Sky the Blue Fairy (9780545308137) Read online

  Cold winds blow and thick ice forms,

  I conjure up this fairy storm.

  To seven corners of the human world

  the Rainbow Fairies will be hurled!

  I curse every part of Fairyland,

  with a frosty wave of my icy hand.

  For now and always, from this day,

  Fairyland will be cold and gray!

  Cover

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Map

  Poem

  A Magic Messenger

  Bubble Trouble

  Goblins on Ice

  Little Crab’s Great Idea

  Back to the Pot!

  The Fairy Ring

  Teaser

  Also Available

  Copyright

  “The water’s really warm!” Rachel Walker said, laughing. She was sitting on a rock, dipping her toes in one of Rainspell Island’s deep blue tide pools. Her friend Kirsty Tate was looking for shells on the rocks nearby.

  “Be careful not to slip, Kirsty!” called Mrs. Tate. She was sitting farther down the beach with Rachel’s mom.

  “OK, Mom!” Kirsty yelled back. She looked down at her bare feet, and a patch of green seaweed beneath them began to move. There was something blue and shiny tangled up in the seaweed. “Rachel! Come over here,” she shouted.

  Rachel hopped across the rocks. “What is it?” she asked.

  Kirsty pointed to the seaweed. “There’s something blue under there,” she said. “I wonder if it could it be . . .”

  “Sky the Blue Fairy?” Rachel said eagerly.

  A few days before, Rachel and Kirsty had discovered a magical secret. The wicked Jack Frost had banished the seven Rainbow Fairies from Fairyland with a magic spell. Now the fairies were hidden all over Rainspell Island. Until they were all found there would be no color in Fairyland. Rachel and Kirsty had promised the Fairy King and Queen that they would help find the fairies.

  The seaweed twitched.

  Rachel felt her heart beat faster.

  “Maybe the fairy is all tangled up,” she whispered. “Like Fern was when she landed in the ivy on the tower.”

  Fern was the Green Rainbow Fairy. Rachel and Kirsty had already found Fern and her sisters Ruby, Amber, and Sunny.

  Suddenly, a crab crawled out from under the seaweed at Kirsty’s feet. The crab was bright blue and very shiny. Tiny rainbows sparkled across its shell. It didn’t look like any of the other crabs on the beach.

  Kirsty and Rachel smiled at each other. This must be more of Rainspell Island’s special magic!

  “Oh, no! Fairy in trouble!” the crab muttered in a tiny voice. It sounded scratchy, like two pebbles rubbing together.

  “Did you hear that?” Rachel gasped.

  The crab stopped and peered up at the girls with his little stalk eyes. Then he stood up on his back legs.

  “What’s he doing?” Kirsty asked in surprise.

  The crab pointed one claw toward some rocks farther along the beach, under the cliffs. He rushed forward a few steps, then came back and looked up at Rachel and Kirsty again. “Over there,” he said.

  “I think he wants us to follow him,” Rachel said.

  “Yes! Yes!” said the little crab, clicking his claws. He set off sideways across a large, flat rock.

  Kirsty turned to Rachel. “Maybe he knows where Sky is!”

  “I hope so,” Rachel replied, her eyes shining.

  The crab moved off the rocks and headed across a stretch of sand. Rachel and Kirsty followed him. It was a hot, sunny day. Seagulls flew over the beach on strong, white wings.

  “Rachel, Kirsty, it’s almost lunchtime!” called Mrs. Walker. “We’re going back to Dolphin Cottage.”

  Kirsty looked at Rachel in dismay. “But we have to stay here and look for the Blue Fairy!” she whispered.

  The little crab jumped up and down, kicking up tiny puffs of sand. “Follow me, follow me!” he said. The girls couldn’t leave him now!

  Rachel thought quickly. “Mom?” she called back. “Could we have a picnic here instead, please?”

  Mrs. Walker smiled. “Why not? It’s a beautiful day. And we should make the most of the last three days of our vacation. I’ll head back to the cottage with Kirsty’s mom and make some sandwiches. You girls stay out of the water until we get back, OK?”

  Only three days, thought Kirsty, and three more Rainbow Fairies to find: Sky, Inky, and Heather!

  The two girls waved as their moms headed off toward the cottages. Kirsty turned to Rachel. “We’d better hurry. They’ll be back soon.”

  The crab set off again, this time over a big slippery rock. Rachel and Kirsty climbed carefully after him. Rachel saw him stop next to a small tide pool. There were lots of pretty pink shells in it.

  “Is the fairy in one of the tide pools?” she asked. “Is it this one?”

  The crab looked into the pool. He scratched the top of his head with one claw, looking puzzled. Then he hurried away.

  “I guess not,” Kirsty said.

  “What about here?” Rachel said, stopping by another pool. This one had tiny silver fish swimming in it.

  But the crab shook his claw at them and kept going.

  “Not this one, either,” said Kirsty.

  Suddenly, Rachel spotted a large tide pool. It was all by itself, right at the foot of the cliff. “Let’s try that one,” she said, pointing.

  Kirsty ran over.

  The sky was reflected in the surface of the pool like a shiny, blue mirror.

  Rachel caught up with her friend. She leaned over and looked into the water.

  The crab scuttled up behind them, his stalk eyes wiggling like crazy. When he dipped his claw into the pool, the water fizzed like ginger ale.

  “Fairy!” cried the little crab, lifting his claw out of the water. Blue sparkles dripped off it and landed in the pool with a sizzle. The entire pool was shimmering with magic!

  “Thank you, little crab,” Rachel said. She crouched down and stroked the top of the crab’s shell.

  The crab waved one claw at her, then dived into the water. He sank to the sandy bottom and disappeared under some seaweed.

  Kirsty peered into the tide pool. “Can you see the Blue Fairy, Rachel?” she asked.

  Rachel shook her head.

  Kirsty sighed, disappointed. “I can’t, either.”

  “Do you think Jack Frost’s goblins found her first?” Rachel said.

  “I hope not!” Kirsty shuddered. “Those goblins will do anything to stop the Rainbow Fairies from getting back to Fairyland.”

  Just then, Rachel and Kirsty heard a sweet voice singing a song. “With silver bells and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row . . .”

  “Oh!” Rachel gasped. “It’s so pretty! Do you think it’s the little crab?”

  Kirsty shook her head. “His voice was all gritty.”

  “You’re right,” Rachel agreed. “This voice sounds tinkly — more like a fairy!”

  “I think the singing is coming from that seaweed,” said Kirsty, pointing into the tide pool.

  Rachel peered into the water. She could see something unusual in the rippling seaweed. “Look!” she said.

  Just then, a huge bubble came bobbing out of the seaweed. It floated toward the surface of the pool.

  Rachel and Kirsty watched with wide eyes. There was a tiny girl inside the bubble! She waved at them and fluttered her rainbow-colored wings.

 
“Oh!” Kirsty gasped. “It’s her! I think we’ve found Sky the Blue Fairy!”

  The fairy pressed her hands against the curved sides of the bubble. She wore a short, sparkly dress and knee-high boots the color of bluebells. Her earrings and headband were made of little stars.

  “Please help me!” Sky said. Her tiny voice sounded like bubbles popping.

  Suddenly, a cold breeze swept through Rachel’s hair. A dark shadow fell across the tide pool. The glowing blue water turned gray. It was as if a cloud had covered the sun.

  Rachel looked up. The sun was still shining brightly overhead. “What’s happening?” she cried.

  Kirsty heard a strange hissing sound. She glanced around in alarm.

  A layer of frost was creeping across the rocks toward them, covering the beach in a crisp, white blanket.

  “Jack Frost’s goblins must be very close,” Kirsty said, feeling worried.

  Inside her bubble, Sky shivered as ice began to cover the tide pool.

  “Oh, no! She’s going to be trapped,” Kirsty cried.

  Sky’s bubble had stopped bobbing in the water. Now it hung very still, frozen into the ice. Rachel and Kirsty could see that Sky looked very scared.

  “Poor Sky! We have to rescue her!” Rachel exclaimed. “But how can we melt all that ice?”

  “I know!” said Kirsty. “Why don’t we look in our magic bags?”

  The Fairy Queen had given Rachel and Kirsty bags with very special gifts in them, to use for helping fairies in trouble.

  “Of course!” Rachel said. Then she frowned. “Oh, no! I left them in my backpack. It’s on the other side of the tide pools, way down the beach!”

  “I’ll run back and grab the magic bags,” Rachel said, jumping quickly to her feet.

  “OK,” Kirsty said. She blew on her hands to warm them up. The frost was making the air very cold. “I’ll stay here with Sky. But hurry!”

  “I will,” Rachel promised. She scrambled back over the rocks and onto the sandy beach.

  Rachel’s backpack was lying right where she’d left it. She reached inside and pulled out one of the magic bags. It was glowing with a soft golden light. When she opened it, a cloud of glitter sprayed out. Rachel slid her hand into the bag. There was something inside, smooth like a pebble. She pulled it out and looked closely at it. It was a tiny blue stone, shaped like a raindrop.

  Rachel was confused. The stone was pretty, but how could it help?

  Just then, the blue stone began to glow in her hand. It became warmer and warmer until it was almost too hot to hold. As it grew hotter, it glowed fiery red. Rachel curled her fingers around the raindrop stone and smiled. They could use it to melt the ice and set Sky free!

  She ran back to the tide pool as fast as she could. But when she reached the rocks, she stopped dead in her tracks. Kirsty was still standing by Sky’s frozen pool, but she wasn’t alone anymore. Two ugly goblins were skating on the ice next to her!

  “Go away!” Kirsty was shouting at the goblins, waving her hands.

  Rachel could tell that Kirsty was really angry. Rachel didn’t feel scared, now that she had fairy magic to help fight the goblins.

  “Go away yourself!” one of the goblins yelled rudely at Kirsty. He held his arms out to his sides and slid across the ice on one foot.

  Kirsty tried to grab the other goblin, but he dodged out of reach. “Can’t catch me!” he cried.

  “Hee, hee! The fairy can’t get out of the bubble!” The other goblin laughed. His bulging eyes gleamed as he did a little twirl on the ice.

  “We’re going to get her out!” Kirsty told him. “We’re going to find all the Rainbow Fairies. And then Fairyland will get its colors back!”

  “Oh no, it won’t,” said the goblin. He wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue.

  “Jack Frost’s magic is too strong,” said the other goblin. “You girls can’t do anything about it. Hey, look at me!” He pointed one foot behind himself and spun around the pool. But the ice was very slippery. He skidded sideways and crashed right into his friend.

  Splat!

  “Clumsy!” the other goblin snapped angrily.

  “You should have moved out of the way,” grumbled the clumsy one, rubbing his bottom.

  Then the goblins tried to stand up. But their feet skidded in all directions and they fell over again in a heap. Rachel saw her chance. She ran to the edge of the pool and threw the magical blue stone onto the ice.

  Suddenly, there was a fizz and a bang! A shower of golden sparks shot into the air and the ice began to melt. A big hole appeared in the center of the pool.

  “Ow! Hot! Hot!” yelled the goblins, sliding around on the ice. They scrambled to the edge of the pool and hurried away, their big feet slapping on the rocks as they ran.

  “They’re gone!” Kirsty said in relief.

  Rachel peered into the pool. “I hope Sky isn’t hurt,” she said.

  All the ice had melted and the water reflected the blue sky again. Sky’s bubble was floating just below the surface.

  Rachel saw Sky sit up inside the bubble and look around. Her eyes were big and scared, and she looked very pale.

  Kirsty put her hand in the water. It was still warm from the magic stone. “Don’t be afraid, Sky,” she said. Very gently, Kirsty moved her hand closer to Sky and poked her finger into the bubble.

  Pop!

  Sky tumbled out of the bubble and into the water. She swam up to the surface, her golden hair streaming behind her.

  Kirsty leaned over and fished the fairy out. Sky felt like a tiny wet leaf. Kirsty placed her gently on a rock in the sun. “There you are, little fairy,” she whispered.

  Sky propped herself up on one elbow. Water dripped from every part of her, but there were no blue sparkles now. “Thank you for helping me,” she whispered in a weak voice.

  Kirsty frowned at Rachel. “Something’s really wrong. All the fairies we found before had fairy dust. What happened to Sky’s sparkles?”

  “I don’t know,” said Rachel. “And she looks really pale, almost white.”

  It was true. Sky’s dress was so pale that the girls could hardly tell it was blue at all.

  Kirsty bit her lip. “It looks like Jack Frost’s magic took away her color!”

  Just then, the blue crab scuttled out of the water and made his way across the rock to Sky. “Oh dear, oh dear,” he muttered. “Poor little fairy.”

  Sky shivered and wrapped her arms around her body. “I’m so cold and sleepy,” she whispered.

  Kirsty felt a pang of alarm. “What’s wrong, Sky? Did the goblins get too close to you?”

  Sky nodded weakly. “Yes, and now I can’t get warm.”

  “We have to help her,” Rachel said.

  “But how?” asked Kirsty. She looked down at Sky in dismay. The fairy was curled up in a tiny ball with her eyes closed.

  Rachel felt tears sting behind her eyelids.

  Poor Sky. She looked really sick. What was going to happen to her?

  Rachel spotted something moving down on the rock. “Look!” she said. The little blue crab was wiggling his front claws wildly.

  “He’s trying to tell us something,” said Kirsty.

  The girls crouched down.

  “Don’t worry,” the crab said in his gritty voice. “My friends will help us.” He scurried up to the top of the highest rock and snapped his claws in the air.

  “What’s he doing?” Kirsty asked. Then she stared in amazement.

  Lots and lots of crabs crawled out of the tide pools around them. Big ones, little ones, all different colors. Their claws made scratchy noises on the pebbles.

  The blue crab wiggled his eyes and clicked his claws, pointing up at the sky, then down at the ground. His friends scrambled away in all directions
. Their little stalk eyes waved around as they poked their claws into the cracks between the rocks.

  Rachel and Kirsty looked at each other, confused. “What’s going on?” asked Rachel.

  All of a sudden, Kirsty spotted a tiny pink crab tugging and tugging at something in the rock.

  With a crunch, the crab tumbled over backward. It held a fluffy white seagull feather in its claws. The crab scrambled up again, waving the feather in the air.

  One by one, the other crabs searched for more feathers. Then the blue crab waved them over to to the rock where Sky lay. Very carefully, he tucked the feathers around the Blue Fairy. His friends gathered more and more feathers, until the fairy was lying in a cozy feather bed.

  “They’re trying to warm up Sky with seagull feathers!” Kirsty said.

  Rachel held her breath. There were so many feathers now that she couldn’t see the fairy at all. Will the blue crab’s idea work? she wondered.

  There was the tiniest wriggle in the feather nest. A faint puff of blue sparkles fizzed up.

  It smelled like blueberries. One pale blue star wobbled upward and disappeared in the air with a pop.

  “Fairy dust!” Rachel whispered.

  “But there’s not very much of it,” Kirsty pointed out.

  There was another wriggle from inside the nest. The feathers fell apart to reveal the Blue Fairy. Her dress was still very pale. She opened her big, blue eyes and sat up.

  She looked up at Rachel and Kirsty. “Hello, I’m Sky the Blue Fairy. Who are you?” she said in a sleepy voice.

  “I’m Kirsty,” said Kirsty.

  “And I’m Rachel,” said Rachel.

  “Thank you for frightening the goblins away,” said Sky. “And thank you, little crab, for finding all these nice, warm feathers.” She tried to unfold her wings, but they were too crumpled. “My poor wings,” said the fairy, her eyes filling with tiny tears.