Ballet Slipper Slip-up
Casting Crisis
Paige Appears
Christmas Play Problem
Get that Goblin!
It’s Raining Goblins!
More Missing Magic
The Christmas Play Ponies
Pony Problems
Horseshoe Hunting
Goblin Behind the Glass
Perfect Ponies
The Show Must Go On
A Christmas Surprise
All the Wrong Lines
Flying Shoes
If the Shoe Fits …
A Standing Ovation
“Only three more days until Christmas!” Rachel Walker said, skipping down High Street in Tippington and beaming happily at her best friend, Kirsty Tate. “I’m so glad you could come visit, Kirsty, even if it’s just for a few days.”
“Me, too,” Kirsty agreed, looking excited. She had arrived the day before, and her parents were coming to Tippington again to pick her up on Christmas Eve. “I hope it snows, don’t you? It makes Christmas so magical.”
“And magic is something we know all about!” Rachel exclaimed, laughing. Kirsty knew exactly what Rachel meant. Ever since the two girls had met on a magical vacation to Rainspell Island, they had become best friends with the fairies!
“One, two, three!” Rachel counted as she practiced her dance steps along the sidewalk. “This is the trickiest step in my dance for the Christmas play. I want it to be perfect.”
Rachel was dancing in the Tippington Christmas play. It was always a big production of a well-known show. This year, they were doing a performance of Cinderella. On Christmas Eve, Rachel would be one of four girls dancing in the big ballroom scene. Rachel and Kirsty were on their way to Tippington Theater, for a rehearsal.
“Thanks for inviting me to the rehearsal,” Kirsty said as they reached the theater. “I wish I could come to the actual performance.”
“Me, too,” Rachel agreed, looking glum. “But the show is always so popular that the tickets sold out really fast. I couldn’t even get any for my mom and dad!” Then she brightened. “We’re practicing the ballroom scene today, though, so at least you’ll get to see my dance.” The girls went in through the stage door. There was a lot of hustle and bustle backstage, and Kirsty looked around with interest.
“Rachel! Kirsty!” a girl’s voice called.
The girls turned and saw Karen Lewis, a friend of Rachel’s from school, waving at them and looking really excited.
“Karen is one of the dancers in the ballroom scene, too,” Rachel told Kirsty, as Karen came rushing over.
“Rachel, our costumes are here!” Karen said with a big smile.
“Oh!” Rachel looked thrilled. “I thought they weren’t coming until the final rehearsal tomorrow.”
“Well, they’re here now!” Karen laughed. “I can’t wait to see what we’re wearing.”
The three girls hurried to the room backstage where the costumes had been laid out. Most of the cast members were there already. There was a buzz of excited chatter!
Rachel glanced around the room at the colorful costumes, which all had labels pinned to them.
“Ours are over here!” Karen called from the other side of the room.
Rachel and Kirsty hurried to look. A beautiful white ballet dress with puffy white layers lay on a chair. It was labeled RACHEL. Next to the dress was a pair of pink satin ballet shoes with long ribbons, and a pink rose for Rachel to wear in her hair. All four dancers had the same costume.
“Oh, it’s beautiful!” Kirsty breathed.
“I can’t wait to try it on,” said Rachel, holding the dress out in front of her.
Just then, a short man carrying a clipboard came into the room. He looked very worried. “Karen, Rachel, please go and change into your costumes right away,” he said, patting his forehead with a spotted handkerchief.
“I’m afraid we have all sorts of problems. Nobody’s costume fits properly, and the seamstress doesn’t think she’s going to have time to alter them all. We need to know if your costumes fit you.”
“Yes, Mr. Robinson,” said Rachel. Kirsty remembered Rachel telling her that he was the director of the show.
“Mr. Robinson!” a stagehand cried, rushing into the room. “Clarissa Murray’s mom just called. Clarissa has the chicken pox. She can’t dance in the show!”
“What?” Mr. Robinson groaned. “Oh, no!”
“How terrible!” Kirsty said. “Poor Clarissa.”
Mr. Robinson was pacing anxiously back and forth. “The dance won’t work with just three girls,” he muttered. “We need four. Oh, this is a disaster!”
Kirsty and Rachel glanced at each other. Kirsty knew that they were both thinking the same thing.
“Maybe I could take Clarissa’s place!” Kirsty suggested breathlessly.
Mr. Robinson turned in surprise. “And who are you, my dear?” he asked.
“Kirsty Tate,” replied Kirsty. “I’m Rachel’s friend, and I’m staying with her until Christmas Eve.”
“I can teach Kirsty the steps,” Rachel added quickly.
“And I’ll practice every single minute until the show!” said Kirsty.
“Well, that solves our problem!” Mr. Robinson said, looking delighted. “Thank you so much!” He glanced at Kirsty. “You look about the same size as Clarissa. Why don’t you try on her costume and see if it fits?” Then he hurried off.
“Isn’t this great?” Rachel said with a big smile. “Now you’re going to be in the show, too!”
Kirsty grinned. “I just hope I can learn the steps in time,” she said.
They found the dress labeled CLARISSA and Kirsty picked it up. The rose for her hair was there, too, but there was only one pink ballet shoe.
“Rachel, one of the shoes is missing,” she said with a frown.
“It must be somewhere around here,” Rachel replied. “Let’s look for it.”
The girls searched the room, but the ballet shoe was nowhere to be found. They went to tell Mr. Robinson about the problem.
“The costumes were stored in the small dressing room at the end of the hall,” he said, pointing it out. “The shoe probably got left behind in there. Actually …” he went on, thoughtfully, “no one’s using that dressing room. Why don’t you girls take it? Then you’ll have some space to practice the dance.”
Rachel and Kirsty glanced at each other in delight. “Thank you!” they said together. They hurried down the hallway, carrying their costumes.
When Kirsty opened the door of the dressing room, it was dark inside. Rachel flicked on the light switch. Instantly, a mirror surrounded by light bulbs filled the room with a dazzling white light.
A second later, one of the bulbs popped loudly and went out. The noise made Rachel and Kirsty jump.
“Rachel, look!” Kirsty gasped.
Sparkling gold fairy dust had burst from the broken bulb. As the dust cleared, Rachel and Kirsty saw a pretty little fairy dancing in the air in front of them!
“Hello,” the fairy called. “I’m Paige the Christmas Play Fairy!”
“Hi, Paige,” the girls replied. The tiny fairy wore a short red ballet dress sparkling with diamond dust, a starry headband, and red ballet shoes with tiny bows.
Quickly, Rachel closed the dressing room door. Meanwhile, Paige pointed her wand at the broken bulb. A second later, it was shining as brightly as the others again. “I’m so glad to see you, girls!” Paige cried. “It’s my job to make sure that all the Christmas plays are fun and exciting, so that everyone has a merry Christmas.” She crossed her arms and looked very determined. “But I need your help. Jack Frost is up to his old tricks again!” she went on, frowning. “He
wants to ruin Christmas—for everybody!“
Kirsty and Rachel gasped.
“But why?” Rachel asked.
“Because he didn’t get the part he wanted in the Fairyland Christmas Play!” Paige replied, landing lightly on Rachel’s shoulder. “Jack Frost wanted to be Prince Charming. Instead, he got the part of Second Tree in the forest scene.”
“What did he do?” Rachel asked anxiously.
Paige looked glum. “There are three special magic shoes, which help me do my job,” she explained. “Jack Frost sent his goblins to steal them! If they do, all the magic that makes the Christmas plays special will vanish!”
“What do the magic shoes look like?” Kirsty asked.
“One is a ballet shoe,” Paige replied. “It makes sure that all the costumes fit properly. The second is a horseshoe, which makes the props work and ensures that the scene changes go smoothly. And the last one is Cinderella’s glass slipper. That helps everyone remember their lines.”
Kirsty and Rachel looked at each other with wide eyes.
“So our show might be a disaster because of Jack Frost!” cried Rachel with dismay.
Paige nodded and flew over to Kirsty. “One of your ballet shoes is missing, right?” she asked.
Kirsty nodded. “That’s because it’s not just any old shoe,” Paige went on. “It’s the magic shoe that makes everyone’s costumes fit properly.”
“Mr. Robinson told us that nobody’s outfits were the right size,” Rachel said. “That must be because the magic ballet shoe is missing!”
“I have to find that shoe,” Paige said, biting her lip anxiously. “Otherwise, all the boys and girls who go to see Christmas plays will be so disappointed!”
“We’ll help you, Paige,” Rachel promised.
Kirsty nodded. “Of course we will,” she agreed.
Paige smiled and twirled up into the air, skirt flying. “Thank you, girls!” she cried. “I knew you wouldn’t let me down!”
“Where should we start?” asked Kirsty.
But before Rachel or Paige could reply, the dressing room door opened very slowly. Paige zoomed to hide behind Rachel’s shoulder.
A moment later, the knobbly green head of a goblin appeared around the door! Rachel and Kirsty held their breaths. But they could hardly believe their eyes when they saw what the goblin had clutched in his hand—a pink ballet shoe!
The goblin was obviously looking for a place to hide — so he jumped when he saw Rachel and Kirsty! Scowling, he hid the ballet shoe clumsily behind his back. Then he left the room, slamming the door and running off down the hallway.
“That goblin had my magic ballet slipper!” Paige gasped. “After him!”
The girls flung the door open and ran after the goblin. Paige clung to Rachel’s shoulder. They followed the sound of running footsteps into the area behind the stage. The stagehands were getting the props ready for rehearsal. Luckily, they were too busy to notice the girls!
“Where did the goblin go?” Kirsty wondered out loud.
“There are three different ways he could have gone,” Rachel said anxiously. “How will we find him now?”
“He must be here somewhere,” Paige whispered in Rachel’s ear.
Just then, two stagehands walked by, carrying a marble column for the ballroom scene.
“I didn’t think there were any goblins in Cinderella, did you?” one of the stagehands said to the other.
“No,” his friend agreed, “but that was really a great costume. It was so ugly!”
Rachel and Kirsty glanced at each other. “They saw the goblin!” Rachel whispered. “And they came from over there,” Kirsty added, pointing.
The girls dashed toward where the stagehands had been. Soon, they came to an area where big props from previous plays were stored. It was dark and shadowy, but the girls could make out statues, trees, bushes, and big cans of paint, plus doors, tables, chairs, and other pieces of furniture.
“The goblin could be hiding in here anywhere,” Paige said, fluttering around to examine the props. “We’ll have to keep our eyes open.”
Rachel and Kirsty began to search for the goblin. They looked behind trees and statues, and under tables and chairs, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“What next?” Kirsty asked gloomily.
Rachel was just about to reply when she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. She spun around to look at a group of statues. As she watched, one of them moved!
Rachel nudged Kirsty. “That statue moved!” she whispered, pointing at it. “And it has a really long nose,” Kirsty whispered back. “I bet it’s the goblin!” As the girls and Paige began to creep toward him, the goblin realized he’d been spotted. With a shriek, he ran to the back of the prop area.
The girls ran after him. They saw the goblin head for the ladder that led to the catwalk high overhead. The goblin clamped the ballet slipper between his teeth and began climbing.
Rachel, Kirsty, and Paige hurried over to the bottom of the ladder.
“Come down!” called Paige.
The goblin glared at her, but kept climbing. The girls and Paige watched as he went higher and higher. Suddenly, he began to slow down. The girls saw him glance at the floor nervously. A look of panic came over his face and he clutched the sides of the ladder. He looked scared that he was going to fall! “I think the goblin just realized that he’s afraid of heights!” Rachel whispered. “Why don’t you come down?” Paige called up to him. The goblin shook his head stubbornly. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and continued climbing. “With his eyes closed, he won’t be able to see where he’s going!” Kirsty exclaimed.
Suddenly, the goblin missed a rung of the ladder—and his foot slipped! He gave a frightened yell. The ballet shoe fell from his mouth. As it whirled downward, ribbons flying, the goblin reached out to grab it. He missed, and he also lost his grip on the ladder.
As Rachel darted forward and caught the ballet shoe, the goblin fell. He tumbled through the air, arms flailing wildly—and he looked terrified!
“Oh, no!” Kirsty cried. “We have to break his fall!” She glanced around and spotted a big can of orange paint next to Cinderella’s pumpkin coach.
“Paige!” Kirsty yelled, pointing at the can of paint.
Luckily, Paige understood exactly what Kirsty meant. She waved her wand. A shower of magical golden sparkles swirled around the can, pushing it across the floor until it was right underneath the goblin.
SPLASH!
The goblin plunged into the can! Orange paint drops splattered everywhere. The goblin surfaced, spluttering and wiping orange streaks from his face. “Give me that ballet shoe!” he gurgled angrily, climbing out of the can.
“No way!” Rachel replied firmly, hiding the shoe behind her back. “It’s not yours.”
“Go back to Fairyland,” said Kirsty. “And tell Jack Frost we’re not going to let him ruin Christmas!”
Muttering angrily, the goblin stomped off, leaving a trail of orange footprints behind him. “I’ll get rid of this mess,” Paige said, laughing. She pointed her wand at the footprints. Soon, all the orange paint had vanished in a stream of sparkles.
“Thank goodness we have the magic ballet shoe back,” Paige went on happily, flying over to perch on Kirsty’s shoulder. “Now your costumes will fit properly, and so will everyone else’s.”
“We’d better go and see Mrs. Spencer, the seamstress, Kirsty,” Rachel suggested. “Then the ballet shoe’s magic can get to work. Plus, she’ll be so happy that she doesn’t have to alter everyone’s costumes after all!”
Rachel led the way to the costume department, where she, Kirsty, and Paige peeked into the room. It was full of actors and actresses, all dressed in their costumes. Mrs. Spencer, the seamstress, was rushing here and there with a tape measure around her neck and a box of pins in her hand.
“Mrs. Spencer!” Karen Lewis cried, twirling in circles. Her white dress swirled around her. “Look, I don’t think my dress is
too long after all. In fact, it’s just right!”
“And I can button my jacket now!” added the young man who was playing Prince Charming. “It felt too small a minute ago.”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Mrs. Spencer sighed with relief. “It looks like we all panicked too soon.”
Paige beamed at the girls. “The ballet shoe’s magic is working again!” she announced joyfully.
“Let’s go and change, too, Kirsty,” said Rachel.
Kirsty and Rachel hurried back to their dressing room with Paige close behind. Quickly, they changed into their beautiful dresses, which fit perfectly. Then Paige helped put the roses in their hair.
“You look so pretty!” Paige said.
Rachel and Kirsty grinned happily at each other.
“I need to get back to Fairyland and tell everyone the good news,” Paige went on. “Good luck with your rehearsal, girls. I’ll see you tomorrow. But don’t forget, the goblins will definitely be back to cause more trouble! So keep an eye out.” With a flick of her wand, she vanished in a cloud of dazzling fairy dust.
“Kirsty, we’d better start practicing the dance steps,” Rachel said. “There’s a lot to learn before the play.”
“And we only have two days before opening night!” Kirsty said eagerly. “I don’t want to make any mistakes. I want the play to be really good!”
“I’m sure it will be,” Rachel said. “But we’ll also have to stop the goblins from stealing the magic horseshoe and the glass slipper. We can’t let Jack Frost ruin our Christmas play!”
Paige the Christmas Play Fairy Page 1
