The musical bicycle bell was lying on top of the garbage in the can, and Olympia flew down to pick it up. But to Rachel and Kirsty’s dismay, the goblins hurled themselves at the bin.
“Don’t let them get it!” one of the goblins yelled.
All the goblins stuck their arms into the garbage can at the exact same moment, and ended up banging their heads together! As they cried out in pain, Olympia swooped down between them and grabbed the musical bicycle bell. The instant Olympia touched the bell, it stopped ringing and shrank down to Fairyland size. Rachel and Kirsty sighed with relief.
Olympia fluttered into the air with a big smile, clutching the bell. One goblin jumped up to try and catch her, but he accidentally knocked into the garbage can. The garbage flew everywhere! All the goblins shrieked with rage as they were covered in apple cores, candy wrappers, and other garbage.
“Give us back the bell!” one goblin roared furiously.
Olympia shook her head as she, Rachel, and Kirsty hovered above the goblins. “Go home and tell Jack Frost that he should learn how to be a good sport instead of trying to win by cheating!” she told them.
The goblins moved away from the mess on the ground. They were complaining so loudly that the official glanced around to see what was going on. As he did, Olympia, Rachel, and Kirsty zipped out of sight behind the garbage can.
“What are you doing now?” the official asked, shaking his head as he stared at the garbage-covered goblins. “You should be lining up, so you’re ready when the race starts.”
“Go away!” one of the goblins muttered. “We don’t even want to be in the race now!”
Shaking themselves free of trash, they all slouched away, leaving their bikes behind.
“Girls, I can’t thank you enough for all your help,” Olympia declared, her eyes shining. “I was so worried we wouldn’t be able to get my beautiful bell back. Then the bicycle races here and in Fairyland would both have been disasters!”
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said over the loudspeaker. “We are very happy to tell you that the bikes have been fixed and we can now restart the race. Will the cyclists get in position, please?”
“Oh, great!” Rachel exclaimed. “It looks like everything is back to normal.”
“Girls, would you like to come back to Fairyland with me to return the musical bicycle bell?” asked Olympia. “Then you can stay and watch our bike race, too.”
“We’d love to!” Kirsty agreed eagerly, and Rachel nodded.
Olympia waved her wand with a smile. In the twinkling of an eye, all three of them were swept up in a cloud of glittering magic — and whisked away to Fairyland!
Ready, Set, Stop!
Keep on Running!
Stinking Sneakers!
A Very Strange Prize
The Awards Ceremony
Just a few seconds later, Olympia, Rachel, and Kirsty arrived at the outdoor stadium in Fairyland. King Oberon and Queen Titania were seated in the Royal Box, and the stadium was packed with fairies who were there to watch the races.
“Rachel and Kirsty helped me find the musical bicycle bell!” Olympia announced, holding up the bell. The fairies all cheered and applauded.
The girls watched as Olympia flew over to the Royal Box. At the front of the box were three pedestals: one bronze, one silver, and one gold.
Olympia carefully placed the musical bicycle bell on the bronze pedestal. Rachel and Kirsty could see the sparkling swim cap on the silver stand, and on the gold pedestal was a pair of gold sneakers. They glittered with fairy magic.
“Those must be the super sneakers,” Rachel said, as she and Kirsty admired them. “They look amazing!”
“They’re the sparkliest sneakers I’ve ever seen!” Kirsty replied.
King Oberon and Queen Titania stood up and waved to Rachel and Kirsty.
“Thank you, girls! Thank you, Olympia!” King Oberon called. “We had to delay our races because of those goblins, but now we can continue.”
“We’re glad you’re here, Rachel and Kirsty,” Queen Titania added with a sweet smile. “We were just about to start our running race. After that, we’ll hold the swimming and cycling races. Please join us!”
The fairies in the stadium clapped again as Olympia, Rachel, and Kirsty sat down in the front row. Looking around, Rachel could see lots of their old friends in the audience. She waved hello to India the Moonstone Fairy, Crystal the Snow Fairy, and Willow the Wednesday Fairy, who were sitting nearby.
Then Bertram the frog footman stepped onto the running track.
“It is time for the running race to begin,” Bertram announced, and there was another burst of cheering. “Our contestants today are the Rainbow Fairies!” the frog footman went on.
Delighted, Rachel turned to Kirsty as Ruby, Amber, Sunny, Fern, Sky, Inky, and Heather jogged onto the track. “There are lots of our fairy friends here,” Rachel pointed out, “but the Rainbow Fairies are our very oldest fairy friends!”
Kirsty smiled. “We had our first magical adventure with them!” she remembered. “I wonder who’s going to win? I’m going to cheer for all of them!”
The seven Rainbow Fairies went to the starting line. There was great excitement in the air as everyone, including Rachel and Kirsty, leaned forward eagerly in their seats to watch the race.
Bertram cleared his throat. “On your mark!” he called.
The seven fairies got into position on the track.
“Ready!” Bertram went on. “Set!” He paused. “GO!”
The Rainbow Fairies surged forward, and everyone in the stadium began to shout and cheer. But almost immediately, Ruby and Amber stumbled and fell at exactly the same time.
“Our laces are tied together!” Amber yelled. She and Ruby fumbled on the track, trying to untangle their shoelaces.
Meanwhile, Fern and Sky had stopped, too. They were both hopping around, trying to pull their sneakers off. Rachel and Kirsty watched them anxiously. What was going on?
“My sneakers are too small!” Fern groaned.
“Mine, too,” Sky agreed. “Ow! They’re pinching my toes!”
Sunny, Inky, and Heather had run along the track, leaving the others behind. But then Sunny yelled in distress.
“Oh, no! My sneakers are too BIG!” she cried.
Rachel and Kirsty looked down at Sunny’s sneakers. They had become as big as clown shoes! Sunny couldn’t run in them, and ended up falling over.
“Help!” Inky shrieked, coming to a stop and staring down at her bare feet. “My sneakers have disappeared!”
“And one of my sneakers has vanished, too,” added Heather, hopping around on her remaining shoe.
Olympia frowned. “Everything’s going all wrong!” she cried.
As Bertram and the other frog footmen rushed to help the Rainbow Fairies, Rachel saw another old friend hurrying toward them. It was Samantha the Swimming Fairy!
“Hello, girls!” she called, looking distressed. “Thank you so much for helping Olympia find the sparkling swim cap. I’m so glad the swimming race can go ahead. But now we have another problem!”
Samantha turned and pointed to the golden pedestal that stood underneath the Royal Box.
“The super sneakers are gone!” Kirsty exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise and alarm. “But they were there a minute ago.”
“So that’s why the running race is all mixed up!” Olympia said, biting her lip. “Was it the goblins again?”
Samantha shook her head. “No, it was Jack Frost himself!” she explained. “He snuck into the stadium. While everyone was busy cheering and applauding, he stole the sneakers — right before the race started. I don’t think anybody spotted him except me.”
Just then, King Oberon and Queen Titania had been told that the super sneakers were no longer on the golden stand u
nder the Royal Box. Some of the fairies in the audience had also realized that the sneakers were gone, and they were murmuring anxiously to one another.
“This is awful!” Olympia sighed, looking completely devastated. “Jack Frost is so sneaky! What do we do now?”
“Don’t worry, Olympia,” Kirsty said, comforting her. “Rachel and I will help you get the super sneakers back.”
“Of course we will,” Rachel agreed. “I bet Jack Frost took them to his Ice Castle!”
Olympia brightened up a little. “Your Majesties,” she called, as she and the girls fluttered over to the Royal Box. “Jack Frost snuck into the stadium and stole the super sneakers, but Rachel, Kirsty, and I are determined to get them back!”
Cheers and whoops rang out around the stadium.
“Be careful, all of you,” Queen Titania cried, waving as Olympia, Rachel, and Kirsty fluttered out of the stadium.
“And be on the lookout for more of Jack Frost’s tricks!” King Oberon added.
Olympia and the girls flew over the lush green meadows, rolling hills, and sparkling rivers of Fairyland. Before long, they left the beautiful countryside behind. Now they were in a cold land of freezing gray mist, icy frost, and snow. Jack Frost’s castle, built of huge glistening blocks of ice, loomed up ahead of them through the gloom. The girls had been to the Ice Castle many times before, but seeing it still sent a shiver down Rachel’s spine.
“How are we going to get inside?” Kirsty asked as she, Olympia, and Rachel hovered near the entrance.
“I’m not sure,” Olympia said. Then she gasped as the doors began to open. “Hide, girls — quickly!”
The three friends zoomed up and ducked behind one of the castle’s icy turrets. Then they peeked around the wall to see who was coming out.
To her surprise, Kirsty saw Jack Frost himself running out of the castle. He was wearing a tank top and shorts — and on his feet were the super sneakers! Kirsty nudged Rachel and Olympia, pointing silently at Jack Frost’s feet.
Jack Frost was followed by a crowd of his goblins. As he ran up and down outside the castle entrance, the goblins milled around him. They all looked worried.
“Do something!” Jack Frost roared furiously as he ran around in circles. “Anything!”
“What’s going on?” Rachel whispered. The goblins were now running around in a panic, bumping into Jack Frost and one another.
“The powerful magic of my super sneakers means that Jack Frost can’t stop running!” Olympia exclaimed with a giggle.
Jack Frost ran frantically in a circle. His normally pale blue face was red, and he was panting hard.
“Get these stinking sneakers off my feet!” he bellowed at the panicking goblins. “NOW!”
“I have an idea!” a big goblin yelled. He gathered a couple of the others around him and whispered his plan to them. Then they all charged into the Ice Castle. A few minutes later, Olympia, Rachel, and Kirsty saw them come out carrying a large net.
“We’re going to try and catch you,” the goblin explained to Jack Frost.
“Well, hurry up!” Jack Frost shouted.
The goblins ran up to Jack Frost and tried to toss the net over him. But at the last moment, the super sneakers sent him running away in the opposite direction. Instead of capturing Jack Frost, the net fell over some other goblins.
“Help!” shrieked a goblin caught in the net. “Get us out of here!”
The big goblin freed the ones who were trapped in the net, and then he and his friends tried again to catch Jack Frost. This time, though, they managed to tangle themselves up in the net! Olympia and the girls giggled.
“You fools!” Jack Frost snarled as he raced around his Ice Castle. “You’re all in big trouble now!”
“Let me help!” shouted a goblin with big ears. As Jack Frost ran past him, he leaped forward and tried to tackle him to the ground. Unfortunately, another goblin had had the same idea — and he dove for Jack Frost at the exact same time. The goblins ended up tangled in a heap as Jack Frost sprinted away.
“STOP!” Jack Frost shrieked, glaring down at the super sneakers. “I order you to STOP!” But he continued to run around the Ice Castle at top speed.
“How are we going to get the sneakers back?” Rachel asked with a frown. “There doesn’t seem to be any way to slow Jack Frost down!”
As Jack Frost ran toward the castle entrance again, he glanced up and spotted Olympia, Rachel, and Kirsty hovering above him. He gave a cry of rage.
“You fairies!” Jack Frost shouted furiously. “Come down here immediately and help me!”
“We will,” Olympia agreed, “if you give back the super sneakers.”
Jack Frost scowled. “No, no, NO!” he yelled. “I want to win everything, and you pesky fairies aren’t going to stop me!” Then he pointed his ice wand at the sneakers, zapping them with his magic.
“That won’t work!” Olympia called. “You can’t stop the super sneakers with just any old magic spell!”
But Jack Frost ignored her and continued to try all his spells. Suddenly, he shrieked with surprise as an ice bolt whisked him off his feet and out of sight.
“One of Jack Frost’s spells has accidentally taken him back to the human world!” Olympia sighed, lifting her own wand. “Come on, girls, we have to follow him!”
With a wave of Olympia’s wand, a burst of fairy magic carried the three friends back to Melford.
“Look, the bike race is over and the running race has already started,” Rachel said as she, Olympia, and Kirsty looked down on Main Street. There was a crowd of runners heading toward the finish line. A small podium had been set up there, ready for the awards ceremony. There were three judges sitting nearby, waiting to present the prizes.
“And there’s Jack Frost!” Olympia exclaimed, pointing with her wand. “He appeared right in the middle of the pack of runners!”
Rachel and Kirsty could see Jack Frost running along with the other athletes. But then, to their dismay, the runners began having problems with their sneakers. They stumbled, tripped, or fell over, just like the Rainbow Fairies had. The crowd began to murmur to one another in surprise as Jack Frost shot out into the lead.
“The race is almost over, and Jack Frost is going to win!” Kirsty cried. Jack Frost was sprinting toward the finish line as the other runners struggled after him.
“Maybe the organizers will stop the race, like they did with the swimming and cycling,” Rachel said.
Olympia shook her head and frowned. “I don’t think so, because it’s almost finished,” she replied.
“What are we going to do?” asked Kirsty. “We don’t have a chance of grabbing the super sneakers with all these people watching.”
“Let’s wait for Jack Frost to collect his medal,” Olympia suggested. “He’ll go back to his Ice Castle afterward, and we can follow him.”
Jack Frost was grinning widely and waving at the crowd as he ran by. Arms in the air, he crossed the finish line and cheered in triumph.
“I won!” Jack Frost bragged. “Hooray for me!”
“Only because you’re wearing my super sneakers,” Olympia muttered with a sigh.
“You there!” One of the race organizers strode over to Jack Frost. “You’re disqualified!”
Jack Frost looked furious. “Why?” he demanded, jogging in place as the other runners began to limp and stumble across the finish line.
“Because you appeared in the middle of all the other runners right at the end!” the organizer snapped. “And you’re not even wearing a number.” He glared at Jack Frost. “You’re disqualified!” he repeated and walked off.
“Look at Jack Frost,” Rachel whispered to Kirsty and Olympia. “He’s really annoyed!”
Jack Frost looked awfully upset. He rushed over to the podium with the other competitors and
ran furiously in place as one of the judges stepped up to the microphone.
“What an eventful triathlon this has been!” the judge said with a smile. The crowd laughed and applauded. “I’m happy to say that despite all the problems we’ve experienced today, this has been one of our best triathlons ever. Now we’ll present our winners with their medals. . . .”
Kirsty saw Jack Frost scowl icily.
“But first, we have a very special prize to present,” the judge went on. “The prize is for ‘Bad Sport of the Day’!”
The crowd cheered.
“And our winner is the runner who appeared at the end of the race!” the judge went on. He pointed at Jack Frost. “Would you come and collect your prize, please?”
Jack Frost’s face lit up. “I am a winner after all!” he yelled happily. He dashed forward and shook hands with the judge while running in place. The judge solemnly handed Jack Frost a large, wilting green cabbage.
The crowd burst out laughing — and so did Olympia, Kirsty, and Rachel.
But Jack Frost was delighted! Clutching his cabbage, he ran down the steps again and down the street.
“After him, girls!” Olympia whispered.
Jack Frost had turned off of Main Street now and was jogging along one of the empty roads. Olympia and the girls flew to catch up with him, and when they did, Rachel could see that he was very tired. He was huffing and puffing, and even his spiky hair was starting to droop with exhaustion.
Olympia the Games Fairy Page 3
