Contents
Gabriella’s Magic Snowflake
A Fairy Snowball!
Freeze!
A Special Discovery
Race Down the Mountain
A Snowy Surprise
Happy Holidays
Stolen!
Outside the Ice Castle
A Very Special Delivery
Caught by the Guards!
Spread a Little Happiness
Quest for Fire
A Winter Chill
Green Elves
An Ice Idea
Gift Wrapped
Fireworks!
“We’re going to try out the slopes,” Kirsty Tate called to her mom. “We’ll be back for lunch.”
“See you later!” Rachel Walker shouted to her mom and dad.
The two friends grinned at each other as their parents called back good-byes. Both girls were wearing new ski outfits, knitted hats, and gloves. Kirsty pushed open the door of the ski lodge, and they stepped out into the bright sunshine.
Mountain peaks rose majestically all around, covered in thick white snow. Skiers were already racing down the slopes in colorful groups. Other people were careening around on snowboards, sun glinting off their snow goggles.
Rachel couldn’t stop smiling. “It’s so fantastic being on vacation with you again!” she said.
Kirsty nodded. “I know,” she agreed, linking arms with her best friend. “All this snow, and the Winter Festival starts in a few days, too!” She beamed. “And you never know, we might meet a fairy. We always have such magical adventures when we’re together!”
The girls’ parents had rented them each skis and a snowboard. Rachel and Kirsty went to find them in the small shed at the side of the lodge. “I’m going to try my skis first,” Kirsty decided. She grabbed a pair of ski poles, skis, and special ski boots, and sat down to put them on.
“I’ll try the snowboard,” Rachel said eagerly. She picked up a turquoise board that was long and slender, with round ends.
When the girls were both ready, they found a small slope to practice on.
“Wheeee! ” Kirsty squealed, pushing off. “Here I go!” She flew down the slope, but wobbled at the end and crashed sideways in the icy snow. She got to her feet gingerly and rubbed her legs.
“My turn now. … Yay!” cried Rachel, standing on her board and riding downhill. It was tricky keeping her balance, and she tumbled into the snow. “Ow!” she cried, as her elbow hit a particularly icy patch. “This snow isn’t very soft, is it?”
Kirsty shook her head. “Look at that girl over there,” she whispered, helping her friend up. “The snow’s so crumbly, she can’t even build her snowman!”
Rachel watched the girl struggle with her snowman nearby. The snow wasn’t clumping together. Instead, it fell apart into ice chips.
“Maybe we should leave skiing and snowboarding for later,” Rachel suggested. “How about a snowball fight?”
“You’re on!” Kirsty laughed as she quickly unstrapped her skis.
The girls started making snowballs, but the snow didn’t stick together very well. And then, when they threw them at each other, the snowballs were so hard that they really hurt!
Rachel had just opened her mouth to suggest they try something else, when she saw a snowball flying toward her face. Before she could duck, the snowball burst apart in a puff of sparkling snow crystals. Rachel jumped in surprise. Hovering in midair, right where the snowball had been, was a fairy!
“Oh!” gasped Rachel. “Hello! Who are you?”
The fairy had chestnut-brown hair and fluffy white earmuffs that were shiny with silver glitter. She wore a purple coat with a red-and-purple striped dress underneath, red leggings, and purple snow boots.
“I’m Gabriella,” the fairy said, as she curtsied. “Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy. And I’m really glad to see you here!”
Kirsty hurried over. “Hi, Gabriella,” she said to the tiny fairy. “I’m Kirsty. Is everything all right?”
Gabriella shook her head sadly. “No,” she said. “Jack Frost is up to his tricks again! He’s stolen my special magic snowflake, which makes all the snow soft, fluffy, and white. Now that it’s missing, snow everywhere is much harder and icier.”
“We noticed,” Kirsty said. “How did he get your snowflake?”
“Well, every year on the first of December, I hang my magic snowflake on the Christmas tree outside the Fairyland palace,” Gabriella explained. “But this morning, the snowflake was gone — and there were goblin footprints all around the tree. I’m sure Jack Frost ordered his goblins to steal it and hide it in the human world.”
“We’ll help you look for it,” Rachel said.
“Thank you,” Gabriella said gratefully. “I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to spot. The only clue will be a patch of snow that looks perfectly sparkly and fluffy. That could mean my magic snowflake is nearby.”
Kirsty gazed around, then frowned as she noticed that it was snowing over a nearby pine forest. “How weird,” she commented. “It’s snowing there — but not here!”
Gabriella swung around to see. She tilted her head as she looked carefully at the falling flakes. A smile appeared on her face. “They look like perfect snowflakes to me,” she declared.
“Does that mean … ?” Rachel began excitedly.
Gabriella nodded. “I’m sure my magic snowflake must be in that forest. Let’s go and look!”
The three friends set off to investigate. They made their way through the pine trees and saw a small clearing ahead. They could hear voices calling out in the crisp morning air, and as they got closer to the clearing, they saw that it was full of goblins!
“Hide!” Kirsty said, darting behind a spiky pine tree. Rachel and Gabriella followed. They couldn’t let the goblins spot them — they would guess that the girls and Gabriella were looking for the magic snowflake.
Rachel, Kirsty, and Gabriella peeked cautiously through the branches of the pine tree. The goblins were having a great time playing in the snow … and it seemed to be very fluffy snow, too!
“My snowflake must be nearby,” Gabriella whispered. “That snow looks perfect. So do the falling flakes. They’re so fluffy and soft!”
“We’ll have to get closer so we can take a better look,” Rachel replied. “But it’ll be tricky with all those goblins around.”
“Don’t forget to keep an eye out for interfering fairies,” one of the goblins said to his friends just then. “Jack Frost gave me strict instructions not to let any of them near our snowflake!”
Gabriella bristled in indignation. “Our snowflake?” she said angrily. “What nerve!”
“Maybe if we had some kind of disguise, we could sneak up on them,” Kirsty suggested. “It would have to be something white, of course, with all this snow around.”
Rachel grinned. “We could be snowmen!” she said. “Gabriella, can you use your magic to make us look like snowmen?”
“Yes, of course — what a great idea!” Gabriella exclaimed. “But snowmen don’t usually walk, so my magic will only make you look like snowmen when you’re very still.”
“OK,” Kirsty said. “We’ll just have to inch forward a tiny bit at a time.” She propped her skis and Rachel’s snowboard by a tree. “And we’ll freeze whenever a goblin looks our way.”
“Speaking of freezing …” Gabriella waved her wand. A swirl of blue and red fairy dust shaped like tiny snowballs streamed around the girls. Soon they looked like round, white snowmen, complete with hats, scarves, and carrot noses.
“Fantastic!” Rachel laughed, and clapped her hands together. But as she moved, her own arms became visible and the snowman illusion vanished. It was
only when she was perfectly still again that her disguise returned. “This is going to be hard,” she said. “But we have to try.”
“Good luck!” Gabriella whispered. The girls slowly inched forward. They stopped every time they thought one of the goblins was going to look their way. It was nerve-wracking! Kirsty’s heart thumped as she and Rachel shuffled closer and closer. They were almost close enough to hear the goblins muttering to one another. Only a few more steps, and they’d be able to listen in on everything!
But just then, one of the goblins spun around and saw them. “Hey!” he shouted to his friends. “Look over there!”
Rachel and Kirsty were so scared they could barely breathe. Had they been discovered?
“Look at those snowmen!” the goblin said to his friends. “Cool!”
A pointy-nosed goblin stared. “Who built them?” he wondered. “I didn’t notice them before.” He got up as if he were about to take a closer look, and Rachel and Kirsty were both filled with dread. If he came too close, he’d surely realize they weren’t real snowmen!
Luckily, a goblin with big ears pulled the pointy-nosed goblin back down to where he’d been sitting on a log.
“There’s no more time for playing around,” he said sternly. “We have to start getting ready for Jack Frost’s party.”
Kirsty and Rachel both held their breath as they listened to the goblins’ conversation.
Jack Frost was having a big winter party at his Ice Castle in Fairyland. He wanted the snow around his castle to be perfect so everyone would have fun playing in it. That was why he’d stolen the magic snowflake! “Of course, he’s even happier now that the rest of the snow has been ruined for the fairies and the humans!” chortled the big-eared goblin.
Meanwhile, Gabriella had fluttered to hide behind Kirsty so that she could also listen in on the goblins. Kirsty could feel Gabriella’s wings quiver with irritation as she heard what the goblins were saying.
Then Rachel spotted something. Two goblins were throwing a white and sparkly object to one another like a Frisbee. “Gabriella!” she hissed. “Is that your snowflake?”
Gabriella peeked over Kirsty’s snowman hat. “Yes!” she squeaked. “There it is!”
The snowflake certainly seemed very magical. Whenever one of the goblins missed a catch, the snowflake hit the ground with a huge puff of sparkling white snow. The goblins had to dig it out of a mini-snowdrift each time they dropped it.
Just as the girls were wondering how they would be able to get the snowflake back, the nearest goblin missed his catch again. Gabriella’s magic snowflake landed not far from the girls. On impulse, both Kirsty and Rachel dashed toward it, intending to dig the snowflake out of its snowdrift. But of course, the snowman illusion vanished — the girls were suddenly very visible to the goblins!
“Hey!” cried a goblin. “Those snowmen just turned into girls!”
Kirsty and Rachel dug frantically in the snow. Where was that snowflake?
“They’re trying to steal our magic snowflake!” another goblin realized. “Quick — stop them!”
Immediately, the goblins all rushed to the snowdrift and began speedily scooping away at the snow. They were desperate to get to the snowflake before the girls did.
Rachel and Kirsty dug just as quickly, but snow was now flying everywhere. It was getting very hard to see!
“Got it!” cried a goblin triumphantly, leaping to his feet with the sparkly white magic snowflake in his hand.
“Run!” another goblin bellowed. He kicked a pile of snow into the girls’ faces, and then he and the other goblins ran to grab their sleds and snowboards. Within seconds, they were all speeding away into the distance.
Kirsty and Rachel wiped the snow from their eyes. “Let’s grab our skis and snowboard. We can’t let them escape!” Kirsty cried.
“Let me help,” Gabriella said. She waved her wand and fairy dust spiraled from its tip. The snowboard and skis rose up from where the girls had left them propped against the tree and flew through the air in a cloud of glittering blue sparkles. The snowboard landed right at Rachel’s feet. The skis arranged themselves in front of Kirsty and the poles flew into her hands. The girls’ snowmen disguises vanished for good.
“Thanks, Gabriella,” Kirsty said, as she fastened her skis. “Let’s go!”
The goblins were off in the distance by now, so the girls and Gabriella gave chase. Fresh snow from the magic snowflake fell and blurred their view, but the goblins were yelling and making so much noise that they were easy to track.
The goblins disappeared over the side of a mountain slope, and when Kirsty, Rachel, and Gabriella reached the edge, they saw that the goblins were zooming down at top speed.
Rachel held her breath as she and Kirsty began racing down the slope. She hadn’t had much practice on a snowboard, and this was a steep mountain — she really hoped she’d be able to keep her balance. Kirsty also felt nervous on her skis. She’d only ever tried them out on the bunny slopes before. But both girls knew Gabriella’s fairy magic would help them keep up with the goblins — it was their only hope of getting the magic snowflake back!
“You’re doing really well,” Gabriella called out. “I think we’re gaining on them. Keep going!”
It was true. The girls were getting closer and closer to the goblins. Kirsty could see that the goblin with the snowflake wasn’t far away, and she hunched a little lower on her skis, trying to catch up with him. Just as she was about to reach him, however, another goblin pulled up alongside them on a snowboard. Deftly, he plucked the snowflake out of the first goblin’s hands.
Luckily, Rachel was near the goblin who now had the snowflake. As she zoomed past on her snowboard, she flung out a hand and grabbed the snowflake from the surprised goblin.
Rachel gasped in shock — partly because she’d actually saved Gabriella’s magic snowflake, but also because it was very cold to the touch, even through her gloves! It numbed her fingers, and she couldn’t get a good grip on it.
“Oh no!” Rachel cried helplessly, as it fell from her grasp. Her frozen fingers just couldn’t hold on anymore. She tried desperately to stop her snowboard, but she was going too fast. Rachel could only turn and watch as the snowflake floated through the air behind her.
“Ha, ha!” A goblin sliding along on a sled grabbed the magic snowflake and cheered with glee.
Rachel finally managed to stop her snowboard, and Kirsty pulled up beside her.
“Sorry,” Rachel groaned, disappointed with herself. “I wasn’t expecting the magic snowflake to be so cold.”
“Don’t worry,” Kirsty said. “I’ve got an idea. Gabriella, do you think you could use your magic to create a huge snowdrift at the bottom of the mountain? We could catch all the goblins in it!”
“Sure,” Gabriella replied. “Let’s see …” She pointed her wand down and chanted some magic words. Blue and red sparkles crackled from her wand, and an enormous pile of snow appeared at the foot of the mountain. The goblins, who were all careening down the slope, plunged straight into it!
Gabriella giggled. “It’s a nice, soft landing for them, at least,” she said, as muffled shouts came from the snowdrift. Goblin arms and legs stuck out everywhere, but none of the goblins seemed able to get out.
“Come on,” Kirsty said with a grin. “Let’s see if we can find the snowflake now that all the goblins are trapped.”
She and Rachel went down to the bottom of the mountain, stopping just before they reached the goblin snow heap. “There it is,” Rachel said happily. A green hand poked out from the snow, its knobbly fingers curled around the magic snowflake.
“Hooray!” cried Gabriella, flying over. She touched the snowflake with her wand, and it immediately glowed bright red with fairy magic and shrank down to its Fairyland size.
The fairy looked delighted. “Thank you, girls,” she said. “Now I can put the magic snowflake back where it should be — on the Fairyland Christmas tree. This time, I’ll tie it on with some magic ti
nsel to keep anyone from stealing it!” She kissed Kirsty and Rachel happily. “That way, all the snow in Fairyland and in your world will be perfect — just what you need for winter vacation fun!”
Rachel and Kirsty beamed at the little fairy and said good-bye. With that, Gabriella vanished in a cloud of blue sparkles. The girls turned to see that the goblins had climbed out of the snowdrift, and were stomping off with their heads down.
“That was fun,” Rachel said. “I loved racing down the mountain like that.”
“Me, too,” said Kirsty. “It’s turning out to be another fantastic fairy adventure … and it’s only getting started!”
The next morning was bright and sunny. After their exciting adventure the day before, Kirsty and Rachel couldn’t wait to get back on the slopes.
“The snow looks perfect,” Rachel said happily, as she and Kirsty tramped along. “Gabriella must have gotten the magic snowflake back to Fairyland.”
“I love the way the snow feels under my boots,” Kirsty said. “It’s so deep and soft — just right.”
Rachel gazed around, appreciating the glittering white blanket of snow that covered everything. But then she noticed something strange. “Nobody seems very happy,” she murmured to Kirsty. “I wonder why?”
Kirsty followed her friend’s gaze. Rachel was right. The other people out on the slope looked mopey and bored. Nobody seemed to be in a holiday mood at all!
“That’s weird,” Kirsty said, puzzled. “The sun’s shining, the sky’s blue, and the snow’s perfect. What could be the problem?”
Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy Page 1
