The goblins stopped fighting. They lifted their big noses into the air and sniffed.
“Fresh cookies!” Holly called, pointing at the ladder to the loft.
“Up in the hayloft. Help yourselves!”
“Cookies! Yum!” shouted one of the goblins. He tossed the present to the other one and ran for the ladder.
But the other goblin didn’t want to be left behind. He raced over to the ladder, too. As soon as he realized that he couldn’t climb up to the loft with the present in his arms, he threw it down on a pile of straw.
Rachel and Kirsty laughed as they watched the goblins scrambling up the ladder, trying to push each other out of the way. Once they had reached the top, the girls dashed into the barn. Kirsty picked up the present.
Suddenly, there was a shout from above. “There aren’t any cookies here! We’ve been tricked!”
One of the goblins peered down into the barn. “Where’s that Christmas fairy?” he yelled.
“Quick!” Holly gasped. “Let’s get out of here!”
The girls and Holly ran for the door as the goblins tumbled down the ladder. “After them!” the first goblin shouted.
Outside of the barn, Rachel fumbled to free Buttons’s leash from the nail. The goblins appeared in the doorway and ran toward her. But Buttons began to bark loudly as soon as he saw them. The goblins looked frightened.
“You get the present back!” the first goblin yelled, nudging the other.
“No, you get it!” his friend shouted.
Still barking, Buttons began pulling Rachel toward the goblins. Immediately, the two terrified goblins sprinted back into the barn and shut the door.
“Good dog!” said Rachel, patting Buttons to calm him down. At the same time, Kirsty showed the present to Holly.
“Hooray! We’ve found one special present.” Holly beamed. “I’ll get this back to Fairyland right away.” She waved her wand over the gift. The present disappeared in a magic cloud of sparkling red holly berries.
“We’ll see you again soon,” Rachel called as Holly fluttered up into the sky.
“I’ll be back as soon as I find out where Jack Frost is!” Holly promised.
Rachel and Kirsty hurried back to the farmyard to find Mr. and Mrs. Walker. They had bought the tree Rachel had picked out and were tying it to the roof of the car.
“Now, I think it’s time we all went home and had some Christmas cookies and hot chocolate,” said Rachel’s mom as they climbed into the car.
Rachel and Kirsty grinned at each other.
“Cookies would be great, Mom,” said Rachel, trying not to laugh.
“I think Buttons deserves a cookie, too,” Kirsty whispered. “After all, he was the one who led us to the goblins and the first present.”
Woof! Buttons agreed.
“Yes, and our fairy adventures aren’t over yet,” Rachel whispered back, her eyes shining. “We’ll save the sleigh. This is going to be the best Christmas ever!”
“Two days until Christmas!” Rachel said the next morning. She stood in front of the bedroom mirror, brushing her hair. The girls were getting ready to go Christmas shopping with Rachel’s mom. “Isn’t it exciting, Kirsty?”
Kirsty nodded. “I can’t wait!” she said. “But I don’t want it to get here too soon. We have to find Jack Frost and Santa’s sleigh first.”
“I know,” Rachel agreed. “Once we’re done helping our fairy friends, we can really enjoy Christmas.”
“I need to buy a present for my mom,” Kirsty said. “Do you have many presents left to buy?”
Rachel shook her head. “Only one,” she replied. “But the mall has great Christmas displays, so it’s fun to look around even if you don’t have much shopping to do.”
“Girls, are you ready yet?” Mrs. Walker called up the stairs.
“Coming, Mom!” Rachel yelled back.
The girls ran downstairs, laughing and chatting. Mrs. Walker was waiting for them in the hall. “Don’t forget your scarves and mittens,” she said, picking up her car keys. “It’s freezing today, and the mall parking lot is big. We may have to walk a little after we park the car.” She opened the front door and went to get the car out of the garage.
Rachel shivered as a blast of cold air swept through the open door. It rustled through the tinsel on the Christmas tree. “Brr!” she gasped, grabbing her coat. “Mom’s right. It is cold today.”
“Doesn’t the tree look pretty?” asked Kirsty, pulling on her mittens. The Walkers had a big entrance hall, and they had put the tree in a corner near the stairs. Rachel and Kirsty had decorated it, and now the tree glittered with balls, tinsel, and garland.
“It’s the nicest one we’ve ever had,” Rachel agreed. “But I’ll unplug the lights now, since we’re going out.”
Kirsty watched as Rachel unplugged the Christmas tree lights. Then she noticed that something was different about the tree. Instead of the tattered silver star that she had placed on the top, there now sat a beautiful, sparkly fairy!
Kirsty stared in surprise and realized that it was a real fairy.
Holly was perched on top of the tree, glowing brightly and waving at Kirsty!
“Holly!” Kirsty laughed. “What are you doing up there?”
“I thought your tree was missing a fairy!” Holly grinned.
Rachel looked up in time to see Holly fly down and land on Kirsty’s shoulder. “Hello, Rachel,” Holly sang. “I have a feeling something magical is going to happen today! Can I come to the mall with you?”
“Of course,” Rachel replied happily. “But you’ll have to hide from my mom!”
“No problem,” Holly winked at the girls and snuggled down inside Kirsty’s coat pocket, folding her wings away neatly. She popped out a second later and said, “Don’t forget the magic crown!”
“It’s in my pocket,” Rachel assured her.
Just then, they heard Rachel’s mom honk the car horn.
“I hope something magical happens today!” Rachel whispered to Kirsty as they rushed outside. “Maybe we’ll get Santa’s sleigh and the two special presents back.”
“I hope so!” Kirsty agreed with a smile.
Even though it was still early in the morning, the mall was already crowded when they arrived. Mrs. Walker drove around the parking lot, and it took them a while to find an empty space.
“Now, Rachel,” Mrs. Walker said as they all climbed out of the car, “would you and Kirsty like to go shopping on your own? I have to buy some presents that I don’t want you to see!”
“Like what?” Rachel asked curiously. Her mom laughed. “If I tell you, then they won’t be a surprise, will they?” she said. “We’ll split up, and I’ll meet you and Kirsty in an hour by the glass elevators. Make sure you stay inside the mall, and stick together.”
“OK,” the girls agreed.
Mrs. Walker went up the elevator, while the girls stayed on the first floor. They walked around the mall, looking at Christmas displays in the store windows. Christmas songs were playing over the speaker system, and people were rushing all around, carrying lots of shopping bags.
Before long, Rachel and Kirsty had finished their Christmas shopping. Kirsty bought some pretty silver earrings for her mom, and Rachel bought a book for her dad.
“Are you OK in there, Holly?” Kirsty whispered, putting the earrings into her other pocket.
Holly nodded. She was peeking out of Kirsty’s pocket to see what was going on. She was so small, nobody noticed her amid the hustle and bustle.
“Let’s go see the Christmas display,” Rachel said to Kirsty. “It’s beautiful!”
Kirsty nodded eagerly, and Rachel led the way to the big central area of the mall. There, right in front of them, was Santa’s workshop.
“Wow!” said Kirsty, her eyes wide. “This is fantastic!”
The workshop was a huge white tent covered in sparkling lights. They changed color, from white to blue to silver, and then back again. Long, glittering icicles hung from the
roof. The tent was surrounded by fake snow, and there were huge toy polar bears and penguins that waved at shoppers. Next to the tent, there was a small ice rink. Boys and girls dressed as elves were skating back and forth. Some carried brightly wrapped packages, while others performed spins and jumps. A little bridge made of sparkling icicles led the way into the tent.
“Isn’t it pretty?” Rachel asked as they moved closer to get a better look.
There was a long line of children waiting to see Santa. Rachel and Kirsty were standing near the bridge, watching the elves on the ice rink, when a little girl ran out of the tent to join her mom. She seemed upset! Kirsty and Rachel couldn’t help overhearing what she said.
“Did you have a good time, honey?” the mother asked.
“Well, Santa’s sleigh was all sparkly,” the little girl told her breathlessly, “and the reindeer were furry and friendly. But Santa wasn’t very nice!” She stuck out her bottom lip as if she was about to cry. “He wouldn’t give me a present, even though he had lots and lots of them. And he was all cold and spiky!”
Immediately, Rachel’s ears pricked up. That didn’t sound like Santa at all. But it did sound like someone else she knew — someone mean and tricky. They might have just found Jack Frost!
“Kirsty!” Rachel said, pulling her friend to one side. She didn’t want their conversation to be overheard. “Did you and Holly hear that? I think Jack Frost might be inside the tent, pretending to be Santa!”
Kirsty stared at Rachel. “You could be right!” she gasped.
“Yes,” Holly piped up. “We’d better check it out.”
“How are we going to get into the tent?” asked Rachel. “It’ll take forever if we have to wait in the line.”
“She’s right,” Kirsty said. “Let’s try to slip in the back and see what’s going on.”
The girls crept around the back of the tent, keeping an eye out for anyone who might try to stop them. But they found that the tent was tied down so firmly, they couldn’t sneak underneath.
“Leave it to me!” Holly whispered. She waved her wand, and a shower of sparkling red fairy dust fell onto one corner of the tent. Immediately, the ropes loosened, and part of the canvas curled upward.
“Thanks, Holly!” said Rachel. “Come on, Kirsty.”
The two girls crept cautiously under the edge of the tent. Inside, there were lots of glittering ice-covered rocks. Rachel, Kirsty, and Holly hid behind them while they looked around.
The tent was lit with rainbow-colored lanterns that glowed brightly. Long, gleaming icicles hung from the ceiling, and a big Christmas tree stood in one corner. It was decorated with shiny silver balls and multicolored fairy lights.
Kirsty shivered. The air inside the tent felt frosty. “It’s really cold in here,” she whispered. “Jack Frost must be nearby.”
And, sure enough, in the middle of the room was Santa’s sparkling sleigh, complete with hundreds of presents, eight magical reindeer, and Jack Frost! He was ripping open a package. The ground in front of him was already covered with wads of wrapping paper. He wore a red Santa suit and a fake white beard. But he still looked like his mean, cold self.
“Bring me another present!” he roared, tossing aside the game he’d just opened.
His goblin servants came rushing from every corner of the tent. They were all carrying presents, which they pushed into Jack Frost’s greedy hands. Rachel and Kirsty held their breath nervously as the goblins hurried past their hiding place.
Suddenly, Kirsty spotted something. “Look!” she hissed, pointing at the sleigh. “It’s one of the special presents!” The gold-wrapped package was sitting at the back of the sleigh, on top of a pile of other presents.
“You’re right,” Holly whispered excitedly. “And the third one must still be on the sleigh somewhere, too. It doesn’t look like Jack Frost has opened it already.”
“But how are we going to get them without Jack Frost and his goblins seeing us?” Rachel asked.
“If we stay behind the rocks, we can crawl around to the back of the sleigh without being seen,” said Kirsty.
“And I can help you,” Holly added eagerly. “I’ll distract Jack Frost and the goblins.”
“How?” asked Kirsty.
“I’ll use magic to put myself inside one of the presents that Jack Frost is opening,” Holly replied. “That will give him a surprise!”
“That’s a great idea,” Rachel declared. “We’ll creep around to the back of the sleigh. Then, while Holly creates a diversion, you grab the present, Kirsty. I’ll try to drop the magic crown on Jack Frost’s head.”
“OK. Let’s go,” Kirsty whispered.
Holly nodded. She waved her wand above her head and immediately disappeared.
Rachel and Kirsty began to crawl on their hands and knees toward the sleigh, staying out of sight behind the rocks. Jack Frost was too busy unwrapping presents to notice them.
And, luckily, the goblins were running backward and forward, trying to keep their grumpy master happy.
Their hearts thumping, the girls got closer and closer to the sleigh. The special present was so close now that Kirsty could reach out and touch it.
“Now we just wait for Holly to make her move,” Rachel whispered.
The girls watched Jack Frost tear the paper off another present. “I’m bored,” he grumbled. “Why can’t I get a really nice present?” He threw the wrapping paper on the floor and held up a pretty wooden box. “I wonder what’s inside?” he muttered.
Suddenly, the lid of the box burst open. Holly shot out in a huge shower of glittering red holly berries and fairy dust. Jack Frost and the goblins coughed and spluttered in shock.
“This is our chance!” Kirsty cried, while Jack Frost and his goblins stared at Holly in surprise.
Kirsty reached for the special present. Meanwhile, Rachel pulled the crown out of her pocket and stood up, ready to drop it onto Jack Frost’s head.
“What’s going on?” Jack Frost shouted, rubbing fairy dust out of his eyes. “It’s that pesky Christmas Fairy, isn’t it? Grab her!”
Kirsty had her hands on the present now, and Rachel was leaning over the sleigh with the crown. But just then, one of the goblins spotted her. “Look out!” he screeched, pointing a bony finger at Rachel.
Jack Frost spun around. His cold, hard eyes met Rachel’s, and she felt herself shiver. Quickly, Jack Frost waved his wand. The reindeer galloped off, pulling the sleigh behind them. Luckily, Kirsty was still hanging onto the ribbon that was tied around the special package.
As the sleigh moved away, the present tumbled off and fell safely into Kirsty’s arms.
“I want you to catch that fairy!” Jack Frost roared at his goblin servants as the reindeer galloped toward the tent entrance, taking the sleigh with them. “And those girls, too!”
“Kirsty! Rachel!” shouted Holly, who was zooming up and away from the goblins. “You have to get out of here!”
The reindeer galloped out of the tent and flew up into the air. As the sleigh soared overhead, the shoppers looked up in amazement. They gasped, and then began clapping and cheering, thinking it was some sort of Christmas magic show.
The sleigh flew through the mall and out the big double doors. But back in the tent, the goblins were closing in on the girls, backing them into a corner. “We’ve got you now!” one of them snarled.
“You can’t trick us and get away with it!” sneered another.
Kirsty and Rachel were very scared. “Split up and run for it when I give the word!” Rachel whispered. She waited until the goblins were close to them, and then shouted, “Now!”
Immediately, she and Kirsty ran as fast as they could in opposite directions. The goblins chased after them, but there was a lot of pushing and shoving and shouting. The clumsy goblins bumped into one another and tripped over their own big feet!
In the middle of the chaos, Rachel and Kirsty both headed for the exit. Kirsty reached it first. She noticed that Rachel was nearly there, t
oo, but a goblin was very close behind her. As Kirsty slipped out of the tent, she saw the goblin reach for her friend!
The goblin missed Rachel and fell over, tripping another goblin who was hot on his heels. The girls had escaped from the tent, but they knew that the goblins were right behind them. They didn’t have much time to get away.
“Quick, Kirsty!” Rachel shouted. “Those ropes that hold up the back of the tent — we need to pull them out!”
Kirsty knew exactly what Rachel had in mind. The two girls began pulling at the ropes with all their might.
Suddenly, there was a creaking sound as the ropes gave way. The large white tent wobbled and fell to the ground, trapping the goblins underneath the heavy canvas.
“We did it!” Kirsty gasped. “That was a great idea, Rachel!”
“Yes, but I think we’d better get out of here before those goblins escape,” Rachel whispered. “It’s almost time to meet Mom, anyway.”
“Where’s Holly?” asked Kirsty, looking around.
“Here I am!” called a tiny voice. Holly zoomed over to land on Kirsty’s shoulder. All the shoppers were too busy staring at the collapsed tent to notice the tiny fairy.
“Are you all right?” Rachel asked anxiously.
“I’m fine!” Holly beamed. “Thank you for getting the second present. The Fairy King and Queen will be so happy!”
Kirsty held out the present, and Holly waved her wand over it. Fairy dust filled the air, and the present promptly vanished back to Fairyland.
Holly the Christmas Fairy Page 2
