“That helmet you’re wearing …” Kirsty said to the goblin as the gray horse came closer, eating the next lump of sugar in the line. “It’s not yours, is it?”
The goblin gave a clever grin. “No, but I’m keeping it,” he told her, and winked. “This helmet is going to help my team win at the Fairyland Olympics!”
“But that would be cheating,” Rachel said. “If you give it back to us, we can return it to its rightful owner.”
The goblin cackled and shook his head. “No way,” he said. “It’s mine now. I’ll show those fairies a thing or — Hey!” He broke off in surprise as Helena flew out of Kirsty’s pocket and zoomed toward him with a determined look on her face. “Yikes! What are you doing?” the goblin cried as she flew toward the riding helmet. She pulled on it with her tiny hands, but, unfortunately, she was too small. She couldn’t move it one bit.
“Oh no, you don’t!” the goblin yelled. He batted Helena away, and tugged on his horse’s reins. The horse cantered off, leaving the fairy far behind.
“You can’t catch me!” he yelled gleefully over his shoulder.
Rachel and Kirsty ran over to their own ponies, mounted them quickly, and directed them to chase after the goblin. Helena flew alongside them. “Try to stay as close to the goblin as you can,” she encouraged. “As long as you’re close to my magic riding helmet, its power will affect you, too, so you’ll be able to ride well.”
“OK,” Kirsty replied, hunching lower over Brandy and urging him to go faster.
“But it works both ways,” Helena added. “The farther you are from the helmet, the worse your riding will become.”
“Come on, Shadow,” Rachel urged. “Keep going!”
The girls gradually gained ground on the goblin and realized that Helena was right. The closer they got to him, the easier it was to ride.
The goblin glanced over his shoulder and looked panicked to see how close the girls were getting. He urged his horse on and it broke into a gallop. His horse quickly pulled away from Brandy and Shadow.
As the gap widened, Kirsty could feel her control slipping. Brandy stumbled on a rough patch of grass, and nervously slowed down.
Rachel was struggling to stay in her saddle, too, but she knew they had to get closer to the goblin’s horse again. “Come on, boy,” she said encouragingly. “You can do it!”
All three horses were now approaching a tall hedge that bordered the pasture. It was a huge jump, but the goblin’s horse didn’t hesitate. He took it at full speed! Thanks to the magic of the riding helmet, the horse cleared the hedge easily, leaving the girls behind on the other side.
With the tall hedge now between them, the effect of the magic riding helmet wore off completely. Rachel flopped around on Shadow’s back, losing her grip.
Kirsty was being jolted around, too. She felt very frightened! She was getting closer and closer to the hedge, which looked more enormous by the second. She wasn’t sure that Brandy was going to be able to jump high enough, especially not when her riding skills seemed to have vanished. She tried to think of a way to stop her pony, but her mind was blank with fright. She couldn’t remember what to do!
Kirsty glanced over at Rachel, wondering if her friend could help, but Rachel looked just as terrified. She was white-faced, clinging to Shadow for dear life. Her pony thundered toward the hedge.
Kirsty’s hands were sweating. Suddenly, the reins slipped from her grasp altogether. “Help!” she cried, as she felt herself falling.
Just as Kirsty thought she was about to hit the ground, there was a flash of bright pink light in her eyes. She felt herself shrinking! Down, down, down she went, smaller and smaller, until she was a fairy with shining wings. She fluttered her wings thankfully and soared into the air.
Rachel did the same, and both girls flew gratefully over to Helena.
“Thank you,” gasped Rachel. “That was scary!”
Brandy and Shadow both jumped over the hedge without their riders, and then came to a stop in the next field. They put their heads down to graze.
Once they saw that their ponies were safe, the three fairies zoomed after the goblin. His horse was still galloping.
“We’ve got to think of a way to get that helmet off his head,” Rachel said as they flew. “But how?”
“Helena, could your magic unsnap the strap?” Kirsty wondered. Helena nodded, and Kirsty pointed toward a jump the goblin’s horse was approaching. “If we can catch up with him in time, maybe you could magically undo the chin strap just after the jump,” she said. “Then, as his horse lands, the helmet should fly off his head …”
“And we can catch it!” Rachel finished.
“It’s a great idea,” Helena said hopefully. “Let’s do it!”
The three fairies flew toward the goblin. “Of course, once the helmet comes off his head, he won’t be able to ride very well anymore,” Helena murmured to herself. “I’ll have to make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”
“He’s coming up to the jump!” Rachel cried.
Helena pointed her wand at the magic riding helmet. As the gray horse rose to meet the fence, a swirling cloud of pink fairy dust fluttered in the air. When the goblin landed on the other side, the strap came loose — and the helmet tumbled right off the goblin’s head!
As the helmet flew through the air, Rachel and Kirsty darted for it and caught the helmet between them. Immediately, the helmet shimmered and shrank down to Fairyland-size.
Meanwhile, the goblin had completely lost control of his horse and had bounced right out of the saddle!
“Whoaaaa!” he cried in alarm as he fell toward the ground.
But Helena skillfully flicked her wand at a nearby water trough. It flew through the air and stopped just under the tumbling goblin. He fell into the water with a splash! Kirsty and Rachel couldn’t help laughing. They knew goblins hated getting wet! “It serves him right for trying to cheat,” Rachel said as the goblin climbed out of the trough, dripping wet.
“Maybe you should go back to Fairyland and dry off!” Helena called as he stomped off in a huff.
Kirsty and Rachel gave the magic riding helmet to Helena, who popped it back on her head with a smile of relief.
“Thank you,” she said, and touched it with her wand. There was a flash of twinkling pink lights all around the helmet.
“There,” she said happily. “I’ve just set everything right. Horse riding is a lot more safe and fun again for everyone!”
“Hooray!” cheered Rachel and Kirsty.
Helena gave them both a hug, then waved her wand to turn them back to their normal sizes. “Thanks again, girls,” she said. “I’ll fly to Fairyland now and tell the others the good news!”
“Bye, Helena,” Kirsty said. She waved as she and Rachel watched the little fairy zoom away.
“Oh, girls, there you are! And you’ve found Mischief. Thank you!” came a voice. The girls looked up and saw Vivian at the end of the field.
Rachel and Kirsty glanced at each other, realizing that Mischief must be the name of the gray horse the goblin had been riding. “Yes, she was in the ring,” Rachel said truthfully. “We followed her here.”
Vivian looked very relieved. “Thank goodness,” she said. “She must have gotten loose in all the craziness. Thank you, girls. I’ll take her back to the barn, and then we can begin your lesson. I’m sorry for the slow start today, but everything seems to be back to normal now.”
Kirsty and Rachel smiled at each other. They knew why everything was back to normal. It was because Helena the Horse-riding Fairy had her magic riding helmet back again.
“That was exciting,” Rachel said as she mounted Shadow, noticing how much easier it was this time.
Kirsty nodded. “Yes,” she said. “Now we just have to find the other six magic objects in time for the Fairyland Olympics.” She grinned. “I think this is going to be a fairy busy week!”
Soccer Superstars
Commentary Confusion
Soccer Balls Galore
So Near and Yet So Far
Soccer Showdown
Go Home, Goblins!
“You look great, Dad!” Rachel Walker laughed, glancing at her father as she climbed out of the car. Mr. Walker was wearing a blue-and-white soccer jersey and scarf, his face was painted with blue and white stripes, and he had a fluffy blue-and-white wig on his head.
“The wig’s fantastic!” Kirsty Tate, Rachel’s best friend, added with a grin. She was staying with the Walkers over spring vacation. “He’s going to be the best-dressed Tippington Rovers fan here.”
Rachel nodded. “I’m glad Mom and I are just wearing scarves, though,” she added. “That wig looks kind of warm!”
“It is, but I want to show my support for the team,” said Mr. Walker, as they left the parking lot and joined the other soccer fans heading toward the Cooke Stadium. “This is a very important game, girls. If Tippington beats the Compton Capitals today, the team will be moved up to the next league!”
Rachel and Kirsty exchanged concerned glances. They were both worried that the soccer game would be a complete disaster, because the Sports Fairies had lost their magic objects! When these special objects were in their proper places — either with the Sports Fairies or in the fairies’ lockers — they ensured that sports in both the human and fairy worlds were safe, fun, and exciting. Unfortunately, the objects had been stolen by the mischievous Jack Frost and his goblins.
Jack Frost was determined to win the Fairyland Olympics, which started in just six days. He knew his team needed the objects to win, so he had ordered his goblins to hide them in the human world until the games took place. By keeping the magic objects close to them, the goblins would win every single event. The Fairyland Olympics couldn’t be cancelled, because that would ruin the Olympic Games in the human world, too. Rachel and Kirsty had promised their fairy friends that they would do their best to find the objects before the games.
“I’m glad we persuaded Mom and Dad to come to the game early today,” Rachel said quietly to Kirsty. “Maybe the goblin who has Stacey the Soccer Fairy’s magic soccer ball will be here, too.”
“Helena the Horse-riding Fairy did say that any goblin who has one of the magic objects will want to be near that sport,” Kirsty agreed. The girls had helped Helena get her magic riding helmet back just the day before. “She also said that Jack Frost told the goblins to practice their sports skills before the Fairyland Olympics.”
“Yes, and King Oberon said that the winning Olympic team will get the Fairyland Olympic Cup, which is filled with luck,” Kirsty reminded Rachel. “Think how much more trouble Jack Frost could cause if he had lots of good luck!”
“Girls, come get your picture taken,” called Mrs. Walker, holding up her camera.
“Oh, good idea,” Rachel said, as she and Kirsty hurried over to join her parents outside the stadium entrance. “Then we won’t forget how much work Dad put into his outfit!”
“I feel like the odd one out,” Kirsty joked, as Mrs. Walker took their photo. “I’m the only one not wearing any Tippington Rovers colors.”
“There’s a souvenir booth inside the stadium,” Rachel’s dad told her. “We’ll buy you a scarf there.”
“Thank you!” Kirsty exclaimed.
As they went inside the stadium, Rachel immediately started looking for any sign of goblins, but she didn’t see any flashes of goblin green.
Remember, you have to let the magic come to you, Rachel told herself. But she couldn’t help hoping that the magic would come before the game started. Otherwise, the game would be ruined!
There weren’t many people inside the stadium yet, so there wasn’t a line at the souvenir booth. They headed straight to it, and Mr. Walker bought a scarf for Kirsty.
“Here you are, dear,” said the cashier, dropping the scarf into a shopping bag and handing it to Kirsty. “Enjoy the game.”
“Thank you,” Kirsty said gratefully.
“Let’s go and find our seats,” Mrs. Walker suggested.
They all went into the main part of the stadium, which was still fairly empty. Kirsty and Rachel had the chance to take a good look around, but neither of the girls could see anything out of the ordinary.
“Maybe we should explore,” Kirsty whispered to Rachel. “There may be goblin mischief going on somewhere else.”
“Dad, is it OK if Kirsty and I go look around?” asked Rachel.
“That’s fine,” Mr. Walker replied, getting comfortable in his seat. “We’ll sit and watch the pre-game coverage on the giant TV screens.”
“Just make sure you’re back before the game starts,” Rachel’s mom added.
The girls nodded.
“I’ll put my new scarf on,” Kirsty said, as she and Rachel hurried off. She opened the bag, and a cloud of glittering sparkles immediately burst from inside. As both girls stared in surprise, the scarf rose gracefully from the bag, with a tiny fairy perched daintily on the end of it!
“It’s Stacey the Soccer Fairy!” Kirsty cried in delight.
“Hello, girls!” Stacey called. She wore a green-and-yellow soccer jersey with matching shorts and soccer cleats. Her long hair was braided and tied back in a ponytail. She hovered in the air in front of the girls as the scarf wrapped gently around Kirsty’s neck. “I have a feeling those very pesky goblins may be here!” she added.
“We’ve been looking for them,” Rachel told her, “but we haven’t seen any yet.”
Suddenly, one of the stadium officials came running toward them. Stacey quickly hid behind a fold of Kirsty’s scarf, but the official was too busy speaking into a walkie-talkie to notice her.
“Yes, all the soccer balls in the stadium have vanished!” he exclaimed. “If we don’t find one soon, the game will have to be cancelled!” With that, he disappeared into the players’ locker room.
“Hmm. Missing soccer balls! This has goblin mischief written all over it,” Stacey said.
“But why would a goblin have taken all the soccer balls?” asked Rachel, confused.
“Yes, if he has your magic soccer ball, why would he need any others?” Kirsty asked.
“I don’t know,” Stacey replied.
“Well, let’s see if we can find the goblin and get the soccer balls back,” Rachel suggested.
Just then, one of the giant TV screens overhead caught Kirsty’s attention. “Rachel, look,” she cried. “There’s your dad!”
Rachel glanced up and her face broke into a smile. Mr. Walker was on the TV screen, being interviewed by a sports commentator.
“So, Mr. Walker, what do you think will happen in the game today?” asked the commentator.
“Oh, the Tippington Rovers will win!” Rachel’s dad replied confidently. “I think the score will be two to zero.”
“Your dad’s wig looks great on camera, Rachel!” Stacey giggled.
The commentator thanked Mr. Walker, turned away, and headed through the stadium, still talking to the camera.
“OK, girls,” Stacey said. “Where should we search for the goblins?”
Just as Kirsty was about to look away from the TV screen, the commentator opened the door of his broadcasting booth. Kirsty noticed that there was someone inside. A small person wearing a tracksuit, a wool Tippington Rovers hat, and a red Compton Capitols scarf was sitting on the floor. He was searching through a big mesh bag filled with soccer balls.
“Oh, hello,” said the commentator, sounding surprised. “Are you here to cover the game with me?”
Curiously, Kirsty stared up at the screen, wondering why all the soccer balls were stashed away in the broadcast booth.
The small man looked up grumpily at the commentator. As he did, the scarf, which was wrapped around the bottom of his face, slipped. Kirsty caught a glimpse of green.
“Oh!” she gasped. “There’s the goblin!”
“Where?” Rachel and Stacey both said together, looking around.
“Up there,” Kirsty told them, pointing at the TV. “He’s in the broadcast
booth with all the soccer balls!”
As Rachel and Stacey glanced up at the screen, the goblin pulled his scarf quickly back into place, but not before Rachel had spotted a green, pointy nose.
“It is the goblin,” she agreed. “And he looks so silly, wearing both Tippington and Compton colors!”
“Let’s head for the broadcast booth right now,” Stacey called, already flying into the air. “If the goblin’s there, then I bet my magic soccer ball is, too!”
Stacey and the girls rushed over to the broadcast booth. Even though they couldn’t keep their eyes on the TV screens as they ran, they could still hear the commentator over the stadium’s loudspeaker. He was trying to talk to the goblin.
“So, Mr. … um …” said the commentator, sounding confused. “Did you say what your name was?”
“No,” the goblin snapped rudely.
“Well, who do you think is going to win the game?” the commentator asked.
“Um …” There was a long silence. “… The United States?” the goblin said hesitantly. “Brazil?”
Stacey, Rachel, and Kirsty couldn’t help laughing.
“Those teams aren’t even playing here today!” the commentator said with frustration. “This isn’t the World Cup.”
“Well, that was a silly question anyway,” the goblin declared with a loud sniff.
“The broadcast booth is just around the corner,” Rachel panted, pointing at a sign on the wall.
Soon the girls were at the bottom of a flight of stairs that led up to the back of the broadcast booth. Luckily, there was no one else around.
The Sports Fairies Collection Page 2
