.

  “Making a daisy chain,” the goblin replied.

  “Lazybones!” snapped the smallest goblin. “We’ve been searching all over the hill for the magic petal, and you’ve been sitting here taking a nice rest!”

  “It’s not fair!” the big goblin grumbled.

  “I’m telling Jack Frost!”

  Looking annoyed, the seated goblin threw down his daisy chain and jumped off the rock. “All right!” he snapped.

  “I’ll help you look now.” He tromped off, pouting as he poked around the daisy patches.

  Rachel, Kirsty, and Danielle watched as all the others followed, except for the big goblin. With a nasty grin on his face, he picked up the long daisy chain and draped it around his shoulders like a feather boa.

  “Hey!” the goblin who had made the chain yelled, racing over to the big goblin. “Give that back!” he screeched. “It’s mine!”

  “No, I won’t!” the big goblin refused. “I look nice!”

  Furious, the first goblin grabbed one end of the chain of daisies. But before he could pull it away, the big goblin grabbed the other end, and the delicate chain broke immediately and fell apart.

  “Now look at what you’ve done!” yelled the first goblin. They both threw the broken ends down on the ground.

  “It was your fault!” the big goblin grumbled. He drew back his big, knobby foot and kicked the pile of daisies into the air. They all were flying.

  “You go and search these woods for the magic petal!” he roared at the others when he saw them watching. “We have to find it before those pesky fairies do!”

  All the goblins stomped off across the clearing, searching for the petal. The big goblin came straight toward the tree where Danielle and the girls were hiding!

  As the goblin came closer, Rachel noticed something magical. Everywhere the goblin stepped, the daisies around his feet burst into bright blossoms! But as soon as he moved away from them, they died again.

  Rachel knew this could only mean one thing.

  “Look at the goblin’s foot when he lifts it up,” she whispered to Kirsty and Danielle. “I think the magic petal is stuck underneath!”

  Danielle and the girls watched closely as the goblin lifted his foot to take another step. Sure enough, the sparkling magic petal was stuck to the bottom of his big green heel.

  “How are we going to get it away from him?” asked Rachel.

  Kirsty thought hard. “I have an idea….” she said slowly. “Danielle, could you turn us into fairies, please?”

  “Of course!” Danielle replied.

  She flew above Rachel and Kirsty and, with a flick of her fairy wand, showered them with glittering magical sparkles. The girls felt the familiar rush of excitement as they began to shrink. Within seconds they were the same size as Danielle, with shining fairy wings on their backs.

  “Let’s go!” Kirsty cried, flying off into the clearing. Rachel and Danielle followed.

  The other goblins had disappeared into the woods now, so only the big goblin was still searching the clearing. He seemed annoyed as he looked halfheartedly for the magic petal. Kirsty wondered what he’d do if he knew it was stuck to his very own foot!

  “Hello!” she called, hovering above him with Rachel and Danielle beside her.

  The goblin glanced up. “Pesky fairies!” he muttered grumpily. “You’re always turning up out of nowhere.”

  “You’ve been working very hard, haven’t you?” Kirsty said kindly.

  The goblin frowned. “Yes, I have!” he snapped.

  “So you must be tired,” Kirsty went on. “After all, that other goblin had a nice rest, but you didn’t.”

  “It wasn’t fair!” the big goblin moaned.

  Rachel and Danielle grinned at each other as they realized what Kirsty had planned!

  “Well, now it’s your turn to take a rest,” Rachel chimed in. “Why don’t you lie down?” She pointed at the rock where the first goblin had been sitting.

  The goblin yawned. “Maybe I will.”

  As the goblin walked back to the rock, the daisies at his feet bloomed and wilted with his every step. Danielle, Kirsty, and Rachel glanced nervously at one another, but luckily the goblin didn’t notice. He sat down on the rock and yawned again.

  Winking at the girls, Danielle lifted her wand, and a shower of sparkles floated down onto the broken daisy chain. The daisies immediately bunched up into a soft, snuggly white pillow.

  The goblin looked at the comfy pillow. “Nobody will notice if I take a quick nap,” he said to himself, glancing around the clearing to make sure the other goblins were nowhere in sight. “After all, I have worked the hardest today….”

  He put his head on the daisy pillow, li
fted his feet onto the rock, and closed his eyes. Now Danielle, Kirsty, and Rachel could see the magic petal sparkling on the bottom of the goblin’s foot.

  They waited, afraid to move, until they heard heavy, rumbling snores echo through the clearing.

  “The goblin’s asleep,” Kirsty whispered. “Now we can peel the petal off his foot. Come on!”

  Quickly, the three fairies flew down to the snoring goblin. They were just peeling the petal away from his toes when they heard a noise behind them. A second later, the other goblins came crashing through the trees and into the clearing. The three friends gasped in surprise.

  “Hey!” the smallest goblin shouted angrily, pointing at the goblin on the rock. “He’s taking a nap while we’re doing all the work!”

  “Look!” yelled another. “Fairies! I bet they’re looking for the magic petal, too. Let’s get them!”

  And all the goblins rushed across the clearing, straight toward Danielle, Kirsty, and Rachel.

  Just then, the goblin on the rock woke up and spotted Danielle and the girls.

  “Help!” he yelled, kicking at them. “I’m being attacked by fairies!”

  Danielle, Rachel, and Kirsty had no choice but to leave the petal behind. They quickly flew straight up into the air to escape from the gang of goblins that was charging toward them.

  “What do we do now?” asked Kirsty, as they hovered above the rock. Looking down, they could still see the petal, which was now hanging off the goblin’s foot.

  “I’ll get rid of these pesky fairies!” the smallest goblin boasted eagerly, lifting Jack Frost’s wand.