Frozen Treats

by Helen Perelman

  Contents

  Map of Candy Kingdom

  CHAPTER 1 Bittersweet

  CHAPTER 2 Royal Ride

  CHAPTER 3 A Little Chilly

  CHAPTER 4 Surprising Sauce

  CHAPTER 5 Sinking Feeling

  CHAPTER 6 Sticky Situation

  CHAPTER 7 Cherry on a Sundae

  CHAPTER 8 Sweetness Afloat

  CHAPTER 9 Messy Milk

  CHAPTER 10 Frozen Treat Ending

  About Helen Perelman

  For Giselle Perelman, a sugar-tastic niece

  Bittersweet

  Melli the Caramel Fairy licked her fingers one by one. “Mmm,” she sighed. “There’s nothing like the warm, gooey taste of fresh caramel.” She looked over at a caramella bird perched in the tree above her. “I know you agree, right?” she asked. Melli dipped another finger into the barrel and lifted it up to the bird. “Let me know what you think. I am trying out new recipes for a caramel sauce.”

  The yellow-and-white bird flew down to Melli’s shoulder and gently pecked at the Candy Fairy’s finger. The bird closed her eyes and flapped her wings.

  Melli laughed. “I take that as a compliment!” she said.

  She stirred the large wooden spoon around in the barrel once again. “I think this is just sugar-tastic,” she told the bird. “I can’t wait for Sun Dip tonight. My friends will love this sweet treat.”

  “We don’t have to wait for tonight!” Dash the Mint Fairy called from above.

  Melli looked up and was surprised to see her four Candy Fairy friends circling the barrel. She giggled. “What are you all doing here?”

  “We wanted to sample the new sauce!” Dash exclaimed. She flew near Melli. “How could we not try your dip?” The small Candy Fairy rubbed her stomach. “Any chance to try a new caramel treat!”

  Raina the Gummy Fairy, Berry the Fruit Fairy, and Cocoa the Chocolate Fairy landed next to Melli.

  “We wanted to come see you before you left,” Cocoa added.

  “Are you all packed?” Berry asked.

  Melli shook her head. She was supposed to be getting ready for her trip to Ice Cream Isles, but she was too busy making the caramel sauce.

  “We thought so,” Cocoa said, giving Berry a knowing look. “We came to help you!”

  “It’s not every day a Candy Fairy gets invited to the Ice Cream Palace,” Raina said proudly.

  “And is asked to make something for the Summer Spectacular,” Berry added.

  Melli knew her friends were trying to help, but she couldn’t shake being scared about her upcoming trip. She had been so excited to get the invite to Ice Cream Isles from Prince Scoop, Princess Lolli’s new husband. The prince loved caramel and had asked Melli to introduce a caramel sauce at the ice cream celebration.

  Melli was honored to be asked to contribute to the celebration, but she was also a little nervous about going on the journey alone.

  “Is this the invitation?” Dash asked. She picked up a sugar note. “Wow, this is so mint!” The invitation was a creamy vanilla color with dark chocolate lettering. She held it up for the others to see.

  “I’ve never been anywhere by myself,” Melli said. “Every time I’ve left Sugar Valley, I’ve been with you.” She looked around at her friends. She bit her lip and tried not to cry. “What will I do without you?”

  “You are only going for a few days,” Berry offered.

  “And Princess Lolli will be there too,” Cocoa said, trying to make her friend feel better.

  “Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop would not have asked you if they didn’t think you could do it,” Raina said.

  Dash flew next to Melli. “Plus, you get to take a royal unicorn ride on Butterscotch!”

  “Even with the royal unicorn, it’s a long trip to Ice Cream Isles,” Melli said softly. “I’m really nervous. I won’t know any of the fairies.” She squeezed Cocoa’s hand. “I wish you all were going with me.”

  “We wish we could be there too,” Cocoa said.

  Raina opened the Fairy Code Book. “Look at these pictures,” she said. “The isles are gorgeous! You are going to love it there, Melli.”

  The fairy friends all leaned in close to look at the pictures. The swirling landscape was breathtaking.

  “I’ll bet the isles are even more beautiful than in these pictures,” Berry told Melli.

  “Sweet Cream Harbor is full of ice cream history,” Raina said, reading the Fairy Code Book. “Swirl Island is in the middle of the harbor and is where Queen Swirl’s great-grandfather, Sir Swirl, invented soft, swirling ice cream.”

  “Sweet ice cream scoops!” Dash exclaimed. “You are going to have a delicious time.”

  Cocoa reached over and turned the page. “And look at the picture of this Summer Spectacular!” she said. “It looks like everyone is having such a great time at the ice cream festival. Sure as sugar, there will be new ice cream flavors to taste! What a yummy celebration!”

  “Especially with Melli’s caramel sauce,” Raina said, licking her finger. “Melli, this is delicious.”

  Melli did love looking at the pictures of the celebration.

  “I’m sure you will make new friends at the Ice Cream Palace,” Cocoa said. “You’ll meet some really sweet Ice Cream Fairies there.”

  “What if they aren’t nice?” Melli asked.

  Raina put her hands on Melli’s shoulders. “You are one of the kindest fairies I know,” she said. “They will love you.”

  “Plus, you are going to give them a sweet-sational new ice cream sauce!” Dash exclaimed. “And you’ll have to tell us everything about the Summer Spectacular and Ice Cream Isles.”

  “Yes!” Raina chimed in. “I wonder how they make all those glamorous ice cream floats for the parade?” She turned to another page in the Fairy Code Book and showed her friends the pictures.

  “So mint!” Dash exclaimed. “The floats look delicious in Sweet Cream Harbor.”

  “You are going to have a choc-o-rific time,” Cocoa told Melli.

  “But I’m already missing you!” Melli said.

  “We’re here now,” Dash said. “And I’d love to dip some of Cocoa’s chunks of chocolate into that sauce.”

  Melli laughed. “Please, help yourself!” She could always count on Dash to want a snack. “I can’t take this batch with me. I will need to make the sauce fresh once I am at the palace.”

  “No use letting all this go to waste,” Dash said, rolling up her sleeves. “Those Ice Cream Fairies are so lucky to have you come visit.”

  As the fairies started to dip their chocolates, Cocoa pulled Melli aside. “Being away from home is hard, but you’ll be too busy to miss us. You’ll have to make your caramel sauce. There will be so many new things to see and do.”

  Melli hoped Cocoa was right. She glanced over at the picture in the Fairy Code Book. The isles were beautiful and the Summer Spectacular was a very important event, but she also thought the place looked cold and different from Sugar Valley. She just knew that it would be a little bittersweet to be away from home.

  Royal Ride

  The next morning Melli gathered up her bags. She was happy her friends had come over the night before to help her pack. Even though she was only going for a few days, her luggage looked like she was going away for a month!

  As she made her way to her door, there was a knock.

  Melli was surprised to see who was on her doorstep.

  “Good morning, Melli!” Cocoa said. “We came to wait with you.”

  Melli laughed. She had thought her friends were up to something last night. “You are all so sweet,” she said. “See, what am I going to do without you this week?”

  Berry handed Melli a small box. “We made this for you,” she told her. “This is so you remember y
our friends when you are away.”

  “Especially if you get sad,” Cocoa added.

  Melli didn’t know what to say. She carefully opened the box. Inside was a sugarcoated ice cream cone hair clip. It was beautiful. “Hot caramel,” she said. “This is sugar-tastic.” Melli admired the fine work. She knew Berry had used her best sugarcoated candies. She slipped the clip into her hair. “I will wear this the whole time I am away,” she promised.

  “And I wrote you a travel letter,” Cocoa said. She handed Melli a note. “Don’t read the letter until you get to the Ice Cream Palace.”

  “Thank you,” Melli said. She slipped the note into her bag. “I will definitely read this later.”

  “Butterscotch should be here any minute,” Dash said.

  “Come wait with me out here,” Melli said, pointing outside.

  The fairies followed Melli to an old caramel willow tree. The five fairies sat down, but Melli was finding waiting hard. Her wings were twitching and her legs felt jumpy.

  Berry began telling a story about Fruli, their Fruit Fairy friend, but Melli couldn’t concentrate. She flew up above the trees. “Oh, I see Butterscotch!” Melli cried. She flew back down to her friends. “I guess it’s time,” she added.

  Cocoa gave her a hug. “You will do great!”

  “Please send a sugar fly message tonight so we know you arrived,” Raina said.

  “And remember every little sweet detail and everyone you meet!” Dash added.

  Berry picked up one of Melli’s bags and flew over to Butterscotch. “You’ll be back before you know it,” she said.

  Melli climbed up onto Butterscotch as Raina and Berry fastened her luggage to the unicorn. She felt so small on his back. The last time he had given her a ride, she was with her four friends. She looked at the royal unicorn’s wings. They were large and strong. They would get her to Ice Cream Isles in a just a couple of hours.

  Cocoa flew up to Melli’s side. She gave her hand a squeeze. “You’ll have fun. Don’t worry,” she said in her ear.

  Dash gave her a basket of mint candies. “You should always have some treats for a long trip,” she said, smiling. “I picked all these for you.”

  “Thank you, Dash,” Melli said. She took a deep breath. “I guess this is the good-bye part.”

  “Bittersweet,” Cocoa said.

  “Sure as sugar, you’ll make us all proud,” Raina said.

  Berry handed Melli a soft pink wrap. “Stay warm,” she told her. “And stylish.”

  “Thank you,” Melli said, taking the wrap.

  In her heart, she knew that Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop would not have asked her to come to the Summer Spectacular if they didn’t think she could make the trip. She took a deep breath. “Thank you,” she said again. “I will send a message when I arrive. And I’ll see you soon!”

  With a gallop and a giant leap, Butterscotch took off. Melli waved until she couldn’t see her friends anymore. She settled into her seat and popped one of Dash’s treats into her mouth. She watched all that was familiar to her fade away, and she looked out toward the horizon . . . and to Ice Cream Isles.

  The steady beat of Butterscotch’s wings made Melli sleepy. She wrapped Berry’s shawl around her and fell asleep.

  When Melli opened her eyes, she smiled. Right before her, she could see the outline of Ice Cream Isles! The isles were even more beautiful than the pictures in Raina’s book. There were so many different colors and shapes. She recognized Sweet Cream Harbor, where the float parade would be during the festival, and the splendid Ice Cream Palace. The cream in the harbor was milk white, and the wind also smelled like sweet cream.

  Butterscotch began to swoop down closer to the isles. Melli took in the views and sighed. She thought of how much her friends would have loved to be with her. At that moment Melli made a promise to herself. She wouldn’t spend her time missing the Candy Fairies. She was going to remember everything about Ice Cream Isles and the Summer Spectacular so she could tell them!

  Butterscotch landed in the gardens of the Ice Cream Palace. The royal home was enormous. The palace was much larger than Candy Castle, and the gardens were filled with bright colors and ice cream scoop statues. All the flowering candies around the grounds were toppings for ice cream, and a rich white stream coming in from Sweet Cream Harbor created a waterfall near the front entrance. Melli knew the Candy Fairies would want to know all those details about the palace.

  Melli spotted Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop. They were waiting for her! Melli was excited and nervous as she climbed off the unicorn.

  “Welcome!” Prince Scoop cheered. “We are so excited to have you here for the Summer Spectacular. We know that your caramel sauce will make it an even sweeter celebration.”

  Princess Lolli gave Melli a warm hug. “I hope you had a good ride,” she said. “It is a long way to come.”

  “Butterscotch is the best,” Melli said. “I actually slept most of the way.”

  “Great,” Prince Scoop said, “because we have a lot of work to do.” He smiled, and Melli instantly felt at ease. “I have asked my cousins Drizzle and Fluff to help you get settled in your room at the palace,” he went on. He waved at two fairies near the palace doors. “Come, I’ll introduce you.”

  Melli followed Princess Lolli and Prince Scoop to the palace. She hoped these fairies would be nice. She felt Princess Lolli’s hand squeeze hers.

  “I can’t believe I’m really here!” Melli exclaimed as she flew to the palace to meet the Ice Cream Fairies.

  A Little Chilly

  May I present Melli, the deliciously sweet Caramel Fairy,” Prince Scoop announced. He stood on the palace steps next to Princess Lolli and two Ice Cream Fairies.

  Melli felt her cheeks go as red as one of Berry’s cherry lollipops.

  “These are my cousins,” Prince Scoop said. “Drizzle,” he added, pointing to the fairy with blond hair and chocolate swirls on her dress. “And this is Fluff,” he said, putting a hand on the darker-haired fairy with a poufy white dress. “This is the first year they will be riding their own ice cream float,” he added.

  Melli noticed their fancy outfits and instantly felt underdressed.

  Berry would love those outfits, Melli thought. And Raina would love their names.

  Thinking of her friends made Melli a little sad, but she tried her best to smile at the two fairies standing in front of her.

  “Welcome to Ice Cream Isles,” Drizzle and Fluff said at the same time.

  “Thank you,” Melli replied. She wasn’t sure what to say to these Ice Cream Fairies. In their special outfits they seemed older than she was, and they acted so comfortable around Prince Scoop. She watched how they were chatting and laughing with their royal cousin. Melli felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had only been at the palace for less than five minutes, and already she was homesick and feeling out of place!

  “You must be tired from your trip,” Princess Lolli said, stepping closer to Melli. She put her arm around her. “Drizzle and Fluff, please show Melli to her room. She has had a long journey from Sugar Valley.”

  “Yes, Princess Lolli,” Drizzle said.

  “We’d be happy to show her,” Fluff added.

  “Melli, you can change and meet us down in the dining hall for dinner,” Princess Lolli said.

  “Thank you,” Melli whispered. She couldn’t wait to get up to her room. She wanted to change into her fancier dinner clothes.

  Melli followed Drizzle and Fluff up the grand staircase and down a long hall lined with portraits of royal Ice Cream Fairies. They stopped in front of a door decorated with a tiny pink ice cream cone.

  “How was your trip?” Drizzle asked. She opened the door for Melli and stepped inside.

  “Fine, thank you,” Melli said. She lowered her eyes and slipped into the room. Melli didn’t know what to say. She wished Cocoa or Dash were there to start a lively conversation. There was an uncomfortable silence as they stood together.

  “We’ll see
you around,” Fluff finally said.

  “Yes, thank you,” Melli replied, trying to remember her manners.

  When the door closed, Melli sighed. She quickly spun around and took in the beautiful palace room. There were gorgeous baskets made of the finest cotton candy, and the bed was as fluffy as a cloud of whipped cream. There were even little chocolate ice cream cones on the pillow with a note that said Sweet Dreams.

  Melli thought of Cocoa, her Chocolate Fairy friend. She smiled as she thought about how Raina and Berry would love a room like this. Then she giggled as she imagined Dash zooming around and flopping onto the bed.

  There was a large window that overlooked the palace gardens and Sweet Cream Harbor. Melli noticed how different the land looked here in Ice Cream Isles. There were no caramel or chocolate oak trees and no gummy bushes. Instead, there were cone beaches and swirls of cream. Melli noticed the sweet smell of vanilla cream again as she stood in front of the open window.

  “Here I am,” she said.

  She flew over to her bag and unpacked her clothes. She carefully hung her dresses in the huge closet. At the bottom of her bag she found the letter from Cocoa. Melli hugged the letter and brought it over to the window seat to read.

  Dear Melli,

  I hope that you had a good flight over to Ice Cream Isles. You are so lucky! None of us has ever been to Ice Cream Isles, so please remember what you do, what you eat, and the special people you meet. It will be hard at first, but I am sure you will make friends. I can’t wait to hear all about your time there. I miss you already!

  Love, Cocoa

  Melli tucked the letter back into the envelope and placed it under her pillow. If Cocoa had met Drizzle and Fluff, she would know that making friends in Ice Cream Isles was not going to be easy. Those fairies seemed a bit too cool for her, with their fancy clothes and talk of their float.

  Melli put on her pink-and-red dress, which Berry had picked out for her. Berry had thought it was perfect for a royal dinner, and Melli trusted her.