Contents
Carnival Hat Hijinks
The Carnival Begins!
The Goblins Make Mischief
Kylie Pops In
A Spooky Ride
The Goblins Outwitted!
A Musical Mess
Mirror Magic
Suspicious Scouts
Frightening Faces
Tricked Again!
Giddy Goblins
The Carnival Crown
Cats and Clowns
Finding Jack Frost
Ice Lightning
A Queen Is Crowned
Very Special Guests
“This is so exciting!” Rachel Walker said to her best friend, Kirsty Tate. “I’ve never been to a real carnival before.”
“And Sunnydays is the best carnival,” Kirsty replied. “It comes to Wetherbury every summer. I’m so glad you’re staying with us, so that you can visit the carnival, too.”
The girls were standing with a big crowd of people, including Kirsty’s parents, outside the gates of the carnival grounds. The buzz of excited chatter filled the air as everyone waited for the grand opening.
“Which ride will you go on first, girls?” asked Mr. Tate.
“I don’t know,” Kirsty said, peering over the gates. “There are so many!” She could see a Ferris wheel, bumper cars, spinning teacups, and lots of other rides. There were also booths of food and games like the ring toss and hook-a-duck.
“Look, Kirsty!” Rachel nudged her friend as a man in a red coat and black top hat appeared behind the gates.
“He must be the carnival master,” Kirsty explained. “It’s finally time for the grand opening!”
The crowd cheered loudly.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” boomed the carnival master. “Welcome to Sunnydays, the most magical carnival in the world!” He threw open the gates with a flourish. “Follow me!”
Rachel and Kirsty hurried inside the carnival grounds eagerly, the rest of the crowd close behind them.
“Let the carnival magic begin!” announced the carnival master, sweeping off his top hat and pointing it at the Ferris wheel. Immediately, the great wheel began to turn! The crowd gasped.
Then the carnival master waved his hat at the teacups, which began to spin in a blur of bright colors.
“It is magic!” gasped a little girl nearby as the rides sprang to life.
Rachel and Kirsty smiled. They knew all about magic. The two girls had become friends with the fairies! They helped their tiny friends whenever wicked Jack Frost and his goblins caused trouble in Fairyland.
Just then, a loud drumbeat echoed through the air.
“It’s the parade!” Kirsty cried.
There was a clash of cymbals. Then a band, led by a man in a blue uniform, marched toward the crowd. The band leader wore a tall blue hat, trimmed with gold braid. He carried a rainbow-colored baton in one hand. As the crowd cheered, he tipped his hat and twirled his baton. Right away, the band struck up a merry tune.
“This is great,” Rachel said as the band marched by. “Look, there are dancers and acrobats, too!”
Dancers in blue-and-gold dresses followed the band. They held long satin ribbons in their hands, and twirled and twisted them as they danced.
The acrobats jumped and tumbled, handing out party poppers in between cartwheels. Kirsty and Rachel were excited when they each got a popper.
“There are jugglers, too!” Kirsty pointed out suddenly.
The jugglers wore red-and-white jester’s hats with bells on the ends. They each carried colorful juggling balls.
“Oh, no!” Rachel giggled as one of the jugglers dropped all his balls at once. “I think they need a little more practice.”
Kirsty frowned as another one of the jugglers stumbled into an acrobat. “They’re not very tall,” she said. “Maybe they’re kids. That would explain why they’re not very good at juggling yet.” But then Kirsty glanced down at the jugglers’ feet. Their shoes were huge — much too big for children’s shoes!
Kirsty peered closely at the jugglers as they paraded past. Although their hats hid most of their faces, she realized that they had long green noses.
“Rachel!” Kirsty whispered, her heart pounding. “Those jugglers aren’t kids. They’re goblins!”
“Oh, no!” Rachel gasped. Kirsty was right!
“Why are Jack Frost’s goblins here?” Kirsty wondered aloud, counting them quickly. “Rachel, there are eight of them!”
“And Jack Frost has made them bigger, too,” Rachel added. “They’re almost as tall as we are. That must be so they don’t stand out in the crowd.”
“I bet they’re up to no good!” Kirsty said, frowning.
“Let me present our most magical ride!” the carnival master announced just then.
“Look at the goblins,” Kirsty whispered.
All eight goblins were running right toward the carnival master! As they got closer to him, the biggest goblin jumped up and knocked the top hat off his head.
The carnival master yelped in surprise, but everyone else laughed, thinking it was part of the show. One of the other goblins caught the hat as it fell. Then they all disappeared into the crowd.
“Why do the goblins want the carnival master’s hat?” Kirsty asked Rachel as the shocked carnival master struggled to continue with his announcement.
“Er, as I was saying,” he stammered. “This is the most important ride at the carnival!” He pointed to a huge green-and-gold sheet, which was clearly hiding something very big.
Two clowns on stilts stood on either side of the sheet, each holding a corner. There was a drumroll from the band, and then the clowns pulled away the sheet. Suddenly, the girls could see a brightly painted carousel of beautiful horses — but unlike the other rides, this one didn’t start turning.
“The carousel will be working soon,” the carnival master said quickly. “In the meantime, please enjoy our other wonderful rides!”
But as Kirsty and Rachel looked around the carnival, they noticed that the Ferris wheel was stopping, and that the teacups were slowing to a halt, too. What was going on?
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Kirsty spotted a flash of red and white. It was the goblins again — and this time, they were rushing toward the band leader!
“Look out!” Kirsty cried, trying to warn him.
But the band was playing too loudly for the band leader to hear. The tallest goblin jumped up and knocked the hat right off his head! Another goblin swept it up off the ground, and they all raced away.
The minute the band leader lost his hat, he also lost control of the band. The tubas and flutes sounded out of tune, the trumpeters started marching in the wrong direction, and the drummers dropped their drumsticks. The cheerful music suddenly turned into a whole lot of noise!
“Why are the goblins trying to ruin the carnival?” Rachel wondered.
“I don’t know,” Kirsty said with a sigh.
The band had stopped playing now, and the band leader looked dazed. The carnival master rushed forward. “Don’t forget,” he announced, trying to distract the crowd, “for the closing day parade, we want you all to dress up. The boy or girl with the best costume will be crowned carnival king or queen with our carnival crown!”
Just then, Rachel and Kirsty heard the clip-clop of hooves behind them. Everyone turned to see two women in sparkly pink costumes riding white ponies. The women carried a blue velvet cushion between them, and on top of the cushion sat the carnival crown, covered with jewels and feathers.
“I now declare Sunnydays Carnival officially open!” the carnival master cried proudly.
The crowd cheered and scattered to explore the carnival.
“We have to find out w
hat the goblins are up to,” Rachel said anxiously.
Kirsty nodded, shivering. “It suddenly feels cold, doesn’t it?” she asked, her teeth chattering.
Rachel nodded and rubbed her arms. “It’s been warm all day until now,” she said, frowning.
At that moment, Kirsty noticed a clown in a baggy yellow costume and curly green wig standing nearby. He was staring at the carnival crown.
Kirsty nudged Rachel. “Look,” she whispered, pointing. “There’s something familiar about that clown.”
Rachel peered at the clown. Then, with a start, she noticed frosty icicles hanging from his chin. “Kirsty,” Rachel gasped. “That’s Jack Frost!”
Kirsty stared at Jack Frost in horror. “He used his magic to make himself as big as the goblins,” she whispered to Rachel.
At that moment, the goblins reappeared. Trying to juggle, they quickly surrounded the carnival crown.
In the meantime, Jack Frost had created an icy wind, which swept him up and carried him through the air. But only Kirsty and Rachel noticed as he zoomed toward the crown. Everybody else was too busy watching the goblin jugglers!
The girls saw Jack Frost snatch the crown from its cushion and disappear from sight. The goblins gathered up their juggling balls and hurried after him. Rachel and Kirsty tried to follow, but the goblins fled too quickly.
“The crown!” gasped one of the women on the ponies. “Where did it go?”
“Maybe it fell off the cushion,” the other woman suggested, looking around.
“Now Jack Frost has the carnival master’s hat, the band leader’s hat, and the carnival crown!” Kirsty cried, biting her lip. “What’s he going to do with them?”
“Let’s find out,” Rachel suggested.
Kirsty turned to her parents, who were chatting with some friends. “Mom, can Rachel and I go on the rides?”
Mrs. Tate nodded. “We’ll meet you at the front gate in half an hour,” she replied.
The girls grinned and hurried after the goblins.
Suddenly, Rachel felt a tingling in her fingers. She glanced down and realized that she was still holding her party popper. And now it seemed to be shaking … all by itself !
Suddenly, the party popper exploded in a shower of glitter. Rachel jumped as streamers shot into the air. “Oh!” she cried in surprise.
A fairy hovered in the glitter, beaming at the girls. As the streamers floated to the ground, the fairy flew to Kirsty’s shoulder. Her skirt, striped in all the colors of the rainbow, billowed around her as she landed.
“Hello, girls!” the fairy called, pushing a few strands of dark brown hair out of her eyes. “I’m Kylie the Carnival Fairy!”
“Hello,” Rachel gasped, still startled.
“As Carnival Fairy, it’s my job to make sure the Sunnydays Carnival is a huge success,” Kylie explained. “But Jack Frost is trying to ruin everything!”
“Why?” asked Kirsty.
“Because he got bored in his ice castle,” Kylie said, sighing. “So he decided to spoil everybody’s fun.”
“What about the hats?” Rachel chimed in.
Kylie winked at the girls. “The hats are magical!” she said with a grin. “The carnival master’s hat makes all the rides run smoothly.”
“No wonder the carousel wasn’t working,” Kirsty said.
Kylie nodded. “The band leader’s magical hat makes the carnival music perfect,” she went on. “That’s why the band can’t play in tune anymore. And the carnival crown makes sure that the Sunnydays Carnival ends happily and can move on to the next town.”
“So if we can’t get back the hats, the carnival will be ruined for everyone!” Rachel cried.
“We can’t let that happen,” Kirsty added.
“I knew you’d help me, girls,” Kylie declared happily. “Now, where are Jack Frost and his goblins?”
“They went that way,” Rachel said.
As the girls looked into the distance, Kirsty spotted a flash of red and white.
“There’s a goblin,” she said excitedly, pointing him out to Rachel and Kylie. “And he has the carnival master’s hat!”
“After him!” Kylie cried, sliding into Rachel’s pocket and out of sight.
The girls hurried toward the goblin. But before they could get too close, he spotted them.
“It’s those pesky girls!” he shouted to his two goblin friends. “Quick, hide!”
The three goblins immediately ran off, followed closely by the girls.
As the goblins passed the haunted house, one of them skidded to a halt. “In here!” he shouted. Ignoring the sign that said BROKEN — PLEASE COME BACK LATER, the three goblins rushed inside.
Kirsty and Rachel both blinked as they saw a shimmer of magic. Suddenly, all the lights outside the haunted house came on.
“The carnival master’s magical hat is making the ride work,” Kylie explained.
The giggling goblins climbed into the front car of the train inside the haunted house. Rachel and Kirsty just managed to jump into the car behind them as the train pulled away.
When the train turned the corner, the girls saw spider webs and bats hanging from dark trees. A cold wind howled around them. Rachel and Kirsty knew it was only a sound effect, but the goblins had stopped giggling and were muttering to one another, scared.
“Whoooooooo!” a ghost jumped out from behind a tree, moaning loudly. The goblins shrieked with fright.
“I don’t think the goblins are enjoying the ride!” Kirsty laughed.
As the train rattled around another corner, a loud, creaking sound filled the air.
“What’s that?” the goblins wailed. Then they screamed as a nearby coffin swung open, and a vampire with long, sharp fangs leaned out.
Eventually, the train shot back out through the doors and came to a stop. Still trembling with fear, the goblins leaped out of the train and ran away.
“They’re heading for the log flume,” Kylie said. “Follow them, quick!”
The log flume wasn’t working. It had a NO ENTRY sign outside. But once again, the goblins ignored the sign and jumped into one of the floating, log-shaped boats. Immediately, there was a dazzling flash of magic.
“The carnival master’s hat is at work again,” Rachel said.
Sure enough, water began to tumble and splash along the waterways, and the goblins’ little boat floated away.
Kirsty turned to Rachel and Kylie. “What are we going to do?” she asked.
Rachel was staring at the water. “I have an idea!” she announced.
“What is it?” Kylie asked eagerly.
“Look!” Rachel pointed at the ride. At the bottom of one of the waterways was a long slide.
“The goblins will be coming down that slide soon,” Rachel explained. “If we stand at the bottom, we can try to grab the hat as they go by.”
“Perfect!” Kylie exclaimed.
The goblins were out of sight for now, but the girls and Kylie could hear them squealing with delight. Quickly, they hurried over to the bottom of the slide and waited.
“They’re at the top of the slide,” Rachel whispered as the goblins’ boat floated into sight. “Get ready!”
At that moment, the log-shaped boat tipped over the edge and shot down the slide toward the girls.
“Yee-hah!” the goblins yelled, waving their arms in the air. They were sitting one behind the other in the little boat. Rachel, Kirsty, and Kylie could see that the goblin with the carnival master’s hat was in the back. The boat zoomed down to the bottom of the slide. Kirsty was closest to the water, and as the boat splashed past, she reached out and snatched the hat right out of the goblin’s hand!
“Give that back!” the goblin yelled furiously. “Stop the boat!” But there was nothing they could do. The boat swept on along the waterways, taking the angry goblins with it.
“Good job!” Kylie laughed as Kirsty shook drops of water off the hat. “Now, let’s take that hat back where it belongs.”
Kyl
ie slipped into Rachel’s pocket again. They all hurried off to the main tent in the middle of the carnival grounds. The carnival master stood in the tent’s entrance with the band leader, looking very unhappy.
“I think we might have to close the carnival,” the carnival master was saying. “Too many rides aren’t working!”
“We’re just in time,” Kirsty whispered.
“But how are we going to give back the hat?” Rachel asked. “They’ll want to know where we found it!”
“Kylie, could you make us fairy-size?” Kirsty asked quietly. “And the hat, too? Then we’ll be able to return it without being seen.”
Kylie nodded. Quickly, the girls slipped behind the tent, where Kylie waved her wand over them. Rachel, Kirsty, and the hat all shrank to fairy-size. Then, carrying the tiny hat, the girls and Kylie flew back to the tent entrance.
They waited until the carnival master went to check on the rides. Then they flew inside and put the hat on his desk.
Kylie waved her wand — and the hat grew back to its usual size! Then they fluttered back outside, and Kylie’s magic soon turned Rachel and Kirsty into normal girls again.
A moment later, they heard the carnival master returning to the tent.
“We’ll have to close down,” he said to the band leader. “I’ll make an announcement.”
Kirsty, Rachel, and Kylie peeked around the side of the tent as the carnival master went inside. “My hat!” he exclaimed. “How did that get here?” He picked up the hat and put it on.
Rachel and Kirsty beamed at each other as suddenly, all around them, they heard the whirr of rides starting up again. The Ferris wheel was moving, the teacups started spinning, and the bumper cars were crashing into one another.
Kylie the Carnival Fairy Page 1
