The Sports Fairies Collection Read online

  Samantha touched her wand to the goggles and they sparkled even more brightly for a moment. Kirsty and Rachel knew that now that the magic goggles were back with Samantha, their powers would start working again. Soon, swimming would be fun and safe in the human world and throughout Fairyland.

  “Hooray!” Rachel cheered happily, as she, Samantha, and Kirsty zoomed safely up and out of the goblin’s reach. Then Samantha put on her magic goggles and used her magic to calm the waves and lift the inner tube off the goblin, setting him free. He splashed off miserably to join his friends.

  The lifeguard goblin, seeing what had happened, shouted grumpily, “Everyone out of the pool. It’s time to go back to Jack Frost’s castle.”

  All the goblins reluctantly climbed out of the pool, collected their towels and clothes, and marched off. It was very quiet once they had left.

  “What a mess!” Kirsty said, gazing down at all the floats, tubes, and bodyboards still bobbing around in the water.

  “This won’t take long to clean up,” Samantha promised. She waved her wand again. In a swirl of light pink fairy dust, the floats and toys rose up out of the water and put themselves away. The inner tubes rolled into the cabinet like big, colorful wheels.

  Once the pool was back to normal, the three friends flew out through the open window. Then Samantha used her magic to turn Kirsty and Rachel back into girls wearing outdoor clothes again.

  “I need to go back to Fairyland, to make sure everything’s ready for the swimming events in the Fairyland Olympics,” Samantha said, kissing Rachel and Kirsty good-bye. “Thank you so much for your help. Where are you going now?”

  “We need to catch a bus to Aqua World,” Rachel said.

  Samantha nodded and waved her wand in a complicated pattern. A pink, glittery ticket appeared in each girl’s hand. “This’ll be quicker,” Samantha said. “When you’re ready, just touch the tickets together. They’re full of special fairy dust, and will take you right to Aqua World.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Kirsty cried, looking at her ticket in delight. What an exciting day this was turning out to be!

  The girls said good-bye to Samantha and watched as she flew off into the distance.

  “That was fun,” Rachel said, holding her ticket out toward Kirsty’s. “And I’m really looking forward to doing some swimming myself, now.”

  “Me, too,” Kirsty agreed, touching her ticket to Rachel’s and feeling herself getting swept up by fairy magic. “But not as much as I’m looking forward to how we get there!”

  Goblindon

  Tennis Time

  Tickets, Please!

  Double Distraction

  A Winning Return

  Game, Set, and Match

  “Isn’t it a beautiful day, Kirsty?” Rachel Walker said happily. She and her best friend, Kirsty Tate, were walking along a country path not far from the Walkers’ house, enjoying the sunshine. “And it would be even better if we could find another magic sports object!”

  “Yes!” Kirsty agreed. “The Fairyland Olympics start tomorrow, and Alice the Tennis Fairy’s magic racket and Gemma the Gymnastics Fairy’s magic hoop are still missing.”

  Rachel and Kirsty had promised to help their friends, the Sports Fairies, find their seven magic objects. Sports in both the human and the fairy worlds were not going well because Jack Frost and his goblins had stolen them.

  Jack Frost was determined that his goblin team would win the Fairyland Olympics — and the cup filled with good luck. He knew that the power of the magic objects meant that anyone close to one of them immediately became fantastic at that particular sport. He had sent his goblins into the human world with each object, and told them to practice for the games.

  As the girls walked down the path, Rachel suddenly noticed a strange sign pinned to a tree. “Look at that,” she remarked, pointing it out to Kirsty.

  The words on the sign were painted in bright green and looked very sloppy. “Goblindon,” Kirsty read aloud. “And there’s an arrow with the words ENTRANCE TO TIPPINGTON TENNIS CLUB — this way written underneath it,” she added.

  “Oh no!” Rachel exclaimed. “This has goblin mischief written all over it! Mom and I have played tennis at that club once or twice, and there are always lots of people around. What if the goblins are spotted by someone?”

  Kirsty looked worried. The girls knew that nobody in the human world was supposed to find out about Fairyland and the goblins, fairies, and other creatures that lived there.

  “We have to find out what’s going on,” Kirsty insisted. “If the goblins are at the tennis club, they might have Alice’s magic racket.”

  “Good thinking,” Rachel agreed.

  As the girls hurried off toward the tennis club entrance, they suddenly heard a loud voice coming from behind the bushes.

  “Attention, goblins!” the voice announced. “I will now explain the rules of the tournament.”

  “The goblins are having a tennis tournament!” Rachel exclaimed. “Instead of being called Wimbledon, like the famous English tournament, it’s called Goblindon!”

  “There’s only one rule,” the goblin went on. “I’m the umpire in charge of this tournament, so what I say goes!”

  He chuckled loudly, but Rachel and Kirsty could hear the sound of the other goblins muttering and complaining.

  “How many of them are there?” Kirsty asked with a frown.

  Rachel put a finger to her lips. “We’re right next to the tennis courts,” she whispered. “Let’s look through the bushes.”

  The girls pushed some leaves aside and peered through the hedge. Both of them tried not to gasp out loud at the scene in front of them. The Tippington Tennis Club was full of goblins!

  Kirsty and Rachel glanced at each other in dismay. All the goblins were wearing the proper white tennis shirts and shorts, and they were stretching as they got ready for the tournament.

  “Luckily there don’t seem to be any humans around,” Rachel murmured.

  “Look, Rachel!” Kirsty said suddenly.

  “See the goblin up there on the umpire’s chair?”

  Rachel glanced across the court and saw a big goblin standing on the umpire’s chair. He looked very pleased with himself. In his hand, he held a pink tennis racket that shimmered in the sunlight.

  “He has Alice’s magic racket!” Rachel gasped.

  “We have to try to get it back,” Kirsty whispered.

  “As you all know, the purpose of the Goblindon tournament is to perfect your tennis skills,” the goblin umpire continued. “I want to see lots of powerful shots and fancy footwork! The Fairyland Olympics are coming up, and we want to beat those pesky fairies and win the cup full of good luck for Jack Frost!”

  All the goblins cheered as the umpire waved the magic racket in the air.

  “The winner of Goblindon will receive a special prize,” the umpire announced. “He will become keeper of the magic racket for the day!”

  The goblins cheered again as they stared longingly at the magic racket.

  “They all want to win it!” Kirsty exclaimed.

  “Yes, but I think the umpire would like to keep it for himself,” Rachel pointed out, as the goblin umpire lovingly stroked the racket’s pink handle. Then he nodded at two goblins standing on the sidelines.

  “Bring out the ball machine!” he shouted.

  The goblins began to push a giant ball machine onto one end of the court, right in front of the bushes where Kirsty and Rachel were standing. The girls jumped back quickly, afraid of being seen.

  “Let’s go to the main entrance,” Rachel whispered. “We can watch from inside the club, and maybe we’ll get a chance to grab Alice’s racket.”

  The girls hurried down the path toward the gates of the tennis club. As they did, they heard the umpire talking to the goblins. He explained that, in the first round of the tournament, the goblins would compete against the ball machine.

  “Any goblin who can return the ball or dodge out of the way without
being hit, for a total of ten minutes, will make it to the next round,” the umpire declared. “Any goblin hit by a ball will be automatically disqualified.”

  The girls quickly ducked behind a tree next to the club gates and peeked out. They saw the umpire goblin carefully put the magic racket down on his chair and go over to the ball machine. The other goblins were all gathered on the other side of the net.

  “One, two, three, go!” the umpire yelled, turning on the machine.

  It immediately began firing tennis balls at the waiting goblins. Some of the goblins weren’t ready. They didn’t even have the chance to lift their rackets before they were hit by flying balls!

  “That’s not fair!” one of them grumbled.

  “You’re out!” the umpire said sternly.

  The goblins who had been hit stomped grumpily off the court. They began filling up the seats that surrounded the court. Meanwhile, the remaining goblins were swatting and batting the balls away. They were barely able to dodge the balls they couldn’t hit.

  “Look, Kirsty!” Rachel nudged her friend. “What’s the umpire doing?”

  The goblin umpire was grinning — and it was a terribly mischievous grin!

  As the girls watched, he flipped a switch on the ball machine without the other goblins noticing. Suddenly, the balls came flying out of the machine twice as fast.

  “He turned up the speed of the machine,” Kirsty said with a smirk. “You were right, Rachel. He doesn’t want another goblin to get the magic racket, so he’s trying to get them all out.”

  The goblins on the other side of the net were now racing around the court, whacking the super-fast balls here and there. But they hardly had time to hit one before another rocketed their way.

  “Hey!” one of the goblins shouted as he sidestepped a ball. “What’s going on?”

  The umpire snickered. “I said you had to practice your fancy footwork!” he shouted back. Then he turned the speed up even higher!

  Suddenly, one of the tennis balls spun away from the court and headed straight for the girls.

  “Kirsty, look out!” Rachel cried.

  But at that moment, something very strange happened. The ball instantly stopped in midair and floated right in front of the tree where the girls were hiding. A tiny fairy was sitting on top of it, smiling.

  “It’s Alice the Tennis Fairy!” Kirsty exclaimed.

  Alice lifted her pink visor up on her forehead and waved at Rachel and Kirsty. The fairy wore a white tennis outfit and pink-and-white tennis shoes.

  “Girls, I’m glad to see you,” Alice said. “I really need your help to get my magic racket back.”

  “We know where your racket is,” Kirsty replied. “It’s on the umpire’s chair.”

  Alice spun around and looked thrilled as she spotted her pink, sparkly racket. “How can we get it without being seen?” she asked eagerly. “Any ideas?”

  “Maybe we should sneak into the club while everyone’s watching the game,”

  Rachel suggested.

  They all looked at the court where the remaining goblins were still dashing back and forth.

  “Good idea,” Alice said.

  The girls hurried through the gates. Alice flew next to them.

  “I wonder where all the club members are,” Rachel said, as they walked down the path toward the clubhouse. “It’s amazing that nobody has seen the goblins yet!”

  Alice smiled and pointed her wand at a poster on the clubhouse door. “That’s why,” she said. “There’s a tournament today at Greendale Tennis Club.”

  “All the members must be playing there,” Rachel agreed.

  As the girls and Alice turned toward the courts, a goblin rushed out of the clubhouse. Immediately, Alice hid in Kirsty’s pocket.

  “Stop!” the goblin shouted. He was wearing a blue uniform and a cap with a bill.

  Alarmed, Rachel and Kirsty stopped as the goblin stared suspiciously at them.

  “Where are you going?” he snapped.

  “We came to watch the Goblindon tournament,” Rachel replied bravely.

  The goblin frowned, still looking suspicious. “We don’t get many girls coming to watch,” he said. “It’s mostly just goblins. Where are your tickets?”

  Rachel and Kirsty glanced nervously at each other. They didn’t have any tickets! But just then Kirsty felt something tingle in her pocket. She put her hand inside and, to her surprise, pulled out two large green tickets. Alice was peeking out of the pocket, too, smiling up at her.

  “Here they are,” Kirsty said cheerfully. She handed the tickets to the goblin.

  The goblin stared at the tickets while Rachel and Kirsty tried to hide their smiles. Both girls knew that Alice had made the tickets with her magic — just in time.

  “These do look real,” the goblin admitted, handing the tickets back. “OK, you can go in.”

  Rachel and Kirsty rushed off, breathing sighs of relief.

  “Thanks, Alice,” Kirsty said as the tiny fairy fluttered out of her pocket. “Your magic tickets worked perfectly.”

  Meanwhile, Rachel had come to a stop at one of the clubhouse windows.

  “Look!” she said, motioning to Kirsty and Alice. They all peeked through the large window.

  They could see a huge kitchen where two goblins, wearing aprons and chefs’ hats, were spooning strawberries and cream into lots of different bowls.

  “It’s the official food of Wimbledon,” Rachel said, licking her lips. “They serve it at the tournament every year.”

  As the friends watched, the goblins loaded the bowls onto a cart and rolled it out of the clubhouse.

  “Let’s follow them and try to get the magic racket back while the goblins are stuffing themselves with strawberries and cream,” Kirsty whispered.

  Rachel and Alice nodded, and the friends snuck toward the tennis courts behind the cart.

  Luckily, the goblins in the audience were too busy watching what was happening on the court to notice the girls. There were only five goblins left now, swinging at the balls flying from the machine.

  “Look, my racket is still on the umpire’s chair,” Alice whispered. “I’m going to fly over and try to get it back.”

  “OK, but be quick, Alice,” Kirsty said nervously. “The ten minutes will be up soon.”

  Swiftly, Alice flew around the side of the court, keeping out of sight of the seated goblins.

  Just then, the umpire blew his whistle. “The first round of Goblindon is now over!” he announced loudly.

  The goblins broke into applause and immediately the umpire headed over to his chair.

  Rachel and Kirsty stared at each other in horror. Alice was heading toward the chair, too. The goblin umpire could spot her at any moment!

  “We have to distract him, Kirsty!” Rachel whispered. “But how?”

  Thinking quickly, Kirsty pulled her Goblindon ticket out of her skirt pocket. “Rachel, do you have a pen?” she asked urgently.

  Rachel reached into her pockets. “Will a pencil do?” she asked, handing one to her friend.

  Kirsty nodded, took the pencil, and rushed across the court to the umpire goblin. He had almost reached his chair.

  “May I please have your autograph?” she asked, holding out the pencil and her ticket. “I think you’re the best umpire ever!”

  “Oh, me too!” Rachel agreed, realizing what Kirsty was up to. She pulled out her own ticket. “Can I have your autograph, too?”

  The goblin umpire looked very proud of himself. “Why, of course!” he replied with a wide smile.

  As the goblin signed Kirsty’s ticket, Rachel saw Alice fly away from the umpire’s chair. The fairy ducked behind a shrub, out of sight. Rachel sighed with relief. Kirsty’s quick thinking had saved the day, but they still hadn’t managed to get a hold of the magic racket.

  Meanwhile, the umpire had finished signing autographs and was leaning back in his chair with Alice’s racket on his lap. The girls moved to the side of the court and stood beside the
cart of strawberries and cream. As they did, they saw one of the five winning goblins remove his white headband and replace it with a bright orange one.

  “Hey, you!” the goblin umpire shouted immediately. “You’re only allowed to wear white at Goblindon. You’re disqualified!”

  “But that’s not fair!” the goblin protested.

  “Please leave the court,” the umpire insisted. “You are disqualified!”

  “That’s a rule at Wimbledon,” Rachel explained. “The players only wear white.”

  The goblin sulked as he tore off his orange headband and stomped away.

  “OK, the four remaining goblins will now play a doubles match,” the umpire announced. “Then the winning pair will play each other in the final, and the winner of that game will be the Goblindon Champion!”

  “Good work, girls,” Alice whispered. She flew out of the shrub and slipped inside Kirsty’s pocket as the doubles match began. “Maybe we’ll get a chance to grab my racket during this game.”

  The goblins were speedy and skillful tennis players, sending the ball flying across the court at different angles.

  “The goblins are playing really well,” Rachel murmured.

  “It’s only because my magic racket is close by,” Alice told her, as the smallest goblin dashed forward to return a low volley.

  “Uh!” he grunted as he smashed the ball back across the court. Then, as it was returned to him, he hit it again and made another loud grunt.

  One of the goblins on the other side of the net turned to the umpire. “He’s distracting me with his grunting!” the goblin declared furiously.