Cool Mint

by Helen Perelman

  Raina put her arm around Dash. “I’m sorry we gave you a hard time,” she said. “You really have come through for Princess Lolli.”

  Dash looked at her sparkly silver shoes. “Thanks, Raina,” she said softly.

  “And we don’t want you to feel like you are doing this alone,” Cocoa told her. “We know that the other Mint Fairies are busy with their crops, so we’ve come to help you.” A wide grin spread across her face.

  “Really?” Dash asked.

  Berry laughed. “Sure as sugar!” she exclaimed. “Just tell us what to do. We’re here to help!”

  “Well,” Dash said, walking down the grove’s path, “if you are serious, I’d love some help picking the mint candies off the bushes. The candies are ready to go to Candy Castle, but I wanted to get another practice run in before Sun Dip.”

  “Licking lollipops!” Berry shouted. “That’s easy. We can do that in no time, right?” She turned to smile at her friends.

  “Sure as sugar,” they all said together.

  With five fairies working, the bushes were picked clean quickly. When the baskets of fresh mints were lined up, Dash looked over the crop. “Wow,” she said. “I never would have finished this so fast. Thanks for helping me out.”

  “Can we watch you take a practice run?” Melli asked. “I know you’re superfast, but I’d love to get a little sneak peek.”

  “You bet!” Dash said. “I’d love for you all to come.”

  The fairy friends all flew to the slope on the near side of the Frosted Mountains.

  “I’m glad that we don’t have to fly over the mountain,” Cocoa said.

  Dash could tell that Cocoa was remembering when she had flown to Black Licorice Swamp to face Mogu. “Hopefully, Mogu will stay on his side of the mountain,” Cocoa added.

  “I bet he is still embarrassed to have lost the race with Dash,” Berry added. She folded her arms over her chest. “Serves him right. He should have known better than to challenge Dash!”

  “Now let’s see how fast you are,” Raina said, smiling at Dash.

  Dash picked up her sled and headed for the top of the slope. With her friends by her side, there was nothing she couldn’t do!

  The next morning Dash woke up extra-early. She didn’t need an alarm to wake her. Today was race day!

  Feeling good, Dash glided over Chocolate River. She took a deep breath. The delicious smell of the river filled the air, and Dash watched the rich brown chocolate rush below her. As much as she wanted to stop and have a quick snack, she kept on flying. She had to get to the Frosted Mountains.

  Dash was focused on the race! She had checked on her peppermint sticks earlier that morning, and her candies were perfect. Thanks to her friends, she had gotten all her work done. Now she could concentrate on the race—and breaking the speed record.

  When Dash saw the starting line banner, her heart began to beat faster. This was the most thrilling time of all!

  Carefully, she iced her sled with fresh mint syrup, making the blades glisten in the morning sun. The cold air rushing around her carried the scent of all the winter candy from Sugar Valley. Dash’s tummy rumbled. Again she was tempted to stop her work for a snack. But then she looked at her sled. She wanted to finish her task. Very soon the other racers would be there, and she wanted to be done with her race preparations before they arrived.

  “Hey there!” Pep cried as he flew up beside Dash. “You are here nice and early!” He flashed her a toothy grin. “I used to love to get to races early too. Nothing beats the calm before the race, huh?”

  Dash nodded. She knew that Pep understood. He held out his hand.

  “I brought you some mint candies from my garden,” he told her. “I hope you like them.”

  In Pep’s hand were three red-, green-, and white-striped candies. They were beautiful. Dash took one and popped the candy into her mouth. The candy melted away with a burst of mint in the middle. Her eyes grew wide as she tasted the minty flavor. “Yum!” she exclaimed. “These are extraordinary!”

  “Thanks,” Pep said shyly. “Now that I am not racing as much, I have more time to tend to my garden.” He tossed his long hair out of his eyes. “But I wouldn’t have traded all that time racing when I was younger. That was a very happy time for me.”

  “And for me, too!” Dash said, smiling. “I used to love watching you race. That’s why I got into racing.”

  “Well, you are the favorite today,” Pep told her. “And we’ll all be cheering for you. Remember, take the course slow around that final bend. The marshmallow gets sticky down there.”

  Dash nodded. She knew just the area that Pep was talking about. “I will,” she said. “And thanks for the candy.”

  As Pep walked away, Dash saw her friends gathered in tight huddle. They came rushing up to her.

  “Lickin’ lollipops!” Berry exclaimed. “Was that really Pep? He is even sweeter-looking close up! I’ve only gotten glimpses of him from the sidelines.”

  “He is supersweet,” Dash said, watching him fly off. “He has been giving me good advice.”

  Cocoa flapped her wings. “That’s nice of him. You could break his record today and he still wants to help you out?”

  Dash stood back to admire her polished sled. “Well, he’ll always hold that record,” she said. “He’s the first ever to have gone that fast. I just hope I can prove myself today.”

  “I think you’ve already proved yourself,” Raina said kindly. “What Mint Fairy ever challenged Mogu to a race and won?”

  “While that fairy was growing candy for a royal throne,” Cocoa added.

  “And won the Marshmallow Run two years in a row,” Melli chimed in.

  “Soon to be three years in a row,” Berry said, laughing.

  Dash smiled at her friends. “Thanks,” she said. “It means a lot to me to have you here.”

  “We’ll always be here for you,” Raina said. She flew over to Dash and gave her a tight squeeze.

  Dash made her way to the starting line. There were more racers than ever before. She looked down the lineup of fairies. There were not only Mint Fairies, but all kinds of fairies from around the kingdom. Dash felt nervous. But then she felt Raina’s hand on her arm and saw her friends smiling at her. She placed her goggles over her eyes. She was ready to race!

  The caramel horn sounded and the race began! Dash quickly took the lead. She knew the race route well. She held the sled’s crossbar tightly and steered down the slope. As she took the turn toward Marshmallow Marsh, she checked behind her. No one was there! She was doing great on time. She hunched down low and tried to gain more speed.

  On the next turn Dash felt a bump and then noticed that the left blade on her sled was wobbling. She had no choice but to slow the sled down and pull over to the side. She jumped off to examine the sled. Quickly, she saw the problem.

  One of the licorice screws that attached the blade to the sled was missing! Dash looked around on the slope for the sticky peg but couldn’t spot it anywhere. How could she continue on? Her sled started to wobble more and more. How could she beat the time—or win—with a broken sled? What was she going to do?

  Dash shook her head. Of all the days for a licorice screw to fall out of her sled! This was the most important race! The Marshmallow Run was only once a year. And this was supposed to be her year to break the record. She kicked the ground with her silver boot. Powdered sugar flew all around. This was not how she thought the race would turn out.

  What would Pep do? Dash wondered. As she stared at her sled, she remembered that Pep had skidded off the slope in one race. His sled hit a piece of rock candy. He damaged his sled very badly, and he wasn’t able to finish the race.

  Dash looked over at her sled and thought again. Riding on a broken sled was very dangerous. Her only chance was to fix the sled. And fast.

  I built this sled, she thought. I can fix it!

  Up on the mountain Dash saw the other racers coming down the slope. She had the lead now, but if she couldn
’t fix her sled quickly . . .

  Dash flapped her wings nervously. The cold mountain air was making her shiver. Down the mountain Dash could see a crowd gathering at the finish line. Pep was waiting for her there—and so were her friends. Knowing that she wasn’t alone made her feel stronger and gave her a burst of energy.

  She put her hands on her hips. In her side pocket she felt a bottle of mint syrup from her morning’s work in Peppermint Grove. Holding up the bottle, she thought about how helpful her friends had been the other day. They had given her a hard time earlier, but in the end they were there for her. Just like this mint!

  “Holy peppermint!” Dash cried. “That’s the answer!” She smiled. “It’s worth a try!” she exclaimed. The bright white liquid seemed to glow in the sunlight. She poured the sticky liquid into the hole and stuck the blade back. “Cool Mint!” Dash said with a smile on her face. The sticky mint held the blade in place!

  “Dash! Are you okay?” Raina asked, suddenly appearing by her side. She turned to the other fairies behind her. “See!” she said. “I knew something was wrong.”

  “What happened?” Cocoa asked. She flew down and put her hand on Dash’s shoulder.

  Berry and Melli flew down next to Dash. They all had the same worried expression.

  “A licorice screw fell out of my sled,” Dash said as she flipped it back over. She looked around at her friends’ worried expressions. “But I’ve solved the problem,” she said. “Nothing that a little mint couldn’t fix!” She tossed Cocoa the bottle of mint. Then she took a running leap and jumped back on her sled.

  “Go, Dash!” Cocoa shouted.

  “The others are coming,” Melli said nervously.

  “Don’t worry, you have a good lead,” Raina said to Dash. She pointed up the mountain to the other racers. “Go! Go! Go!”

  “You can do it, Dash!” Berry cheered. “You can make up the time.”

  “Thanks,” Dash said, looking back at her friends. She was glad they had come by to find her. Hearing their encouraging words made her feel stronger. She could still win and beat Pep’s time . . . that is, if she got moving! She looked overhead as her friends flew back to the finish line.

  She flapped her wings to gain a little more speed. Up ahead was the stickiest part of the race—the beginning of Marshmallow Marsh.

  Taking a deep breath, Dash held on to the bar of the sled. She took the curves quickly, never losing her balance or breaking her speed. She could hear the other racers coming up behind her, but she kept her focus. Up ahead was the finish line. A large crowd of fairies was gathered, and they were cheering loudly.

  “Go, Dash!”

  “Way to go!”

  Dash heard all the cheers, but she didn’t look up from the slope. Marshmallow Marsh was gooey, and she had to concentrate. If she veered off the course, she could get stuck in the sticky white marshmallow.

  The cheers were getting louder. Dash saw the rainbow banner of lollipops . . . the finish line! She huddled down low on the sled to pick up speed.

  “Dash the Mint Fairy is the first to cross the finish line!” the announcer exclaimed.

  There was a roar of applause from the crowd. Dash threw back her head and let out a whoop! In a flash, her friends were around her, giving her a hug. She won!

  What was my time?” Dash asked. She couldn’t see the giant marshmallow clock. There were too many people crowded around her. Her wings were being smushed, and she couldn’t fly up to see her official race time. Her heart was beating so fast.

  Cocoa took a step back and made room for Dash to fly up high to see the clock.

  Dash’s wings drooped, and she sank back down to the ground. “I didn’t break the speed record,” she reported sadly.

  “But you are still the winner of the race!” Raina said, trying to cheer her friend up.

  “That’s right, Dash,” Cocoa said. “You’re so mint!” She smiled at her friend. “You still came in first!”

  Dash nodded, but she still couldn’t help but feel disappointed. She had worked so hard to get the fastest time. “Has anyone seen Pep?” she asked her friends. “Maybe he is really disappointed in me,” Dash said, looking down at the ground.

  “How could he be disappointed in you?” Raina asked. “You were extraordinary out there on the slopes. Many other fairies would have given up or wouldn’t have had the strength to finish at all.”

  “And you didn’t just finish,” Berry pointed out, “you won!”

  “So mint,” Pep said from behind Berry. He stepped forward with a dazzling smile. “Dash, you made me proud.”

  “But I didn’t break the record,” Dash mumbled.

  Pep came over to her and put his arm around her. “Not this time, but there’s always next year. Plus, it took more skill and bravery to run the race you just did. Remember my race when I skidded off the slope? I didn’t have the courage or smarts to do what you did out there today.”

  Dash felt her cheeks grow redder than the stripes of a peppermint stick!

  “I need to thank my friends for making me feel brave,” Dash said. She turned to smile at them. “They helped me the most.”

  “I can see that,” Pep said. “You are very lucky.”

  Before Dash could say another word, Princess Lolli was by her side. “Dash, I heard what happened on the slope. I am very proud of you. You acted wisely and quickly. And you are by far one of the fastest Mint Fairies I have ever seen! Even with your delay, you still came in first. You should be very proud of yourself.”

  “Thank you,” Dash said, bowing her head.

  “Come,” Princess Lolli said. She held out her hand to Dash. “We are about to have the award ceremony.”

  Dash took Princess Lolli’s hand and flew up to the stage. A crowd of fairies surrounded the stage at the far end of Marshmallow Marsh. A special fruit leather carpet was laid down on the ground for the crowd to stand on and watch.

  “I proudly award Dash the Mint Fairy the chocolate marshmallow trophy,” Princess Lolli told the crowd.

  Flying up to get her award, Dash smiled. Even though she had won two other times, winning this race seemed much sweeter. She proudly took the trophy that was nearly as tall as she was! Then she went back to stand with her friends.

  “As many of you know,” Princess Lolli continued, “Dash was trying to break the speed record that Pep set a few years ago.”

  Dash wanted to fly off and hide beneath her wings. She felt everyone in the kingdom staring at her. She was so embarrassed!

  “Due to an unexpected problem on the slope today, Dash was not able to break that record,” Princess Lolli continued on.

  “Why is she telling everyone that?” Dash whispered to Raina.

  “Shhh,” Raina said. “Let’s see what she’s going to say.”

  “What Dash doesn’t know is that she broke another record today,” Princess Lolli declared. She smiled kindly at the tiny Mint Fairy and waved her back onto the stage. “Dash, no one has ever won three races in a row. You have set a new record!”

  Pep squeezed Dash’s shoulders from behind. “I never won three races in a row,” Pep said. “When my sled sped off the slope, I wasn’t able to think as fast and fix my sled. I lost that year.” He gave Dash a little push. “Go up and get your prize. You deserve it.”

  “And now you’ll be listed in the Fairy Code Book!” Raina exclaimed. “All the record holders are in there.”

  “Choc-o-rific, Dash!” Cocoa shouted.

  Berry and Melli hugged Dash and then clapped as their friend flew back up to the stage.

  “Well done,” Princess Lolli told Dash. She handed her a scroll and a beautifully carved piece of wintergreen mint with gold sugar writing. “We’re all proud of you.”

  “Thank you,” Dash said. Her feet lifted off the ground as she fluttered her wings happily.

  All her friends gathered around her and gave her a hug.

  “Come on,” Cocoa said, pulling Dash’s hand. “Everyone is heading to Peppermint Grove.
”

  “There’s more celebrating to be done!” Berry cheered. She twirled around in her new dress and touched her sparkly fruit-chew barrettes. “Dash, you can’t miss the peppermint stick presentation.”

  In the center of Peppermint Grove, Dash had placed her four peppermint sticks for the fairy princess. The sticks were thick and very tall. Perfect for a new throne!

  Princess Lolli was thrilled at the size and color of the sticks. “What a perfect treat,” she said. “Thank you, Dash. These are the sticks of a true champion. I will always think of that when I sit on my new throne.” She reached out to hug Dash.

  The rest of the fairies were busy celebrating. There was music, and there were lots of mint candies around for the fairies to eat. And Cocoa brought a barrel of dark chocolate chips with fresh white sprinkles for everyone. Berry was right—it was a delicious celebration.

  Dash plucked a fresh candy cane from the garden. The candy was sweet and refreshing. A smile spread across her face.

  Winter was one of the most magical times in Sugar Valley. And winning was definitely sweeter with good friends and some cool mint.

  What do you think?” Berry held up a string of colorful fruit chews. The Fruit Fairy enjoyed making delicious fruit candies, but she also loved making jewelry. The more sparkle the better! Berry loved anything and everything to do with fashion.

  “Berry,” Raina said. She had a worried look on her face. The Gummy Fairy was filling up a bottle of cherry syrup for the trees in Gummy Forest. She had come to Fruit Chew Meadow for flavoring for the red gumdrop trees—and to visit Berry. But instead of finding Berry working on her fruit candies, her friend was making a necklace!

  “Those are round chews,” Raina said. “Where are the hearts?”