“Shhhh,” Trixie warned them. “I think we’re close.” The little fairy peeked over the crest of a hill and motioned for Kirsty and Rachel to stop. “They’re down there,” she whispered. The girls got on their hands and knees, and crawled up the grassy slope to look over the hill. Sure enough, the group of ghosts was in the valley, rooting through the candy stash again.
“If they have the magic candy corn, they’re bound to find it soon,” Rachel said, worried.
“Not if we find it first,” Kirsty replied. “Trixie, how do you feel about playing a little Halloween trick?” Kirsty’s eyes brightened as she told Rachel and Trixie her plan.
“It’s worth a try,” Trixie said with a smirk. “I can’t do much while the candy is missing, but I still have enough magic for a little trick!” She gave her wand a twirl and recited a spell:
The goblins think they’re in disguise,
but now real ghosts are on the rise.
Raise those sheets up in the air.
Then all goblins should beware!
As soon as Trixie was done speaking, the sheets that covered the goblins lifted into the air. They floated just above the goblins’ heads and looked like real ghosts!
Rachel and Kirsty gave each other a thumbs-up and then spoke in their spookiest voices. “Oooooooo,” they moaned. “Give back the candy you stole. Ooooooooooo!”
At once, the goblins looked up and saw the sheets fluttering the wind.
“Ghosts!” they screeched.
“Oooooooo! Give back the candy,” the girls repeated. The three friends giggled. The goblins were cowering below the ghostly sheets, shaking with fear.
Just then, a single goblin yelled, “I found the magic candy corn!” He held his hand up in the air. “Hooray!”
Kirsty, Rachel, and Trixie exchanged worried glances. “What do we do now?” Kirsty whispered.
“Chase him!” Rachel said. But before the friends could get to their feet, they heard a loud yowl. They saw Moonlight, the mischievous kitten, pounce onto the goblin’s back.
“Ouch!” the goblin yelped, trying to swat Moonlight off. The other goblins scattered in different directions until only the one remained. All at once, Moonlight jumped to the ground, and the last goblin darted away after his friends.
Moonlight looked right up at Trixie and the two girls. “Meow,” the black kitten mewed softly. “Meow, meow, meow,” he repeated before leaping into the shadows.
“It’s the glitter candy!” Trixie exclaimed. “Moonlight is telling us that the goblin dropped it!” The three friends raced down the hill to where the kitten had been. Sure enough, there was the magical candy corn on the ground, along with all of the other stolen treats.
“I can’t wait to get this back to Fairyland,” Trixie declared, lifting the candy corn up in the air. As soon as she touched it, it shrank to its original Fairyland size. “Then there will be candy for everyone!”
“And all of the candy will taste extra sweet,” Kirsty added.
The clouds floated away and the moon brightened the night with a silvery light.
“We sure are lucky that Moonlight came along when he did,” Rachel said.
“I’m off to Fairyland,” Trixie said, nodding. “Let me send you back to your neighborhood, so you can trick-or-treat!” Trixie held up her wand, and a whirl of star-shaped fairy dust circled Rachel and Kirsty. The two girls waved to Trixie. The next thing they knew, they were back on Rachel’s street.
The friends looked down the block to make sure no one had seen them. Then they grinned. “No more tricks for us tonight,” Kirsty said.
Rachel nodded, holding up her candy bag and giggling. “Now I’m ready for some sweet treats!”
“Trick or treat!” Rachel and Kirsty said in chorus. They had been busy collecting candy since Trixie went back to Fairyland with the magic candy corn.
“We have lots of treats now,” Kirsty said, looking in her pumpkin bag. “I’ll have to save some chocolate for my mom. She always wants me to share with her.”
Rachel laughed. “My dad loves candy, too. I got my sweet tooth from him,” she admitted. Then she looked at her watch. “We can go to a few more houses before it’s time to head to the town Halloween party.”
Between ringing doorbells and greeting neighbors, Rachel and Kirsty stayed on the lookout for Trixie. They also watched for Moonlight, the clever kitten. After a few minutes, Rachel pulled out the invitation her parents had given her. There was a picture of a spooky old house on the front.
“The party’s at a new place,” Rachel explained. “It used to always be on the other side of town, but my parents said we’d be able to walk this year. I’m pretty sure I know where this address is.”
The girls walked along the sidewalk. As they got closer to the town party, there were clusters of kids and parents heading the same way. “This is it,” Rachel announced, checking the street number on the invitation one more time. She stared down the long path to the old Victorian house.
“Really?” Kirsty questioned. “This is that spooky house we passed the other day. I thought you said no one lived here.”
Overhearing the girls, a man dressed as a mad scientist stopped and raised his lab goggles. “This is the old Pratt mansion,” he said. “The town bought it, and they’re turning it into a community center.”
“So this is where the new community center will be,” Rachel said. “My parents were part of the planning group, but they kept the location a secret so they could surprise me.”
“Well, this is the first event here,” the man replied. “We’ll see how it goes.” As he waved good-bye and walked down the curvy path, Kirsty noticed he was wearing glow-in-the-dark rubber gloves and an old lab coat.
Just then, the girls heard a family walk up behind them. “It’s too scary,” the little girl said to her father, who picked her up in his arms. “I don’t want to go in there,” she pleaded. The girl, dressed as a koala, buried her head in her father’s shoulder and tried not to look.
Kirsty couldn’t help agreeing with the little girl. “Even the trees are creepy,” Kirsty said, noticing how the bare branches made long, fingerlike shadows. “It looks like that house has a lot of secrets.”
“Not you, too!” Rachel giggled. “You’ll feel a lot better once we find the magic caramel apple and bring back the Halloween spirit.” She grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled her down the path toward the old mansion.
Rachel and Kirsty gasped as they walked through the mansion door. “The decorations are fantastic,” Kirsty murmured. Papier-mâché ghosts hovered in the air, and a giant spider web stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Bunches of orange and black balloons were tied to the grand staircase in the center of the first floor. Next to a stone fireplace, a rock band was playing “The Monster Mash.” The musicians were all dressed as mummies, and music filled the house. A long table of food was right next to the grand staircase. Both girls noted that there were no caramel apples to be seen.
Before the friends could take it all in, Rachel’s mom rushed up to them. “I’m so glad you two are here,” she said. “We need people to start playing games and dancing. No one seems to be having fun.”
Rachel looked around and realized that everyone was just standing around, not talking or eating or laughing. She gave Kirsty a knowing look. No one would have any fun until the caramel apple was returned to Fairyland!
“We’re happy to help, Mom,” promised Rachel.
“Okay, how about you go to the third floor? That’s where all the games are,” Mrs. Walker said.
Kirsty looked up the tall staircase. It was like something out of an old movie.
“Let’s start looking at the top and make our way down,” she whispered to Rachel, who nodded. “The last piece of glitter candy might be here.” Judging from the glum faces on all of the party-goers, they needed to find the magic candy fast.
Once they climbed up to the third floor, the friends saw a long, skinny hallway. It was lined with bookshelves,
and there were three dark wooden doors. A sign for a different activity hung on each door. “Let’s go to the pumpkin-carving room first,” Rachel suggested.
As soon as they stepped inside, they heard a group of boys bickering. “Your costume is silly,” one of the boys said. “We were supposed to dress up as something green.”
“So? I’m Peter Pan,” the other boy said.
“Peter Pan isn’t green,” another responded. “He just wears green.”
Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other with surprise. “They’re goblins!” they whispered, realizing everyone in the group was wearing a green costume that matched his skin. One goblin was dressed as a bunch of grapes, and another was a turtle. The two goblins pestering Peter Pan were dressed as trees.
All at once, a cloud of star-shaped fairy dust showered over Rachel and Kirsty. “Trixie!” they called, excited to see their friend, who quickly ducked behind Rachel’s hair.
“Look, Trixie,” said Kirsty, pointing. “Goblins. If they’re here, the missing caramel apple must be nearby, too!”
“And they aren’t alone,” Trixie said softly. Then she motioned to a table in the corner where several kids had started carving pumpkins.
Rachel followed the fairy’s gaze and gasped. There, sitting in the new Tippington Community Center, was Jack Frost!
“Brrr. Just looking at him gives me chills,” Kirsty confessed. There was something about Jack Frost’s magic that made the air feel frigid whenever the troublemaker was around.
“I wonder what he’s up to,” Rachel said. “Let’s find out.”
The girls tiptoed closer and hid behind a stand-up skeleton. To their surprise, Jack Frost was carefully carving a mouth full of crooked teeth into his pumpkin. He leaned back and stared at the jack-o’-lantern. He seemed very pleased with himself.
All at once, Jack Frost looked up and glared around the room. He pushed his seat back and strode over to the gang of goblins. “What’s going on here?” he inquired. “I thought I told you that we can’t let the people have all the fun. Now get going and find that magic candy!”
“Well, that explains why he’s here,” said Kirsty.
“He wants to make sure they find the caramel apple,” Trixie said thoughtfully. “Remember, just one bite from someone who doesn’t believe in Halloween, and there won’t be any Halloween spirit this year.”
“Then we’d better hurry and find that apple first!” Rachel said. “My parents worked so hard on this center. I don’t want the first party here to be ruined.”
“What about your parents?” a voice said. The girls quickly turned around.
“Oh! Hi, Dad,” Rachel gasped, brushing her hair forward to make sure Trixie was well hidden. “I just was telling Kirsty how much fun I’m having. You all did a great job planning the party.”
“Well, thanks,” Mr. Walker said, lifting his cowboy hat. “I wish everyone was having as much fun as you. Could you help in the next room for a minute? I need someone to run the game while I get more prizes.”
“Sure thing,” Kirsty said, hoping Rachel’s dad wouldn’t notice the goblins or Jack Frost.
As soon as Mr. Walker left, the friends rushed to the room where the Musical Chairs sign was posted.
The girls looked around. There were about ten kids sitting on chairs in the middle of the room. They all looked bored. Most of the parents were leaning against the wall. “So, we need to start and stop the music,” said Rachel, heading over to the CD player.
“And take a chair away each time,” Kirsty said.
“And keep an eye out for goblins!” Trixie added.
“Okay. Is everyone ready?” Rachel called out, but only a couple of kids nodded in response. “Here goes.
Find a new seat when the music stops!” Rachel instructed. Then she pushed the PLAY button.
As soon as the kids started to circle the empty seats, Jack Frost skipped into the room. He was holding his jack-o’-lantern, and it had a giant blue ribbon on it. “I won, I won,” he sang, joining the kids who were playing musical chairs.
Kirsty looked on, completely shocked. “I guess I won’t take a chair away,” she said to Rachel, “since we have another player now.” The best friends were used to trying to stay away from Jack Frost, but they couldn’t exactly leave when they were in charge of the game!
Rachel nodded and pushed STOP. The kids all scrambled for a seat, and Jack Frost beat a ninja to the very last chair. He plopped his pumpkin in his lap and clapped his hands in joy. No one seemed to notice that Jack Frost was not a little kid. In fact, he was acting more like a kid than any of the children in the room! The ninja dragged his feet as he headed over to his father.
Just then, Rachel’s dad walked through the door with a bag of puzzles and whistles and other prizes. “Thanks, girls,” he said, placing the bag next to the stereo on the table. “You can go check out the other rooms if you want.”
At first, Rachel paused. She wondered if they should stay there and keep an eye on Jack Frost. Then a loud crash came from the hallway, and she saw Moonlight skitter past the open door. A crowd of goblins, all in green, raced after him.
“Thanks, Dad,” Rachel said, giving him a quick smile. Then she and Kirsty ran out the door and after the goblins. Almost immediately, the girls skidded to a stop. The goblins were huddled at the top of the staircase, each staring in a different direction.
“Where did that cat go?” the tallest goblin asked.
“It just disappeared,” muttered one wearing a frog costume.
“It must be magic,” guessed the Peter Pan goblin.
The goblins all looked confused, but the goblin who was dressed as a bunch of grapes finally stamped his foot. “The cat could not have disappeared!” the goblin declared. “He just ran down the stairs before we could see him. Let’s split up and find him. He showed up whenever we found the other candies, so he must know where the caramel apple is, too!”
Kirsty and Rachel watched as the goblins ran down the stairs and then separated to search for the missing kitten.
Trixie peeked out from behind Rachel’s hair. “It’s true,” she whispered. “It seems like Moonlight knew where to find the other magic candy. Maybe he can help us find the magic caramel apple.”
“But first, we have to find him before the goblins do,” Rachel pointed out.
Suddenly, Trixie raised a finger to her mouth. “Did you hear that?”
Rachel and Kirsty nodded. Then they heard it again … a tiny meow. “It sounds like it came from behind there,” said Rachel, pointing to a bookshelf lining the hallway.
Kirsty examined the bookshelf on the wall. “Look!” exclaimed Kirsty. “Maybe it did!” One book appeared to be sticking out farther than the others. It was titled The Secret Staircase. As soon as Kirsty pulled on the book’s spine, the entire bookshelf slid to the side. There, sitting in the dark, was Moonlight. Behind him was a spiral staircase, almost impossible to see in the gloom.
“Meow, meow,” the little cat said. He quickly turned around and disappeared down the mysterious staircase.
“He must want us to take this secret passageway,” Trixie said. “Oh, what fun! Let’s hurry.”
Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other. It was one thing finding a hidden staircase, and another thing actually taking it. “I told you this house is full of secrets,” Kirsty insisted.
“Come on!” Trixie said, flying into the dark stairwell. “How else will we save Halloween?” Trixie’s wand started to glow, and the girls hurried after the fairy. The secret door slid shut behind them.
At once, the girls’ wands began to glow as well. “I wonder how long it’s been since someone was in here,” Rachel mused, plucking a cobweb from her hair. The wooden stairs creaked with each step she took
“I don’t know,” Trixie said, “but I am sure Moonlight has a special plan.”
Kirsty hoped so. She liked the idea of a secret passageway, but this one was spooky, dark and dirty, and the stairs went in such a tight circle
that she was getting dizzy!
The three friends carefully descended the gloomy staircase, looking for a hint that would help them find the last piece of glitter candy. But before they found any clues, they reached the bottom of the stairs.
“Okay then,” Kirsty said. “Let’s look for a way out.”
“This looks like it might work,” Rachel commented, pointing to a doorknob with a fancy flower design on it. “I’ll give it a try.” She gave it a twist and a tug, and the door slid to the side just a crack. As a sliver of light entered the dark stairwell, Rachel peeked out. “It’s the party room on the main floor! No one sees us! This must be a secret door. We’re right near the food table.”
Trixie and Kirsty rushed over to have a look. Trixie hovered over Rachel’s head, and Kirsty ducked beneath. “Yum!” said Kirsty. “I see popcorn, pretzels, apple cider, pumpkin muffins, and all kinds of candy. But I still don’t see —”
“I see caramel apples!” Trixie declared.
“Oh!” Rachel exclaimed. “They must have just set them out. I see them, too. And the one in the middle has a bright orange glitter wrapper!” Just as Rachel said it, all three friends gasped. Someone was standing by the apples and rubbing his hands together gleefully. That someone was Jack Frost!
“Oh no! He can’t eat it!” Rachel yelled, but Kirsty stopped her from opening the door all the way.
“We need a plan,” Kirsty explained.
“She’s right,” Trixie agreed. “If we go out there now, Jack Frost will spot us, grab the caramel apple, and we won’t have a chance.”
Trixie the Halloween Fairy Page 3
