“It certainly looks like one,” her dad said, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looked where Rachel was pointing. “Now don’t go scaring the ducks, Buttons!” he said, quickly catching the excited dog’s collar. Buttons was rushing toward the ducks that were wading in the weeds at the side of the lake. “I think I’d better put you on a leash,” Mr. Walker added, clipping it on to Buttons’s collar.
“Oh, look!” Kirsty said excitedly. A small dock at the edge of the lake had caught her eye. It was a little farther along the path from where they were standing. There was a small wooden boathouse next to it, along with a few rowboats tied to wooden poles. Kirsty turned to Rachel, her eyes shining. “Do you want to take a boat out?”
“Can we, Mom?” Rachel asked, gazing hopefully at her parents.
The four adults looked at one another. “I don’t see why not,” Mrs. Walker replied. “As long as you can borrow life jackets. You two can rent a boat while we take a stroll around the lake.”
“Great!” Kirsty cheered. “Come on, Rachel!”
Mrs. Tate took the girls over to the boathouse, where a friendly man untied a boat for them and showed them how to put on their life jackets.
“Please be careful, girls,” Mrs. Tate said.
“Don’t worry,” Rachel replied, sitting carefully on the wooden seat. She felt a thrill go through her as the boat bobbed gently on the water. “We’ll be fine.”
“Thanks, Mom. See you later!” Kirsty called.
“Happy sailing,” replied Mrs. Tate. She gave them a wave and went off with the other adults.
“So, who’s going to row?” the boatman asked.
“We’ll take turns,” Rachel said. “Do you want to go first, Kirsty?”
Kirsty nodded happily. The boatman passed her a pair of oars, and helped slide them into the oarlocks.
“Thanks,” Kirsty said, looking excitedly across the lake. There were lots of plants floating in clumps on the surface of the water, and she used an oar to pull one closer to her. The leaves of the plant were round and shiny. “Are these lily pads?” she asked the boatman curiously.
He nodded. “That’s how Blossom Lake got its name,” he said. “Because so many lilies blossom here. They’re usually out by now, since this is such a warm and sunny spot, but they’re late this year.” His weather-beaten face creased into a smile. “You’ll have to come back and see them when they’re in full bloom,” he told the girls. “It’s quite a sight!”
The boatman pushed the rowboat out onto the lake, and the girls glanced at each other. “We know why the lilies aren’t blossoming,” Rachel said quietly, once they were out of earshot. “It’s because Louise the Lily Fairy’s magic petal is still missing!”
Kirsty nodded as she pulled on the oars. On the first day of their vacation, the girls had met Tia the Tulip Fairy. She had told them that the Petal Fairies’ seven magical petals were all lost in the human world. Mischievous Jack Frost had sent his sneaky goblins to steal the petals, so he could use their special magic to make flowers grow around his freezing ice castle. But when the Petal Fairies had used some of their own magic to rescue the petals, it had mixed with Jack Frost’s spell to cause a huge explosion — sending the petals spinning right out of Fairyland!
Without their magic petals, the Petal Fairies were unable to help the flowers grow and bloom, so it wasn’t just the lilies that were late to bloom this year. None of the flowers were growing properly! The girls had vowed to help the fairies find their petals and return them to Fairyland. They had already found Tia’s tulip petal and Pippa’s poppy petal, which meant that some flowers were starting to bloom brightly again, but five magic petals were still lost.
Rachel smiled across the boat at Kirsty. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asked.
Kirsty grinned. “I’m thinking that I hope we find the lily petal today!” she replied.
Blossom Lake really is pretty, Rachel thought as Kirsty rowed farther into the center. The water was shimmering in the sunlight, and emerald-green dragonflies skimmed across its surface. Every few moments, Rachel saw a couple of big orange fish dart from one side of the boat to the other.
“We’re getting close to the island,” Kirsty said after a little while. “Should we go over and explore it?”
Rachel turned around in her seat and saw the island looming up behind her. There was a small wooden dock there, and she could see trees and shrubs a little ways up the shore. “Good idea,” she said.
Kirsty steered them toward the dock. They tied the boat up carefully and climbed out.
“What a nice place!” Rachel said, gazing around.
Kirsty agreed. Butterflies fluttered between the trees, and birds were singing. “Come on, let’s explore!” she said.
The two girls set off on a stone path that led away from the water, through the trees. They hadn’t gone very far when they heard a noise. Pssst!
“What was that?” Kirsty whispered, stopping and looking around.
Rachel grinned. “Over there,” she said. She pointed at a nearby shrub, and then she waved at it.
Kirsty stared in surprise. Why was Rachel waving at a bush? Then she giggled as she spotted the tiny fairy who was peeking out from between the leaves. Kirsty and Rachel had met all the Petal Fairies on the first day of their vacation, and she recognized who it was at once.
“Hello, Louise!” she said, as she and Rachel hurried over. “We were hoping we’d see you again today.”
The fairy beamed and flew up into the air in a burst of pale pink sparkles. “Hello there,” she said cheerfully. “I was hoping to see you, too.”
Louise had blond hair that fell to her shoulders in curls. The sides were pinned back with pretty pink hair clips. She wore a pale green dress with a light pink silk sash and light green boots that matched her dress.
She landed lightly on Rachel’s shoulder, and her pretty face clouded over for a second. “Have you seen the goblins yet? They’re on the island, too. I just heard them saying that they know where my petal is!”
Kirsty frowned at the news. She never liked running into Jack Frost’s goblins, but this time it was even worse. Jack Frost was so desperate to get his hands on the magical petals that he had given his goblins a wand full of his own icy magic. Kirsty and Rachel had always been able to outwit the goblins in the past, but it was much harder now that they were armed with a magic wand!
“What does your petal look like?” Rachel asked.
“It’s pale pink,” Louise told her. “It helps all the lilies in the world to grow, and all the other light pink flowers, too.”
The girls had learned that each magic petal was responsible for making its own particular type of flower grow. It also helped other flowers that were the same color as the petal to bloom.
“Where are the goblins?” Kirsty wanted to know.
“They’re on the other side of the island,” Louise replied. “Follow me!” She fluttered her glittery wings and took off into the air. Rachel and Kirsty followed her through the trees. Both girls were nervous about the goblins. Kirsty hoped they would be able to find Louise’s lily petal before one of the goblins spotted it!
After a few minutes, Louise perched on a large bush and motioned for the girls to crouch behind it. Then she put a finger to her lips. “Don’t make a sound,” she whispered, waving her wand. A flood of pale pink fairy dust billowed out from the wand’s tip. At once, the twigs and leaves of the bush parted, making a neat peephole for Rachel and Kirsty to see through.
The girls could see that they were now all the way on the other side of the island. The blue water of the lake was only a few steps from their hiding place, and Rachel’s eyes widened as she saw a bridge joining the island to the far shore of the lake. She hadn’t noticed that before. Then she realized that it wasn’t an ordinary bridge. It was made of ice!
“The goblins used Jack Frost’s wand to create the bridge,” Louise confirmed in a tiny whisper. “That’s how they got across to the island in
the first place.”
Kirsty couldn’t help staring at the icy bridge. It looked beautiful with the sun shining on it, making the ice crystals glitter and twinkle. But as she watched, she realized that the bridge was dripping. “It’s melting!” she gasped.
Splash! A section of the bridge collapsed into the lake.
Louise nodded. “It certainly is,” she said. “They’ll have to use their magic to make another bridge if they want to get off the island again.”
Rachel was frowning. “What are the goblins doing?” she asked in a low voice.
The girls and Louise stared at the strange sight. One of the goblins was up in a tree that stood on the edge of the island. The tree’s branches reached out over the water. The goblin was dangling upside down from a branch by his huge green feet. Underneath him swung six other goblins. They were hanging, one after another, each holding on to the feet of the goblin below. The goblin at the bottom of the chain, who had particularly large ears, had his arms stretched out. He seemed to be trying to reach something on the surface of the lake, but the girls couldn’t see what it was.
Just then, he turned around to yell instructions to the others. Kirsty and Rachel gasped as they saw exactly what he’d been trying to reach.
Louise’s pale pink lily petal was right there on a lily pad, just a fingertip away from the big-eared goblin’s grasp. And as the girls watched, the wind sent the lily pad sailing even closer to him. The friends held their breath. Any moment now, the goblin was going to turn back and see that the lily petal was right under his nose!
“Don’t touch that petal!” Rachel yelled, charging out from the girls’ hiding place. Kirsty and Louise were close behind her.
The goblins were startled by the appearance of the girls. The one holding the big-eared goblin’s feet let go of him in surprise, and there was a huge splash as he fell into the lake.
Kirsty, Rachel, and Louise couldn’t help laughing as he staggered out of the water, dripping wet. He shook himself like a dog, sending water and clumps of weeds flying everywhere. His friends, who were still hanging from the tree, roared with laughter.
But the wet goblin didn’t seem to mind his friends’ amusement. He was too busy waving the pink petal in the air, with a look of triumph. “Look what I’ve got!” he bragged. “And I’m going to deliver it to Jack Frost personally. Boy, is he going to be happy with me!”
Louise stomped her foot in dismay, sending a little puff of pale pink sparkles floating up into the air. “Oh no,” she wailed. “I can’t believe he has my lily petal!”
The other goblins scrambled down from the tree. “Let us look at it!” called a squinty-eyed goblin who was holding Jack Frost’s magic wand.
But the big-eared goblin proudly clutched the petal to his chest. “No way,” he retorted. “I’m taking care of this myself !”
“That petal belongs to Louise the Lily Fairy,” Kirsty said, in her fiercest voice. “Now give it back!”
“No!” the big-eared goblin sneered. He dodged out of the way as Rachel tried to grab him.
“Run for it!” ordered the goblin with the wand. At his words, all seven goblins rushed past the girls at top speed.
Kirsty, Rachel, and Louise chased them through the trees, and back to the other side of the island. It wasn’t long before the goblins reached the dock. Rachel and Kirsty heard cries of glee as the goblins spotted the girls’ rowboat.
“Just what we needed!” one cheered.
“And the bridge is melting, so those rotten girls will be trapped!” snickered a second one.
Rachel stared in horror as she approached the dock and saw the goblins grouped around the little boat.
“Hey, that’s ours!” she yelled, but the goblins were already hopping aboard, waving to the girls.
“Too late!” the big-eared goblin declared, as one of his friends untied the rope and quickly pushed the boat away from the island.
“Bye-bye!” cackled the goblin with the wand. He clutched his sides as if it was the funniest thing ever.
Kirsty and Rachel could only stand and watch them go from the edge of the dock. “Oh no,” groaned Kirsty. “Without our boat, we’re stuck here. What are we going to do?”
“I’m going to turn you into fairies, of course,” Louise said with a playful smile. She waved her wand over the girls, and a fountain of lily-scented fairy dust swirled all around them. Instantly, Kirsty and Rachel felt themselves shrinking down to fairy-size.
Rachel fluttered her delicate wings and glared at the goblins. “What are we waiting for?” she cried. “Follow that boat!”
The three fairies flitted across the water toward the rowboat. Kirsty could see that the goblins weren’t going very fast, and as she flew closer to the boat, she realized why — the goblins could never do anything without arguing!
“I should be captain!” the goblin with the petal yelled. “I have the magic petal.”
“No, I should be,” the squinty-eyed goblin argued. “I have the wand!”
The goblin with the petal scowled and jumped to his feet. The boat started to rock from side to side, dangerously close to tipping over.
“Hey!”
“Sit down!”
“Stop it!” his friends shouted in alarm, pulling him back down.
“You call yourself a captain? You nearly dumped us all in the water, you fool!” one of them complained.
“So I’ll be captain, then,” the squinty-eyed goblin insisted.
“Then I’ll row,” announced a skinny goblin.
“No, I want to!” protested the tall goblin next to him.
“You can have one oar each!” snapped the squinty-eyed goblin, bossily.
“Those are the captain’s orders, and you’re not allowed to argue!”
The fairies hovered behind the boat as the two goblins began rowing. Unfortunately, they moved their oars in different directions, and the little boat didn’t move at all.
The squinty-eyed goblin sighed. “Useless!” he complained. “You have to row at the same time, and in the same direction! Fools!”
At long last, the rowers seemed to get the hang of it and the boat slowly moved away across the lake.
“I wonder where they’re heading,” Rachel said thoughtfully. “It would be too risky for them to go back to the dock near the boathouse, wouldn’t it? What if the boatman spotted them?”
Kirsty narrowed her eyes as she noticed the boat veering off in a different direction. “Look,” she said, pointing to a spot on the shore. It wasn’t too far from the boathouse. “There’s a beach there, and it’s hidden by trees. I bet that’s where they’re going. Let’s fly ahead and wait for them there.”
The other two nodded, and they all flew to the small stretch of beach. They landed on the sand. As the boat came closer, Louise waved her wand and turned Rachel and Kirsty back into girls.
“What took you so long?” Rachel asked the goblins, smiling, as the boat approached the shore.
The big-eared goblin groaned when he saw her standing there. “Oh, not you again!” he said, making a face.
The goblin with the wand grinned. “Don’t worry, I can take care of them,” he boasted. He pointed the wand at the girls and shouted, “Magic, make a great big wave, to wash those pesky girls … away-ve!”
“ ‘Away-ve’?” Kirsty said with a snort. “That’s a terrible rhyme!”
“They’re not getting any better at making up spells,” Rachel agreed.
“But that doesn’t stop them from working!” Louise cried in alarm. For there, rolling out of the sea toward them, was the most enormous wave they had ever seen. It looked like a huge wall of water!
Rachel and Kirsty started to back away, but they couldn’t move fast enough.
“It’s coming too quickly,” Rachel gasped. “Help!”
Louise reacted in a split second, throwing fairy dust over the girls. In the twinkling of an eye, they had turned into fairies again and were able to zoom high into the air. They were safely out of r
each of the wave.
“Phew,” Rachel sighed. “Thanks, Louise. That wave is huge!”
“And it’s just about to hit the goblins,” Kirsty said. “Look!”
The three fairies all peered down at the lake. The goblins were on the verge of getting caught in their own spell! They were all still in their boat, shouting and pointing as the magic wave drew nearer.
The wave rushed at them, picking up the boat and tipping it over. It swept the boat onto the beach and left it there, upside down. Then the water receded into the lake.
“Hey!”
“It’s all dark!”
“Who turned the lights out?” cried one of the goblins who was trapped underneath the boat.
Next, there was a loud banging and thumping sound. The three fairy friends looked at one another, wondering what to do.
“Those goblins should give that wand back to Jack Frost,” Kirsty said.
“It’s gotten them into big trouble this time!” Rachel agreed.
Louise nodded. “They’re lucky that I’m nice enough to take pity on them!” she said, swooping toward the boat with Rachel and Kirsty flying after her.
Louise muttered a few magic words and twirled her wand over the boat. Pale pink glittery magic streamed from her wand, and then the rowboat slowly turned over so it was right side up on the sand.
The goblins got to their feet, coughing, sputtering, and shaking water off themselves.
“I’m soaked,” one muttered, making an angry face. “Dumb boat, dumb wave. And where’s that petal, anyway?”
The Petal Fairies Collection Page 4
