“Kirsty! Pearl!” Rachel called as loudly as she could. “HELP!”
Kirsty heard her friend’s voice right away. She turned and saw the cloud with Rachel inside. It was floating past the marshmallow machine.
To Kirsty’s horror, the cloud was heading straight toward the factory’s tall chimney.
“Oh, no!” Kirsty gasped. “If that cloud floats up the chimney, we’ll never get Rachel back!”
Quickly, Pearl flew over to Kirsty. “Which cloud is Rachel in?” she asked.
“That one …” Kirsty began, pointing. Then she stopped. There were so many clouds floating around, she’d lost sight of Rachel. “Oh, I don’t know anymore, Pearl. That awful goblin did it!” she said. “I have a few things to say to him! Can you make me human-sized again?”
Pearl nodded. “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’ll find Rachel. I promise. You get the feather back.”
With a wave of her wand, Pearl turned Kirsty back to her normal size. Then she flew off to search through the clouds. Kirsty stormed over to the goblin. She was usually scared of the nasty creatures — especially since Jack Frost had used his magic to make them even bigger than before. But Kirsty was so annoyed, she didn’t care. Rachel was in danger, and it was all the goblin’s fault.
The goblin was lying on top of his fluffy cloud, still eating cotton candy. When he saw Kirsty marching toward him, he looked nervous. Quickly, he stuffed the Cloud Feather right into his mouth.
“Give me that feather!” Kirsty demanded.
“Wha’ fe’er?” the goblin spluttered, trying to keep his mouth closed.
Kirsty frowned. How was she going to get the feather out of the goblin’s mouth? Just then, she spotted a peppermint stick lying on the floor. That gave her an idea. She picked it up, and began tickling the bottom of the goblin’s leathery foot!
The goblin began to laugh, but he kept his mouth shut. “Shtop it,” he mumbled. But then he couldn’t hold his laughter in anymore. “Oh, ha ha ha,” he laughed. As his laughter burst out, so did the magic Cloud Feather!
Kirsty tried to grab the feather, but the goblin was quicker.
“Oh, no!” He grinned, snatching the feather away. “This is my feather! I’m the only one who knows how to make it work.”
“Actually, I know how to make it work, too!” called a silvery voice.
Kirsty turned to see Pearl flying toward them. To Kirsty’s relief, she was pulling a pink cloud behind her with Rachel inside.
Rachel’s head was sticking out of a hole in the cloud, and she grinned at Kirsty. “Hey, this cloud’s made of cotton candy!” she called. “And it’s delicious. I can eat my way out!” She took another big bite of the cloud.
Pearl flew down to Kirsty and the goblin. “I can make the clouds do all sorts of things,” she said. “They will float exactly where I tell them to. I can even make them dance around me.” She held out her hand to the goblin.
“Why don’t you give me the feather and let me show you?”
The goblin looked sly. “No, it’s mine!” he said. “Anyway, I can do those tricks myself.”
“Go on, then,” Pearl challenged.
The goblin began to concentrate. He waved the feather around in the air. Very slowly, all the clouds in the room drifted toward him. He twirled the feather, and the clouds began to spin around him in a circle, faster and faster. “See?” the goblin bragged.
“OK, you know what to do, Rachel,” Pearl whispered to her.
Pearl let go of Rachel’s cotton candy cloud, and she and Kirsty watched as it flew over to the goblin. Rachel’s cloud began to whirl around him with the others. It got closer and closer to the goblin. Then, suddenly, as her cloud sped past the goblin’s hand, Rachel stuck her arm out and grabbed the Cloud Feather!
“Give that back!” the goblin shouted. Every time Rachel’s cloud flew past him, he tried to grab back the feather, but he missed over and over again.
The clouds were spinning around so fast now that Rachel was getting very dizzy. “Help!” she called. “Somebody stop this cloud!”
Pearl swooped down and plucked the feather out of Rachel’s hand. Then she waved it in a special pattern, and the clouds began to slow down and drift away.
Kirsty caught Rachel’s cloud with one hand, and she pulled it open to free her friend.
Rachel dizzily tumbled out. The goblin was dizzy, too, from watching all the clouds spinning around his head.
He was walking in circles, looking for the Cloud Feather. When he saw that Pearl had it, he lunged forward and grabbed for her. Pearl flew out of the wag just in time, but the goblin lost his balance. He tripped and fell headfirst into the candy wrapping machine!
The girls and Pearl watched in amazement as the yelling goblin was wrapped in a huge sheet of shiny silver paper. Then the goblin-shaped candy moved along the conveyor belt, and was wrapped with a sparkly silver ribbon.
“That serves him right!” Rachel laughed.
“Corne on,” said Pearl, smiling. “Let’s get out of here before he unwraps himself!”
Kirsty sprinkled herself with fairy dust and immediately turned into a fairy again. Then the three friends flew out of the factory through the air vent. Outside, Pearl waved her magic wand and returned the girls to their normal size.
“I’d better make sure everyone else in Wetherbury gets back to normal right away!” Pearl laughed.
She waved her feather through the air in a complicated pattern. “That should do it,” she said cheerfully. They set off for the Tates’ house, and Pearl hid in Rachel’s pocket again.
“Look,” whispered Rachel, as they made their way through the village. “There aren’t any clouds over people’s heads anymore!”
“And everyone’s happy and laughing again,” added Kirsty. The kids playing in the park were all smiling now, and as the girls passed the post office, Mrs. Burke gave them a cheerful wave.
“I’ll give Doodle his beautiful Cloud Feather back,” Pearl said, when they arrived at the Tates’ house. “He’ll be so happy to see it!”
Rachel and Kirsty stood in the garden. They watched as Pearl flew up to the top of the barn. The fairy placed the Cloud Feather in Doodle’s tail. A minute later, the rooster’s feathers began to sparkle with fairy magic.
“Doodle’s coming to life again!” Kirsty cried. “Listen up, Rachel!”
Doodle’s feathers shimmered in the sun. “Frost w —!” he squawked. But the next minute, he was cold, hard metal again.
“Beware, Jack Frost w —” Kirsty said thoughtfully, as Pearl flew down to join them. “What does it mean?”
“I don’t know,” replied Pearl. “But be careful. Jack Frost won’t want to lose any more magic feathers! And now I have to return to Fairyland.”
The pretty fairy hugged Rachel and Kirsty, scattering little, shiny pink and white clouds around them. Then she fluttered up into the sky. “Good-bye!” she called, “And thank you! Good luck finding the other four weather feathers!”
“Good-bye!” called Kirsty and Rachel, waving.
Smiling, Pearl waved her wand at them and disappeared into the clouds.
The girls went into the house, where Mr. and Mrs. Tate were in the living room watching TV.
“Oh, Kirsty, Rachel, there you are,” said Mrs. Tate, jumping to her feet. “The Twitchings called a little while ago and invited us over for coffee.”
“And they said they have some good news for us,” Mr. Tate added.
Kirsty and Rachel looked at each other.
“They must have found Fidget!” Kirsty exclaimed happily.
The girls hurried next door with Mr. and Mrs. Tate.
Mr. Twitching opened the door with a big smile on his face. “Come in,” he said. “We’ve got a surprise for you!”
He led them into the living room, where Mrs. Twitching was kneeling on the rug next to a cat basket. A big, fluffy tabby cat was curled up inside.
“She’s been a very busy girl,” Mrs. Twitching said proudly. “Look!�
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There in the basket were three tiny kittens, snuggled up close to their mom. Two were tabby cats like Fidget, and one was black with a little white spot on the top of its head. They were so young, their eyes weren’t even open yet.
“Oh, Rachel, aren’t they beautiful?” Kirsty whispered, gently stroking the black and white kitten on its tiny head.
“We’ll be looking for good homes for them when they’re bigger,” said Mr. Twitching. “But they can’t leave their mom for eight or nine weeks.”
“Oh!” Kirsty gasped, her eyes shining. “Maybe I could have one?”
“I don’t see why not,” Mrs. Tate said, smiling.
“Which one would you like, Kirsty?” Mrs. Twitching asked.
“This one,” Kirsty said, stroking the black and white kitten again. It yawned sleepily.
“And I know the perfect name for her,” Rachel said, smiling at her friend. “You can call her Pearl!”
A Sunny Spell
Goldie Drops In
Goblin on the Loose!
A Confused Goblin
Happy Pigs
Twilight Magic
“I feel like I’m going to melt,” said Rachel Walker happily.
It was a hot summer afternoon and she and her friend, Kirsty Tate, were enjoying the sunshine in Kirsty’s backyard. A bumblebee buzzed lazily around Mrs. Tate’s sunflowers, and a single gust of wind blew through the yellow rosebushes.
The weather was so warm and sunny that Mr. and Mrs. Tate had given the girls permission to camp out in the yard that night. Kirsty looked up from a jumble of tent poles and bright orange material. “It’s been a perfect day,” she agreed. “Let’s hope tonight is perfect, too. It wouldn’t be much fun to sleep out here in the rain!”
Rachel laughed, and then started untangling tent poles with her friend. “I think I’d rather take a shower in the morning, not in the middle of the night,” she agreed.
Kirsty held up some poles. “Right. So how do we put this thing together?” she asked brightly.
Rachel scratched her head. “Well…” she began.
“Need some help?” came a voice from behind them.
“Dad!” said Kirsty, relieved. “Yes, please. We—” She turned to look at her father and burst out laughing.
Rachel spun around to see what was so funny. She had to bite her lip not to laugh, too. Mr. Tate was wearing the most enormous sunglasses she had ever seen!
Mr. Tate looked very pleased with himself. He wiggled the glasses up and down on his nose. “Do you like my new shades?” he asked.
“Well, yes,” Kirsty said, trying to keep a straight face. “They’re very… summery.”
Mr. Tate knelt down and started putting the tent together. “The weather has been so strange all week, I didn’t know whether to buy the sunglasses or not,” he said. “I just hope it doesn’t start snowing again!”
Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other but didn’t say anything. The two friends shared a very special secret. They knew exactly why the weather had been so strange—Jack Frost had been messing it all up.
Doodle, the weather vane rooster, usually controlled the weather in Fairyland with his seven magic tail feathers and the help of the Weather Fairies. But mean Jack Frost had sent his goblins to steal Doodle’s feathers. Without the feathers, the weather in Fairyland and the real world had gone completely crazy. Rachel and Kirsty were helping the Weather Fairies to get them back, but until then, Doodle was just a regular weather vane on top of the Tates’ barn.
The day before, with the help of Pearl the Cloud Fairy, Kirsty and Rachel had returned the Cloud Feather to Doodle. But even though the girls had found the Snow Feather, the Breeze Feather, and the Cloud Feather, they still had four feathers left to find.
“There!” said Mr. Tate, stepping back and admiring the finished tent. “It’s all yours.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Kirsty said as he walked away. She put two sleeping bags inside the tent and then flopped down on the grass. “Phew!” she said, and whistled. “It’s still so hot! I hope it cools down soon, or we’ll never be able to sleep in there.” Rachel was frowning and looking at her watch.
“Kirsty,” she said slowly. “Have you noticed where the sun is?”
Kirsty looked up and pointed. “Right there, in the sky,” she replied.
“Yes, but look how high it is,” Rachel insisted. “It hasn’t even started setting yet.”
Kirsty glanced at her watch. “But it’s seven-thirty,” she said, frowning. “That can’t be right.”
Before Rachel could reply, there was a loud pop!
“What was that?” she whispered.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
“It sounds like it’s coming from the other side of those bushes,” Kirsty said, her eyes wide. “But there’s only a cornfield over there.”
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Cautiously, the girls peeked over the hedge to see what was making all the noise. And then they both gasped out loud.
“I don’t believe it,” Kirsty said, rubbing her eyes. “Is that what I think it is?”
Pop! Pop! Pop!
Rachel nodded. “Popcorn!” she whispered.
It was an amazing sight. The sun was so hot that the corn in the field was cooking—and turning into popcorn!
Both girls stared as fluffy golden popcorn bounced everywhere. It looked like the field was one huge popcorn machine at the movie theater! The delicious smell of popcorn drifted over the bushes, and both girls sniffed hungrily.
Kirsty and Rachel looked at each other and grinned.
“There’s definitely magic in the air,” Kirsty said.
“It must be the goblin with the Sunshine Feather,” Rachel agreed, feeling her heart beat faster.
Both girls looked hard at the field, hoping to spot a goblin lurking somewhere, but it was hard to see clearly through the popcorn. It was tumbling and twirling in the air like a sandstorm. Rachel suddenly grabbed Kirsty’s hand. “Look!” she cried. Zooming above the field was a twinkling yellow light. It was zigzagging through the air between the popcorn, heading straight toward them. As it came closer, the air above the field seemed to glitter with a thousand golden sparkles.
Both girls could see a pair of delicate wings beating quickly, and the glimmer of a tiny wand.
“It’s Goldie the Sunshine Fairy,” whispered Rachel, smiling.
The girls held their breath as the fairy weaved in and out of the bouncing popcorn, dodging each piece. Then she swooped down and landed on the bushes in front of them. “Phew!” she said with a laugh. “Talk about a bumpy ride!”
Kirsty and Rachel watched as Goldie shook popcorn dust from her glittering wings. Her face was framed by long, curly, blond hair, and she wore a dress of fiery reds, yellows, and oranges. A tiny gold tiara sparkled in her hair, and shiny red bracelets glimmered on her wrists.
“Hello again,” said Goldie. “I’ve heard all about how you’ve helped Crystal, Abigail, and Pearl. You did a wonderful job finding their weather feathers!”
Rachel and Kirsty grinned at each other proudly.
“The goblin who has the Sunshine Feather can’t be far away,” Goldie continued, looking up at the sky. The sun still blazed as brightly as ever.
“That’s what we thought, too,” Kirsty said. “There’s a farm on the other side of this field. Should we start looking there?”
“Good idea,” Goldie replied cheerfully. Her face fell as soon as she turned back toward the cornfield. Popcorn was still whizzing through the air like hot white bumblebees. “But is there another way across the field?”
“I don’t like the idea of dodging that popcorn again.” Goldie sighed. She leaned back to examine a little mark on one of her wings. “I almost burned myself last time.”
“There’s a path that runs down the side of the field to the farm,” Kirsty told her. “I’ll ask Mom if we can go for a quick walk before bedtime.”
Minutes later, the three of them were on their way. The air was shimmering wi
th heat. There were cracks in the ground where the dirt had become hardened by the sun, flowers wilted along the sides of the path, and the grass had turned dry and brown. There wasn’t the slightest breath of wind in the air. Once the girls and Goldie reached the farm, they started searching for the goblin.
First, they peeked into the stables. Two very hot horses were inside, hiding from the sun. “Hello,” Goldie said. “You haven’t seen a goblin hanging around here, have you?”
One of the horses shook her mane.
“All we’ve seen today is this stable,” she said. “And there are no goblins in here.”
“It’s too hot to go outside,” the other horse whinnied.
Next, the girls and Goldie slipped into the barn where the cows stayed. The cows were all half-asleep in the heat. There was no goblin there, either!
At last, the three friends came to the duck pond. They wondered if the goblin might be cooling off in the water, but there was no sign of him—or the Sunshine Feather.
“You should ask the pigs,” one duck quacked helpfully from a shady spot in the cattails. “They’ve been grumbling all day about something. Plus, pigs are nosy. They’re always sniffing around! If there’s a goblin on the farm, they’ll know about it.”
Goldie politely thanked the duck. “I think I hear the pigs over this way,” Rachel said, walking around the side of the farmhouse. Soon they could all hear the pigs grunting and squealing. The duck was right! The pigs seemed very upset about something. But they all turned to look curiously at Goldie when she flew over to them.
The Weather Fairies Collection Page 5
