Gooey Goblins

by Helen Perelman

  “The fog is very dense,” Berry said. “I’m so glad we have this compass to guide us.”

  “Does that thing light up?” Melli asked. “Arriving in the dark is going to be spooky.” She gave herself a tight hug. “It’s early in the morning, and we can’t see a thing. Imagine what it’ll be like at night!”

  “We’ll just go slow and stay the course,” Raina said, looking at the map. “We should get there before the stars come out.”

  The sail above them began to ripple in the wind, and the boat swayed from side to side.

  “What if Nillie doesn’t like visitors?” Melli asked nervously. She looked out into the choppy sea. The breeze was gusting.

  “I guess these are the winds Princess Lolli was talking about,” Berry said. Her wings were being blown back, pushing her toward the back of the boat. “There’s no way we could have flown in this.”

  “Um, or how about sail?” Dash asked. “I’m not feeling so well.”

  “Oh, Dash,” Cocoa gasped. “Are you going to be seasick?”

  Dash shook her head. “No, I’m okay,” she said. She looked down at the bottom of the boat. “But I’m not feeling so good about the boat!” she shouted.

  All the fairies followed Dash’s finger. She was pointing to a corner of the boat, where water was coming in. The boat had a leak!

  “Hot chocolate!” Cocoa screamed.

  The water was rushing into the boat. The fairies had to do something—fast!

  CHAPTER

  7

  Sweet High Seas

  Melli, take the rudder,” Raina instructed. “I know what to do.”

  Melli did as she was told, and she carefully switched places with Raina. She didn’t take her eyes off Dash, who had her finger pressed on the hole.

  “Hurry!” Dash exclaimed. The water was seeping into the boat around Dash’s small finger.

  “Bittersweet,” Cocoa said as she watched the water swirl around the bottom of the boat. “We have to do something!”

  “Hold tight,” Raina said. She looked inside the candy basket the princess had given them. “Ah, a sweet gumdrop.” She fluttered her wings. “I knew that would come in handy,” she said proudly. “I’ll just plug up the hole.” Raina stood back and admired her handiwork. “Leaky boat problem solved!”

  All the fairies cheered. Raina smiled and took a bow. “I always loved sailing,” she gloated. “I never fixed a boat with a gumdrop, but it is a handy thing to have aboard!”

  The five friends settled into their seats as the water lapped around the boat.

  Tugging on the ropes, Berry struggled to keep the sail full. The boom turned, and the sail soon filled out. “I think we’re all right now. We should have smooth sailing from here.”

  “If we’re lucky,” Melli said glumly. She couldn’t help but peer over the side of the boat. She was looking for signs of Nillie.

  “No luck, just skill,” Raina boasted, and winked at Berry. “We make a fine sailing team.”

  “Anytime!” Berry said happily. “I love sailing.”

  “I haven’t seen Rock Candy Isle,” Dash said. She squinted into the fog. “There’s no way to see! It’s like looking through a cloudy lens.”

  Raina checked the compass and the map. “We’re still on course,” she said. “We have to be patient.”

  Cocoa slid next to Melli. She had been watching her bite her nails. “Come on, Melli,” she said, moving closer to her. “We’re all together. Please don’t be so nervous. We’re safe here in the boat.”

  “This choppy sea makes me feel like Nillie might be near,” the Caramel Fairy confessed. “A sea monster would not be happy to see us. And I don’t want to upset her.”

  Why did Melli have to bring up the idea of Nillie? Cocoa thought. She tried to think of something to say to her friend, but she didn’t get a chance. The boat started to rock again, and she had to move seats to hold the sail ropes.

  Melli’s face went white as sugar. “Oooooh!” she cried. She lunged forward to grip Cocoa’s hand.

  “Maybe it’s the goblins,” Dash said.

  Berry shot Dash a sour look. “Dash!” she scolded. “Not helpful!”

  Dash shrugged and stuck a caramel stick in her mouth. “I was just thinking out loud. Besides, you were all thinking the same thing.”

  From her bag Berry took out a pair of jeweled binoculars. “I knew these would come in handy,” she said.

  “Functional and fashionable, right?” Dash said as she saw Berry’s decorated binoculars.

  Berry didn’t pay attention to Dash’s comment. She was concentrating on the sight ahead. “Licking lollipops!” she exclaimed. “Even with these I can’t see through the fog.” She passed the binoculars to each of her friends.

  “Wait!” Melli exclaimed. “I see something!”

  In a brief clearing of the heavy fog, Melli saw Rock Candy Isle. The small island was filled with overgrown sticks of rock candy in a rainbow of colors. The hard candy looked liked jewels sparkling in the middle of the Vanilla Sea.

  “Does anyone live there?” Cocoa asked as she peered through the lens for her turn.

  “Lucky fairy!” Dash said, licking her lips when Cocoa passed the binoculars to her. She would love to taste the large chunks of rock candy.

  Raina shook her head. “No one lives there,” she said. “It’s just a small island . . . with the best rock candy.” She looked over at Dash. “And no, we’re not stopping!”

  After putting the binoculars away, Berry grabbed the sail ropes. “I don’t think we could stop even if we wanted. This wind is really blowing hard.” She struggled with the ropes as she let the sail out.

  The sailboat was tossed, and a wave of water splashed into the boat. All the fairies were soaking wet.

  “Sweet strawberries!” Berry cried. She wiped her eyes and wrung the bottom of her dress. “I wasn’t planning on going for a swim!”

  “Oooh!” Melli cried out again. She shook off the water and buried her head in her hands. “I don’t like this. I was not meant for the high seas!”

  “No wonder you never wanted to go sailing with us,” Raina said to her Caramel Fairy friend. She glanced around the boat. “Everyone all right?”

  When all the fairies responded that they were fine, Raina sighed. She had known this journey would be challenging, but she’d had no idea the sea would be so rough. She just hoped they reached the cove before Sun Dip . . . and nighttime.

  “Did you see that?” Cocoa gasped. She pointed to the water.

  “Nillie?” Melli asked, uncovering one eye.

  “No,” Cocoa replied. “It looked like an animal. Maybe a turtle?”

  “A caramel turtle?” Melli exclaimed, perking up. She peeled her fingers away from her eyes. “Sweet sugars, I’ve always wanted to see one. I’ve only seen pictures in a book.”

  The boom spun around and nearly hit Melli on the head as she leaned out of the boat.

  “Careful!” Raina scolded.

  “Maybe you can talk to them,” Berry suggested. “I can see the cove. We aren’t far. If the turtles stop hitting the boat, we’ll get there faster.”

  Melli shook the water off her wings. She hesitated and looked back at her friends. They were watching as she kneeled down closer to the water. In a flash there was a bale of turtles peeking up at her. Their shells were a deep caramel color with beautiful patterns of swirling shapes etched into them. Melli’s expression softened when she realized the turtles were just scared. They meant no harm, and with a loving touch from sweet Melli they were calm.

  “Hot caramel,” Melli said. “They are just scared.” She glanced over at Dash. “Can you pass me the caramel chew from the royal basket?”

  Dash reached into the basket and gave Melli the caramel. “This should keep those yapping turtles busy chewing,” she said, smiling.

  “Sure as sugar, you have a way with those turtles,” Cocoa cooed as she watched Melli pull off pieces of the caramel to feed the hungry turtles. “Thank goodness, be
cause I can barely hold on to these ropes anymore.”

  “Not much longer,” Raina said. She was glad that Melli seemed to be a little more relaxed on the boat—and that the turtles were letting them pass.

  “I see Sprinkle Sands Beach!” Dash said, flapping her wings excitedly. She was looking through Berry’s binoculars. “So mint! The beach is beautiful. We’re at Sugar Cove!”

  CHAPTER

  8

  Candy Cliffs

  As the sailboat moved toward Sprinkle Sands Beach, all five fairies drew their breath in. All around the cove were large candy rocks and colorful trees and vines. The setting sun cast an orange glow on the steep cliffs. None of the fairies had ever seen anything like it before.

  “Those are the Candy Cliffs,” Raina whispered, gazing up. “They are even more beautiful—and higher—than any picture I’ve ever seen.”

  “Hot chocolate,” Cocoa said, her eyes wide. “Those are some big cliffs.”

  “This place is gorgeous!” Berry exclaimed.

  As they stared up at the cliffs the fairies saw a few caves nestled in the rocks high up. They all had thoughts of goblins popping out at any moment, but Raina snapped everyone’s attention back to the task at hand.

  “We need to pull the boat up on the shore,” she said. “If we all pull together, we should be able to get the boat out of the water.”

  The fairies all jumped out of the boat. The water in the cove was warm and calm, unlike out in the Vanilla Sea. Holding on to the rope, they each pulled the boat. The warm cove water lapped at their knees. The water was so clear that they could see down to the sugar sand bottom. As they moved closer to the shore, the water got shallower and it became harder to pull the boat along on the sand.

  “Just a little more,” Raina called to her friends. “We should move the boat away from the shoreline. We don’t want to have it float out to sea.”

  “Then we’d be stranded here,” Melli muttered, looking around. The setting sun was slowly sinking down. Nighttime would soon follow. The light was no longer orange, but a cool, dark purple. Melli’s wings fluttered. Nighttime is when goblins come out, she thought.

  Cocoa put her hand out and touched Melli’s shoulder. She didn’t like that Melli was worrying so much. “Dash, do you have any peppermints to light up?” She thought a little light would help her Caramel Fairy friend.

  “I do,” Dash said brightly. “There isn’t much of a moon tonight.” She squinted up to the darkening sky. There was only a tiny sliver of a moon peeking out of the evening sky.

  Once Dash cracked the mint sticks, there was a minty glow that helped the fairies see. In the pale light the cove seemed a little spooky, but some light was better than no light.

  “Maybe we should go exploring,” Berry said. She looked up at the cliffs. “We could fly up there and check out those caves.”

  “We can barely see,” Melli replied. “Plus, there are too many rocks. Maybe we should wait till morning.”

  “Licking lollipops!” Berry cried. “This is why we are here. If there really are goblins, now would be the time to see them.”

  Cocoa glanced at Melli. She saw that she had lowered her head. Her purple wings sagged low to the ground, and she didn’t say a word. Raina, Dash, and Berry all waited for her response. If they didn’t all go together, they wouldn’t go.

  Finally Melli looked up from her sand-covered feet. “You’re right,” she said. “This is why we came. We should go now.”

  “You sure you’ll be okay?” Cocoa asked.

  “Yes,” Melli answered. “Princess Lolli is counting on us.” She paused. “Actually, all of Sugar Valley is counting on us. I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

  “And we want to get to the bottom of this mystery,” Raina added.

  “We’re just the fairies for the job,” Berry boasted. “No troll is going to scare me with some goblin story. I want to find the real answer.”

  Raina smiled at her brave friend. “Well, the answer may be up there in the caves,” she said.

  “So let’s go!” Dash cried. She led the way with a glowing peppermint light.

  The five fairies flew up the steep cliff. Near the top Dash landed on a large rock that jutted out from the cliff. “I think we should walk from here,” she said. “It’s a little too dark to be flying.”

  “You’re right,” Raina said. “It’s not safe to fly in the dark.”

  The fairies walked in single file, holding their mint sticks. There was complete silence as they explored. This was not the landscape they were used to in Sugar Valley.

  “Ouch!” Berry cried. She fell down, holding her leg. “Sweet sours,” she moaned. “I cut my leg on that rock!”

  The fairies all gathered around her. Raina held her peppermint up to get a better look. “Oh, Berry, you have a deep cut,” she said.

  “I have something for that,” Dash told her. “In the royal candy basket I have just the thing.”

  Berry looked over at the small fairy. “Are you sure that will work?”

  Dash opened the mint candy and spread the white gel over Berry’s wound. The cool gel helped soothe Berry’s wound instantly. “A little bit of peppermint goes a long way,” she said.

  Smiling, Berry reached out to hug Dash. “I’ve never been so thankful for your mint. That stuff is amazing.”

  Blushing, Dash shrugged.

  “Glad to help,” she told Berry.

  “Berry, are you going to be all right walking?” Raina asked. “Maybe we should stop.”

  Slowly Berry stood up. “I think I’ll be fine,” she said. “Let’s just go slow. I don’t want to get another cut.”

  “Let’s set up camp here,” Raina suggested, looking around. “This is a nice flat surface. We’ve had a long journey, and we should get rest for tomorrow.”

  No one argued with Raina. After Berry’s injury, they were all ready for a rest. They popped open their tent and spread out their blankets. If they were anywhere else, this might have been a fun campout, but they were all very aware of where they were sleeping . . . and thoughts of the goblins of Candy Cove filled their heads as they tried to get some rest.

  CHAPTER

  9

  Black Licorice Night

  Did you hear that?” Cocoa asked. She pulled her blanket up to her chin. She had not been able to fall asleep. She wasn’t sure what—or who—was making that noise outside the tent.

  “That’s a chocolate owl,” Raina said, rolling over. “They can hoot all night. Let’s try to get some sleep.”

  “That was not a chocolate owl,” Cocoa said. Her eyes were wide open as she scanned the tent. She moved closer to Raina. “How can you sleep through this?” She pulled the blanket away from Raina’s face. “Are you really sleeping?”

  Raina opened one eye. “Not anymore,” she groaned. She put her pillow over her head. “Go to sleep!”

  Melli sat up. “I heard something too,” she said, looking over at Cocoa.

  “Me three,” Dash chimed in. “It sounds like someone is scurrying around out there.”

  Berry sat up and snapped open a peppermint. “This is a little scary,” she admitted. “Anyone else having a hard time sleeping?”

  Cocoa, Melli, and Dash nodded. They looked over at Raina, waiting to hear her reply.

  The tired Gummy Fairy threw off her pillow and blanket. “Well, I was trying to get some rest,” Raina said. “But that sound is keeping me up. And now you are too!”

  “Ah, so you are awake!” Cocoa exclaimed. She threw her pillow gently at Raina. “And chocolate owls hoot, not howl.”

  “Well, does one of you want to walk around outside and see what is making that noise?” Raina asked.

  “Um, not really. It’s darker than black licorice!” Dash replied quickly.

  The five fairies looked at one another for a long moment.

  Berry stood up. Maybe the darkness gave her courage she hadn’t expected, but she volunteered to go out first.

  “Don’t forget the roy
al candy basket,” Raina instructed. “That candy has come in handy so far.”

  “Maybe it was just the wind rustling against the tent,” Dash said, trying to be helpful.

  “Not likely,” Berry told her. She took a step out of the tent. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. “It is very dark tonight. I can’t see a thing.”

  “Not even a goblin?” Cocoa asked.

  “Not even my hand in front of my face!” Berry replied.

  Melli squeezed Cocoa’s hand. “If there is a goblin,” she said, “what will we say to him?”

  “Hello?” Dash joked.

  “Seriously,” Cocoa said. “Do we have a plan?”

  Berry climbed back inside the tent to face her friends. “We don’t even know if there really are goblins. Let’s see what’s happening outside. So far I think our imaginations are scaring us more than anything.”

  “She’s right,” Raina said. “Let’s just see what’s out there.”

  Cocoa grabbed Melli’s hand. She thought her friend would like holding hands—and she was feeling a little too nervous not to hold on to someone!

  “Dash, any more peppermints?” Berry asked.

  “Never leave home without a supply,” Dash said, grinning. She handed her friends more peppermints to light their way in the darkness.

  Berry pulled open the tent flap and held out her peppermint. The soft green glow lit up the area, and she slowly stepped out.

  Melli’s fingers tightened around Cocoa’s hand. Dash reached out to hold Raina’s.

  “I don’t believe it,” Berry said. She jumped back inside the tent, holding the flap of the tent closed. Her sudden move made the fairies all bump into one another and fall down in a heap.

  “What?” her friends cried out together.

  “Did you see goblins?” Melli asked. Her heart was racing. They didn’t even have a plan!

  The Fruit Fairy laughed. “No,” she said. “It’s a family of black licorice bats! They have been flapping around and hitting the tent.”