Woodland Fun
Egg and Spoon Surprises
Polly Appears!
Goblin Chase
Polly’s Sparkly Secret
A Touch of Magic
“Good-bye, Mom!” Kirsty Tate called, waving from the school bus packed with Explorers as it pulled away from the school.
“Good-bye, Mrs. Tate!” Rachel Walker, Kirsty’s best friend, shouted. She was waving, too.
As the school bus made its way through the village, Rachel turned to Kirsty.
“Isn’t it great that your Explorers leader is letting me come to your mini-jamboree?” she said happily.
“Well, you are staying with me this week, so there’s no way I’d leave you behind!” Kirsty laughed. “And you’re an Explorer, too, even if you’re not in our troop.”
Rachel nodded. Both she and Kirsty were wearing their Explorer uniforms. “I’m really looking forward to this,” she said eagerly. “What did you do last year?”
“We met up with another troop of Explorers—-just like we’re doing this time—so there were lots of us,” Kirsty explained. “We played games, ran races, and there were prizes, too. Then we roasted marshmallows around the campfire.” She grinned. “It really was just a big party in the woods!”
Rachel’s eyes opened wide. “A party?” she gasped. “You know what that means. …”
Kirsty clapped a hand to her mouth. “Oh, I didn’t realize!” she said. “We’ll have to be on the lookout for goblins!”
Even though Kirsty and Rachel seemed just like all the other Explorers on the bus, the two girls had a special secret. They had become friends with the fairies! Now, whenever their fairy friends were in trouble, Kirsty and Rachel tried to help.
Trouble usually came in the shape of cold, prickly Jack Frost and his goblins. Now Jack Frost was doing his best to ruin the secret party for the fairy king and queen’s 1000th anniversary. The seven Party Fairies were helping with the preparations. Jack Frost was trying to stop them by sending his goblins into the human world to ruin as many parties as they could! Then, when the Party Fairies came flying to the rescue, the goblins would try to steal their magic party bags for Jack Frost. He planned to use the Party Fairies’ special magic to have a fabulous party of his own.
“Yes, we’ll have to keep our eyes open,” agreed Rachel, as the school bus came to a stop in a large clearing in the woods. There were already lots of Explorers milling around. The other troop had arrived! “We can’t let the goblins steal any of the Party Fairies’ magic bags,” she added firmly.
“And we won’t let them ruin our day, either,” Kirsty declared, looking determined.
Mrs. Talbot, Kirsty’s Explorers leader, opened the door of the bus. “Here we are, girls,” she said with a smile. “Put your bags under that big tree, and then we’ll start with some races.”
The Explorers on the bus cheered as they jumped to their feet. Rachel and Kirsty were the last to leave. As they stepped off the bus, they both looked carefully around the clearing for any signs of goblin trouble, but they couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary.
“There are lots of places for goblins to hide here,” Kirsty whispered to Rachel, as they put their bags under the giant oak tree.
“Gather around, girls,” called Mrs. Talbot, who had been chatting with the other Explorers leader, Mrs. Carter. “We’re going to start with an obstacle course. We need four volunteers from each troop.”
Kirsty nudged Rachel. “That sounds like fun,” she said. “Should we volunteer?”
Rachel nodded, and they both put their hands up.
“Jenny and Emily,” said Mrs. Talbot, pointing at two girls. “Oh, and Kirsty and your friend, Rachel—you can be our team!”
Kirsty, Rachel, and the other girls watched closely as Mrs. Talbot showed them the course. First, they had to run along a wooden balance beam. Then they had to scramble under a net, run along the top of a row of overturned buckets, and make a shot through a basketball hoop. To finish, all four members of the team had to jump into a rubber boat and row across the wide stream that flowed along one side of the clearing.
“It looks hard,” Kirsty said, nervously.
“Not as hard as trying to outwit goblins!” Rachel replied with a laugh.
As the two teams lined up, the other Explorers began cheering for their teammates. Mrs. Carter blew her whistle, and they were off!
Jenny ran lightly along the beam first, followed by Rachel, Kirsty, and Emily.
“If anyone falls off, they have to go back to the beginning of the plank and start again!” Mrs. Talbot warned. But both teams made it across safely.
Then they began to wiggle under the net. Rachel and Kirsty’s team pulled ahead slightly, as one of the Explorers on the other team got her barrette caught in the mesh. By the time she was free, Rachel and Kirsty’s team had already run along the row of buckets, and was trying to shoot baskets through the basketball hoop.
“I’m horrible at this,” Emily said anxiously to Kirsty, as they watched Jenny and then Rachel make baskets with their first shots.
“Don’t worry,” Kirsty replied. “Just do your best.”
But after Kirsty had scored, it took poor Emily six more tries to get her basket. By then, the other team had almost caught up with them.
“Quick, into the boat!” Rachel shouted.
They all jumped into the little inflatable boat and grabbed the paddles. But as they pushed off from the bank, the other team was running up to their own boat.
“Paddle harder!” shouted Jenny, as they made their way to the middle of the stream.
“They’re right behind us!” Kirsty gasped, glancing back.
Then, suddenly, she felt cold water seeping into her sneakers. Surprised, she looked down. Water was pouring into the boat, and she could hear the hissing sound of air escaping as the boat began to deflate. It had sprung a leak!
“Oh, no!” Kirsty shouted. “We’re sinking!”
The other girls gasped.
“We have to bail out!” cried Rachel.
“Girls!” Mrs. Talbot was standing on the bank, looking worried. “Are you all right?”
“Our boat’s leaking!” Kirsty yelled, as they sank even lower in the water.
There was a shout from the Explorers in the other boat. “So is ours!”
“Quick, girls!” Mrs. Carter rolled up her pants and waded into the stream toward them. “The water’s not very deep. Take your shoes and socks off, and I’ll help you climb out.”
The eight girls waded to the bank, dragging their deflated boats behind them. “Do you think this could be goblin trouble?” Kirsty whispered to Rachel. “It might be,” Rachel agreed with a nod.
Mrs. Carter was examining one of the rubber boats. “Look!” she said, pointing at the bottom of a boat. “There are some thorns stuck in there. That’s what made the holes. I knew I shouldn’t have put the boats down next to that prickly bush.”
Kirsty and Rachel looked at each other.
“Maybe it was just an accident,” Rachel said with shrug.
“Or maybe a goblin stuck those thorns into the boats to make them sink!” Kirsty pointed out.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Mrs. Talbot was saying, patting Mrs. Carter on the shoulder. “I brought a present for our pass the present game, and I don’t even remember where I put it! Let’s do the egg and spoon race while I look for it.”
“I’m not very good at this,” Kirsty told Rachel as they lined up to get their eggs and spoons. “But it’s always lots of fun.”
“It’s easier if you don’t go too fast,” Rachel said, “and remember to keep your eye on your egg.”
This time, all the Explorers took part in the race. Mrs. Carter bl
ew the whistle, and they all set off, trying hard not to drop the eggs.
Rachel had a steady hand. She was soon in the lead, but Kirsty was near the back. Suddenly, Emily rushed past her, trying to catch up with the leaders. Her hand wobbled, and her egg fell and smashed on the ground. Immediately, a horrible smell filled the air.
“Ugh!” Emily shrieked, holding her nose. “My egg’s rotten!”
“Yuck!” Kirsty exclaimed, covering her nose with her hand. She glanced down at her own egg to make sure it was steady, but then she noticed something very strange — her egg was beginning to crack!
Kirsty stopped in her tracks and another Explorer almost bumped into her. She stared at the egg as it cracked wide open. The two halves of the shell fell away, leaving a fluffy yellow chick sitting on Kirsty’s spoon. It gave a little cheep! Kirsty gasped in amazement. “My egg hatched!”
Everyone forgot the race as the other Explorers crowded around to look at the sweet, little chick. But just then, there was the sound of more eggs cracking. Soon, five other surprised Explorers had chicks sitting on their spoons instead of eggs!
The two Explorer leaders could hardly believe their eyes.
“This is very strange!” said Mrs. Carter. “I hard-boiled the eggs for this race. They must have gotten mixed up with some uncooked ones.”
“Do you think the goblins could have switched the eggs?” Kirsty muttered quietly to Rachel. But before Rachel could reply, Kirsty noticed that her chick had hopped off the spoon and was wandering away. “Hey, come back!” she cried.
Quite a few of the chicks had decided to make a break for freedom. The Explorers scattered to find them. Kirsty and Rachel followed Kirsty’s chick into the trees.
“There he is,” Kirsty said, pointing at the roots of a tree where the chick was pecking around in the soil. Then she looked confused. “What’s that shimmering blue light at the bottom of the tree?”
Rachel let out a gasp of delight. “Kirsty, it must be Polly the Party Fun Fairy!” she cried.
Rachel was right! As Kirsty peered at the roots of the tree, Polly the Party Fun Fairy fluttered up into the air, waving her wand happily. She wore a sparkly blue tank top and matching pants with a purple belt. Long red hair tumbled over her shoulders in shiny waves.
“I’m so glad to see you, girls!” she called in a silvery voice that tinkled like a bell. Her green eyes gleamed with joy. “I was hoping you’d come and find me.”
“Is everything all right?” asked Kirsty, gently picking up her chick.
Polly looked sad for a moment. “Well, I lost my party bag,” she said, looking around. “I’m sure I put it down here somewhere, but I can’t find it.” She gave a little giggle. “The other Party Fairies say I’m always losing things!”
“Maybe a goblin stole it,” Rachel suggested.
“No, I don’t think so.” Polly shook her head, not looking worried at all. “I haven’t seen a single goblin anywhere.”
Kirsty and Rachel looked at each other anxiously. After what had happened at the mini-jamboree so far, they were pretty sure that there was a goblin lurking somewhere nearby. But before they had a chance to convince Polly, they heard Jenny calling from the clearing.
“Kirsty! Rachel! Where are you? We’re going to play Frisbee now!”
“You go and play,” Polly said with a smile. “I’ll keep looking for my party bag.” Rachel agreed. “But Polly, please be careful. Kirsty and I think there might be a goblin nearby.” “We’ll come and see you again later,” Kirsty promised. Cradling her chick in her hand, she and Rachel hurried back to join the others.
“Put your chick in here, Kirsty,” said Mrs. Carter, pointing to a large cardboard box. “I’ll take all of them to the local farm later. They have a lot of free-range chickens there, so these chicks will have a good home.”
Mrs. Talbot organized the Explorers into a circle, and they began throwing the Frisbee to each other. It was fun, and Kirsty and Rachel were enjoying themselves! But at the same time, they couldn’t help thinking about Polly and her missing party bag. What if a goblin had gotten ahold of it?
Suddenly, one of the Explorers tossed the Frisbee very high into the air toward Kirsty. It sailed over Kirsty’s head and landed in a bush under the tree where Polly was searching for her party bag.
Kirsty raced off toward the bush. “I’ll get that!” she shouted. She couldn’t risk Polly being spotted by any of the other girls!
“I’ll help you look for it,” Rachel called, running after her.
Behind them, Mrs. Talbot was saying, “Well, that’s enough Frisbee for now, girls. Let’s have some juice and cookies.”
“Phew, that was close,” Kirsty whispered, as she and Rachel stopped underneath the tree. “Where’s Polly?”
“Here I am,” called a tiny voice.
The girls looked up. Polly was perched on a branch above their heads, swinging her legs.
“Did you find your party bag?” asked Rachel.
Polly’s shimmering wings drooped a little. “No.” She sighed. “Where could it be?” Then she brightened. “But I know where your Frisbee is,” she added, pointing downward. “It’s right in the middle of that bush.”
“Thanks, Polly,” said Kirsty. She and Rachel began to push the leaves aside, looking around for the Frisbee. As they did, Polly suddenly cried out in alarm. The girls whirled around to face her. She pointed to a spot nearby.
“Girls, watch out! There’s a goblin!”
There was a loud rustling of leaves as the goblin pushed his way out of the other side of the bush. He had Polly’s bright blue party bag in one hand, and the Explorers’ Frisbee in the other. Kirsty and Rachel climbed out from the bush just in time to see the goblin race off.
“Hee-hee,” the goblin giggled with glee. “A party bag for Jack Frost, and a Frisbee for me. Hooray!”
“Come back, you horrible goblin!” Polly yelled. She zoomed after him, her wings fluttering so fast they were a shimmering blur. “Give me back my party bag!”
“Let’s catch him, Rachel!” Kirsty cried, starting to run.
Polly, Kirsty, and Rachel followed the goblin toward the stream.
“We’ve got him now, girls!” Polly declared triumphantly. “Goblins hate getting their feet wet.”
But the goblin wasn’t giving up yet.
Panting, he flipped the Frisbee over and placed it on the water. It floated like a little boat! Then he grabbed one of the spoons the Explorers had used in the egg and spoon race and paddled across the stream, looking very proud of himself.
“Thought you’d caught me, didn’t you?” he jeered, a grin stretching across his mean face. “Well, you didn’t! Ha, ha, ha!” He stuck his tongue out at the girls.
“We’ve got to stop him,” Polly said nervously. “It’ll be easier if you two can fly, too.” With a wave of her wand and a shower of sparkling fairy dust, Polly turned Kirsty and Rachel into fairies.
“Come on!” yelled Polly, as she flew out over the water like a beautiful blue dragonfly.
The goblin looked worried and began to row faster.
“How are we going to stop him?” Kirsty asked Rachel as they fluttered across the stream.
“I don’t know,” Rachel replied, looking around to see if there was anything that could help.
All of a sudden, Rachel spotted the row of upside-down buckets that had been part of the obstacle course. An idea popped into her head, and she turned and flew toward them.
Meanwhile, Polly was flying around the Frisbee-boat, as close to the goblin as she dared. She kept trying to grab her party bag back.
“Get away from me!” the goblin howled furiously, paddling even harder.
“Not until you give me my party bag back!” Polly cried in a determined voice. She swooped down toward the goblin again and reached for the bag that was laying on the floor of the boat. But, this time, the goblin swung his paddle at Polly, barely missing one of her wings.
“Oh, Polly, be careful!” Kirsty called,
wondering where Rachel could be.
“Kirsty! Help me!
Kirsty turned around to see Rachel trying to pick up one of the obstacle course buckets. Being fairy-size, Rachel was having a hard time! Kirsty fluttered over to help her friend. “What’s this for?” she asked, helping Rachel lift the bucket.
“We need to get this over to the goblin,” Rachel panted.
Carrying the bucket between them, the two girls flew over the stream.
The goblin had picked up the party bag now and was holding it tightly, jabbing at Polly with his spoon to keep her away.
“Turn the bucket upside down, Kirsty,” Rachel whispered, as they hovered above the goblin’s head. “Ready? Now let go!”
Both girls let go of the bucket at exactly the same time. It dropped right over the goblin’s head, covering him to his knees!
“Great shot, girls!” Polly laughed. “Right on target!”
“Help!” the goblin yelled. He tried to knock the bucket off, but he couldn’t because he was still holding his spoon-paddle in one hand and the party bag in the other. “It’s too dark!”
Moaning and groaning to himself, the goblin put the spoon and the party bag down in the boat, and tried to push the bucket off with both hands. But Polly was ready for him. She swooped down and waved her wand over the goblin, showering him with fairy dust. Immediately, the bucket stuck to his head. No matter how much the goblin twisted and turned, he couldn’t quite shake it off! “That should keep you busy!” Polly declared happily.
But the goblin was still determined to get away. He began to paddle again—but because he couldn’t see where he was going, he ended up going around in circles. Polly and the girls laughed.
Polly the Party Fun Fairy Page 1
