“Is there enough festive spirit left for the Winter Festival tomorrow?” Rachel wondered. “It seemed as if a lot came out when Jack Frost opened the bottle.”
Gabriella smiled and magically grew back to her normal size. “Don’t worry,” she said. “The festive spirit replenishes itself overnight. There will be plenty more by tomorrow morning. The festival is sure to be a success.” She patted the chest happily and tucked it under one arm. “Thanks again,” she said. “The winter holidays have been saved, and it’s all because of you. Everyone will be in a happy mood now that I have the festive spirit back. I’ll send you to your world now, to enjoy the rest of the holidays — and the festival too, of course!”
“We will,” Rachel assured her, waving to the fairy. “Thanks, Gabriella. Good-bye!”
“Good-bye!” Kirsty called, as Gabriella waved her wand over them again.
Everything blurred as they were whisked away by fairy magic. Seconds later, they were their normal size and back at the ski lodge in their ski outfits. They could hear whoops of laughter coming from the nearby slopes.
Kirsty grinned at the sound. “It seems like the festive spirit is working already,” she said.
“Hooray for happy holidays!” Rachel cheered.
The next day, Kirsty and Rachel spent hours skiing and snowboarding on the slopes. Gabriella’s festive spirit was working wonderfully — everyone was laughing, smiling, and really enjoying themselves.
“That was great,” Rachel said happily, as they headed back to the ski lodge later that afternoon. “I’m looking forward to warming up in front of the fire now, though. I’m freezing!”
“Me, too,” Kirsty said. “I love having a big roaring fire in the lodge every evening. It gets so cozy in there.”
But when they went inside, both girls were surprised and disappointed to discover that there was no fire. Mr. Tate was crouching in front of the hearth, looking fed up. “I can’t get it to light,” he told the girls. “We’ve all tried, but the flame won’t catch.”
Rachel shivered. “It’s so cold in here,” she said.
Mrs. Walker hugged her for warmth. “Don’t worry,” she assured her. “We’ll just have to head down to the village earlier than we’d planned. The Winter Festival starts soon, and there’ll be a big bonfire. We can warm up in front of that.”
“There are going to be fireworks later, too,” said Mrs. Tate. “And a craft fair with people selling gifts.”
“And best of all,” Mr. Walker said, pulling on his coat, “some stalls selling hot food and drinks. What are we waiting for?”
Kirsty and Rachel went to the coat room to put on their jackets, hats, and scarves again. As Rachel picked up her gloves, a burst of sparkles floated up from one of them … and out flew Gabriella!
“Oh, girls,” she said urgently. “I need your help again — and fast! I’ve got to find the magic firestone as soon as possible!”
Kirsty glanced toward the main living room of the lodge where her parents were standing. “We can’t let our parents see you,” she whispered to Gabriella, motioning her and Rachel into a nearby closet. “What happened?” Kirsty asked.
“The magic firestone is kept in the hearth of the Grand Hall in the Fairyland palace,” Gabriella explained. “It makes sure that humans and fairies can light fires for warmth and cooking. But Jack Frost was so angry about being tricked into giving back the festive spirit, he sent his goblins to steal the firestone and hide it in the human world. Now that the firestone is missing, there can be no fire in the human world or in Fairyland. Jack Frost is determined to ruin the winter fun!”
“So that’s why our parents couldn’t light a fire here in the ski lodge,” Kirsty realized.
“Yes,” Gabriella said. “I’m sure the goblins with the firestone are somewhere at the festival in the village.”
“We’re going there with our families,” Rachel said. “We’ll help you search for goblins — and the firestone! What does it look like?”
“It looks likes an ordinary rock, but it’s surrounded by magical flames,” Gabriella said. “If you see any sort of flame, the firestone is sure to be nearby.”
Gabriella hid in the folds of Rachel’s scarf and the two girls slipped out of the closet. “Ready when you are!” Kirsty called to her parents.
The two families set off into the village. It was dark now, but strings of twinkling lights had been hung from the branches of the trees to show the way. At the festival, there were crowds of adults and children bundled up in thick winter coats and hats. They crowded around the craft stalls that lined the village street.
“Where’s the bonfire?” Rachel wondered, trying to peer through the crowd.
“I heard it was going to be in the town square,” Mr. Walker replied. “This way.”
They squeezed through the stalls that were selling festive gingerbread, painted wooden toys, furry mittens, and all sorts of other gifts. “Here’s the square,” Mr. Tate said, as they came out at the end of the street. “Oh dear,” he added, as he saw the huge unlit bonfire in the center. “It seems like they’re having trouble getting their fire started, too!”
Rachel and Kirsty stood and watched as a couple of men tried to light the enormous bonfire. “I can’t even get a spark, let alone a flame from these matches,” they heard one of the men grumble. “What are we going to do when it’s time to set off the fireworks?”
Kirsty nudged Rachel. This was all because the magic firestone was missing! If they couldn’t find the firestone in time, the bonfire and fireworks would never be lit — and the festival’s finale would be ruined!
Mrs. Tate gave each of the girls some money. “Take a look around the stalls on your own, if you want,” she told them. “Let’s meet back here in an hour.”
Rachel and Kirsty were excited. “Now we can look for the firestone,” Rachel whispered after they’d said good-bye to their parents.
“Remember to watch out for any flames — and for goblins!” Gabriella reminded them, peeking out from behind Rachel’s fluffy scarf.
“Let’s wander around this side of the square,” Kirsty suggested. “Look, there are some ice sculptures down here.”
The friends headed for the ice statues Kirsty had spotted. A couple of sculptors were carving shapes from huge blocks of ice with silver chisels. There was an ice swan, an ice polar bear with an ice fish in its mouth, and even an ice rabbit, with its ears perked up.
“No sign of the firestone, though.” Gabriella sighed, gazing around. “Let’s look at the rest of the stalls.”
The girls walked along, looking carefully for any sign of flames. After a while, they saw a stall that claimed to be run by “Santa’s Elves.” There were a lot of people gathered around the stall, which was selling something called “Toasted Bogmallows.”
“Bogmallows?” Kirsty read in surprise. “What are they?” She and Rachel went closer to see. The bogmallows looked just like big green marshmallows.
Then Rachel noticed how green the “elves” running the stall were. “Goblins!” she hissed to her friends.
“And there’s the firestone!” Gabriella added in an excited whisper. She pointed a finger to where a large glowing stone sat on the counter, surrounded by a magical flame. Above, piles of gooey green marshmallows toasted on a metal rack.
Gabriella shook her head. “I can’t believe they’re using such a powerful stone to warm their silly bogmallows,” she said. “I’m glad we know where it is, at least.”
Rachel watched as people lined up, paid, and were told to help themselves to toasted bogmallows from the counter. “Is the firestone very hot?” she asked Gabriella in a low voice.
Gabriella shook her head. “It isn’t hot to the touch,” she replied. “It’s heating the bogmallows with special fiery magic.”
“Maybe Kirsty and I should each buy a bogmallow and try to grab it?” Rachel suggested.
“Good idea,” Gabriella said.
Kirsty agreed. “Let’s give it a try!”
>
Rachel and Kirsty joined the line for bogmallows. They pulled their hats low over their eyes and wound their scarves high around their faces, hoping the goblins wouldn’t recognize them. The goblins were very busy, however. Some were opening new bags of bogmallows for toasting, others were counting out change, and a few were deep in conversation at the back of the stall.
The girls handed over their money. “Help yourselves!” said a goblin wearing a white apron, putting the coins in a pot. Kirsty took a bogmallow and stretched out her hand to grab the firestone. But just as her fingers were about to close around it, a goblin hand snatched the stone away.
Rachel took a bogmallow, too, and the girls moved to the side of the stall.
“Rats,” Kirsty muttered. “I almost had it!”
“We’ll have to think of another plan,” Rachel said, nibbling her bogmallow. It was delicious — just like a toasted marshmallow.
The two girls and Gabriella all perked up their ears when they realized what the goblins were discussing.
“Jack Frost already has everything he needs,” one of the goblins grumbled. “How are we supposed to think of a good present to give him at the party?”
“You know what he’s like,” a second goblin complained. “He’ll be really angry if we don’t find the perfect gift.”
The goblin in the white apron, who’d been working at the front of the stall, turned to face the arguing goblins with his hands on his hips. “If you don’t start helping sell these bogmallows, we won’t raise enough money to buy anything!” he snapped.
“Hmmm,” Rachel said. “Maybe if we offer the goblins a present for Jack Frost, they’ll agree to exchange it for the firestone.”
“Good idea,” Kirsty said, “but what? It would have to be amazing to make them want to swap.”
The three friends thought hard for a few moments. Then an idea popped into Rachel’s head. “Gabriella, would you be able to create an ice statue like the ones we saw the sculptors working on earlier?”
“Of course,” Gabriella replied. “But why?”
Rachel grinned. “I thought of the perfect present for Jack Frost,” she explained. “An ice sculpture of himself ! It would be a great centerpiece for his party!”
Kirsty’s face lit up. “That’s a terrific idea!” She laughed.
“We all know how vain Jack Frost is,” Gabriella agreed. “He’ll love it!”
Quickly, they all moved behind a booth so that no one could see them. Gabriella waved her wand and a large block of ice appeared. With a few sprinkles of fairy dust, a statue was created that looked just like Jack Frost. The ice figure wore robes and a glittering crown.
“Wow,” Rachel said. “That’s fantastic!”
“It won’t last forever, of course,” Gabriella said, “even in Jack Frost’s freezing castle. But it should last as long as the party does.”
“That’ll be fine,” Kirsty said with a smile. “Now all we have to do is convince the goblins to exchange it for the firestone!”
Gabriella sprinkled fairy dust on the statue to make it lighter and easier to carry, then returned to her hiding place in Rachel’s scarf. Kirsty and Rachel lifted the frozen sculpture and took it very carefully back to the goblins’ stall.
“We’re all sold out,” the goblin in the apron shouted to the others. He rattled the pot of coins. “What are we going to spend all this money on? Who’s thought of a good present for Jack Frost?”
There was an uneasy silence as all the other goblins looked at one another and shuffled their feet.
“We thought of a good present!” Rachel called, as she and Kirsty carried the statue toward the booth. Gabriella leaned out from her hiding place and pointed her wand at the statue. With a bright blue flash of fairy magic, the statue rose from the girls’ hands and floated over to the booth.
“Aarrrgh!” the goblins all screamed, thinking it was their boss coming to surprise them.
“It’s a statue carved from ice,” Kirsty said, trying not to giggle at the panicking goblins. “Isn’t it good? We could make a trade — you give us the firestone, and you get this fabulous statue as a present for Jack Frost!”
The goblins looked relieved. “It does look like him,” one of them said, leaning over the counter for a closer look. “But …”
“But what?” Rachel prompted.
“Well, it doesn’t look much like a present, does it?” the goblin said, wrinkling his long nose.
“What do you mean?” Kirsty asked. “What should a present look like?”
The goblin shrugged. “Well, it should be wrapped up in paper, with a ribbon to untie, and …” Gabriella fluttered out from Rachel’s scarf. “So if we gift wrap the statue, it’ll be good enough?” she asked.
The goblins looked at one another. “Well, we don’t have anything better, do we?” one of them muttered. That seemed to make up their minds. They turned back to the girls. “Yes,” the goblin with the white apron said. “It’s a deal — we’ll trade it for the firestone, if you wrap up the statue nicely.”
“OK,” Gabriella said. She waved her wand at the statue, and fairy dust flew all around it. Seconds later, the statue was covered in holly-patterned paper and tied with a white velvet ribbon.
“Yay!” cheered the goblins, jumping up and down.
“The fireworks will be starting in two minutes!” a man with a megaphone walked by and announced. “If we can get them to light, that is,” he added. “Please make your way down to the town square.”
Rachel held out her hand for the firestone. She had to get it back to Gabriella before the fireworks were ruined. “Firestone, please,” she said to the goblins. But before they could pass it to her, a blast of freezing wind blew in — and Jack Frost himself appeared!
Rachel and Kirsty ducked behind the booth before he saw them, and Gabriella darted behind the “Toasted Bogmallows” sign. Luckily, most of the people at the festival were making their way down to the town square, so no one had noticed the unusual arrival.
Jack Frost did not seem to be in a good mood. Kirsty held her breath as he stalked over to the goblins. She really didn’t want him to spot her, Rachel, or Gabriella. He would be furious if he knew they were trying to get the firestone!
“The party’s about to start,” Jack Frost said in an icy voice. “I want to know where my present is!”
“It’s here!” the goblins cried, rushing out from behind the counter. “It’s right here. Open it!”
Jack Frost’s gaze fell on the green present and his eyes glittered with excitement. He untied the ribbon and pulled off the wrapping paper.
Rachel and Kirsty anxiously watched as Jack Frost stared at the ice sculpture of himself. His spiky face didn’t show any expression. He was speechless.
Rachel huddled closer to Kirsty, feeling very tense. Both girls knew what a terrible temper Jack Frost had. If he didn’t like the gift, there was sure to be trouble — and then they would never get the firestone back!
“It’s … it’s …” Jack Frost stuttered. Then he smiled. “It’s fantastic!” He walked all around the statue, looking at every detail. “This is amazing. The sculptor captured my star quality perfectly.”
The goblins grinned and high-fived one another as Jack Frost struck a heroic pose that looked just like the statue. “Wonderful,” he said happily. “The best present ever!”
Kirsty nudged Rachel in excitement. “He loves it!” she whispered.
Jack Frost clapped his hands. “Good job, goblins!” he said. “I’ll make sure you all have a great time at the party tonight. I’ll take this back to Fairyland now. See you later!” With that, he vanished in an icy whirlwind.
Rachel and Kirsty came out from their hiding place. “A deal’s a deal,” Rachel said to the goblins, holding out her hand again. “Now can we please have the firestone?”
The goblins were almost jumping with joy. It was obvious that Jack Frost wasn’t normally so nice to them.
“Here it is,” the goblin in the white
apron said, giving Rachel the firestone.
“Let’s go to the party!” the other goblins cheered, and they all left.
Rachel held the firestone out to Gabriella. The little fairy shrank it with her wand so that she’d be able to take it back to Fairyland.
“Thanks again for all your help,” the beaming fairy said, kissing both girls. “What would I do without you? Now I’d better bring the magic firestone to its rightful place in the Fairyland palace hearth, so that the festival fireworks can begin!”
“Bye, Gabriella,” Kirsty said. “I really enjoyed our adventures.”
“Me, too,” Rachel said. “Good-bye!”
Gabriella waved a hand and then flew away. Soon she was only a bright blue spark of light against the dark night sky.
“We’d better go find our parents,” Kirsty said as they watched the fairy disappear.
The two girls walked toward the bonfire. Just as they reached the end of the street, a great cheer rose up from the town square. Rachel and Kirsty saw that the bonfire had finally been lit and bright flames were crackling all over the wood.
“Gabriella must have returned the firestone,” Rachel said with a smile. “That was quick!”
“Just in time,” Kirsty said happily, linking an arm through Rachel’s. “Come on, let’s hurry, before the fireworks begin!”
The two friends raced to join their parents and warm their hands by the blazing bonfire. Moments later, the first fireworks went off with pops and bangs. The sky was filled with beautiful colors and showers of bright sparks. The whole crowd oohed and ahhed in delight.
Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy Page 3
