The Dance Fairies Collection Page 9

  The three fairy friends could only watch as the goblins opened up their feathery arms and glided to the ground. Then they raced off through the crowd toward the nearby park.

  “After them!” cried Rachel.

  As Kirsty zoomed after the goblins, she noticed that a few people in the crowd were staring after the running birds in confusion. Fortunately, another band began a salsa tune, so the people soon turned back to the parade. Meanwhile, Kirsty, Rachel, and Serena flew after the goblins as fast as they could. The three fairies made sure they all stayed high up in the air, so that they were out of sight.

  The goblins had run through the park gates and were now dashing across one of the lawns at top speed. They seemed to be heading for a small wooded area at the back of the park. Kirsty, Rachel, and Serena could hear them yelling to each other in panicked voices.

  “Where can we hide? Where should we go?” the parrot goblin shouted.

  “Birds live in trees, don’t they?” the goblin with the ribbon replied. “Let’s hide in a tree — nobody will notice us there!”

  The parrot goblin seemed to think this was a very good idea, because he began scrambling up the nearest tree trunk. The bird-of-paradise goblin climbed awkwardly after him, his colorful tail dragging through the autumn leaves on the branches as he went.

  Moments later, Kirsty, Rachel, and Serena arrived at the base of the tree. Up through the gold, brown, and orange leaves, they could see the goblins sitting on one of the branches. “They’ll never find us now.” The parrot goblin’s voice floated down. “Thanks to my brilliant idea!”

  “We’re masters of disguise!” the bird-of-paradise goblin happily agreed. “Invisible to the rest of the world!”

  “I think I make a very good bird,” the parrot goblin said. “Listen to this. Cheep! Cheep!”

  Rachel watched as the bird-of-paradise goblin elbowed his friend. “Parrots don’t cheep,” he hissed. “They squawk and say funny things.”

  Kirsty saw the parrot goblin scratch his head. “Um, birdie wants a cracker!” he screeched. “Birdie wants a cracker!”

  Rachel, Kirsty, and Serena all looked at one another and couldn’t help giggling. The goblins weren’t well-disguised at all. Their bright costumes stood out against the autumn leaves, and they were much, much bigger than real birds.

  “Nobody would be convinced by that parrot impression,” Kirsty laughed.

  “‘Their disguises are awful!” Rachel giggled, and then a thought struck her. “You know, those goblins have given me an idea.” She turned to Serena. “Serena, could you use your magic to camouflage me and Kirsty, so that we blend in with the leaves of the tree? If we’re disguised, we might be able to sneak up on the goblins and grab the salsa ribbon!”

  Serena nodded. “That’s a great idea,” she said, waving her wand over the girls. A stream of glittering orange sparkles poured from the tip of her wand and fizzed around Rachel and Kirsty.

  As the mist of sparkles cleared, Rachel grinned to see that she and Kirsty were now wearing wonderful outfits made from fall leaves. “Your hair’s still dark, though,” she said to Kirsty, noticing how it stood out against the deep yellow and orange colors of Kirsty’s outfit. “I wonder …”

  But Serena was already waving her wand again. Another swirl of magical sparkles surrounded the girls. Kirsty and Rachel gasped as they saw each other’s skin and hair turn orange, too.

  “Perfect!” Kirsty laughed. “Now, let’s get that salsa ribbon!”

  Rachel and Kirsty fluttered silently up the tree and perched on a branch just below the goblins. The goblins were getting carried away with their bird noises, and it was all Kirsty could do not to burst out laughing as she listened to the terrible racket.

  “Tweet! Tweet! Tweet!” twittered the bird-of-paradise goblin. “La-la-la-la-la!”

  “What’s that all about?” the parrot goblin demanded. “What’s with the la-la-las?”

  The other goblin looked annoyed. “I’m a songbird, aren’t I?” he replied. “That’s just one of my songs!”

  “What, la-la-la?” the parrot goblin asked, looking doubtful. “Real birds don’t sing la-la-la!”

  “I’m just getting in the mood,” his friend said sulkily. “How about this? Coo, coo, cooo!”

  “You’re not a pigeon!” the parrot goblin snapped. “Look, you either do this properly or don’t do it at all!”

  Rachel didn’t dare look at Kirsty as the goblins started a heated argument about bird noises. She knew she’d burst out laughing if she and Kirsty made eye contact! The goblins seemed to have forgotten all about keeping themselves hidden. Their voices were getting louder and louder as they argued.

  Rachel edged quietly along the branch toward the bird-of-paradise goblin’s tail. She pressed herself against a twig, waiting for the right moment to strike. Then, as the two goblins began fighting about who had the best costume, she darted forward and quickly plucked the orange ribbon from the goblin’s feathery tail.

  Kirsty grabbed hold of it, too, and the two brave fairies flew away from the tree. They carried the ribbon between them. As the ribbon trailed through the air behind the girls, the parrot goblin let out a great squawk of shock.

  “Look! Those leaves are flying off with our ribbon!” he cried in amazement.

  His friend stared after them. “They’re not leaves. They’re pesky fairies! But they’ve turned orange!”

  “Well, I’m not letting them get away with this!” the parrot goblin declared, making a frantic lunge for Kirsty and Rachel.

  “Careful!” yelled the bird-of-paradise goblin as the parrot goblin bumped into him. And then both goblins lost their balance and tumbled out of the tree! Luckily, they landed on a big pile of autumn leaves.

  The goblins jumped to their feet, looking furious, but Serena was pointing her wand at them as a warning.

  “It’s time for you two to go,” she said firmly, “or I’ll turn you orange! And who ever heard of an orange goblin?”

  The parrot goblin pulled off his beak and threw it down grumpily. “This is your fault,” he fumed to his friend.

  “If you hadn’t been doing your la-la-las so loud, they never would have found us up there!”

  “My fault!” the other goblin retorted. “What about you and your parrot screeches?”

  Rachel and Kirsty hovered in the air and smiled at each other as the goblins stomped away angrily, still grumbling.

  “Those goblins won’t be causing any more problems at the fiesta, thank goodness!” Rachel said happily.

  “Here you go, Serena,” Kirsty said as they handed the salsa ribbon to her.

  Serena waved her wand over the ribbon, shrinking it to its Fairyland size. She then reattached it to her wand with a happy smile. The ribbon shone a deep, warm orange in the sunshine, and fairy sparkles glittered from one tip to the other. “Thank you, girls,” she said. “I’m so glad to have my ribbon back. Now all the salsa dancing will be as good as ever!”

  She waved her wand at Kirsty and Rachel and turned them both back into girls, with their normal skin, hair, and clothes. “There,” she said. “Now you’re all ready to enjoy the rest of the fiesta.”

  “Thanks, Serena,” Rachel said. “We will!”

  The girls called good-bye to the little fairy as she zoomed away in a last flash of orange sparkles.

  “It’s almost time to meet Mom,” Kirsty said, glancing at her watch. “But first I want to see what else is in the parade, and I feel like doing some dancing myself !”

  She and Rachel made their way back to High Street, where the crowds were still clapping and cheering for the dancers in the parade.

  The girls were glad to see that none of the dancers seemed to be having any trouble now. They were all dancing wonderfully, and the audience was moving and clapping in time to the salsa music.

  “Everyone’s having a great time now,” Rachel said, smiling as she joined in the dancing. “What a fabulous day!”

  Kirsty nodded, twirling around on the
spot. “And who knows? Tomorrow might be even better,” she said excitedly. “After all, there’s only one more magic ribbon left to find!”

  A Sparkling Skate

  A Closet Full of Trouble

  Team Goblin

  Slipping and Sliding

  Girls Net Goblins

  A Magical Performance

  “I can’t wait to see the show!” Kirsty Tate told her best friend, Rachel Walker, as Mrs. Tate dropped the girls off outside the ice rink. After her mom promised to pick them up when the show was over, Kirsty exclaimed, “Oh, I just love ice dancing!”

  “So do I,” Rachel agreed.

  “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen!” A voice boomed over the loudspeakers as the girls walked inside. “Welcome to the Glacier Ice Rink. We have a wonderful show for you today, so get ready to see all of your favorite fairy tale characters dancing on ice! The show begins in twenty minutes.”

  There was a long line of people waiting to show their tickets, so the girls joined the line.

  “I wish I could ice dance,” Rachel said longingly. “I can skate pretty well, but I’d love to be able to do all those jumps and spins, and skate with a partner.”

  “Me, too!” Kirsty laughed. “My friend Jenny’s playing Sleeping Beauty in the show today, and she’s an amazing ice dancer! Even when she figure skates without a partner, she’s really great. Let’s go to the dressing rooms and wish her luck before the show starts.”

  Rachel nodded, but her expression was anxious. “Since Isabelle the Ice Dance Fairy’s ribbon is still missing, isn’t Jenny’s skating going to be in danger?”

  Kirsty nodded sadly. The girls had spent their school vacation trying to find the Dance Fairies’ seven magic ribbons. Jack Frost had stolen them, so he could use their magic to make his clumsy goblins dance well. The magic of the ribbons helped make sure that dance performances everywhere, including Fairyland, went well and were fun for everyone. Without the ribbons, dancing went horribly wrong.

  The king and queen of Fairyland had demanded that the magic ribbons be returned to the Dance Fairies, but Jack Frost had cast a spell that sent seven of his goblins into the human world, each one clutching a ribbon that he would guard. The goblins were supposed to keep themselves and the ribbons hidden, but so far Rachel and Kirsty had managed to get six of the seven ribbons back.

  “I’m just hoping the goblin with Isabelle’s ribbon shows up at the ice rink today,” Kirsty whispered as they handed in their tickets. “After all, each ribbon is attracted to its own special type of dance.”

  Rachel nodded. “I hope the goblin’s here somewhere, too,” she replied. “Mom and Dad are coming to take me home tomorrow, so we have to find Isabelle’s ribbon before then.”

  The girls went into the auditorium. The ice rink was surrounded by rows of seats. Music was playing over the loudspeakers as people began to sit down.

  “Let’s go and find Jenny,” said Kirsty, leading Rachel to the exit near the dressing rooms.

  As they entered the hallway, Rachel gasped. She thought she’d just seen something green disappear around the corner at the end of the hall. Could it have been a goblin? she wondered.

  “What’s the matter, Rachel?” Kirsty called, as her friend ran down the hallway.

  Rachel stopped at the corner, looking all around, but there was no sign of goblins. “I thought I saw a goblin run around this corner!” she exclaimed, as Kirsty joined her. “But there’s no one here.”

  “We’ve got goblins on the brain,” Kirsty said, shaking her head. “Remember what Queen Titania said — we have to let the magic come to us!”

  “Well, I hope it comes quickly,” Rachel said with a sigh. “It would be great if we could find the missing ribbon before the show starts.”

  Kirsty and Rachel hurried to the dressing room where Jenny and the other female skaters were getting ready. Jenny was in front of a mirror, pinning her hair up, when the girls came in. She smiled at them.

  “Hi, Jenny,” Kirsty said cheerfully. “This is my friend Rachel. We just came to wish you luck.”

  “You look great, Jenny,” Rachel said, admiring her shimmering white dress.

  “Thanks,” Jenny said. Then she looked down. “I really want to do well today, but I’ve been having trouble with my Sleeping Beauty routine recently. I just can’t get my moves right!”

  Kirsty and Rachel felt sorry for Jenny. They knew exactly why she wasn’t dancing very well — it was because Isabelle the Ice Dance Fairy’s magic ribbon had been missing all week!

  “And I just found out that an ice-dancing coach is coming to watch the show,” Jenny went on. “If he thinks I’m good enough, he’ll give me a spot in the Ice Academy’s summer school!” She sighed. “I really want to go there, but if I don’t skate well today, I won’t even have a chance!”

  Rachel and Kirsty glanced at each other with concern. They had to find Isabelle’s magic ribbon before Jenny performed her Sleeping Beauty routine.

  “We’d better get to our seats, Kirsty,” Rachel said, glancing at the clock on the wall. “The show will be starting soon. Good luck, Jenny!”

  “Yes, good luck!” Kirsty added.

  “Thank you,” Jenny said, pinning a white flower into her hair. “Kirsty, could you hand me my ice skates, please?” she asked. “They’re in the corner, just behind you.”

  “Sure,” Kirsty said, turning around to get the skates. She stooped to pick them up, and her heart skipped a beat. One of the skates was surrounded by a mist of blue glitter.

  As she picked up the shimmering skate, a tiny fairy zoomed out of it in a burst of sparkles.

  Kirsty recognized her immediately. “It’s Isabelle the Ice Dance Fairy!” she whispered to herself with delight.

  Isabelle hovered above the ice skate, waving up at Kirsty. She had long hair and wore a beautiful blue dress that was embroidered with silver sparkles. Tiny white ice skates glittered on her feet.

  Kirsty quickly looked over her shoulder. Rachel was still chatting with Jenny, and the other ice dancers were busy getting ready. Nobody had noticed Isabelle.

  “Hi, Kirsty,” Isabelle whispered. “I have good news. I can sense that my magic ribbon is very close by!”

  “Really?” Kirsty asked. “Let’s start looking for it right away!”

  “I was hoping you’d say that,” Isabelle replied with a wink. Then she ducked into Kirsty’s pocket. Kirsty picked up the other skate and carried it over to Jenny.

  “Thanks,” Jenny said, taking the skates and beginning to pull them on. “I wish I didn’t feel so nervous!”

  “Just do your best, Jenny,” Kirsty said comfortingly. “Rachel and I will be cheering you on!”

  Jenny nodded and began lacing up her pretty white skates as the girls left.

  “Poor Jenny!” Rachel sighed as they walked along. “I wish we could help. But we don’t even know whether the goblin with the ice dance ribbon is here or not.”

  “Oh, yes we do!” a silvery voice sang, and Isabelle peeked out of Kirsty’s pocket. Kirsty couldn’t help giggling at the look of surprise on Rachel’s face.

  “Hello, Isabelle!” Rachel laughed. “So your magic ribbon is here somewhere?”

  Isabelle nodded. “We just have to find the goblin and get it back!”

  “Oh!” Rachel exclaimed. “Kirsty, remember when I saw that flash of green on our way to find Jenny? Well, what if it was a goblin after all?”

  “Let’s go back and take another look,” Kirsty suggested.

  Quickly, they hurried back to the hallway where Rachel thought she’d seen the goblin. This time, as soon as they turned the corner, they saw a goblin a short way ahead of them. He was standing in front of a closet, pulling at the door handle.

  “We found him!” Kirsty whispered as they came to a stop. “But I don’t see the magic ribbon!”

  The goblin hadn’t noticed the girls behind him, because he was too busy tugging on the door. Just then, the door flew open so suddenly that the goblin fell over
backward. Looking a little embarrassed, he jumped to his feet and then plunged into the closet. The door slammed shut behind him. Rachel, Kirsty, and Isabelle rushed after him.

  “Don’t forget that as long as the goblin has the magic ribbon, he also has the power to freeze things!” Isabelle warned, as Rachel reached for the door handle.

  The girls nodded. Then, quickly, Rachel yanked the door open and looked inside. Immediately, she gave a gasp of horror, because inside the closet she could see not one goblin, but seven!

  For a moment Rachel, Kirsty, and Isabelle were too shocked to say anything. All three of them stared at the goblins, who were busy pulling on ice-hockey gear: helmets, red jerseys, elbow and knee pads, and ice skates.

  Suddenly, one of the goblins looked up and spotted the girls. He gave a screech of rage. “Go away!” he shrieked. “Don’t you know it’s rude to spy on people when they are getting dressed?” He reached out to try and pull the door closed, but Rachel firmly held onto it.

  “Why are you putting on ice-hockey uniforms?” Rachel asked.

  “Don’t you know anything?” another goblin shouted back rudely. “These aren’t ice-hockey outfits, they’re ice-dance outfits!”

  “Don’t we look nice?” said a third goblin, and he began parading proudly up and down the hallway.

  “But they’re not ice-dance outfits,” Rachel pointed out. “They’re the uniforms for an ice-hockey team!”